In his heart, she was indeed that good.

When Father died suddenly, and after death his coffin wouldn’t close no matter what, Han Family Fort was leaderless. Some wanted to seize the opportunity for a share, others wanted to take a bite.

It was this person before him who pulled him bit by bit out of hell.

“Without your indulgence, would she dare act this way?”

This question stumped Yan Sanhe.

Soon, Li Buyan walked in carrying a tray.

“Dinner will be soon, so I didn’t make much. Just something to tide you over.”

She set down the tray and tapped Han Xu’s head with her finger.

“Don’t be polite with us in the future. If you’re hungry, say so. If you’re tired, say so too. Don’t act like a stuffy gourd all the time, where even three sticks can’t beat out a fart.”

“Miss Yan.”

Han Xu picked up his chopsticks leisurely. “See, I told you you’re too indulgent with her.”

Li Buyan rolled her eyes at him. “You’re just jealous.”

Han Xu said nothing, focusing on his noodles.

Those who escort caravans ate in three or two bites. In almost the blink of an eye, even the soup was finished.

Han Xu pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth, rinsed with tea, then steered back to the main topic.

“Lu Shi entered the capital at sixteen and became Tang Qiling’s disciple at twenty-two. Han Family Fort couldn’t find any information about him during those six years in between.”

Yan Sanhe didn’t ask “why.” Han Xu was meticulous in his work—if he said it couldn’t be found, there must be a reason it couldn’t be found.

It’s just that these six years, neither long nor short—where was Lu Shi then? What was he doing?

“At twenty-two he moved into the Tang house, at twenty-nine he passed as third-ranked scholar. During those seven years in between, we only discovered one important piece of information.”

“Because of his birth mother’s affair, he wasn’t allowed to participate in the spring examinations. It was Tang Qiling who spoke a few good words for him at the Qujiang Banquet, and only then, after three more years of hard study, did he achieve third-ranked scholar status.”

Han Xu looked at Yan Sanhe with some surprise. “How did you know?”

Yan Sanhe: “I heard it from an old acquaintance of Lu Shi.”

Han Xu nodded. “There are three unimportant pieces of information.”

“Which three?”

“First, after living in the Tang family’s rear courtyard, he kept to himself, never socializing much with others. People in the same courtyard didn’t want to socialize with him either, saying this person was both gloomy and solitary, extremely difficult to get along with.”

“The second?”

“Tang Qiling had three prized disciples. He ranked first, the other two…”

“I know—Chu Yanting and Tang Jianxi.”

Han Xu looked at Yan Sanhe without surprise. “Then you should also know about the three being called the Three Friends of Winter.”

“I know.”

“The third piece of information is that after his birth mother died, he returned once to Liuhe County.”

Han Xu: “This was also his first time back after leaving at sixteen, and his only time back.”

Yan Sanhe: “What did he go back for?”

Han Xu: “To request his name be removed from the Lu family genealogy.”

“That’s not right!”

Yan Sanhe looked at him. “To the Lu family, wasn’t Lu Shi an illegitimate son of unknown origin? How could his name be in the Lu family genealogy?”

Han Xu: “After he became Tang Qiling’s disciple, the Lu clan opened the ancestral hall and added it themselves.”

Li Buyan sneered coldly. “Turns out the Lu family people aren’t stupid either!”

Yan Sanhe: “Did the Lu family agree to the removal?”

Han Xu nodded. “At the time, no one expected he would rise again. They agreed quite readily.”

“What about now? Do the Lu family people regret it?” Li Buyan asked.

Han Xu glanced at her. “Miss Li, Han Family Fort is only responsible for gathering information, not for speculating about others’ thoughts.”

Li Buyan pulled at the corner of her mouth and sneered. “They definitely regret it. Their intestines are probably green with regret.”

“Fort Master Han.”

Yan Sanhe: “What’s the Lu family’s current situation?”

Han Xu: “Declined, especially Lu Shi’s branch—declined the worst. There aren’t many capable descendants either.”

This situation was rather interesting.

It seemed the Lu family’s good fortune was all taken by Lu Shi alone.

Yan Sanhe asked again: “Who collected Yuan Shi’s corpse?”

Han Xu: “Lu Shi.”

Yan Sanhe: “Where is she buried?”

Han Xu: “Unknown.”

A dark shadow appeared in Yan Sanhe’s eyes. “Don’t you both feel that this Lu Shi lives like a cloud of mystery?”

Who his father was—unknown.

His mother’s origins—unknown.

His own whereabouts from sixteen to twenty-two—unknown.

Han Xu: “I actually think Lu Shi only started living like a cloud of mystery after the Tang family fell.”

Yan Sanhe’s heart stirred. “How so?”

“After the Tang family fell, the newly ranked third scholar Lu Shi didn’t enter the Hanlin Academy but became a patrol censor instead.”

Han Xu knew Yan Sanhe wouldn’t understand this official position well, so he patiently explained: “It’s the lowest position among censors, not even ranked.”

Han Xu was wrong.

To investigate Lu Shi, Yan Sanhe had thoroughly examined the entire Censorate from top to bottom.

Patrol censors were not only the lowest position among censors but also the most arduous. Out of 365 days a year, they spent 300 days exposed to wind and sun, rushing about everywhere.

They also handled the most trivial matters—

Checking whether farmers had planted their fields; where there were more bandits; what this year’s harvest was like in Jiangnan; whether there were refugees in Huizhou and where they came from…

“How many years did he serve as patrol censor?” Yan Sanhe asked.

“A full eight years before being promoted to surveillance censor, a minor official of the lower eighth rank.”

Han Xu took a sip of tea. “But from that point on, his promotions came very quickly, as if riding a fast horse, whoosh whoosh whoosh, charging straight ahead.”

Yan Sanhe: “What was the reason for his rapid advancement?”

Han Xu: “Reportedly, he brought down two important figures.”

Yan Sanhe: “Which two?”

“One was Prince Yu; the other was Minister of Revenue Cai Jintong.”

Han Xu: “Prince Yu’s crime was land enclosure; Cai Jintong’s crime was corruption.”

Yan Sanhe couldn’t help asking: “What was Prince Yu’s relationship to the Emperor?”

Han Xu: “The current Emperor’s younger brother, ranked sixteenth, also called the Sixteenth Prince.”

Yan Sanhe was stunned speechless. He even dared impeach the Emperor’s brother—no wonder he could force the Emperor to issue a “self-criticism edict.”

Han Xu continued: “Because of these two people, Lu Shi even spent time in prison. But it was also because of these two that Lu Shi earned the title of Iron-Faced Censor, and from then on his official career was smooth sailing.”

Yan Sanhe: “What was Prince Yu’s outcome?”

Han Xu: “Reportedly, house arrest.”

Yan Sanhe: “What about Cai Jintong?”

Han Xu: “House raided and exiled. Died on the way to exile.”

The air in the study suddenly became stagnant due to Han Xu’s few brief sentences.

Even Li Buyan, whose mind was simple, knew that behind these two men’s downfall, many people must have died.

“The official world truly is a killing field!”

She sighed. “After we finish resolving Jingchen’s heart demon, let’s quickly leave the capital—the farther the better.”

Yan Sanhe glanced at her coolly. “Tell me why Lu Shi doesn’t marry or have children?”

“This…”

Han Xu’s expression showed some helplessness. “I discovered two theories, but I don’t know which is true and which is false.”