If this person really is Ge Lan, and Ran Yan did not save her, she would feel guilty for the rest of her life. As for the consequences, Ran Yan estimated that the likelihood of the matter being exposed was not very high. After all, they, master and servant, had not met for two years, and she had most of the original owner’s memories; even if someone suspected, there was ultimately no evidence. Moreover, having gone through a life and death situation, a drastic change in character could be somewhat justified.
After Ran Yan had made up her mind, she privately shared her doubts with Xing Niang.
Xing Niang’s face could hardly hide her excitement as she choked up and said, "Then we must hurry! There is no time to delay. Ge Lan, that child, has suffered so much!"
The case at the Yin residence had already been solved, causing unrest among the people. The guards assigned to watch Ge Lan might have grown lax, which is why she could send out a message now, and there was no guarantee that those who detained her thinking the trend had gone, would not kill Ge Lan to vent their frustration.
Ran Yan naturally could not worry with Xing Niang. It was still uncertain, and losing one’s composure now would not be good. Thus, she said, "We have no one on our side. We cannot go rescue her on our own. There are only a few solutions. The first is for me to personally go down the mountain and ask Inspector Liu for help, the second is to inform Shilang to assist in the rescue, and the third..."
The third is to ask Su Fu for help.
However, Su Fu had said that he only killed people. Asking him to do this might unavoidably lead to loss of life, and then she would be unable to explain it to Inspector Liu. Moreover, why would he help her?
"Old servant believes that asking Shilang for help would be best. Shilang is a businessman, inevitably dealing with all kinds of people. Finding a few men to rescue Ge Lan should not be a problem. If we inform the government and they create a stir, what if those people were to move Ge Lan or silence her permanently?" Xing Niang wiped her tears and agreed.
Ran Yan nodded. She was now a devotee and was effectively under house arrest. If she personally went to find Inspector Liu, who knows how many problems might arise? "I will write two letters, one you will personally deliver to Shilang, and the other let Wan Lu take to Inspector Liu."
Xing Niang also felt this was feasible, so she went to grind the ink.
Ran Yan had just written a few characters when she heard Wan Lu at the door, "Wife, Shilang is here!"
"Perfect." Ran Yan put down the pen, straightened her clothes, and prepared to go out, lifting her head to see a delicate white hand gently knocking on the open wooden door.
"Shilang?" Ran Yan called out involuntarily.
A bright and beautiful face peeked in through the door, carrying a spring breeze-like gentle smile, and twinkling eyes, "You didn’t expect me to come in, did you?"
Ran Yan also smiled warmly, inviting him in to sit in front of the table, and as she poured him a cup of water, she handed it over and said, "Isn’t Yingmei Temple supposed not to accept male guests?"
Ran Yunsheng took a sip of water, grinned mischievously, and leaned closer to Ran Yan, whispering, "I told them I was disguised as a man..."
"Ha!" Ran Yan looked closely at Ran Yunsheng’s face, soft lines, flawless. His words made Ran Yan realize, he was intentionally wearing a wide-sleeved robe today, which made his waist look slender, even more like a woman, "Shilang, you really are causing trouble. All of Suzhou knows Ran Shilang is handsomely beautiful. I guess, those nuns knew you were Ran Shilang but couldn’t bear to turn such a heavenly person away."
"You really are growing bolder, making fun of Shilang like that!" Ran Yunsheng flicked his finger on her forehead. Although he said that, there was no hint of reproach in his tone. On the contrary, he was happy in his heart that his sister was no longer wallowing in sorrow.
"Shilang, your timing couldn’t be better! I need your help with something." Ran Yan composed herself and spoke seriously.
Seeing her serious demeanor, Ran Yunsheng also gradually grew serious and quickly asked, "Did you run into some trouble, Yan?"
"Yes." Ran Yan handed him the note with the address and detailed everything to him.
The more Ran Yunsheng listened, the more surprised he became, "Is there really such a matter! But didn’t the government find Ge Lan’s body? On the day of the public hearing, I was also listening in the back hall. It was said that by reviewing records, two female bodies were fished out from Pingjiang in late July and early August two years ago, both drowned and with faces beyond recognition, making it impossible to identify them. It seems now, those were Yin Sanni and Ge Lan!"
"The government only found two female corpses of matching age, and moreover, their faces were beyond recognition when fished out. At that time, their identities were unidentifiable. Could it be just because it coincidentally matched this case that they concluded one of the corpses was Ge Lan? I don’t want to blame Liu Pinrang for anything. Throughout history, the government has always been , muddling through as long as the wrong person isn’t caught, the reasoning behind the case smoothly flows, and the evidence is conclusive, that is already a rare responsibility shown by a good official. Who would care about the real identities of nameless bodies from two years ago!"