Chapter 49 Meeting the Father-in-Law

As November approached, winter quietly descended, and the northern region had already witnessed its first dusting of fine snow. In the blink of an eye, two full months had passed since Wang Yu first arrived in the capital.

Although less than a month remained before the deadline to uncover the truth, Wang Yu was not the least bit anxious.

In any matter, once a breakthrough is found, everything else becomes relatively simple. Yet, Wang Yu had not been the one to find this breakthrough; instead, Zhao Gao had taken the initiative to discover the clues. Truly, he lived up to his reputation as the old schemer of the Luo Wang network.

Compared to an old fox like Zhao Gao, the current Wang Yu was indeed still somewhat green!

The matter traced back to that day at the Drunken Dream Pavilion. Wang Yu refused to believe that incident was mere coincidence, and Zhao Gao, who had been summoned by Wang Yu and remained hidden in the shadows, was even less inclined to believe it.

Following that event, Wang Yu's attention had been fixed on the Fourth Prince, whose behavior that day had been entirely abnormal. However, considering the man was a dignified imperial prince, Wang Yu could hardly interrogate him directly. Every time he attempted to probe, the other party would offer only a handful of words, making it impossible to glean anything useful from the attempts!

Zhao Gao, on the other hand, did not focus his efforts on the Fourth Prince. Instead, he targeted Lü Chong, or more precisely, Cheng Zhe, the man who had escorted Lü Chong to the Drunken Dream Pavilion.

Later, through means known only to himself, Zhao Gao conducted a thorough investigation into Cheng Zhe and made his first discovery: on the surface, this young man was a man of the Crown Prince, but in secret, he maintained connections with the First Prince. Not only was he tied to the First Prince, but he also kept in contact with another key figure—the Fourth Prince.

Furthermore, upon learning that Cheng Zhe was fond of befriending martial artists in his spare time, particularly those with formidable cultivation, Zhao Gao even arranged for Xuan Jian to cross his path.

This was not done in the hope that Xuan Jian could immediately uncover anything—their targets were not fools, and earning their trust in such a short span of time was impossible. Rather, it was to have Xuan Jian lie low. A person who mingled among the various princes might prove useful down the road.

Seeing how efficiently Zhao Gao handled tasks, Wang Yu simply washed his hands of the matter and left the entire investigation to him!

Today, however, Wang Yu had another affair to attend to. His prospective father-in-law, Bai Shang, had returned to the capital. Out of both affection and reason, he needed to pay his respects to the man as soon as possible.

"Let's set off!" Taking advantage of the fact that he had no lectures scheduled for the day, Wang Yu changed into a more formal attire and prepared to depart for the Bai residence. The person waiting for him was none other than the head steward of the Wang estate and one of Wang Yuan's trusted confidants. Today, it was he who had come to escort Wang Yu to the residence of the Minister of Rites.

The carriage ambled along the bustling, animated avenue. Brilliant sunlight spilled across the endless expanse of green tiles and red walls, illuminating the abruptly protruding eaves, the high-flying tavern banners, the shimmering procession of carriages and horses, the endless stream of pedestrians, and the calm, contented smiles on every face. Everything spoke of the capital's prosperity, forming a sharp contrast to what Wang Yu had seen and heard along his journey to the city.

In the past, although Wang Yu had often been dragged by Zhao Kuangwei and the others to wander aimlessly through the capital, those outings had mostly taken place in the dusk or under the cover of night. They felt quite different from the daytime bustle, each possessing its own unique charm.

Along both sides of the street stood tea houses, taverns, pawnshops, and workshops of every description. In the open spaces flanking the roadway, numerous small vendors set up large umbrellas for their stalls.

The street stretched eastward and westward, extending all the way to the quieter suburbs outside the city walls, yet pedestrians remained a constant presence on the thoroughfare: some carrying burdens on shoulder poles, some driving ox-carts laden with goods, some herding donkeys pulling cargo wagons, and others pausing to admire the scenery along the Flowing Crystal River.

