Chapter 47: The Enigma

“So, Young Master, you joined the West Yamen Shadow Division right from the start of your military service?”

“From now on, on the surface, I’m your elder sister’s bodyguard, but in private, you must call me ‘My Lord’~”

“Tch~”

“Feeling better?”

Lin Hansu lay on Ding Suian’s bed. His right hand reached inside her outer garment, gently kneading her lower abdomen through a thin layer of inner clothing. His Manifesting Elemental State Minor Achievement, while not allowing him to shatter metal and stone bare-handed like Ruan Guofan, made it a trivial matter to circulate Protective Aura from the Zhongji Acupoint to his limbs, turning his palm into a warm compress.

“Mm.”

Hansu responded, noticing Ding Suian had stopped kneading. Before he could withdraw his hand, she said, “Keep rubbing for a bit longer, it feels really comfortable.”

Ding Suian readily complied. If she felt comfortable, so be it; he was comfortable too, anyway.

“Elder sister, when you rushed out of the manor today, weren’t you afraid I might actually be a demon?”

“I don’t care if you’re human or demon; you are my person, and I cannot stand by and watch you die.” The warm palm on her lower abdomen not only relieved the pain but also relaxed her spirit. Lin Hansu closed her eyes contentedly and murmured, “At the time, I thought, since we cannot share a quilt in life or a grave in death in this lifetime, becoming a pair of adulterous lovers would be fine too. Having walked this world once, we must leave behind some reputation. If we can’t be remembered for a thousand years, being infamous for ten thousand years isn’t unacceptable.”

Ding Suian couldn’t help but laugh. The longer time passed, the more he felt that his worldview aligned closely with Lin Hansu’s.

This was likely due to the rare ‘innate rebellious spirit’ she possessed.

“Young Master, since you have the Jianqu Authority, you must plan carefully.” Lin Hansu’s ability to relax was related to learning that Ding Suian was a West Yamen secret agent.

The list of five people Ding Suian gave Ruan Guofan, besides Shortened name, Chest Hair, Wang Xigui, and Make do, was Lin Hansu.

When she had gazed at the West Yamen Black Cavalry from the West Courtyard, she had expressed envy for such a powerful organization. Now that she was a part of it, she felt somewhat excited.

But Ding Suian was not as optimistic as she was. After a moment of silence, he finally voiced a speculation that had been lingering in his heart for a long time, “Elder sister, haven’t you noticed that many recent events feel strongly orchestrated?”

“What do you mean?” Lin Hansu opened her eyes.

Ding Suian organized his thoughts and slowly said, “I mentioned this before the New Year: retiring sixty thousand mu of land is just a drop in the bucket for a nation’s finances. Even with the Southern Expedition campaign, this small amount of land tax won’t affect the overall situation much, so Princess Xingguo shouldn’t be in such a hurry. Furthermore, Inspector Sun, one of the Four Dukes of the West Yamen, actually came to Lanyang Prefecture personally regarding the land retirement, giving me detailed instructions to fully support elder sister in handling it. And today’s events—they happened too coincidentally.”

Lin Hansu didn’t quite understand, and a hint of confusion flashed in her captivating eyes.

Ding Suian continued, “Haste makes waste. If we had taken it slowly, like boiling a frog in warm water, The Du Brothers might not have been willing to offer huge benefits to involve the State Religion. Princess Xingguo’s urgency forced elder sister to cut the Gordian knot swiftly, eventually compelling them to seek out the State Religion.” He then changed the subject, “Do you still remember the content of the letter from Lord Li, the Director of the Yuheng Clearance Division?”

“I remember. Why bring that up suddenly?”

“Lord Li mentioned in his letter that the State Religion alone now occupies forty percent of Great Wu’s farmland.”

“…” Lin Hansu finally sensed something was amiss, and her gaze toward Ding Suian became uncertain and astonished.

Ding Suian added, “If it were only these things, I might not have connected the dots. But the coincidence is that right after The Du Family sought out the Lanyang Diocesan Master of the State Religion, Zhisheng arrived at the Princely Manor.”

Fearing Lin Hansu wouldn’t understand the significance of Zhisheng, he specifically added, “Zhisheng is a High Monk of the Chan Ding Realm, and he just happened to bring a Magical Artifact that counters the Divine Ability of the State Religion.”

This last sentence finally made Lin Hansu completely understand what Ding Suian was trying to convey. Her Phoenix eyes widened, her cherry lips parted slightly, and she was utterly shocked. After a long pause, she said, “Young Master, are you saying that Princess Xingguo and the West Yamen are outwardly urging us to quickly complete the land retirement, but are actually guiding and forcing us to oppose the State Religion!”

