She remarried a cold-faced, powerful man, and the scumbag regretted it and cried his heart out.

As the sun rose higher and the heat intensified, the private room on the second floor of the restaurant remained cool and refreshing.

The ice basin emitted a chill, dispelling the heat.

Cheng Wenhao sat in the main seat, gently waving a folding fan in his hand, looking relaxed and carefree.

Today, taking advantage of the Cheng family's merchant caravan, he specially hosted a small gathering at the "Wangjiang Tower" for several prestigious wealthy merchants in Yangzhou City.

"Gentlemen, have you heard about what happened to Minister Li, the Vice Minister of Revenue in the capital, a while ago? How could such a perfectly healthy person suddenly disappear?"

After a few rounds of drinks, the atmosphere gradually warmed up, and Cheng Wenhao casually brought up the strange things that had happened in the capital.

As he spoke, he carefully observed the expressions on everyone's faces.

The wealthy businessmen exchanged glances, each carefully considering their words.

"Well... who can argue with that? How could we businessmen possibly understand the ways of officialdom?"

"That's right. Besides, the capital is right under the emperor's nose, while our Yanzhou is far away. What happens there has nothing to do with us?"

A wealthy businessman surnamed Zhang stroked his beard and chuckled.

Seeing this, Cheng Wenhao dropped another bombshell: "Then the Commandant who came to Yanzhou, I heard that he was assassinated at the Zhao residence and was seriously injured. I wonder if it's true or not?"

These words immediately created a somber atmosphere at the table.

The wealthy businessmen exchanged signals that only they could understand, seemingly weighing something among themselves.

Another wealthy businessman surnamed Wang sighed, picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp. "Alas, if you ask me, this city of Yangzhou is about to undergo a major upheaval."

A wealthy merchant surnamed Qian, who regularly did business with the Cheng family, lowered his voice and said mysteriously as the wine flowed freely, "Young Master Cheng, to be honest, your Cheng family's caravan sometimes does some 'special' business."

Is this an attempt to drag himself into the mess?

Cheng Wenhao remained silent, only smiling faintly, signaling him to continue.

Qian, the wealthy merchant, looked around and saw that the other wealthy merchants also seemed to understand each other perfectly, so he became even more unrestrained.

“A while ago, the Cheng family asked us to help transport some things. We don’t know exactly what they were, but we do know that Lord Zhao personally arranged for us to take over.”

Qian Fushang's words were like a thunderbolt, exploding in Cheng Wenhao's heart.

He never expected that the Cheng family would be involved.

He suppressed his shock and continued to deal with the wealthy businessmen, subtly trying to find out more information about Zhao Yan and the forces behind him.

From their conversation, Cheng Wenhao learned that Zhao Yan's ability to act so lawlessly was entirely due to the protection of a royal family in the capital. Although they didn't explicitly say which royal family, Cheng Wenhao could easily guess—who else could it be but Prince Jing?

"The Cheng family is likely facing a great calamity."

Map of the Northern Mountains.

"You're being watched; you have no choice."

Recalling the words Shen Jingshu had said to him, and thinking of Xie Wanqing's various unusual behaviors, Cheng Wenhao almost laughed in anger.

After the banquet, Cheng Wenhao did not return to the inn, but instead wandered around the city.

Based on the wealthy merchants' words and actions, as well as their attitude towards Zhao Yan, he deduced that Zhao Yan was very likely hiding in the home of one of the wealthy merchants.

Among them, Zhang Fushang repeatedly tried to steer the conversation away from Zhao Yan's topic, seemingly unwilling to discuss anything related to Zhao Yan, which was the most unusual reaction.

Cheng Wenhao wandered around the street until his legs ached. Finally, he saw Zhang Fushang come out of the restaurant. He pulled over a waiter, gave him a few instructions, and then followed him without making a sound.

Zhang Fushang walked all the way to the bustling city center and came to a secluded house. He stepped forward and knocked on the door, three long knocks followed by two short ones, just like Lin Yu had knocked on the door before.

The courtyard gate opened, and Zhang Fushang slipped inside.

Cheng Wenhao felt relieved; he knew he had found the right place.

Starting the following day, Cheng Wenhao began spreading the news throughout the city that Jiang Jin'an had died from his injuries.

"Hey, did you know? That captain from the capital is probably not going to make it."