Centered around the towering city gates, the houses on either side stood scale upon scale, housing tea rooms, wine shops, wayfarers' taverns, butcher shops, temples, and government offices alike.

As the carriage crossed the central street, massive city walls constructed from gigantic bluestone blocks came into view. Standing nearly ten meters tall, the ramparts resembled an imposing, rolling mountain range that stretched endlessly out of sight.

Passing through this boundary meant entering the Inner City. Only those of a certain status and standing were permitted to dwell here, and the various government ministries were largely located here as well. The Wang family's secondary residence in the capital was also situated within the Inner City. The area they had just traversed was the Outer City, which served primarily as a gathering place for commoners and wealthy merchants.

Within the Inner City lay the Imperial City itself. Being the Imperial City, it was naturally the location of the imperial palace.

Compared to the boisterous Outer City, the Inner City appeared much more serene. Although various shops still lined the pathways, they were clearly high-end establishments rather than the bustling commercial hubs of the Outer City where customers constantly surged back and forth.

After passing through the gates of the Inner City, the carriage continued northward. The mansion of the Minister of Rites was situated in the northern section of the Inner City.

Wang Yu alighted from the carriage and, guided by the steward, entered the Bai estate. Given that a marriage alliance existed between the two families, Wang Yuan and Bai Shang maintained frequent contact in ordinary times.

The servants of the Bai residence recognized Wang Yuan's steward. Moreover, having received word in advance that the prospective son-in-law would be visiting today, they wasted no time at the gates and led him straight inside.

Within the civil official hierarchy of the Great Cang Empire, aside from the Left and Right Chancellors, the ministers of the Six Ministries held the highest authority. Such a status unquestionably marked one as a senior official of the court. Yet, it was hard to imagine that Bai Shang's residence was so modest. Not only did it pale in comparison to the Eastern Suppression General's Manor, but it also fell far short even of the Wang family's secondary capital residence.

Bai Shang, the Minister of Rites, did not hail from any prestigious aristocratic clan. He was merely an ordinary Confucian scholar who, holding fast to the belief that one should excel in learning to enter officialdom, had attempted the imperial examinations twice, only to end up running for naught both times.

Perhaps it was simply a matter of a turn of fortune. Bai Shang, whose official prospects should have seemed bleak after failing the imperial exams for a second time, crossed paths with his lifelong benefactor—the Prince of Rui of that era, who was none other than the current Emperor of Cang.

At the time, the Prince of Rui did not stand out among the various candidates vying for the throne, nor did he possess any overwhelming advantages. Yet, one could not deny that his methods were formidable indeed, ultimately allowing him to pull off a dramatic reversal of fortune.

This affair seemed to have some connection to Wang Yu's convenient father. However, the details of that history were unknown even to Wang Yu. Many events of those years were taboo, and since they were taboos, naturally no one had the idle time to recount them to Wang Yu.

As for Bai Shang, despite suffering consecutive setbacks in the imperial examinations, once he caught the eye of the then-Emperor Cang—who was still biding his time like a hidden dragon—he rapidly began to shine, successfully handling numerous major affairs for the emperor.

In fact, during the subsequent counter-offensive waged by the emperor, Bai Shang contributed numerous meritorious deeds.

Otherwise, following Emperor Cang's ascension to the throne, Bai Shang would not have experienced such rapid promotions, rising within a mere twenty-odd years to become a high official holding the post of Minister of Rites.

Moreover, despite his ordinary origins as a Confucian scholar, Bai Shang later married a daughter of the Xu family, one of the Six Great Clans. In secret, he had thus forged a marriage alliance with the Eastern Suppression General's Manor.

One could say that twenty-odd years ago, just as the former Emperor Cang staged a stunning comeback, the Minister of Rites, Bai Shang, accomplished a brilliant reversal of his own.