“Everything above is speculation. But the common people dedicating their land has become a trend, shaking the Foundation of the court’s taxation; the Diocesan Masters sitting in yamen courts to judge cases erodes the court’s legal authority; and monopolizing the authority to ‘Exorcise Demons’ weakens…” Ding Suian pointed a finger toward the sky, implicitly suggesting that the State Religion also weakened the Divine Nature of the Emperor. “Compared to the nobility, the State Religion might be the true, deeply entrenched cancer in the eyes of the Royal Family.”

Lin Hansu’s mind was in turmoil. Everyone knew that the State Religion and the Imperial Court shared honor and disgrace. Hearing such a shocking assertion, her instinctive reaction was disbelief.

But after stringing together all the clues Ding Suian mentioned, she vaguely felt as if she were peering into a grand scheme.

The chess player was naturally Princess Xingguo, hidden behind layers of thick fog, while Lin Hansu and Ding Suian were merely the most insignificant pawns advancing forward. This game had likely been set up since the day Lin Hansu wrote her letter asking for help.

With the two of them leading the charge, if they could truly shake the Foundation of the State Religion, everyone would be happy; if they failed, the Imperial Court could simply throw up its hands, declare that everything Ding Suian and Lin Hansu did was purely personal, unrelated to the court, and continue their deep show of shared fate with the State Religion.

“It’s not just the Imperial Court that wants to move against the State Religion,” Ding Suian continued his analysis. “It might also include the Buddhist and Daoist Sects.”

Lin Hansu’s brain had received too much shocking information today and was overloaded. She blurted out a foolish question, “Why the Buddhist and Daoist Sects too?”

Only after speaking did she realize how idiotic the question was, and she quickly corrected herself: “Oh… the State Religion is growing increasingly powerful, stealing followers and causing the decline of incense offerings for the Buddhist and Daoist Sects. Zhisheng came here because he was dispatched by his Monastic Sect—”

“Yes, the fact that he brought a Magical Artifact capable of restraining the State Religion’s Divine Ability means the schemer was afraid I might retreat at the critical moment, so they secretly gave me a reassurance. What painstaking effort!”

Recalling the past, Ding Suian had proactively gone to the Pinshu Pavilion to find Ruan Guofan, asking for his help under the pretense of ‘Title Reduction’.

Now it seemed they had already set the trap, waiting for him to jump into it himself.

However, he took this matter in stride. He wanted to use the West Yamen, and now he was being used by the West Yamen in return—it was fair enough.

The only thing that slightly annoyed him was Ruan Guofan. He had called that old guy Uncle for over a decade for nothing.

Even when Ding Suian asked him tonight, ‘Are there really demons in this world?’, he still refused to tell the truth.

Now, Ding Suian firmly believed that there were no so-called demons in the world; they were merely excuses to openly eliminate dissenters.

Yet, when Ruan Guofan answered ‘There are demons,’ he was still certain!

He was still trying to fool us!

Meanwhile, Lin Hansu’s mind was in chaos. Compared to her conflict with The Du Family, the State Religion and the Imperial Court were like two millstones possessing the might to destroy heaven and earth.

Caught between them, she could be crushed to dust at any moment.

Escaping the current crisis was also difficult. They were being driven by Princess Xingguo from behind and blocked by the State Religion in front.

“Young Master, do you have any solution?” Lin Hansu murmured.

Historically, she always made her own decisions and took charge when facing trouble, but this time, feeling helpless, Lin Hansu actually asked someone else for advice.

Although her personality was strong, she had unconsciously developed a subtle psychological dependence.

Ding Suian shook his head, “I haven’t thought of a solution yet. But elder sister, you don’t need to worry too much. The State Religion uses the name of deities to exert pressure and the authority of ‘Exorcise Demons’ to intimidate, fooling the populace. As the saying goes, evil deeds bring about their own destruction. Maybe lightning will strike them down one day.”

Lin Hansu assumed Ding Suian was using this rather unfunny joke to comfort her, and she forced a slight smile.

The two then fell silent.

Each lost in their own thoughts.

But the hand Ding Suian placed on her lower abdomen continued kneading. As his mind wandered, the placement inevitably went astray.

“Er~”

Lin Hansu, who was concentrating on figuring out a way to break the deadlock, suddenly shuddered. A muffled groan escaped her throat, and she immediately said in annoyance and embarrassment, “Where are you rubbing!”

Thanks to Stranded Shell for the reward~