Fu Shi stormed out of her courtyard in anger.
Now, only Zhong Li and Lu Wuxie remained in the courtyard with its small bridges and flowing water.
Lu Wuxie could no longer suppress it. He turned to look at Zhong Li, his face, which was trying to hold back a smile, looked less refined and charming than usual, and more approachable and… humorous?
"If Your Highness wants to laugh, please do. Holding it in is bad for your health." With no one around, Zhong Li felt no need to be reserved. She walked to the edge of the pavilion, looking at the fish swimming in the water, and made a rare joke.
Lu Wuxie stood up and walked to her side. He casually placed a handful of fish food in her palm and said, "Holding it in is bad for your health, but being too direct might start a wildfire."
How could Zhong Li not understand what he meant? However, accustomed to Lu Wuxie's nonchalant demeanor, she found it natural. After scattering the fish food in her hand, she asked, "Your Highness said so many things to please women just now. Did you find out anything?"
"This time, it truly surprised even this humble prince," Lu Wuxie replied, casually pouring a cup of clear tea for the person opposite him.
Zhong Li turned her head, knowing he was about to talk for a long time. She graciously accepted his gesture and moved the chair that Fu Shi had been sitting on, taking a seat opposite him.
"Do you remember the two prominent families in the Southern Yue Kingdom that I told you about?" Lu Wuxie asked.
Zhong Li nodded. The civil officials were the Fu family, and the military generals were the Shen family. Since Lu Wuxie asked this, then Fu Shi…
"Your Highness means that Fu Shi is from the Fu family?"
Lu Wuxie nodded. "She's considered Duke Fu's illegitimate daughter."
"Considered?" Zhong Li seized on the emphasis in Lu Wuxie's words.
"You might not know of Fu Song, Li'er. Despite his excellent reputation and prestige in court, and even marrying Princess Min, who was personally enfeoffed by the late Emperor, there are things about him that a discerning person could uncover. For instance, Fu Shi, who is now married to Li Kun, is the child of Fu Chong's concubine." Lu Wuxie said.
Zhong Li pursed her lips, digesting his words.
In reality, it was common for most court officials to have multiple wives and concubines. However, there was a specific type of person who dared not be reckless in such matters: those who married princesses or concubines favored by the Emperor.
Princess Min had no blood relation to the late Emperor but was the sole blood descendant of a general from the previous dynasty, and was already considered close family by the royal lineage. Fu Chong, who was penniless and ambitious in his youth, married Princess Min. One could imagine how rapidly his career advanced. Therefore, he would certainly not dare to act recklessly in front of Princess Min.
As for his private affairs…
Even if Princess Min knew, they probably turned a blind eye as long as it wasn't in public.
"Fu Shi is the daughter of Fu Chong's concubine. Although her status is humble, given Fu Chong's current position in court, wealthy young men seeking her hand should be knocking down their door. Why would Fu Chong agree to let Li Kun marry Fu Shi?" Zhong Li genuinely could not understand this, as Li Kun was already an old man who could be Fu Shi's father.
"Li Kun had a former wife," Lu Wuxie replied calmly. "She died in an accident twenty years ago, and he married Fu Shi afterward. Fu Shi should have just reached her capping ceremony then.
As for why Fu Chong agreed to let Li Kun marry Fu Shi, this humble prince has something here that, once Li'er sees it, she will surely understand."
As he spoke, he took a letter from his sleeve.
Zhong Li took the letter and opened it to read.
"So that's how it is." After finishing the letter, she frowned, her expression grave. "So the letter that Jia Shi gave us was indeed meaningful. The 'eight' refers to the eighth year of An He, and this 'thirty million' refers to the compensation the Emperor gave to the fallen soldiers under General Ge Meng twenty years ago."
Lu Wuxie nodded, his usually nonchalant demeanor also turning serious at this moment.
"Only a thousand people returned with Ge Meng that year, and among them were many who had lost their ability to work. The Emperor, pitying them, opened the national treasury and gave all the remaining thirty million taels of gold from the civil strife to Ge Meng's subordinates and their families. Everyone in court believed these people had long received this money. Now, it seems..."
Lu Wuxie stopped speaking. Although they hadn't found conclusive evidence yet, just looking at the structure of the Li mansion and the lotus pillars standing along the corridor, it was clear to anyone with eyes.
