The city gates were heavily guarded with strict inspections, making it impossible for the criminals to escape the city. After hiding within the city for two days, they finally found a gap in the city’s defenses on the third night and quietly slipped out to rendezvous with Wu Si. This was a trap set by the Imperial Guards to draw out the snake, allowing them to secretly follow these criminals to Wu Si and capture him in one fell swoop.
“Your strategy of following the vine to get the melon worked perfectly,” said Wei Zhuo.
“Uncle Wei is too kind,” Lu Chang replied modestly.
This strategy was conceived by Lu Chang, implemented by Wei Zhuo, and executed with everyone’s cooperation.
The men were still detained in the dungeon, and Lu Chang focused on interrogating Wu Si. Wu Si was a tough man, and it took considerable effort for Lu Chang to make him talk.
According to Wu Si’s confession, the current Deputy Magistrate of Jiangning, Gao Shicai, had been recruiting vagrants into his household for years, training them as death squads under the guise of household servants. Though small in number—about a hundred men—they regularly handled Gao Shicai’s illegal activities and maintained secret connections with bandits and gangs throughout Jiangnan, essentially using official positions to harbor evil. Gao Shicai then leveraged these forces to serve wealthy merchants and powerful figures in Jiangnan, accepting bribes and consolidating his power in Jiangning by placing his trusted followers in key positions.
Wu Si was just a minor leader among Gao Shicai’s private forces and had handled only a few dirty jobs for him, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. He wasn’t clear about the reasons behind the Jian family robbery case; this time, he had only received Gao Shicai’s secret orders to kill Ming Shu, Zhou Xiuqing, and Lu Chang.
“The master ordered that Zhou Xiuqing and Jian Ming Shu must be eliminated, with Lu Chang being secondary. However, when we located Zhou Xiuqing’s whereabouts, she had already disappeared, so we turned to assassinating Lu Chang instead,” said Wu Si.
Besides the two witnesses, Lu Chang was the main investigator of the Jian family case. His death would make the case difficult to investigate and warn others against interfering in Jiangning’s affairs.
“So… Zhou Xiuqing was taken by your people?” Lu Chang asked.
It wasn’t clear what torture had been used, but Wu Si’s face was pale, his forehead covered in cold sweat as he weakly nodded in response to Lu Chang’s question.
If it was Gao Shicai’s men who did it, who could it be?
Lu Chang had a vague suspicion but lacked evidence to confirm it.
That person… why did they kidnap Madam Zhou?
The sunlight was strong, making those just emerging from the dungeon squint involuntarily.
“Lu Chang, now that all the assassins who came to the capital to kill you have been captured, Ming Shu is temporarily safe, and you needn’t worry so much,” Wei Zhuo advised, noting Lu Chang’s still-furrowed brow.
“Until the Jian family case is resolved, I won’t be able to rest easy,” Lu Chang raised his hand to shield his eyes from the sun.
Mentioning the Jian family case and Ming Shu’s background made Wei Zhuo sigh deeply. Ming Shu, such a cheerful and lively young girl, had experienced the massacre of her entire family at just eighteen years old—the mere thought of it was heartbreaking. Even Wei Zhuo, who had seen plenty of life and death on the battlefield, couldn’t help but feel angry and hurt for her, let alone Lu Chang, who lived with her day and night.
Wei Zhuo could understand Lu Chang’s urgency to solve the case but still advised him: “The case won’t be solved any faster, and your injuries haven’t healed. You haven’t rested for days because of this matter. You need to take care of your health—don’t make your mother and Ming Shu worry.”
“Thank you for your concern, Uncle Wei. I understand,” Lu Chang expressed his gratitude before bringing up another matter. “Although the Jian family case remains unsolved, we have solid evidence of Gao Shicai ordering the assassination attempts. Additionally, his private recruitment of soldiers and hidden weapons stockpile, along with the numerous crimes committed by Wu Si and his men under his orders—these are sufficient grounds to bring him to the capital for trial.”
“Yes, I will meet with the Third Prince tomorrow to seek an imperial audience, and you should come along. No one understands the details of the Jian family case and all its connections better than you, so tonight you’ll need to draft the memorial to be submitted to His Majesty.”
“No problem,” Lu Chang agreed immediately, then added, “However, since Gao Shicai has gathered troops at his home, he’s unlikely to submit easily. I’m worried that if cornered, he might become desperate… The Jiangning government office is understaffed, and most are his trusted followers, which could lead to conflict.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll order Cao Hai, the Jiangning Garrison Commander, to personally arrest and escort him to the capital. Cao Hai is my old comrade who fought alongside me on the battlefield. With him making the arrest, Gao Shicai won’t escape unless he’s truly planning a rebellion,” Wei Zhuo’s eyes darkened as he spoke, showing a flash of fierceness.
Lu Chang nodded, saying nothing more.
Deep into the night, only a crescent moon hung in the sky. There was no wind, and the summer night was stuffy. Lu Chang sat at his desk writing the memorial, sweating profusely.
His arrow wound hadn’t healed, and Ming Shu wanted to place ice in his room, but fearing the cold might affect his bones and cause chronic problems, he could only endure the stuffiness.
Just as his brush made the final stroke, there was a knock at the door.
He carefully dried the memorial and stored it in the drawer before getting up to open the door.
“Why aren’t you asleep yet?” He frowned seeing who stood outside.
The night watch drum had struck long ago; it was almost the third watch.
