“Does Li’er suspect that Baolin Temple is problematic?” Lu Wuxie asked the woman sitting opposite him.
Zhong Li nodded, recounting everything she had found at the medical clinic and her own thoughts.
Lu Wuxie pondered for a moment, agreeing that Zhong Li’s reasoning was plausible, yet Lin Jin’s analysis was also sound.
“Li’er, do you know what it would mean if all your suspicions are true?” he inquired.
Zhong Li sighed, knowing full well what Lu Wuxie was implying. “I don’t want to believe that such sordid affairs could exist in a holy Buddhist sanctuary, but all the evidence points to Baolin Temple, which is why I hesitated before seeking you out. Have you made any progress on the Wu family’s silver business matter that the Emperor assigned you to investigate?”
“Li’er, you want to ask about the connection between the Wu family’s silver business and the Chate grass case, don’t you?” Lu Wuxie asked.
Zhong Li replied, “The medical clinic that harmed Wuyou is right next to the Wu family’s silver business. If there’s no connection, I won’t believe it. However, I don’t hold any official position now, so I can’t thoroughly investigate the Wu family’s silver business.”
“The Wu family, like the Lan family, was originally one of the imperial merchants. After the Lan family’s downfall, most of their assets were transferred to the Wu family. As they developed, the Wu family’s silver business gradually emerged. The Wu family is involved in numerous industries and has become increasingly closely connected with the imperial court in recent years. As for Baolin Temple, when it was first built, the Wu family made the largest incense offering. If I recall correctly, the Wu family donated one hundred thousand taels of gold to Baolin Temple at that time.”
“So much?”
Zhong Li exclaimed in surprise when Lu Wuxie finished speaking. That amount of money was enough to build half of Baolin Temple, illustrating the Wu family’s immense wealth.
“However…” Lu Wuxie mentioned the Wu family’s silver business and suddenly recalled something.
“What is it?”
“Li’er, do you remember what Lord Tian said when we were in Linchuan about the Northern Di’s beef and mutton being sold cheaply in the Southern Yue Kingdom?” Lu Wuxie asked.
Zhong Li nodded.
“This matter is also connected to the Wu family’s silver business,” Lu Wuxie stated.
“What do you mean?”
Lu Wuxie explained, “Although the Northern Di are skilled in animal husbandry, they cannot withstand the cheap sale of beef and mutton to the Southern Yue Kingdom for several years. Even with imperial subsidies, the local herders would not be able to bear it. I followed this line of thought and investigated further. Guess what happened.”
Zhong Li remained silent, waiting for Lu Wuxie to continue.
“The Wu family’s silver business was providing the subsidies behind it.”
“Subsidies?” Zhong Li was astonished. The Northern Di is vast, and the supply of beef and mutton to the Southern Yue Kingdom is not insignificant. For the Wu family’s silver business, so rich, to provide subsidies, the underlying plan was obvious to anyone with discerning eyes.
“And Shentu Jue as well,” Lu Wuxie added.
“Is Shentu Jue also related to the Wu family’s silver business?” Zhong Li asked, puzzled.
Lu Wuxie shook his head. “Not directly. I discovered that Shentu Jue’s visit to Linzhou seemed to be to meet someone. This person is a Northern Di individual who controls the supply channel for beef and mutton sold by the Northern Di to the Southern Yue Kingdom.”
After hearing Lu Wuxie’s explanation, Zhong Li pondered, then picked up a small stone from the ground, moved the mattress on the stone bed aside, and began drawing and writing on it. She wrote down the Wu family’s silver business, Shentu Jue, and this mysterious Northern Di person, connecting them with lines. She then drew many relational webs behind these three individuals.
Lu Wuxie watched her busy herself, thoughtfully pouring her a cup of tea to moisten her throat. When Zhong Li finished, Lu Wuxie asked, “What are you drawing?”
“A mind map,” Zhong Li replied casually. “It’s a type of radial brain thinking development. It’s a bit complex to explain, so let me put it in simpler terms. For example, with the Wu family’s silver business case, there are many hidden connections and complex figures involved, possibly even touching upon previous cases. Using a mind map can help organize thoughts and resolve confusing points.”
