Luo Sheng’s deliberate mention of the Vermillion Bird Token and Yang Zhun was naturally intentional.

She was exchanging keeping secrets for the two of them in return for the registry containing those who hired assassins—it was merely a transaction. After the transaction, Zhu Wu and Uncle Xing would very likely distance themselves from the capital from then on, hiding themselves thoroughly.

If that happened, should she find the right half of the Vermillion Bird Token someday in the future and want to bring the Vermillion Bird Guard under her command, where would she go to find people?

Rather than thinking about searching for others, it was better to cast out bait and let them willingly choose to remain by her side.

Uncle Xing cared about the Vermillion Bird Token, Zhu Wu cared about Yang Zhun—and regardless of what they cared about, only by keeping their eyes on Miss Luo would they have any possibility of obtaining it.

Yang Zhun, who possessed the Vermillion Bird Token, was undoubtedly the perfect bait to move these two. It seemed this accountant Zhu Wu would be working long-term.

Luo Sheng apologized to Yang Zhun in her heart, while her face remained impassive. “After saying so much, will Mr. Zhu agree to give me the registry or not?”

Zhu Wu only wanted to laugh coldly.

With things having come to this point, could he refuse?

“Miss Luo, I have a question.”

“Please speak, Mr. Zhu.”

“Why do you want that registry?”

How could a young girl obsessed with eating, drinking, entertainment, keeping male favorites, raising geese, and running a tavern be interested in this?

“Didn’t you say that with that registry, I could make the Crown Prince’s life difficult?” Luo Sheng said lightly.

Zhu Wu and Uncle Xing exchanged glances, both showing shock in their eyes.

Did this little girl know what she was saying?

Discussing making the Crown Prince’s life difficult with the same casual tone one might use to discuss whether rouge was fragrant or not—it was easy to think one had misheard.

However, making the Crown Prince’s life difficult—Zhu Wu couldn’t help but curve his lips slightly.

If that was the case, then Miss Luo’s position aligned with theirs.

But this little girl was as cunning as a fox; her words couldn’t be entirely believed.

“Does Miss Luo have a grudge against the Crown Prince?” Zhu Wu asked tentatively.

He hadn’t held much hope when asking this, since anything involving the imperial family was never simple.

But hearing this, Luo Sheng didn’t even hesitate, furrowing her brow as she said, “He covets my beauty.”

“Cough, cough, cough—” Zhu Wu’s coughing suddenly echoed through the room.

Luo Sheng asked expressionlessly, “What, Mr. Zhu doesn’t believe me?”

Zhu Wu pressed his fist to his lips and coughed twice. Under the young woman’s icy stare, he hastily said, “I believe you, of course I believe you.”

Saying this, he subconsciously scrutinized the young woman, and actually did believe her.

To put it kindly, with Miss Luo’s looks, she indeed had the capital to make the Crown Prince infatuated.

But Miss Luo kept male favorites!

The dignified heir apparent—what beauties hadn’t he seen? Did he truly not mind?

Zhu Wu suddenly thought of Prince Kaiyang.

Having worked as an accountant at Youjian Tavern for these many days, his eyes weren’t blind—he had long noticed that Prince Kaiyang’s attitude toward Miss Luo was unusual…

So did everyone in the imperial family think so differently from others?

“Even if the Crown Prince covets Miss Luo’s beauty—”

Luo Sheng raised her eyebrows. “Isn’t that enough? He’s the Crown Prince. What if he decides to go after my father to get me? One must stay vigilant in times of peace, prepare for rainy days, and be ready for anything. After thinking it over, I believe striking first is better.”

After Luo Sheng finished speaking, Zhu Wu fell completely silent.

He suddenly felt that walking into her trap wasn’t unjust—Miss Luo was truly terrifying!

“Wu-lang, give the registry to Miss Luo.” Uncle Xing spoke up.

The enemy of one’s enemy is a friend. Whether or not Miss Luo’s dissatisfaction with the Crown Prince was really for this reason didn’t actually matter.

What mattered was that Miss Luo wanted to make the Crown Prince’s life difficult. That was enough.

“Please wait a moment, Miss Luo.”

Zhu Wu walked out of the western room and headed toward the eastern room.

