“Fabric from the Wen Family Embroidery Workshop?”

Jingrong closed the materials in his hands!

Lang Bo said, “That’s right, fabric from the Wen Family Embroidery Workshop. This subordinate also investigated the relationship between these two merchant households, but apart from the annual fabric transactions, there’s absolutely no connection. We don’t even know who the owner of the Si Family Silk Shop is—only that it’s managed by an old man who also receives the goods. Moreover, over these years, the Si family has never sold goods externally. They only transport goods to the capital on the very day the disaster relief silver arrives at Yufu County each year. Your Highness, there’s definitely something suspicious about this.”

“More than just suspicious.” His eyes deepened. “Perhaps… it’s related to the disaster relief silver!”

“So you’re saying the neighboring Wen Family Embroidery Workshop is also connected to the disaster relief silver?”

“If that’s truly the case, then the connection is significant.”

“In that case, Your Highness, should we…”

Before he could finish, he was interrupted.

Jingrong had concerns. “Before we’ve thoroughly investigated, we cannot alert them prematurely, lest word gets out. Have your people act carefully.”

“This subordinate understands.”

“And those people from the Wen family… they appear hospitable and quite affable, but in reality, they’re strange and far from simple. If they’re truly connected to the disaster relief silver matter, this could prove to be an extremely thorny issue.” He clenched his fist and lightly tapped it on the desk, then supported himself to stand, slowly walking to the doorway. He looked toward the direction of the neighboring Wen family, narrowing his slender, spirited eyes, and parted his lips. “The Wen family? The disaster relief silver? Yunshu?”

His voice was very soft, as if murmuring in his throat.

Lang Bo didn’t hear him, only immediately stepped forward to inquire, “Your Highness, where should we start now?”

He withdrew his gaze, his handsome, cold features calm. After thinking for a while, he finally spoke. “First, send people to watch the Si family. If necessary, infiltrate again to investigate thoroughly. Don’t overlook a single blade of grass or tree, especially those goods—they must be examined carefully. Also check if there are any hidden chambers inside. Perhaps the disaster relief silver that’s disappeared over these years is hidden there. At the same time, send people to watch the Wen family. If they make any move, report immediately.”

“Yes!”

“Also go to the yamen and have Zuo Yao compile a list of traveling merchants who have passed through Yufu in recent years. I refuse to believe that disaster relief silver can simply vanish into thin air without reason.”

In any case, he didn’t believe in ghosts and spirits!

Nor did he believe that silver could walk away on its own!

Lang Bo followed the instructions and immediately sent people to the yamen.

Afterward, Jingrong went to Ji Yunshu’s residence.

At this moment, she had just seen Little Xiyue off.

When the two met, each had their own thoughts. Sitting in the courtyard drinking tea, neither spoke first.

After a cup of tea had passed.

Ji Yunshu finally asked, “Is there a lead on the disaster relief silver?”

No response!

“Very thorny?”

He nodded!

“Thorniness is inevitable. Otherwise, those officials investigating this case wouldn’t have died.”

Jingrong stared at her for a while, the corners of his lips rising imperceptibly, deliberately assuming an interrogating manner. “Then analyze this for me—those officials clearly hadn’t discovered anything and were preparing to return to the capital to report, so why were they killed on the road?”

“Mm…” She tilted her head slightly, genuinely pondering. “Perhaps those officials found something, but they themselves didn’t notice, and the people who stole the disaster relief silver, to be safe, decided to kill them. Or perhaps… it was for some other reason.”

“What reason?”

She paused, then reacted, her brow furrowing with displeasure. “Your Highness has surely already analyzed this thoroughly in your heart, so why come to test me?”

As if this were a college entrance exam!

His thoughts exposed by this woman, Jingrong could only smile, then grew serious again. “I have indeed analyzed other reasons. The court officials were returning to the capital precisely because they found no leads, but they disappeared for a period during the journey. So, what happened during their disappearance? If the goal was to silence them, they could have simply killed them directly—why stage a disappearance? Therefore, the only explanation I can think of is that those people’s purpose… was to oppose the court.”

In modern terms, they were essentially “angry youth.”

However—

“What makes you say this?” Ji Yunshu asked.

“A guess!” He blurted out, then continued, “Those people probably wanted to extract some information from them, which is why they didn’t kill them directly but abducted them instead. If they got the information they wanted, they would kill to silence them. If not, they would still kill. Anything involving court officials must be related to the government, which is why I dared to make this bold guess.”

Oh!

Ji Yunshu hadn’t thought that far!

Jingrong turned to ask her, “You also have something on your mind?”

“I’m thinking about that jade pendant matter.”

“Tell me about it.”

Her brow furrowed slightly before she spoke at length. “That jade pendant was originally a complete piece, later split into two halves. Miss Ye’er had one piece in her hands, and she had that piece before she gave birth to her child. So, when Qiao Zihua said he saw her with a man carrying a flute, I think that man might be the father of Ye’er’s child. When Liang Da entered Ye’er’s room, she had already been intimate with someone, which is why her clothes were disheveled. But she didn’t cry out or weep, and still had the presence of mind to question Liang Da about the cat matter—completely unlike someone who had been raped. Rather, it seemed like willing intimacy with slight resistance. They say Miss Ye’er had high standards—the person who could make her willing should be the man who possessed the matching jade pendant.”

“So you’re saying you already know who that person is?”

She nodded thoughtfully. “Perhaps… it’s Young Master Wen from our neighboring household.”

“The Wen family?”

The Wen family again!

Ji Yunshu continued, “If the person who knocked out Qiao Zihua really was that Young Master Wen, then the matter of Ye’er wanting to report to the authorities… could it also be related to him?”

This was merely her speculation!

Hearing this, Jingrong also pondered, picking up the tea beside him and just about to bring it to his lips for a sip.

Suddenly—

He seemed to sense something. His ear twitched sharply, hearing rustling sounds coming from the roof tiles above.

The next moment, a black shadow fell from above, slamming hard onto the ground.

“Bang!”

Blood everywhere.

The person seemed to have even had their brains smashed out!

Jingrong immediately leaped up, shielding Ji Yunshu behind him, his cold, stern eyes looking at the dead man in black on the ground.

“Ah!”

Qiao’er, who had just come out of the room, was frightened pale.

The bowl in her hands also shattered on the ground.

Smashed to pieces!

Shi Zijin followed by jumping down from the roof, her eyes filled with killing intent as she looked at the man in black she had slain.

In her hand was a long sword dripping with fresh blood, the liquid dripping drop by drop from the sharp blade onto the ground.

Under the moonlight’s reflection, it was particularly striking.