allonlinenovel Chapter 158
Chapter 158
"Then I can rest assured." Yun Qingjin breathed a sigh of relief.
"It seems that Mother herself is alright."
Yuan Chen and Xu Huibing nodded, their previously tense expressions relaxing considerably.
"But don't relax yet, there's still something else. She said before that she wouldn't easily launch this plan under normal circumstances. Now that things have come to this... it means things aren't going to be easy..."
Yuan Chen spoke, then thought about what to do.
"This is easy to handle. Let nature take its course for now. Now that we've confirmed that this is indeed my mother, Boss Yun, we can't just leave her body to rot in the wilderness. Shouldn't we arrange various follow-up rituals afterward?"
Yun Qingjin shook the rose on her wrist. This peculiar flower jewelry no longer opened and closed as frequently as before, but remained in its open state as when she first saw it.
Still vibrant and full of life.
Yun Yuke once said that the shape of a flower represents her own state.
The frequent opening and closing indicates that Yun Yuke is currently in a state of unease and insecurity.
Other situations indicate that everything is safe and there is no need to worry too much.
This was something Yun Yuke specifically instructed her to do before she left.
Another thing is the arrangements for what follows.
Yun Yuke is definitely not the kind of person who doesn't inform her family before going out.
So, during that late-night conversation between mother and daughter before the Lunar New Year, Yun Yuke told Yun Qingjin all about her plans.
The gist of it is that after a period of investigation, Yun Yuke connected all the abnormal situations of this era.
His former companion, Hawk, now known as Grand Tutor Fan, advised the current emperor when he was still a prince, helping him ascend the throne. In return, Grand Tutor Fan was free to pursue his own research and inventions.
"The introduction of the imperial examination for women was one of the suggestions made by Grand Preceptor Fan to the current emperor. This includes policies proposed earlier, such as raising the status of merchants and eliminating discrimination against them; adjusting the scope of agricultural taxation; and building water conservancy facilities in various regions. In short, the policies that have yielded results are basically those that were implemented after Grand Preceptor Fan made suggestions and the current emperor adjusted them according to the situation."
"It seems to benefit the country and the people. Didn't Teacher Zhu often mention the influence of National Teacher Fan on them back then?" Yun Qingjin recalled the past.
Yun Yuke nodded, "That cannot be denied. Not only did Grand Preceptor Fan persuade the Emperor to implement various policies, but he also set up supervisory and regulatory agencies in various places, and even some places had special research institutions. The reason why the timber shop owner, Mr. Lin, who faked his death and escaped before, dared to pass off inferior goods as superior ones was because he used a medicine developed by Grand Preceptor Fan to strengthen the timber."
"Strengthen the wood?" Yun Qingjin was full of doubt, as it was the first time she had heard her mother speak words that were all terms she did not understand.
"Don't get hung up on the details. Just think of it as Master Fan having people in various places help him research all sorts of things, which is how novel and useful weapons like flying cars came about."
Yun Qingjin understood a little and nodded.
Yun Yuke continued, "That's why we uncovered a lot of underlying issues. Jiang Yue and Chengfeng once investigated a den of human trafficking. They thought that destroying the den would be the end of it, but in reality, the government and the human traffickers were in cahoots, a typical case of soldiers and bandits being one family."
"In cahoots?"
"Yes, trafficking women to be 'enjoyed' by those people at the research bases that Master Fan has established in various places."
Yun Yuke spoke in a calm tone, revealing something unbelievable. "Remember when we were in Xin'an City? Your Aunt Hua's son, Liu Haidong, had a brothel next to his restaurant where he was the head chef. I told Haidong to be careful of the people in the brothel because of that madam of Jiuxiang Tea House, Zijin Mama, who was in charge of taking in abandoned ordinary women and squeezing the last bit of value out of them."
"...So that's how it is." Yun Qingjin was still processing the facts her mother had told her, but seeing her mother's expression reminded her of something else.
"So, Mother is planning to go directly to Grand Preceptor Fan, is that right?"
Yun Yuke nodded, a smile on her face. "As expected of my daughter, she immediately understood. Since my former friend has already done so much... I can't be slow in gathering information; I need to confront him directly."
"Mother, think it over. After all, Grand Preceptor Fan is a favorite of the Emperor. Do you... want to just kill him?"
Yun Qingjin saw Yun Yuke's determination and felt uneasy.
Yun Yuke tied the rose bracelet, which represented her, to Yun Qingjin's wrist.
"I'll be fine, don't worry. He's going against the will of heaven. We've investigated, and those studies in various places have already begun to damage human ethics and morality. Before he does anything further wrong, someone has to stop him. If he can listen to me, is willing to stop, and not conduct excessive research, but only slowly carry out social reforms, I won't say anything. Some things, if you say you can't do them, then you really can't do them."
Yun Yuke spoke casually, as if she were only talking about gossip on the street.
Yun Qingjin held onto her mother's sleeve and wouldn't let go.
"Qingqing, don't worry, I'm not going alone. Jiang Yue and Chengfeng will be waiting for me in the distance."
Next, Yun Yuke told Yun Qingjin about the substitute corpse she had prepared.
“Your Aunt Jiang Yue will be going to the capital in a few days. On the surface, she’s transporting the body of a deceased person through the capital. But she’s prepared a female corpse that looks like me for me, so that I can save my life in a crisis.”
This was a matter of great importance, so Yun Qingjin listened attentively.
“This Grand Preceptor Fan, although we haven’t seen each other for a long time, is a ruthless man. I don’t want to go to the extreme, but we have to be prepared. If we don’t reach an agreement, he will definitely kill us. I will prepare a body double in advance and switch into him before he makes his move.”
"Couldn't the Imperial Preceptor Fan have discovered it?"
Yun Yuke nodded, "I will put all my personal clothing on the female corpse."
After listening to her mother's story, Yun Qingjin seemed to understand a lot and felt much more relaxed.
"However, Qingqing, I suspect that the power of Grand Preceptor Fan may have already set its sights on us. So, what you need to be wary of next is that they might send my disguised corpse directly to our doorstep."
“Qingqing, remember this: if that day ever comes, just arrange the funeral as usual. Your sister Yuan Chen and sister Xu Huibing are both trustworthy.”
After recalling the events, Yun Qingjin composed herself and then looked at Yuan Chen and Xu Huibing.
The two gave Yun Qingjin an approving look.
Yun Qingjin rallied her spirits and then suddenly lay down on the body.
She suddenly burst into tears.
"Mom! What am I going to do if you leave?! How could you do this! Sister Chenchen! Look again, tell me, isn't this my mom? Right? Tell me, you're mistaken!"