Cheng Wenhao sat at the tea stall, drinking tea and sighing as he spoke to those around him.

Some people asked curiously, "What happened? Wasn't it just an injury?"

"Injured? It's more than just injured!" Cheng Wenhao lowered his voice. "I saw it with my own eyes. When the Captain was carried out, he was covered in blood, his face was whiter than paper, and he was barely breathing. I'm afraid he won't make it through the night."

"Really? Is it that serious?"

Cheng Wenhao said confidently, "It's absolutely true! Would I lie to you?"

The news quickly spread throughout the city, causing much discussion and widespread anxiety.

Upon hearing this news, several wealthy businessmen who had colluded with Zhao Yanyou began to contact each other frequently, seemingly discussing countermeasures.

Cheng Wenhao saw this and was delighted, knowing that the plan had worked.

He continued to fuel the flames, deliberately sighing and complaining in front of the wealthy businessman.

"Alas, with the death of the Commandant, Yanzhou will likely descend into chaos, and I will be unable to continue my business. I should leave this place of trouble as soon as possible."

As he spoke, he instructed the steward to pack his belongings, making it appear as if he was about to leave Yangzhou.

Seeing this, the wealthy businessmen became even more convinced that Jiang Jin'an was dead, and their worries lessened considerably.

Since the start of the "faking injury" plan, Zhao Yan has been hiding in the mansion of that wealthy businessman surnamed Zhang.

Although he appeared calm on the surface, he was actually quite apprehensive. He had experienced Jiang Jin'an's methods firsthand, and although this plan seemed flawless, he still felt uneasy. Every day, he pondered how to completely shake off Jiang Jin'an's pursuit and escape Yangzhou.

When he heard the news that Jiang Jin'an had "died from his injuries," his tense nerves finally relaxed. He thought he had finally escaped a disaster and began to secretly plan his escape from Yanzhou.

Zhao Yan conspired with several wealthy merchants to use their wealth and connections to pull strings and escape Yangzhou by water under the cover of night, seeking refuge elsewhere.

"Gentlemen, I am deeply grateful for your help this time!" Zhao Yan said, cupping his hands in thanks. "Once I reach a safe place, I will never forget your kindness!"

Several wealthy businessmen agreed repeatedly, but each had their own plans.

They helped Zhao Yan partly out of self-interest and partly to protect themselves.

After all, they had been in cahoots with Zhao Yan for many years, and if Zhao Yan were arrested, they would also be implicated.

To ensure everything went smoothly, Zhao Yan decided to send someone to the place where Cheng Wenhao had mentioned Jiang Jin'an was hiding, to test the waters and completely eliminate this "hidden danger."

He selected several highly skilled guards and ordered them to sneak into Jiang Jin'an's residence under cover of night and bring back a token as proof.

That night, several guards quietly sneaked in.

They expected to find a cold corpse, but instead discovered the house was empty, without a trace.

Just as they were wondering what was going on, Lin Yu, Tong Qingyun, and others, who had been lying in ambush, suddenly attacked and surrounded them.

The guards were terrified and tried to resist, but they were no match for Lin Yu and Tong Qingyun.

In no time at all, some were dead and others were injured.

When Zhao Yan realized he had fallen into a trap, he was terrified. Knowing he had nowhere to retreat, he took advantage of the chaos to escape the wealthy merchant's mansion, attempting to flee Yangzhou City.

However, he was intercepted by Jiang Jin'an, who had been waiting there, as soon as he reached the city gate.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Yan's face turned deathly pale. He tried to remain calm and argue, but when he saw Jiang Jin'an's eyes, which were even colder than the night, he knew he had nowhere to run.

He suddenly knelt down with a thud, tearfully saying that everything was under someone else's orders and that he had no choice but to tell them everything he knew, hoping that Jiang Jin'an would show leniency.

Jiang Jin'an waved his hand and ordered his men to take him away.

Subsequently, Jiang Jin'an ordered his men to search Zhao Yan's secret strongholds outside the city overnight, as well as the warehouses of several wealthy merchants who colluded with Zhao Yan, and found a large amount of official silver and account books.

Zhao Yan and his accomplices were arrested, and a large amount of stolen money was recovered. Zhao Yan and others will be escorted back to Beijing soon.

With this, the investigation into the official silver case came to an end.