Qingyu Case: Female Minister of Dali Temple

"Ding Lisheng is outside the yard, and Tao Ming and the others are in the lobby." Li Tianliu said slowly as he looked at Quan Shuyu's departing back.

Chen Shao kicked him to make him calm down, then ordered: "Let Ding..."

"My Lord." Liu Yi came over quickly, interrupting her and taking out a sealed letter from his bosom and handing it over. "I know you are busy and shouldn't bother you any more. But this person asked me to deliver this to you without any outsiders."

Li Tianliu took the letter, read it from beginning to end, squeezed it, and then tore open the envelope with a little paint. After making sure there were no hidden weapons or poison, he handed the letter to Chen Shao and asked, "Who?"

"He said his name was Mr. Luo," Liu Yi shook his head, obviously not trusting this man, "I have never seen him before, and I don't know him."

"Master Luo?" Chen Shao paused as he took the letter and asked immediately, "How did he find you? Where is he now?"

"In my house." Liu Yi answered and muttered, "Are you really looking for him, sir?"

Chen Shao said 'hmm'.

"Is there really someone called Master Luo?" Liu Yi asked curiously, "Last night, in the dead of night, he broke into the yard of my house. I thought it was a thief and almost beat him to death. Later, I heard him say that many people were looking for him, and the adults were also looking for him. After learning that I was looking for someone for the adults, he came to me and asked me to bring this letter to the adults."

There were only two words on the letter: Pick me up.

Chen Shao handed the letter to Li Tianliu and continued to ask Liu Yi, "Does anyone know about him being in your house?"

"No one knows except our family members." Liu Yi saw her serious expression and knew that this Mr. Luo was an important person, so he quickly said, "I heard him talk so much last night. I specifically told everyone in the family not to tell anyone before the adults give the order."

"Very good." Chen Shao felt relieved and looked at Li Tianliu and said, "You immediately... No, it would be too conspicuous if you go. Let me think about it."

Chen Shao lowered his head, thought carefully for a moment, and gave another order: "Well, you arrange two people to follow Uncle Liu. Uncle Liu, after you take them back, find a way to collect some chickens, ducks, geese, sheep, and some rice, noodles, vegetables, firewood, etc. If others ask, just say you are sending them to the kitchen of the prefect's mansion. Collect as many as possible, and after collecting them, you pick a few trustworthy people to escort them together, and arrange Master Luo among the escorts."

Liu Yi agreed immediately.

After Li Tianliu arranged for everyone to leave with him, Chen Shao ordered again: "Go prepare the carriage, we will go to the Imperial College to get the account books that Lu Yuanfei hid."

Although he didn't agree with her using him as a distraction, Li Tianliu still went to make the arrangements with a dark face. After Chen Shao thanked him, he called Ding Lisheng into the study, "You are responsible for the execution today. Jiang Shu, Yang Zhi, and Li Zheng will be beheaded. Ren Yujie, Wen Gui, Zhao Letian, Ding Yichang, Ding Fu, and Ding Rong will be tortured to death. You must control the speed of the torture. They must not be killed within three days. In addition...what about the families of Huang Jiangnan and Ji Qinglin? Didn't you ask someone to bring them back before?"

"They have been brought back." Ding Lisheng's voice was trembling with fear from the word "lingchi". "Since you are busy, I took the initiative to lock them up in the small room next to the law officer's house."

"Go to those gardens and bring back Huang Jiangnan and Ji Qinglin and chop them up. Let their families watch the execution." Chen Shao ordered almost cruelly, "To prevent anyone from causing trouble, place the bones that were brought back before in front of the execution platform. Tell everyone what crime they committed, who the bones were, and where they came from."

Ding Lisheng replied with difficulty, and left quickly without even reporting that the pharmacy receipts had been returned to the Wen and Ren families.

Chen Shao was in a hurry to go to the academy, so he didn't ask him. Following him out of the study, Chan Yi just came back from the small kitchen. Chen Shao stopped and waited for her to come closer before instructing her, "Go to the lobby again and tell Tao Ming and the others to wait a little longer. Also, when Fu Jiu comes back, help arrange for the Seventh Master to stay in the west wing and serve him tea, fruit and snacks. Then ask Fu Jiu to go to Fu Lai Commercial Company and invite Zhao Liangzhu over. Also, calculate the wages of the people who escorted the shop assistants and the people who dug the bones yesterday and pay them off."

Chan Yi agreed first, then asked, "Master, are you going out?"

"Go to the academy to get an account book." Chen Shao said as he walked. When he reached the garden, he saw Quan Shuyu standing at the door of the east wing, and mentioned her affairs in passing. After leaving Chengfeng Courtyard and getting on the carriage, he told Chanyi, "If there is anything else, you can arrange it." Then he told Li Tianliu, "Go through the back door."

The carriage came out from the back door, bypassing the crowd outside the main gate. On the way to the academy, Li Tianliu deliberately asked, "Aren't we trying to distract their attention?"

This was the first time Chen Shao had been alone with him. Looking at the people who were constantly sneaking around and following them in the corners, he said slowly, "Do you know what 'the more you try to hide, the more obvious it becomes'?"

Li Tianliu said: "I would like to hear the details."

He had already seen those people, and not only him, but also the Yulin Guards who were traveling with him. However, without Chen Shao's order, no one acted rashly.

"There are several noble families who are to be executed today. I am not here for such an important occasion. Wouldn't that make people suspicious?" Everyone is smart and naturally knows the mystery. It's just a casual talk on the way. Chen Shaowei tapped the coffee table with his fingers and said slowly, "I left quietly through the back door and went to the Imperial College. This will definitely arouse more suspicion. As long as there is suspicion, people will inevitably focus their attention on me."

The fact turned out to be just as she expected. Not long after she left the prefectural government, various noble families and gentry received the news that she was going to the Imperial Academy.

...

The Yulin Guards who were guarding the Imperial Academy were very familiar with the territory of the Imperial Academy. When they learned that Chen Shao and his companions were going to the stable, one of them immediately came out and led everyone there.

The roads in the Imperial College were not very wide, and the carriages moved very slowly.

As the carriage slowly moved forward, Chen Shao's eyes swept across the empty lecture halls. After several changes, although the trees and flowers were still lush and the students were still in the academy, the Imperial Academy had already shown signs of decline.

"The teachers haven't been giving lectures recently?" Chen Shao asked.

The imperial guards who led the way replied, "Both the teacher and the students have been like frightened birds lately, so how can they have the mood to teach?"

Chen Shao's eyes swept across the lecture halls again, "How many teachers and students are left in the academy?"

The Yulin Guard who led the way answered uncertainly: "There should be about twenty teachers left, and about sixty or seventy students."

"When we get to the stables, go gather these people to the training ground," Chen Shao ordered, "I'll have a word with them."

The Yulin Guards who led the way should be hello.