"Achoo!" In Jincheng, Lan Heng sneezed and frowned at the candlelight not far away.
"Sir, are you cold? Your subordinate will go close the window." The young attendant standing beside him hurried to the window and started busying himself.
Lan Heng stopped what he was doing and waved to the attendant, saying, "You may go."
The attendant withdrew slowly from the room.
Lan Heng got up and walked to the candlestick, staring at the flickering wick. He said, "The letter has been gone for so long, and Lu Wuxie hasn't replied. Could he have burned it?"
"Sir!" As soon as he finished speaking, there was a rhythmic knock at the door.
"What is it?" Lan Heng withdrew his thoughts.
"Prefect Fu has sent a secret letter, asking you to go to his mansion."
"It's Teacher." Lan Heng sighed softly, took off his outer garment, and walked out of the study, saying, "Just say I'm asleep."
"Ah?"
"Don't you understand?" Lan Heng asked.
"Yes! Yes!"
-------------------------------------
The next morning.
Zhong Li ate the thin porridge in her bowl, watching the passers-by coming and going in the inn's lobby.
Lu Wuxie came in from outside, wearing a dark outer cloak.
"Young Master, are you going out?" Zhong Li glanced at the lukewarm porridge opposite her and asked.
Lu Wuxie nodded and said, "I'm going to the prefect's mansion in Yongcheng."
"What happened?" Zhong Li put down her spoon when she heard Lu Wuxie say this.
Lu Wuxie knew that some things could not be hidden from Zhong Li, so he took out a letter from his怀 and placed it on the table.
"What is this?" Zhong Li asked, looking confused.
"You'll know when you open it."
Zhong Li turned the letter over and saw the handwriting, saying, "It's Lan Heng's letter."
Lu Wuxie nodded, casually picked up his bowl of porridge, and drank it.
"The Beichuan Gang has a connection with Governor Guo of the Jinzhou navy?" Zhong Li asked in surprise after reading the letter, looking at Lu Wuxie.
Lu Wuxie nodded, put the letter back into his sleeve, and said, "The Emperor sent Lan Heng to thoroughly investigate the case of corruption by the Jinzhou navy governor. The accounts indeed had problems, but Dali Temple did not have conclusive evidence, so the matter was temporarily shelved.
Now that Lan Heng has discovered the connection between the Beichuan Gang and Governor Guo, if we can find evidence this time, Governor Guo is likely to be dismissed and investigated."
"No wonder I found it strange. No matter how much of a Jianghu gang the Beichuan Gang is, how could they have the audacity to assassinate the Young Master on the ship? Now it seems that Xie Yunkun's behavior is supported by Governor Guo." Zhong Li analyzed.
"Yes, the emperor is far away. Even the emperor's reach cannot extend to Jinzhou. Moreover, the Jiangnan navy has always been outside the jurisdiction of the yamen. If Governor Guo wanted to do anything in Jinzhou, no one would dare to question him. He must have connections with the Beichuan Gang and has profited handsomely from the ports over the years," Lu Wuxie said.
"So the Young Master plans to go to the Yongcheng yamen to find Prefect Dong to understand if the Beichuan Gang also has influence in Yongcheng, preparing for a roundabout victory?" Zhong Li asked.
"Li'er is smart!" Lu Wuxie finished the last bite of his porridge and praised her sincerely.
"So..." Zhong Li rested her chin on her hand and pondered for a moment. "If the Emperor ordered Lan Heng to thoroughly investigate the matter of the navy governor, and now the important clue is that the Beichuan Gang has captured the navy governor, can I understand this as Lord Lan preparing to come to Jinzhou?"
Lu Wuxie was startled. Before he could speak, Zhong Li had quickly stood up, walked to the corner, picked up paper and pen, and started busy.
"What are you doing?" Lu Wuxie walked up to her and asked.
"We are in Yongcheng now, and Jinzhou is no longer safe. If Lord Lan goes just like this, not only will he alert the enemy, but he will also be in mortal danger. I'll write him a letter and tell him we are... Hey!" Before Zhong Li could finish, Lu Wuxie snatched the paper, pen, and ink from her hands.
"Do you care about him?" Lu Wuxie asked, his brow furrowed.
