AUBTN -Chapter 63 The Storyteller

【Although Jiang Huai was saying that his losses were severe, just look at his rosy face—there isn’t a hint of anxiety in his eyes. Even the clothes he’s wearing are newly made Su brocade, worth a fortune.】

【As the empire’s largest merchant, if official salt were stolen, the law requires him to compensate the court with an enormous sum—and he might even lose his head. Any normal person would be panicking by now. Yet he has the leisure to flaunt his wealth here?】

【There is only one possibility!】

In Shen Jue’s mind, Su Hewan’s calm analytical voice rang out clearly:

【This is a case of embezzlement by those entrusted with protection! These so-called “water bandits” are most likely employed by the Jiang family themselves! They take the official salt with their left hand, report it as loss, then sell it on the black market at high prices or mix it with private salt to sneak it into the official stockpile. Classic money laundering and embezzlement! That old fox has mastered the art of “left hand to right hand” dealings!”】

Shen Jue’s fingers paused lightly on the table.

A flicker of admiration passed through his eyes. This girl is sharp.

Embezzlement by those entrusted with protection?

Interesting.

The banquet was already halfway through.

The oppressive atmosphere was making everyone lose their appetite.

Yu Qing couldn’t stand the pretense any longer. Under the table, she quietly kicked Su Hewan.

“Ouch!”

Yu Qing suddenly clutched her stomach, her face contorting in apparent pain—her acting instantly flawless.

“Um… Lord Lu, I can’t take it, my stomach hurts! Maybe it’s the change in water and food… I need to get some fresh air!”

Lu Yan frowned. “Bear with it.”

“How can I bear it! Everyone has urgent needs, my lord!” Yu Qing pouted, blinking innocently, and tugged Su Hewan along.

“Wanwan, come with me! I’m scared alone!”

Su Hewan understood immediately and stood up, cooperating. “My lord, I’ll take care of her, and I can buy some medicine along the way.”

Before Lu Yan could refuse, Shen Jue lazily spoke:

“Go. Girls are delicate; Lord Lu needn’t force it.”

Lu Yan shot Shen Jue a cold glance but ultimately didn’t stop them.

Once they stepped outside the Jiang residence,

Yu Qing’s sudden pain vanished.

“Phew—! I almost suffocated in there! That old man talks like he’s performing an opera. I didn’t dare touch a single dish at the table, afraid he might have poisoned it!”

Su Hewan shook her head helplessly. “Could your excuse be any worse?”

“As long as it works!” Yu Qing linked her arm through hers, eyes sparkling.

“Come on, come on! When we entered the city earlier, I saw a place ahead—Tingfeng Tower. It’s the biggest teahouse in Su City! Based on my years of watching costume dramas, teahouses are always gossip centers… basically intelligence-gathering stations!”

Su Hewan laughed. “If you just want to join the fun, you could’ve said so directly.”

“Hehe, you really understand me, Wanwan!”

Tingfeng Tower.

At this hour, it was lively, the main hall packed to the brim.

They found an inconspicuous corner, ordered a pot of Biluochun tea and two plates of sunflower seeds.

On stage, a storyteller in a long gown held a folding fan, speaking with spittle flying.

A wooden clapper snapped!

“Snap!”

“The last story went like this: On a moonless, windy night, the great corrupt official of Su City was dreaming peacefully, unaware that a dark shadow had already landed on his roof! That person moved like a swallow, leaving no trace, placing by the official’s pillow a ledger and a…”

The storyteller deliberately stretched the suspense.

The audience below erupted in excitement: “A what? Tell us!”

“A wooden carving of a thrush!”

The storyteller opened his folding fan, eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.

“This is the famous Jiangnan vigilante—the Huamei!”

“Pfft—!”

Yu Qing, who was sipping her tea, spat out a mouthful of water.

“Cough, cough, cough! Huamei?”

She widened her eyes at Su Hewan and whispered in astonishment,

“Isn’t that the codename we saw in the hidden compartment of the Ghost Ship?”

Su Hewan’s expression stiffened. She gestured for her to stay silent and focused on listening.

The storyteller continued, voice rising with excitement:

“This Huamei is like a living Bodhisattva for the common people! They specifically rob the unscrupulous salt merchants and distribute the ill-gotten wealth to the poor! There are even rumors that Huamei isn’t a single person, but an entire organization, holding ironclad evidence of those salt merchants colluding with officials and illegally trading government salt!”

“Half a year ago, the previous prefect, Lord Li, received an account book sent by Huamei—and that is what led to his death!”

Someone in the audience sighed, “What a pity… good officials never live long. After Lord Li died, that account book vanished without a trace. Now, the world belongs to these crooked merchants again.”

“Shh! Lower your voice! Want to die? Su City is now the Jiang family’s turf!”

In a corner, Su Hewan lightly traced the edge of her teacup, her eyes flickering with sharp intelligence.

“So that’s how it is.”

“What we saw on the ship was the falsified account book created by the Jiang family to frame Huamei. The Jiang family blamed the theft of government salt on the vigilante and river bandits, while presenting themselves as the victims.”

“The real Huamei is actually the one revealing the truth.”

“And those people who died on the ship were not innocent crew members at all—they were most likely Jiang family thugs responsible for transporting smuggled salt. Either due to disputes over the spoils or to silence them, they were poisoned by their own people, and the scene was staged to look like a robbery, even framing Shen Jue…”

Although Yu Qing’s mind didn’t work as fast, she got the gist of it.

She grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds, cracked one open with a crisp snap, and indignantly exclaimed,

“Damn! The Jiang family is shameless! This is literally a ‘the thief cries thief’ situation from ancient times! And they have the audacity to claim the vigilante is the villain!”

She suddenly leaned close to Su Hewan, all mysterious and conspiratorial.

“Hey, Wan Wan, do you think this Huamei might also be handsome? Like a masked hero?”

Su Hewan rolled her eyes, “Your focus is always so… unique.”

“Of course!” Yu Qing said proudly, lifting her chin.

“But speaking seriously, since the previous prefect died because of that account book, the real book must still be with Huamei… or hidden somewhere.”

“If we could find the real Huamei…”

Su Hewan narrowed her eyes, gazing out at the bustling street outside.

“Then half of this case would already be solved.”

At that moment, a commotion erupted at the teahouse entrance.

A group of people dressed as Jiang family servants stormed in, shoving the customers who were drinking tea.

“Move aside! Jiang family business! Outsiders, get out of the way!”

The person at the front, looking like a steward, strode straight to the storyteller’s platform and flipped the table over.

“You old fool! Who let you spout nonsense here! Dare to slander the Jiang family? You must be asking for death!”

The storyteller turned pale with fright and knelt, begging for mercy.

“Please, sir! I’m just trying to make a living…”

“Take him away!”

At the steward’s command, a few rough men stepped forward to drag him off.

Yu Qing saw this and her sense of justice immediately flared.

“Stop!”

She slammed her hand on the table and stood up.

“In broad daylight, is there no law at all?!”