Inside the prison cell, Concubine Lian looked disheveled and extremely wretched.
She spotted Li Ying at a glance, gritted her teeth, and glared at her angrily.
"You little bitch! Do you come here to show off and laugh at me?"
She summoned her last bit of energy and shouted at Li Ying. But just then, a rat as big as a kitten scurried brazenly past her feet, squeaking noisily.
Concubine Lian let out a horrified wail, her face turning deathly pale.
A faint look of pity flashed across Li Ying's eyes. She said in a low voice, "Concubine Lian, you've lost."
"The day Inspector Lin arrested you, he said that we needed to be on guard against water bandits trying to rescue you from prison. If I'm not mistaken, that was your secret signal, right? He assured you that he would turn a blind eye and let the news of your arrest spread, so that the water bandits could come and rescue you."
Since she was thrown into prison, Concubine Lian had remained silent all this time, acting quite "composed." But now, Li Ying had calmly exposed her innermost thoughts, causing her complexion to change slightly.
"Concubine Lian, do you know that Inspector Lin left for the capital to report on his duties several days ago? All the pirates you relied on have been captured. You can't escape."
"The master of the family has passed the position of the head of the Lu family to Lu Xunguang. Uncle Zheng has also recalled the heroes of the former caravan. Your cause is lost."
"Since things have come to this, I advise you to honestly confess how you colluded with the River Gang. Maybe you can atone for your crimes."
Every word Li Ying said was like a sharp dagger stabbing into Concubine Lian's heart.
Concubine Lian said miserably, "Humph! What a great head of the Lu family! What a great caravan! I've been scheming for years, but in the end, I fell into their trap!"
In the past, the Ping'an Bank was extremely wealthy. The master of the family was kind - hearted and highly respected.
When there was a flood in the south of the Yangtze River, followed by a salt shortage, the Ping'an Bank put aside all its business, generously donated money, and rushed to the rescue. They used all the carriages of the caravan to assist the inspector in transporting relief salt and grain, which was highly praised by the world.
At that time, Concubine Lian was still an unmarried young lady from the River Gang. She fell in love at first sight with the master of the family, a gentleman who cared about the world like an elder brother and a father.
In order to gain the favor of her beloved, she ordered the water bandits of the River Gang to abandon their dirty tricks and cooperate with the caravan in the important task of transporting salt and grain.
The River Gang and the caravan, one on the water and the other on land, really cooperated seamlessly for a while.
Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long, and people's hearts changed.
Selling private salt was extremely profitable. Many greedy people secretly stole the official salt.
The emperor was furious and ordered a strict investigation. He severely punished the inspector in charge of the relief operation back then and pointed the finger at the caravan, suspecting that the Ping'an Bank had colluded with the corrupt inspector.
Taking this opportunity, Concubine Lian eliminated the dissidents in the River Gang and reorganized the remaining gang members into a fleet.
After Old Zheng disbanded the caravan and left in anger, the business transportation of the Ping'an Bank was in a deadlock for a while and suffered a great setback.
Concubine Lian sent her fleet to break the deadlock successfully. Since then, she had taken control of the life - line of the Ping'an Bank and even captured the heart of the master of the family.
Over the years, she had carefully maintained the affectionate relationship with the master of the family. It was only today that she realized that she had never truly caught his eye. From beginning to end, it was just her unrequited love and his false pretense.
"Uncle Zheng has been secretly recruiting troops and protecting the caravan's business routes for the master of the family for many years. It's you who have been played by others."
Li Ying's tone was as calm as still water.
After hearing this, Concubine Lian slowly pulled up a sad smile at the corner of her mouth.
"Hubby, I've been deeply in love with you since I was a young girl. I eliminated the dissidents for you and endured the criticism from the River Gang. But you... you've never loved me, never!"
There were two pools of tears in the corners of her eyes. She abandoned her usual delicate and charming appearance and showed a bit of the fierceness of a pirate. She rushed straight towards the cold and hard stone wall of the prison cell!
Two yamen runners were quick - witted and grabbed her tightly.
Concubine Lian lost all her dignity. She was crying and laughing, shouting at the top of her voice, "Li Ying! Go back and tell hubby that even if the caravan makes a comeback, the Ping'an Bank won't be saved! I'll be waiting for him in the underworld!"
"We've been husband and wife. We should live and die together! Hahaha..."
Her shrill laughter echoed in the cold prison cell, with a touch of eeriness.
Li Ying frowned slightly.
The Ping'an Bank won't be saved?
Why did she say that?
Su Buchi saw that her face looked bad and there was a deep look of worry between her eyebrows.
"Miss Li, my senior brother ignored the sect's rules just to find out the truth about the private salt case. Now that Inspector Lin is causing trouble, I can't just watch my senior brother's efforts go to waste."
As if to reassure her, he said in a deep voice, "My senior brother has just transferred all the clues he's found through years of investigation to me. Miss Li, don't worry. I've decided to take the imperial examination and become an official. I will definitely find out all the details of that year and make A Xun and you feel at ease."
Li Ying was stunned.
Su Buchi was like a care - free cloud and wild crane. He was the most talented disciple of Yan Lian and regarded fame and fortune as passing clouds. He was always unrestrained and didn't like intrigue.
Now, he was going to give up his free and easy life and enter the officialdom for her sake?
Li Ying was filled with mixed emotions and didn't know how to respond.
There were still many mysteries in the private salt case. How did Concubine Lian steal the official salt? Why did Lu Xunguang's mother die because of this? These secrets really needed someone in the officialdom to sort out the clues step by step.
She really wanted to find out the truth and help Lu Xunguang untie the knot in his heart. She couldn't bring herself to say the false words to stop Su Buchi from entering the officialdom.
Seeing Li Ying bowing gracefully, Su Buchi couldn't bear to make her feel embarrassed. He said softly, "Miss Li, don't take it to heart. A Xun calls me Uncle Su. This matter also concerns our sect. It's my responsibility. But my master doesn't like his disciples to get involved in the officialdom. I'm afraid I need Miss Li to persuade him for me."
Li Ying naturally nodded in agreement. The two of them rushed back to the banquet and told everyone exactly what Concubine Lian had said.
"Elders of the caravan, I know I'm an outsider and my words may not carry much weight. But sometimes, the people involved are often confused. I have to point out some things."
"The caravan has suffered an unjust accusation of stealing official salt. The master of the family is willing to take the blame today, not to protect Concubine Lian. He's sacrificing himself to clear the caravan's name and give the bank a chance to rise again!"
Although these words were addressed to the caravan members, Li Ying's eyes were directly fixed on the master of the family. Her tone was firm, not a question.
The master of the family narrowed his sharp eagle - like eyes and praised, "A Xun, your sweetheart is really as smart as a whip. It's a blessing for our Lu family to have such a daughter - in - law."
Seeing that everyone still looked confused, Li Ying didn't keep them in suspense. She cleared her throat and began to explain in detail.