Only Luo Sheng and Uncle Xing remained in the study.

Uncle Xing was silent for a moment before speaking. “I haven’t yet thanked Miss Luo. Thank you for taking Wu-lang in when he was in distress.”

“Uncle Xing is too polite. The tavern just happened to need an accountant.”

Zhu Wu, returning, stopped behind the door curtain, his expression complex.

He now even suspected that his painstakingly established assassin organization being completely wiped out, with only him escaping the net, was because Miss Luo wanted him as her accountant.

Some things couldn’t be contemplated deeply—the more one thought about it, the more uncomfortable one’s heart felt.

Zhu Wu lifted the curtain and entered, handing the blue cloth-wrapped object to Luo Sheng.

Luo Sheng reached out to receive it. Without opening it to look, she tucked it into her sleeve and stood up. “Thank you, Mr. Zhu. Then I won’t disturb you two’s reunion. Oh, will Mr. Zhu still be returning to the tavern as accountant?”

Zhu Wu and Uncle Xing quickly exchanged a glance. He cupped his hands. “As long as Miss Luo doesn’t find me lacking, I would naturally be extremely pleased.”

Luo Sheng smiled radiantly. “That’s good then. It saves me from having to search for a new accountant who meets my standards. The tavern opens in the evening. Mr. Zhu, bring Uncle Xing to drink. Uncle Xing rarely comes to the capital.”

Zhu Wu could only manage a dry laugh.

Drink? Don’t joke around. If they ate and drank freely for one meal, Uncle Xing wouldn’t need to leave either—he could stay at the tavern doing odd jobs to pay off the debt.

Uncle Xing wasn’t yet fully aware of this and politely agreed. “I certainly should go try it.”

“Uncle Xing!” Zhu Wu felt pain in his chest.

All these years he had run an assassin organization, and all the money earned had gone to the Vermillion Bird Guard. Now that the assassin organization had been wiped out in one sweep, his pockets were cleaner than his face.

Wages?

Of course there were wages, but he insisted on running out to rent lodgings—didn’t that cost money?

Subconsciously glancing at the palm-sized hole in the wall, Zhu Wu couldn’t understand what he had spent money renting a residence for.

Uncle Xing looked at Zhu Wu. “What is it?”

With Miss Luo still present, Zhu Wu naturally couldn’t embarrass himself by saying his heartless employer ran a black-market establishment where ordinary people would go bankrupt after one hearty meal and have to stay behind doing odd jobs.

He forced out a trace of a smile. “This evening, your nephew will take you to try it.”

Luo Sheng smiled slightly and leisurely departed with the registry.

Leaving the uncle and nephew in silence for a moment, Uncle Xing spoke. “Let’s check again.”

A quarter-hour later, the two stared at the hole poked through behind the hanging painting in the sitting room, their moods complex.

“Wu-lang, where do you think the secret passage in the hidden room leads?”

The other walls were too thick. To completely break through them to enter the hidden room would take considerable effort. The two hadn’t yet taken action.

Zhu Wu’s face grew hot. “Ahem, perhaps it leads to Youjian Tavern.”

Otherwise, how could one explain Miss Luo’s ability to enter the hidden room?

After a long while, Uncle Xing sighed. “Wu-lang, this unique residence… how did you come to rent it?”

It couldn’t be that Miss Luo forced him to rent it, could it?

Zhu Wu’s mouth twitched awkwardly.

Other residences near the tavern either weren’t for rent or had exorbitant rents. Searching high and low, this one was the most suitable—so he rented it, didn’t he?

After hearing Zhu Wu explain the whole story, Uncle Xing heavily patted his shoulder. “Just move back to the tavern. The money saved could buy the Vermillion Bird Guard several bags of rice.”

Zhu Wu could only manage a bitter smile.

Luo Sheng returned to the tavern and quickly entered the rear room, pulling the blue cloth bundle from her sleeve and opening it.

Inside was clearly a registry.

She gently opened the first page, her gaze sweeping over the columns of characters.

Names, dates, and brief descriptions of matters were all recorded.

Luo Sheng’s lips curved upward.

She had said Zhu Wu was quite suitable to be an accountant, hadn’t she?