There is a god in the sky

Chapter 179 Reunion on New Year's Eve 3

Blood ties are the most magical thing; even after being separated for many years, two people will know they haven't mistaken each other when they meet again.

Shen Qing cried for a long time, suppressing her emotions, before asking, "Why are you at the Liu residence?"

"I came to find you." Only when she saw him did Shen Lan finally relax.

Shen Qing wiped away her tears and said, "It was my fault for breaking our promise last time, and I made you worry."

During this time, Shen Lan also secretly inquired about the character of the Liu family.

Outside, Vice Minister Liu was a very kind and approachable person. He was pot-bellied, always had a smile on his face, and never argued with anyone.

His eldest son, Liu Xianyang, was also a well-known child prodigy. He entered Yishan Academy at a young age and is said to have already become a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations).

The Liu family was known for their generosity and kindness, and they had already gained a good reputation in Bianjing in less than a year.

If Shen Lan hadn't personally experienced those events, she probably wouldn't have believed that such a person would slaughter an entire town.

"How many years have you been with the Liu family?"

Shen Qing blew out the candles, pulled her to sit down, and slowly began to tell her about his experiences over the years.

In his account, he and Miao Niang were traveling together when they were abducted by human traffickers.

The two were sold to different places, and even though he later escaped, the world was vast, and he could never find Miao Niang again.

"After I escaped, I kept heading south, hoping to return to Aoki County. But because I was a runaway slave, I couldn't enter the city and could only wander through the wilderness for almost two years."

While traveling through Jianzhou City, I learned that Liu Engui had been promoted, so I stayed in Jianzhou City and infiltrated the Liu family as a servant…”

He calculated that he had been in the Liu family for more than six years. From an ignorant child to a humble teenager, these six years had felt like an eternity to him.

Shen Languang could tell from his own experience that he had suffered a lot over the years.

A child who is only a few years old, all alone and without a proper identity, has to walk from north to south.

It took immense willpower for him to survive.

"Are you staying in the Liu family to seek revenge?" Shen Lan asked softly.

"Yes, I not only want revenge, but I also want to know the truth!" Shen Qing grabbed Shen Lan's hand and said excitedly, "Lan'er, I know why Liu Engui sealed off Guli Town."

"Why?"

"He wants a prescription that has been passed down through generations in our Shen family, a very precious prescription!"

Shen Lan recalled that Wu Zhongjin had been driven away when he visited the Shen family, and there must be some connection between the two.

"Does our family have that collection of medicine prescriptions and some other valuable formulas?"

Shen Lan was too young at the time, and perhaps her family hadn't had a chance to tell her yet.

It's also possible that it's just a rumor.

“We were all young at the time and had never heard of it, but it must have existed, because Liu Engui got promoted and made a fortune through this.”

Shen Lan couldn't see his face clearly, but she could hear the immense hatred in his voice.

"If it's just to seize the prescription, is it necessary to kill the entire town?"

"Do you remember when the town was under lockdown, many people came to our house asking for medicine?"

Shen Lan nodded. Of course she knew that the Shen family had the best doctors in town.

Shen's Pharmacy is also the largest pharmacy in town.

At that time, medicinal herbs from outside could not be brought in, so all the patients in the town relied on the Shen family's medicinal herbs for treatment, and many people would come to the door every day asking for medicine.

“I once witnessed someone kneeling in front of my father, begging him to give the people of the whole town a way to survive.”

At the time, I thought it meant that the Shen family should be asked to rescue the person.

Over the years, I've reflected on this day and night, and combined it with information I gathered from the Liu family, I deduce that Liu Engui likely used the lives of the entire town to force the Shen family to hand over the prescription.

"Given my uncle's and my father's personalities, they would definitely hand over this prescription if they had it."

"Yes, but in the end everyone still died."

Either the Shen family couldn't provide the prescription at the time, or Liu Engui broke his promise.

"If a prescription is worth all this trouble, it must be something extremely important that can directly help him rise to the top. This prescription must have been presented to a minister of the second rank or above in the court."

Shen Qing also told her some news.

"Liu Engui's mentor was the headmaster of Yishan Academy. Liu Xianyang was able to enter Yishan Academy not because he was particularly talented, but because the Tong family opened the door for him."

Ha! Even child prodigies are fake?

"Liu Engui is now the Vice Minister of Revenue, and the Minister of Revenue is also from the Tong family. The two families have a very close relationship."

Shen Lan finally realized who Liu Engui's powerful backer was.

"Yes, the biggest gifts the Liu family sends to the Tong family every year. Liu Engui even gave his illegitimate daughter to Minister Tong as a concubine."

"Back then, Liu Engui was just a minor county magistrate and didn't have much contact with the court officials. Tong Shanzhang was his mentor, so he could be instructed to do things."

Shen Lan thought of a possibility, "We can check if there was anyone in the Tong family who was on the verge of death and urgently needed the miracle drug ten years ago."

Shen Qing shook her head, "I checked, it's not there."

"Then it's not for the Tong family, or... Her Majesty the Empress?"

Shen Qing couldn't find out about this.

Shen Lan breathed a sigh of relief; with a clear direction, things became much easier.

Moreover, regardless of who it was for, that disaster was entirely caused by Liu Engui's own actions.

"Brother, you should leave the Liu family. Now that we've reunited, we can get to the bottom of this. It's not safe for you to stay in the Liu family."

From the day Shen Qing entered the Liu family, she never thought she could get out unscathed.

That's all there is to his life. He's willing to die for revenge.

He had long wanted to be freed from this world and reunite with his family.

Now that he has seen Shen Lan, he feels a renewed desire to live.

He wanted to live, to live to take care of Shen Lan, to watch her get married, have children, and live a happy and fulfilling life.

But some things still need to be done by someone.

“Lan’er, I’m doing quite well in the Liu family. I’m now deeply trusted by Liu Xianyang, and I may soon get the evidence of Liu Engui’s murder back then.”

Once you leave the Liu family, it will be difficult to find evidence again.

Shen Lan pulled his hand, rolled up his sleeve, revealing a scarred arm.

Although the room was dimly lit, Shen Qing instinctively covered her wounds.

He explained hastily, "These...these are old wounds left from when I was escaping back then, they've healed."

"You don't need to explain, I can tell the difference between new and old wounds very clearly."

Shen Lan took a deep breath. "Liu Xianyang is not an easy person to serve. He definitely doesn't know what happened back then. There's no use in you staying by his side."

Shen Qing clenched his fist, his eyes filled with fierce intent.

"It's okay, don't worry, I can take care of myself."

He stroked the top of Shen Lan's head and tugged at her hair like he did when they were children.

"I haven't asked you yet, how have you been all these years? And why did you come to Bianjing?"

Shen Lan's experience was not as earth-shattering as his. She was very lucky to have Old Master Wei to protect her and allow her to grow up safely.

“I bid farewell to my adoptive father and followed Lord Xiao to the capital, hoping to find out the truth of what happened back then. However, I met Li Ye on the way. He became a monk at Fayin Temple and I don’t know where he is now. But I have a feeling that he is also in Bianjing.”

These people all share the same goal.

Therefore, if you only need to know where Liu Engui is, you can guess where the others are.

Unless one has no other choice.