Two days ago, in Jincheng, in a certain elegant pavilion.
A man's slender fingertips lifted the clear tea before him and took a sip. With the sound of hurried footsteps ascending the stairs, his hand paused, and he glanced towards the door.
"Master!" The person arriving hurried, sweat beads on his forehead flowing down with his movements as he stopped.
The man spread his fingertips.
The newcomer handed a secret letter into his hand.
"A report from Yongcheng states that Lan Heng and Hua Yao will be meeting up with Lu Wuxie in about two more days."
The man said nothing, only opening the letter to examine it.
After a long while, the clear tea before him had begun to grow slightly cool. He said, "I heard Governor Guo has a rather unique hobby?"
"This... there is such a rumor."
"Hmph!" The man let out a cold snort and, pulling out another letter from his embrace, handed it to the newcomer. "Send this out. Do you know who it's for?"
The newcomer nodded. "I know."
"Go quickly and return quickly." With that, the man stood up, walked around the newcomer, and quickly left the elegant pavilion.
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Zhong Li never expected that before the operation to suppress the Beichuan Gang even began, she and Lu Wuxie would have to make a trip to Jinzhou for business. Just a few hours ago, they had been discussing the plan and how to use their forces to counter Governor Guo in a restaurant.
"What has happened in Jinzhou that requires you and Lan Heng to split up?" Zhong Li asked Lu Wuxie, who was feigning sleep inside the carriage.
Lu Wuxie heard her and casually took out a letter, handing it to her.
Zhong Li took it and, after reading its contents, exclaimed in surprise, "Guo Qi is dead?"
Lu Wuxie nodded and sat up. "Yes, this letter is from Ren Wenshu, sent via carrier pigeon."
"Died so coincidentally?" Zhong Li narrowed her eyes.
"I also find it coincidental. His letter says Governor Guo died in his residence. I suspect he either committed suicide or was murdered by someone in his household. As for the reason, we'll have to wait until we arrive to find out," Lu Wuxie said.
"Does Your Highness think Governor Guo's death is related to the Beichuan Gang?" Zhong Li asked again.
Lu Wuxie first shook his head, then thought for a moment. "To be safe, I've given Lan Heng the list of spies from Meng Yuan that the Beichuan Gang has planted in Jinzhou and Yongcheng. I hope he can find these people before the news of Guo Qi's death spreads. Otherwise, if the Beichuan Gang learns that Guo Qi is dead, it will be like beating the grass and scaring the snake, making it more difficult for us to take down the Beichuan Gang in one fell swoop."
Zhong Li nodded, greatly approving of Lu Wuxie's decision.
"I've also sent a carrier pigeon back to Ren Wenshu. I expect he's waiting for us at the East City Gate of Jinzhou by now," Lu Wuxie said, then lifted the curtain and gazed at the scenery along the way.
As they were nearing the borders of Jinzhou, a voice sounded from not too far away.
"Your Highness!"
Lu Wuxie fixed his gaze. Not far away, Ren Wenshu, riding a horse with several yamen runners behind him, was waving and hurrying towards them.
At the same time, Zhong Li also heard the voice and lifted her curtain to look.
"Your... Huh... Zhong... Is Supervisor Zhong also here?" Ren Wenshu's horse was about to gallop towards Lu Wuxie's window when he suddenly saw Zhong Li. His horse's head tilted slightly, bypassing the carriage and heading straight for Zhong Li's window.
Zhong Li looked at Ren Wenshu, who was showing her a row of white teeth, and asked, "Young Master Ren, you've just entered the territory of Jinzhou. Why are you running so far instead of greeting us at the city gate?"
Ren Wenshu looked at Zhong Li, his smile widening as he scratched his head. "My father asked me to come here to respectfully welcome Your Highness. Ah, let's not talk about unimportant matters. By the way, why is Supervisor Zhong here?"
Lu Wuxie narrowed his eyes, gazing at Ren Wenshu through the opposite window.
Ren Wenshu, being carefree and always protected by Ren Zhong, naturally did not sense the warning gaze from across the way. "Since Supervisor Zhong is here, did you not return to Jincheng during the New Year?"