"This matter is not something one person could have done," Zhong Li said, the faces of Zhao Jun and Liao Chen flashing through her mind. If she guessed correctly, these two were also involved.
"Therefore, even if Li Kun only touched a fraction of these thirty million taels of gold, he could become the richest man in Suqing County. Furthermore, he was in charge of Suqing County, and Ling Shan Temple belongs to Suqing County. If Fu Chong wanted to monitor the movements of the imperial family, Li Kun would be an indispensable pawn," Lu Wuxie continued his analysis.
"Your Highness means your birth mother..."
Lu Wuxie shook his head. He had no evidence, so how could he make baseless accusations? Moreover, there were countless court officials who wanted to know about the affairs of Prince Xian's mansion, and even people in the harem were coveting it. He couldn't make a hasty decision.
"My mother's matter is not that simple. Fu Chong is only a suspect," he said after some thought.
Zhong Li nodded in agreement with Lu Wuxie's words. After all, killing a regent's princess consort was not something a single official could accomplish.
Getting back to the point, after discussing Fu Shi's affairs, Zhong Li also took out a few items she had in her arms and presented them to Lu Wuxie.
Lu Wuxie was initially puzzled. When he finished reading the two letters in Zhong Li's hand, he asked, "Where did you get this?"
Zhong Li picked up the clear tea in front of her, took a sip, and slowly said, "The small note was found in Li Kun's study, and the prescription for the contraceptive soup was given by Li Kun's concubine, Madam Feng."
"The same person?" Lu Wuxie asked.
"Yes, the handwriting is from the same person. I also tried to get some information from Madam Feng, but from her attitude…" Zhong Li shook her head. Even if she said that the person who wrote the prescription didn't want Madam Feng to have a good life, Madam Feng was determined to protect that person.
"But!" Zhong Li thought of this and casually placed another item from her sleeve on the table.
"A leaf?" Lu Wuxie raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, a Bodhi leaf, to be precise. It was also found in Li Kun's bedroom," Zhong Li said. She then took out three paintings that Hua Yao had given her before leaving and presented the first one to Lu Wuxie, saying, "And this!"
Lu Wuxie lowered his gaze and followed Zhong Li's direction, looking at a corner of the scene where Zhao Jun was murdered. "A mouse hole?"
Zhong Li nodded, her finger tracing the area where the mouse hole was drawn. "The scene was chaotic when Zhao Jun was killed, and I felt I overlooked something. Looking at this painting again, I noticed there were fine rammed earth particles around the mouse hole. It should have been recently dug."
"Recently dug? Only people from Ling Shan Temple could have done that," Lu Wuxie said, the Bodhi leaf flashing through his mind.
"Indeed," Zhong Li added. "Moreover, this person is familiar with every part of Ling Shan Temple, and his identity is exceptionally special. No matter where he appears in Ling Shan Temple, as long as his actions are not harmful, no one would find it strange."
"If that's the case," Lu Wuxie's thin lips curved, and he changed the subject, "I have another question for Li'er. Li Kun's遗物 (remains) were compared with the footprints at the entrance of the wood shed. The footprints indeed belong to Li Kun's shoes. So, if the murderer wore Li Kun's shoes to carry Li Kun into the wood shed, and then put Li Kun's shoes back on his feet, how did the murderer leave the wood shed?"
Zhong Li seemed to have expected Lu Wuxie to ask such a question.
She presented the third painting to Lu Wuxie and then drew her finger across Li Kun's body, pointing to the entrance of the wood shed in the painting, saying, "Your Highness, do you see anything wrong with this place?"
Lu Wuxie followed her words and looked closely. "The clear footprints at the entrance are… caused by Li Kun's shoes, but why are there several messy footprints near his shoes, and even traces of wheels?"
Zhong Li put the painting away, a hint of meaning flickering in her eyes. "Your Highness forgot, the wood shed is in the back courtyard of the Li mansion. To the left is the back door, and to the right are the laundry room and the latrine."
"So that's how it is," Lu Wuxie revealed a look of realization.
"Therefore," Zhong Li's lips curled into a smile, "the murderer needed an accomplice when killing Li Kun, and now this accomplice is protecting him even at the cost of his own life."
"Then, Li'er, are you sure who this person is?" Lu Wuxie asked.