As she spoke, her finger hovered over some of the relational webs she had written around the Wu family’s silver business. “Let’s start with the Linzhou dismemberment case that implicated the Wu family’s silver business. At first glance, these matters seem unrelated…” Zhong Li spoke earnestly.
Lu Wuxie’s gaze was fixed on her. The more profound her analysis, the deeper his gaze became. Finally, Zhong Li concluded, “I suspect the person behind the Wu family’s silver business is not simple. This individual is not only causing trouble in the Southern Yue Kingdom but is also colluding with rebels opposing the Emperor in Yingzhou and extremist elements in the Northern Di, attempting to harm the Southern Yue Kingdom. The previous Beichuan Gang was merely the tip of the iceberg he controlled. His motive for doing this is likely to have contingency plans. Is it possible that this person and the Empress…”
She trailed off when she didn’t receive a reaction from the man beside her. Realizing something was amiss, she finally shifted her gaze from the mind map to Lu Wuxie. Seeing the probing look in his eyes, she suddenly understood. She quickly covered her mouth.
Lu Wuxie knew she had sensed his suspicion, so he stopped concealing his intentions and asked, “Li’er, is your master still that person named Thomas?”
Zhong Li swallowed several times, stuttering, wanting to say something but finding herself unable to keep it from Lu Wuxie any longer. She sighed, “Mo Cang, I… I don’t actually have a Thomas, I…”
Lu Wuxie remained silent, waiting for her reply. Zhong Li bit her lip and lowered her eyes. It was the first time she had become nervous in front of Lu Wuxie. She didn’t know how to explain, and she feared he would think she was a monster.
“Li’er,” Lu Wuxie, sensing her worry, reached out and grasped her slightly cold fingertips, saying, “I feel as though my entire life, my second chance, has been like a dream. But this is actually happening, so I will believe whatever you say.”
Zhong Li’s throat tightened. After a long pause, she said, “I… I am actually not from the Southern Yue Kingdom, nor from the Northern Di, nor from Yingzhou. I don’t actually belong to this era. Mo Cang, do you believe me?”
Lu Wuxie smiled, gently releasing her tightly clenched lips from her teeth. Looking at her lower lip, which was almost bleeding from being bitten, he tenderly caressed it. “Why wouldn’t I believe you? Actually, I’ve suspected your identity for a long time. Sometimes you say things I’ve never heard before. While I may not be a scholar of the Southern Yue Kingdom, I am still well-read. But you were unwilling to speak, and I felt I shouldn’t pressure you. I wanted to wait for you, to wait until you were willing to share your secret with me.”
Hearing this, Zhong Li’s cheeks grew slightly warm. She lowered her head, deeply touched by Lu Wuxie’s delicate affection. She thought that since she had already revealed her identity, she might as well tell him everything. Taking a deep breath, she said, “I don’t know how I appeared in this country. All I know is that I was already dead in my own era.”
“Li’er!” Hearing her say this, Lu Wuxie felt a suppressed pain. He couldn’t imagine his beloved experiencing the agony of death as he had.
Zhong Li shook her head. She knew Lu Wuxie was overthinking, but her identity in modern times was too complicated to explain quickly. She decided to focus on the key points. “When I woke up again, I was lying in a coffin, and my body was that of a child around three years old. Can you imagine? Before I could even adapt to my new body, I discovered I had been buried alive. But fortunately, I met my adoptive father, Gai Chen, also known as Ge Meng.”
Lu Wuxie finally understood why Zhong Li feared darkness and enclosed spaces. It turned out to be psychological trauma from her past experiences. Although she spoke of it lightly now, he could sense the fear and despair she must have felt then.
“Li’er,” he could no longer control his emotions. He pulled her into his arms, holding her slightly thin frame tightly, and said with great affection, “It won’t happen again. I promise you, you will never experience such a thing again. If we both pass away after a hundred years, I will still accompany you on a boat, drifting away, and I will never lock you in a suffocating coffin.”
Zhong Li was initially moved by Lu Wuxie’s words, but then, hearing him suddenly utter such a unromantic remark, she felt both amused and exasperated.