Luo Sheng met Zhu Wu in the tavern’s main hall.

Zhu Wu had clearly changed his robe, but his disheveled beard and the bloodshot eyes couldn’t hide the dust from his travels.

As soon as he saw Luo Sheng enter, he immediately called out “Miss.”

“Sit first.” Though anxious in her heart, Luo Sheng remained composed on the surface and gestured for Zhu Wu to wet his throat before speaking.

Zhu Wu gulped down a cup of tea, feeling his throat, parched from days of travel, become much more comfortable.

“Did you find it?” Only then did Luo Sheng ask.

Zhu Wu nodded slightly and said in a low voice: “Found it.”

Luo Sheng’s eyes brightened as she let out a long breath.

Good that it was found smoothly!

Zhu Wu drew a slender object wrapped in blue cloth from his sleeve and handed it over: “Miss, please see if this is it.”

Luo Sheng accepted it. Lifting a corner of the blue cloth to see the revealed object, she smiled: “Accountant Zhu, you’ve worked hard.”

“As I should.”

Luo Sheng lowered her voice even more: “You brought the person too?”

“Brought them. According to your instructions, everything has been properly arranged.”

“That’s good. Go back and rest well first. We’ll discuss other matters later.”

Zhu Wu hesitated.

It was nearly noon—wasn’t the miss going to keep him for a meal?

After waiting a long while without seeing Luo Sheng seem to remember, Zhu Wu had no choice but to rise awkwardly and leave.

Luo Sheng sat quietly in the main hall for a while before returning to the rear courtyard.

Hearing the movement, Commander Luo came back to his senses: “Sheng’er finished chatting with the accountant so quickly?”

“The tavern matters are at most about money—easy to resolve.” Luo Sheng smiled. Her gaze swept over the table and showed a surprised expression. “Why hasn’t Father eaten?”

“Ah, I’ll eat now.” Commander Luo picked up the bowl and wolfed down the noodles.

In the blink of an eye, the table was clean of dishes and bowls. Commander Luo wiped his mouth and praised: “Delicious!”

Luo Sheng was silent for a moment.

Eating so quickly, he probably couldn’t taste the flavor.

“There are still matters at the offices. I’ll head back first.” Commander Luo thought for a moment, still uneasy, and instructed: “Sheng’er, you’re just a young lady. Don’t get involved in court matters.”

“I understand.” Luo Sheng responded lightly and pointed outside. “Father should take those two Jinlin Guards with you.”

Commander Luo’s lips moved, but in the end he said nothing and strode out.

Luo Sheng remained in the study without moving.

The afternoon spring sun streamed through the latticed windows, casting beams of light with dancing motes of dust within them.

Luo Sheng took out the object Zhu Wu had brought back. Removing the blue cloth wrapping revealed its full appearance: it was an elongated nanmu wood box.

Unlike ordinary boxes for storing valuables, this nanmu box had no lock but instead several circular holes surrounding a strangely shaped small deep hole.

If one counted carefully, there were exactly seven circular holes.

Slender, pale fingers gently caressed the nanmu box, finally stopping at the deep hole.

After an unknown length of time, the gold bracelet inlaid with seven treasures on her wrist was removed.

Luo Sheng held the bracelet in one hand and pressed along its inner side with the other. The red gemstone actually came off. In this manner, the seven gemstones were removed one by one.

The seven gemstones were pressed into the seven circular holes on the box in what appeared to outsiders as no particular pattern, but only Luo Sheng knew this was the first step in opening the box.

The originally brilliant gold bracelet inlaid with seven treasures became bare and plain, while the unremarkable box became magnificently extraordinary.

The strangely shaped small hole on the box, now surrounded by seven-colored gemstones, appeared even more mysterious.

Soft fingertips gently brushed over every part of the bracelet. Suddenly there was a clicking sound, and a gap appeared there. Slowly pulling it open revealed a slender end with patterns.

This bracelet was actually a key.

Luo Sheng aligned that end with the central small hole and slowly inserted it.

With a click, the box opened. Inside the long box lay a roll of imperial yellow quietly.

Luo Sheng carefully unrolled the imperial yellow scroll, examined it thoroughly, then showed a relaxed smile. She closed the box and removed the gemstones one by one to restore everything.

Moments later, the restored brilliant gold bracelet inlaid with seven treasures returned to her wrist.

After bringing the box back to the Commander’s residence to hide it carefully, Luo Sheng sent someone to deliver a message to Lin Teng.

When Lin Teng came to You Jian Tavern again, it was already afternoon.

The two met at the stone table beside the persimmon tree in the courtyard.

The spring sun was just right. The courtyard was even warmer than indoors. The persimmon tree stretched out its bare branches in a lazy manner—after all, at this time it was powerless to drop a few leaves to show its presence.

Light and shadow dappled, making the young woman’s pale face appear even more gentle and beautiful.

After a brief silence, Lin Teng spoke first: “Has Miss Luo asked your esteemed father?”

Regarding the case, no matter how difficult, he had to face it.

“I asked.”

This calm tone made Lin Teng momentarily doubt his judgment: Could it be unrelated to Commander Luo?

“It was done by people my father ordered.”

Lin Teng looked at the young woman across from him in shock.

Luo Sheng raised her eyebrows: “Does Lord Lin find this strange?”

Lin Teng touched his nose.

What he found strange was Miss Luo’s composure.

Luo Sheng quickly added: “It was the Emperor who ordered my father to do it.”

Lin Teng: “…”

After a long while, he finally spoke with difficulty: “Miss Luo—”

Luo Sheng smiled slightly: “I pestered my father relentlessly to get this information. Whether my father chooses to remain silent, I can’t control, but I certainly won’t.”

She stared intently at Lin Teng, her expression serious: “If Lord Lin insists on dragging out the mastermind behind this, then I’ll tell you plainly it’s the Emperor. My father is merely a blade in the sovereign’s hand. Though this blade killed people for its master and bears guilt, it won’t carry this blame.”

Lin Teng’s expression was quite remarkable for a moment. After a while, he smiled bitterly: “Miss Luo truly dares to say anything.”

Luo Sheng’s tone was flat: “There’s only you and me here, Lord Lin. Would you arrest me for speaking the truth?”

Lin Teng looked at her deeply and uttered two words: “I won’t.”

“Then will Lord Lin impeach the Emperor?”

Lin Teng was silent for a long time, then shook his head.

Such treasonous words about impeaching the Emperor could probably only be heard from Miss Luo’s mouth.

Yet he, who had studied the teachings of sages since childhood, didn’t feel angry but rather felt powerless.

When the mastermind behind everything was the person sitting in the highest position, what could he do?

What was so-called justice?

Lin Teng had never felt, as he did at this moment, that his heart was so cold.

Luo Sheng couldn’t bear to press this upright, persistent young man further. She sighed softly: “Lord Lin, rather than dwelling on unsolvable matters, why don’t we think about what we can do for those one hundred and six women.”

The five missing women were already gone, but these one hundred and six women still remained.

She couldn’t use Commander Luo’s love for his daughter to force him to stop—that would bring catastrophic disaster upon the entire Luo household.

But she also couldn’t pretend to know nothing and sit by watching these women lose their lives.

Whether or not the outcome could be changed, she had to do something.

Unsolvable matters—hearing these words, Lin Teng felt a stale breath blocking his chest that he couldn’t expel no matter what.

He forcefully clenched his fists, keeping his tone as calm as possible: “Miss Luo speaks truly.”