As Zhu Yan reached the alley entrance, she found the group had already stopped, as if expecting her to follow.
“Who are you people?” Zhu Yan pressed, finding them extremely suspicious.
“We Local Constables pay our respects to Lady Shen,” they bowed in unison, taking Zhu Yan by surprise.
So they were Local Constables. No wonder they recognized her.
“I see you’re our people,” Zhu Yan said with relief. “Why are you here, and what was that scene about earlier?”
“We had no choice but to act that way. Please forgive us, Lady Shen.”
“There’s no need for such formality among our own. Speak freely.”
One of the Local Constables stepped forward and bowed. “Lady Shen, I am Sun Tan, leader of the Local Constables in Yingzhou. Our earlier performance wasn’t meant to trouble you and the Grand Secretary, but to delay you briefly so you’d encounter Ji Dafu.”
“What?” Zhu Yan was taken aback. How did the Local Constables know about Ji Dafu’s involvement in their case?
“It’s like this,” Sun Tan explained. “We’re working on a case related to him, but our investigation revealed his identity isn’t simple. We’re short-staffed and hoped to borrow your and the Grand Secretary’s manpower to investigate together.”
“So you used this method to lure me here?”
Sun Tan smiled awkwardly. “It was our only option. Please don’t blame us, Lady Shen.”
“It’s fine,” Zhu Yan sighed. “But this method was risky. If anyone observant had noticed you, wouldn’t your cover be blown?”
“You’re right, Lady Shen. We were careless this time and will be more careful in the future.”
Zhu Yan said no more and pulled out the token Xu Xiangren had given her. “If not for this, I wouldn’t have guessed you were Local Constables.”
Seeing the token in Zhu Yan’s hand, all the Local Constables looked surprised. This was the token of their leader – how did Lady Shen have it?
But they knew the rule: the token represents the person.
“Rest assured, Lady Shen. If you ever need the Local Constables’ assistance in the future, we’ll do our utmost without hesitation,” Sun Tan quickly stated, with the others bowing in agreement.
Zhu Yan wasn’t particularly surprised by this. She continued, “What crime has Ji Dafu committed? Why do you suspect him?”
Sun Tan bowed again. “Recently, we received a case about usury. We intended to investigate the mastermind through him but discovered he’s not a simple person. His identity is suspicious, and he might be involved in more than just this.”
“Oh?” Zhu Yan looked puzzled. Could Ji Dafu have some other identity?
Sun Tan continued, “After careful investigation, we believe he might be connected to the Fire Moth Party.”
“Is this true?” Zhu Yan looked at Sun Tan in surprise.
It seemed heaven was helping them. Shen Du had been desperately searching for the Fire Moth Party without success, and now the Local Constables had brought this information right to them.
Zhu Yan could barely contain her excitement. Sun Tan nodded firmly, confirming her question.
“Not only that, but he also has many mysterious associates. He might be an important figure, though we haven’t confirmed his exact position yet.”
“This is enough,” Zhu Yan’s eyes darkened. This news was incredibly fortuitous for her.
The Fire Moth Party’s trail had surfaced. As long as they followed this lead, they would surely uncover the truth behind everything.
No matter how important a figure he might be, he wouldn’t be able to hide from them.
Realizing this, Zhu Yan felt incredibly excited. She had to share this with Shen Du immediately. Perhaps he would even praise her for it.
Just as she turned to find Shen Du, she saw him at the alley entrance. His face was dark as if he had encountered something unpleasant.
The Local Constables immediately bowed upon seeing Shen Du, but he coldly walked towards them.
Shen Du didn’t know these Local Constables, but he had dealt with their kind before and recognized them immediately. Seeing them with Zhu Yan, he felt confused.
Instinctively, he thought Zhu Yan must be hiding something from him, which displeased him.
Zhu Yan hadn’t thought that deeply. Seeing Shen Du approach, she quickly went to meet him. “You’re just in time. I’ve made a big discovery about the Fire Moth Party.”
Hearing this, the darkness in Shen Du’s eyes lightened slightly, but he didn’t acknowledge Zhu Yan. Instead, he looked directly at the group of Local Constables.
Sun Tan realized this and quickly bowed to Shen Du. “We’re also investigating Ji Dafu for a case, and we’ve made some discoveries.”
“Speak,” Shen Du said coldly, his expression devoid of emotion.
Sun Tan began explaining what they had discovered about Ji Dafu to Shen Du. Meanwhile, Zhu Yan pouted, displeased with Shen Du’s attitude.
After Sun Tan finished, Zhu Yan spoke up, “Didn’t you go after him earlier? Where is he?”
“Without evidence, we can’t arrest him even if we caught up. He left,” Shen Du replied coldly, irritating Zhu Yan further.
Just as she was about to explode, Shen Du continued, “Before this, I never thought he might be connected to the Fire Moth Party, and you never told me. Is that my fault?”
His words were harsh but not unreasonable. Zhu Yan couldn’t think of how to retort.
She opened her mouth but couldn’t say a word. The Local Constables nearby felt awkward.
They had always heard that the Grand Secretary and his wife were a harmonious couple, but today they seemed to be at odds. Were those rumors false?
“Is there any other information about Ji Dafu?” Shen Du turned his gaze to the Local Constables. He was harboring anger but couldn’t express it openly in front of so many people.
“That’s all for now,” Sun Tan quickly replied with a bow.
Shen Du’s eyes darkened as he began to think. Based on the Local Constables’ intelligence, they could confirm that Ji Dafu was part of the Lai clan and involved in this case. Undoubtedly, the case would not be as simple as it appeared on the surface.
As Shen Du was deep in thought, a sudden shout interrupted him.
Seeing someone approaching, the Local Constables disappeared without even saying goodbye.