Zhong Li looked at the man opposite her, who seemed very happy to see her and familiar. She smiled and said, "I was handling a case in Yongcheng, so I didn't go back. By the way, how is your injury?"
Upon hearing her concern, Ren Wenshu's mouth almost split from ear to ear.
He scratched his head and said, "Last time, it was thanks to Supervisor Zhong's timely treatment that I recovered completely a few days ago."
A few days ago.
Zhong Li mused, it seemed Ren Wenshu's injury was not light, as his recovery took over a month.
"Your wound has just healed, and it's still a bit breezy lately. Young Master Ren should wear a hat," she said.
"Is Supervisor Zhong concerned about me?" Ren Wenshu's eyes lit up.
Zhong Li nodded.
Ren Wenshu tightened his legs on the horse, urging it closer to the carriage. "Then, Supervisor Zhong, what kind of hat do you think would suit my face shape..."
"Swish!"
Before Ren Wenshu could finish speaking, a hand from who-knew-where suddenly pulled the curtain in front of the window, completely hiding Zhong Li's face within the carriage.
"Supervisor Zhong?" Ren Wenshu, taken aback, cautiously peeked to see what was happening.
As soon as his hand touched the curtain, Lu Wuxie's face appeared in the gap.
"...Your... Your Highness..." Ren Wenshu stammered slightly.
Lu Wuxie said, "If you don't want to go home and till the land with your useless father, then lead the way properly. You talk too much."
Ren Wenshu was stunned. He still wanted to look inside through Lu Wuxie's face, but a murderous aura emanated from the opposite side, startling him into quickly retracting his gaze. He flicked his whip and galloped towards the direction of Jinzhou city.
Inside the carriage, Zhong Li watched Lu Wuxie's every move and said, "He's just a child who has reached adulthood. Do you have to scare him like this?"
Lu Wuxie returned to his seat, picked up the Baihua Niangjiu from the table, and took a sip. "He's just timid. Does he still harbor other thoughts?"
Zhong Li sighed and fell silent.
Upon arriving in Jinzhou, led by Ren Wenshu, everyone proceeded to Guo Mansion.
Ren Wenshu had originally suggested going to a Jinzhou restaurant to eat and discuss matters the next day, but he was silenced by Lu Wuxie's glare midway through his sentence, so he could only obediently communicate with the guards at the Guo Mansion entrance.
Zhong Li followed Lu Wuxie out of the carriage and inadvertently heard Ren Wenshu's stomach protesting. She casually handed him a piece of baked flatbread from her bundle. "Make do with this for now. Since we are working for the people, this murder case is more important than your own stomach."
With that, she strode into Guo Mansion.
Lu Wuxie observed everything before him. As he passed Ren Wenshu, his eyes swept over the crumbs of baked flatbread at the corner of Ren Wenshu's mouth. After startling Ren Wenshu into not daring to make a sound of chewing, he quickly followed.
Guo Qi was a local bully in Jinzhou, and his mansion was much larger than Xie Mansion. In Zhong Li's memory, apart from the Xian Prince's Mansion, Guo Mansion was the largest residence she had ever seen.
"A local military official's monthly salary is only about a hundred taels. Such a large mansion is comparable to that of royalty. It seems Guo Qi was quite corrupt," Zhong Li whispered to Lu Wuxie.
Lu Wuxie's gaze swept around the mansion. He replied, "The customs duties from the ports in Jinzhou and Yongcheng alone can almost support all of Jincheng each year. Guo Qi was smart enough to know that with such a large piece of fatty meat, even a little less oil wouldn't be noticed if the higher-ups didn't investigate closely."
As they spoke, the two entered Guo Mansion.
Just as they crossed the water pavilion and entered the corridor, a graceful figure, catching them off guard, lunged towards Lu Wuxie.
Fortunately, Lu Wuxie reacted quickly and sidestepped slightly. The figure's feet faltered, but their hands were quick to grab onto the pillar by the corridor, preventing another fall.
"Third Madam, be careful." Following behind the figure was a small maidservant wearing a green ruqun. She stepped forward a few paces to help her mistress and quietly asked, "Madam, are you injured?"
The woman called Madam turned her head slowly, looking at Lu Wuxie with the demeanor of a flower battered by the rain. "Young master, did I... startle you?"