Outside stood Ming Shu, holding two bowls of cold drinks. Her hair was half-loose, and she wore a lotus-colored jacket over a white silk tube top, paired with matching Song-style pants—a cool, casual home outfit.
This style was common among young women of the time, nothing inappropriate, though she wore it with particular charm.
Lu Chang glanced at her briefly before averting his gaze, suppressing an unusual feeling in his chest.
“You’re not sleeping either?” Ming Shu countered as she entered.
Now staying at the Wei Mansion, their rooms faced each other, and she could see when his lights went out.
For three consecutive days, his candles had burned until nearly the fifth watch, and he would rise shortly after dawn, getting barely two hours of sleep each night. Did she not notice?
Previously, she had held back from disturbing his official business, but seeing this continue day after day, she couldn’t stay silent anymore.
“Your wound hasn’t healed, and you still need to change medicines every day. You should rest well at night and take care of your health!” Ming Shu truly wanted to nag, but found she couldn’t quite manage it.
She used to complain about Lu Chang being too controlling, but now she seemed to have become just like him.
However, Lu Chang felt the same way about this as Ming Shu did.
Her concern and nagging brought him joy.
“I know. What about you? Is your head still hurting?” Lu Chang went to the washstand, wrung out a towel, and wiped the sweat from his face and neck before asking Ming Shu.
“Not anymore,” Ming Shu shrugged—as long as she didn’t try to remember, there was no pain.
“That’s good. Don’t force yourself. I’ve found new evidence, so we don’t need your testimony for now. Just let things happen naturally,” Lu Chang sat at the table and drained one bowl of the cold drink.
He hadn’t had a drop of water all night, and only now realized how parched he was.
Ming Shu pushed her bowl toward him as well: “What new evidence?”
“All the assassins sent this time have been captured, enough to prove he ordered the killings, along with several other crimes. We can investigate further once we bring him to the capital for questioning.”
Though some points remained unclear, the progress was reasonably satisfactory—at least they had identified Gao Shicai.
Ming Shu’s eyes lit up: “They’ve all been caught? Then can I…”
Lu Chang finished the second bowl of cold drink before replying: “What? Want to go out?”
“Elder Brother… I have so many matters to attend to at the shop! We’ve been stuck here for three or four days…” Ming Shu pulled her chair closer to him, looking at him with pleading eyes.
Lu Chang put down the bowl and gazed at her silently. After staring at each other for a moment, Ming Shu admitted defeat.
Under his gaze, her face grew hot.
“If you want to go out, change how you address me,” Lu Chang finally spoke.
“Change to what?”
“Whatever you like,” Lu Chang made his request.
Ming Shu gave him a look: “Then… Brother Lu? Brother Ziyao?”
Lu Chang: “Remove the word ‘brother.'”
“Lu… Chang…” Ming Shu closed her eyes and took the plunge.
Strangely, though she had been able to call his name properly last time, after a few days, she found it difficult to say his name again.
“You’re permitted to go out,” Lu Chang smiled, his fatigue vanishing instantly. “However, you can’t go alone. Although the assassins have been caught, Gao Shicai still has other men. I’ve borrowed some men from Uncle Wei—take them with you when you go out, and don’t let them leave your side.”
“I understand!” Ming Shu was overjoyed—as long as she could go out, she didn’t mind having shadows following her. “Thank you, Elder Brother.”
“…” Lu Chang remained silent.
Getting her to say “Lu Chang” once was truly difficult.
But this torment was self-inflicted.
Who else could he blame?
The next day, Lu Chang rose early and left the mansion with Wei Zhuo before Ming Shu awoke.
Ming Shu had gone to bed late and woke up well after sunrise. The men Lu Chang had borrowed for her had been waiting outside the garden for quite some time.
They were two young Imperial Guards named Qiu Ming and Pan Shun, standing straight in light armor with swords at their waists, cutting imposing figures.
Ming Shu hadn’t expected Lu Chang to act so quickly—though they had only discussed it last night, he had already made arrangements for her before leaving early this morning.
“Lady Lu, the carriage is also ready. Where would you like to go first?” Qiu Ming asked.
“I…” Ming Shu was about to say Man Tang Hui when a voice came from nearby.
“Lady Lu, Constable Ying is here to see you,” a Wei Mansion servant brought Ying Xun over.
Ying Xun had come to deliver documents to Lu Chang, but since Lu Chang wasn’t there, he had “coincidentally” come to find Ming Shu.
“Constable Ying?” Ming Shu was surprised he was looking for her, then quickly realized, “Is there news about that case?”
Ying Xun stared at her for a moment before waving the case files in his hand: “It’s here.”
Ming Shu reached for them, but he pulled back.
“These are confidential official documents. To view them privately, you need to be accompanied by a government official.”
The way he said it—why didn’t he just say he wanted to come along?
Ming Shu raised an eyebrow: “Then may I invite Constable Ying for tea at my shop?”
Ying Xun maintained his serious expression: “Very well.”
“Let’s go then.” Ming Shu walked out cheerfully with large strides, Qiu Ming and Pan Shun following at a distance.
After a few steps, she suddenly turned to ask Ying Xun: “Constable Ying, does my Elder Brother know about you retrieving these case files?”
“I need to report to my superior when retrieving case files,” he had told her this before.
“And your superior is…” Ming Shu had an ominous premonition.
“Your Elder Brother.”
“…”
So Lu Chang knew everything?!