Zhong Li was focused on important matters and did not notice the displeasure on the man's face. She frowned and said, "Lord Lan almost lost his life while investigating the case in Lingshan, and now Jinzhou is a pit of fire. We absolutely cannot..."
"I'll handle these things," Lu Wuxie said with a hint of coldness in his tone as he looked at Zhong Li's anxious reaction.
He knew that although she appeared cold on the surface, she was actually soft-hearted and resilient, and she cared about others. However, he just didn't want the person she cared about to be Lan Heng.
Zhong Li was stunned by his sudden words. By the time she reacted, Lu Wuxie had already taken away all the pens and ink from her table and turned to walk out the door.
Lin Jin stood in place and looked at Zhong Li, a look of apology on his face as he turned and quickly followed.
"Young Master!" Lin Jin followed behind Lu Wuxie, preparing to lead him to the carriage.
Lu Wuxie got into the carriage. After a moment, a sharp voice came from inside: "It's so hot, throw some of the charcoal from the brazier away."
Lin Jin, who had not yet started driving, was stunned for a moment when he heard the voice from inside. After realizing what was happening, he hurried into the carriage and began to busy himself.
Lu Wuxie sat in the carriage and looked at Lin Jin's figure. After much deliberation, he asked, "Lin Jin."
"Young Master!" Lin Jin looked up and met his gaze.
"Was I a bit impulsive just now?" Lu Wuxie asked.
Lin Jin was somewhat taken aback by his words. After a while, he responded, "Replying to the Young Master, I don't know what happened while you and Miss Zhong were missing, and there's even an extra child!"
Lu Wuxie gave Lin Jin a sideways glance.
Lin Jin quickly lowered his eyes and got to the point: "Your subordinate feels that you care about Miss Zhong more than before."
Lu Wuxie said without thinking, "Continue!"
"However, you know Miss Zhong's personality. She might be a bit slow to react when it comes to feelings. Young Master, don't be too hasty, be more patient. Moreover, Miss Zhong and Lord Lan seem to have known each other for a long time. If there were real feelings, given Miss Zhong's personality, she would have rejected you outright, wouldn't she?" Lin Jin said everything his mother had told him about finding a wife when she urged him to get married, and added a few words of comfort.
Lu Wuxie digested Lin Jin's words and nodded after a long while, saying, "After taking me to the Yongcheng yamen, go to the post station and do something. Tell Lan Heng to come to Yongcheng and not go to Jinzhou to die!"
"Yes!" Lin Jin said with a smile and clasped his hands. As he drove, he glanced at the charcoal that had been thrown out by the roadside. When did the Young Master stop fearing the cold?
Zhong Li stayed alone in the inn, looking at the thin porridge that Lu Wuxie had finished, with a look of confusion. She thought that after he had shown her the letter, he would take her to the yamen, but she never expected this guy to suddenly throw a tantrum and leave like that.
Strange!
She pondered for a long time but couldn't understand. So she put on her clothes, glanced at Zhong Wuyou who was still asleep next door, and hurried out of the inn.
Like Jinzhou, the scenery in the southern suburbs of Yongcheng was the most charming. She had heard her foster father mention how picturesque the suburbs of Yongcheng were. Today, she was idle and decided to go and see.
The inn was only a two-tea-cup walk away from the southern suburbs. Zhong Li casually bought two sweet potatoes. By the time she finished one, she had reached her destination.
It was just after the Spring Festival, and everything had not yet revived. Besides bare pavilions, there was only a pool of bone-chillingly cold water.
Zhong Li walked into the pavilion in the middle of the lake and leaned lazily against a pillar, dozing in the sun. She was not disappointed by not seeing the so-called beautiful scenery. On the contrary, because the southern suburbs were cold, there were few people around, and she found it rare to feel quiet and comfortable.
"It's right there, the person is right there."
"What did you say? Impossible. This lake was cleaned and dredged once before winter. How could there be a dead person?"
"How is it impossible? My sisters and I saw it with our own eyes. Oh! Look, the body is right under the pavilion in the middle of the lake."
...
As soon as Zhong Li closed her eyes, she heard rustling footsteps. Before she could react, voices chatting from not far away reached her ears. When she opened her eyes again, she saw several civilian women dressed in plain white mourning clothes and two or three constables looking at her and the lake below her with eyes full of extreme fear.