Two days later, it was drizzling in Jincheng.
Zhong Li stood at the entrance of the Dali Temple. She casually bought an oiled paper umbrella from a vendor by the door, preparing to leave. Coincidentally, a carriage slowly stopped in front of her, blocking her path.
She hurried to open the umbrella and walked around the carriage, intending to proceed. A voice, accompanied by the sound of a carriage curtain being pulled aside, reached her: "Lier, are you planning to cut ties with me?"
Zhong Li froze. Turning back, she saw Lu Wuxie leaning out of the carriage window with one arm, resting his chin on it, looking at her lazily. He said, "Someone has become an official and forgotten their roots, my Lord."
Zhong Li looked at the man opposite her in his 'shameless' manner and couldn't help but chuckle, tilting her head. "Has my Lord finished his court session? Or did you not go at all?"
Lu Wuxie also followed her smile, the corners of his lips curving upwards. "I didn't go. I didn't want to."
Hearing this, Zhong Li couldn't help but roll her eyes. She suspected that only Lu Wuxie dared to stand up the Emperor in the entire Southern Yue Kingdom.
"Then why are you here at the Dali Temple instead of resting properly?" she asked.
"I missed you!" Lu Wuxie continued smoothly.
Zhong Li's heart skipped a beat, but meeting his casual expression, she knew these words were just Lu Wuxie's way of greeting familiar people.
"By the way, where are you going?" Lu Wuxie asked, noticing a fleeting look of disappointment on Zhong Li's face, his hand dangling by his side trembling slightly, though his tone remained indifferent.
Zhong Li glanced back at the long street behind her and said, "To the Ministry of Justice. I want to see Wei Fu."
"Get in," Lu Wuxie waved at her.
Zhong Li clutched the oiled paper umbrella in her hand, still thinking of words to refuse, when the carriage had already stopped beside her.
She hastily looked up, noticing that Lu Wuxie had half of his body leaning out, extending a large palm to pull her into the carriage, his intention clear.
"I... I can actually go by myself..."
"Get in. Do you want this Lord to follow you in the rain?" Lu Wuxie said.
Zhong Li followed his words, lowering her gaze. She saw that a ginger-colored outer garment hanging on the man was already wet from the rain.
Unable to say anything more, she put away her umbrella and reached out.
Lu Wuxie's palm was warm and strong. She felt that before she could even exert any force, she was already lifted into the carriage. The moment she got in, she could smell the familiar scent of ambergris on him. Zhong Li realized that Lan Heng and he used the same fragrance, but Lu Wuxie's exuded a gentleness and sense of security, completely contrary to his usual demeanor.
The umbrella was placed by Lu Wuxie in a corner of the carriage.
As Zhong Li had gotten a little wet, she took out a silk handkerchief to wipe her forehead.
The next moment, before she could react, a woman's outer garment with a faint scent of ambergris was thrown onto her.
This...
Zhong Li stopped what she was doing and looked at the white cloak embroidered with peonies in her hand, then at Lu Wuxie.
"Autumn is getting cold, and the wind is strong. You'll be investigating cases often from now on. Wearing this is good for you," Lu Wuxie said faintly, his gaze subtly glancing out the carriage window, not daring to look directly at the woman opposite him.
Zhong Li's fingertips slid over the cloak in her hand. It was made of fine Jinzhou satin, and with the embroidery on it, it must have cost a fortune. "Then thank you, my Lord. It's just that my current monthly allowance isn't enough. When I save up enough money..."
"When did this Lord tell you to pay me back? Just wear it if I tell you to wear it. Remember, your body is not just your own!" Lu Wuxie frowned upon hearing Zhong Li's words, a hint of concern in his peach blossom eyes.
Zhong Li's heart wavered slightly. She stared at Lu Wuxie's face with a hint of inquiry.
Being looked at like that, Lu Wuxie quickly averted his gaze and cleared his throat. "This Lord means that if you fall ill, it will take even longer to investigate your adoptive father's affairs and my mother's affairs."
Zhong Li looked at the man opposite her, whose face was alternately flushing red and turning serious. Raising an eyebrow, she said no more and began to put on the garment in her hand.
Indeed, the satin woven in Jinzhou was dense and thick. The moment she put it on, she felt a wave of warmth.
Lu Wuxie secretly watched the woman beside him. Seeing that she seemed to genuinely like the outer garment, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up.
Due to the rain, the carriage moved slowly along Wenchang Road.
After about fifteen minutes, the Ministry of Justice vaguely appeared in their line of sight.
"Are you planning to find Wei Fu?" Lu Wuxie asked.
Zhong Li nodded. "The case of the Huanxi Tower has been solved, but there are still many suspicious points that remain unresolved. I want to ask Wei Fu for clarification."
Lu Wuxie nodded, agreeing with what Zhong Li said, especially regarding the case of Yuan Shang and Ping'er. It seemed unrelated to Wei Fu, but in this world, were there so many coincidences?
Yuan Shang, who generally disliked gambling, suddenly went to Bole Fang and happened to meet Ah Qi from the Prince Xian's residence, and then lost his life? It just didn't add up.
"Take a look at this," Lu Wuxie handed her something casually.
Zhong Li opened it and saw that it was Ping'er's deed of sale. Ping'er's original name was Chen Ping'er. The deed of sale at the very end had three crookedly written characters, "Chen Ping'er," with a red handprint stamped over them.
"This... How can this be?" She frowned, her eyes filled with shock.
"You've also noticed, haven't you? The character 'Ping' in Chen Ping'er's name is written incorrectly. The character next to it, 'Bing,' is written as 'Kai.' How could someone who can't even write their own name correctly write those love poems sent to this Lord?" Lu Wuxie asked with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
Zhong Li pursed her lips, recalling the incident when she had examined Chen Ping'er's letters at Prince Xian's residence.
The handwriting was indeed not problematic. The crooked strokes should have been from the same person, but Chen Ping'er's love letters had no mistakes, and the sentences were fluent, even with some rhyming, as if someone had made Chen Ping'er write them one word at a time using a template.
Lu Wuxie looked at Zhong Li's thoughtful expression, knowing she had probably figured it out.
"I went to Bole Fang yesterday," Zhong Li said, putting Chen Ping'er's deed into her hand. After a moment's thought, she said to Lu Wuxie.
"Did you discover anything?"
"When Yuan Shang was at Bole Fang, he encountered a fortune teller at the entrance. On a whim, he asked the old man about his marriage prospects," Zhong Li replied.
Lu Wuxie nodded. Yuan Shang's actions were understandable. After all, he had lived for more than half his life without even finding a wife, so asking was normal.
"And then?" he asked.
"The old man told him that his marriage was coming in the next few days, but his fortune wasn't sufficient, and the woman might not agree. Moreover, Yuan Shang was extremely lucky during those days," Zhong Li said.
Upon hearing this, Lu Wuxie understood. So Yuan Shang entered Bole Fang with money.
"According to what Lier said, then the croupier at Bole Fang..."
Everyone knew that in gambling, if you want to win consistently, you can control whose money you win, and the person who controls all of this is the croupier.
"Yes!" Zhong Li said. "When I went to look for the croupier who served Yuan Shang at Bole Fang, they had already made an excuse and left Bole Fang."