Chapter 622: 300 Family Affair (First Update) Chapter 622: 300 Family Affair (First Update) Xiao Liulang was completely ignorant about the token, let alone knowing that Cen Bianxiu had taken the token to Xianle Inn.
That was a den of pleasure-seeking where the officials of the Hanlin Academy could not enter without permission.
Who could have expected that, at his core, Cen Bianxiu could be so audacious?
However, for the following two days, Cen Bianxiu did not show up for his duties at the Hanlin Academy nor did he send anyone to request leave.
On the first day, people questioned his absence, but did not think much of it. They simply assumed that he was ill, or that something urgent had come up at home that prevented him from informing the Hanlin Academy.
The second day was the same. Out of respect for a subordinate, Yang, the director of studies at the academy, sent someone to Cen Bianxiu’s home.
Cen Bianxiu’s family was an average scholarly one in the Capital City. His father, a scholar, ran a private school to make ends meet. His mother was a commoner from a different old household that had a decent amount of wealth left.
The Cens were not rich in the Capital City, but they had their own mansion with servants to look after them.
Unexpectedly, it turned out that the Cens were also getting ready to go to the Hanlin Academy to look for Cen Bianxiu.
They thought that he might have stayed back to fulfill his duties at the Hanlin Academy.
This was not unheard of. During the busiest times at the Academy, Cen Bianxiu had to stay back for three days straight.
But this time, it was clearly not the case.
Both parties immediately reported to the authorities.
The speed of the official investigation was quick, or perhaps this case was simply not that complex.
They discovered Cen Bianxiu’s body dumped aside in a corner where the junk was kept near the west gate of Xianle Inn.
“We see these cases all the time… Here is another one who tried to slip into Xianle Inn unnoticed and was beaten to death…”
Xianle Inn was a high threshold place, not accessible to the commoners. However, some people were still desperate enough to attempt to sneak in, and it was no surprise that they met with disastrous endings. This particular corner behind the western gate, filled with junk, was where someone might sneakingly try to climb in.
The guards of Xianle Inn weren’t to be trifled with.
Uninvited entries were considered theft, and thus met with immediate punishment!
The Cen family didn’t believe this, and neither did the Hanlin Academy for the most part.
But indeed, Cen Bianxiu had changed out of his official Hanlin Academy uniform, was wearing a newly made dark blue brocade gown, and had shaved his beard. He was clearly dressed to meet someone important.
“Maybe the Inn people dressed him after beating him to death!” suggested the Cens.
Killing a court official was a graver crime than killing a commoner.
However, this guess was quickly debunked when the official investigators found the carriage driver that Cen Bianxiu had hired that day.
The driver affirmed that Cen Bianxiu had been wearing his official uniform from the Hanlin Academy when he boarded the carriage. When he got off, he had changed his clothes and shaved his beard.
“I dropped him off at Qingfeng Building and then I saw him heading in the direction of Xianle Inn.”
This information almost confirmed Cen Bianxiu’s route and intentions. Given his position in society, he would not have been permitted to enter Xianle Inn without resorting to covert means.
If so, he would have had to climb over the wall.
The Inn’s staff, unaware that he was a court official, must have mistaken him for a common ruffian, and thus shown no mercy.
While such a case could be taken to court, as someone was killed and Xianle Inn had to take some blame, doing so would inevitably ruin Cen Bianxiu’s reputation.
Finally, Xianle Inn paid some compensation to close the case.
Word of Cen Bianxiu’s scandalous death at a brothel still spread throughout the Hanlin Academy. While it was not discussed openly, people whispered about it in private.
“Can you believe it… Why would a decent man like Cen Bianxiu suddenly go to a brothel?”
“Could it have been Xiao Xiuzhuan who led him astray? Apart from him, no one in the Hanlin Academy has any connections with courtesans.”
“Shh, keep it down! Master Han has forbidden any gossip about this!”
“Am I wrong? The day before Cen Bianxiu went missing… I saw him talking to Xiao Xiuzhuan… I don’t know what they were discussing… but they seemed quite emotional…”
The group was interrupted by the arrival of Xiao Liulang.
They immediately fell silent, exchanged glances, and scattered in separate directions.
However, Xiao Liulang had heard everything.
Of course, he had not led Cen Bianxiu astray.
But when one is ostracized, even the act of breathing seems a mistake.
After making the decision to marry his beloved granddaughter to the Prince of An County, Yuan Shoufu ordered people to collect the poetry collections by the Prince that were scattered and lost over the years.
After careful examination, he found that the Prince was indeed a man of talent and ambition. Many of his famous poems were composed during his time as a hostage in Chen Country. Despite his youth and the hardship of living in exile with the weight of his kingdom on his shoulders, he was still able to express his youthful spirit. He was undeniably a remarkable talent.