Zhù Ying had never for a moment considered refusing to participate in the Gong Jie case.
Earlier, Zheng Xi had already had her doing miscellaneous work on the Gong Jie case. The Gong Jie case was a plum assignment — the more it was investigated, the greater the credit, and many of the people involved were counting on it for a promotion. It was far brighter a future than ploughing through stacks of old case files on review work.
Zheng Xi was genuinely cultivating her.
Without waiting for Zheng Xi to ask again, Zhù Ying said, “Only the parts related to the theft case? What level can I investigate to? How many clues will you give me?”
Zheng Xi’s temper eased somewhat. He glared at her and said, “You want to take over the whole Gong Jie treason case single-handedly? Just this part — find out how deeply connected it is to Gong Jie. Oral confessions, leads, physical evidence. Come to the residence tonight to review it. Keep the work you currently have as well — don’t drop it.”
Zhù Ying thought this over — was it not the same as before? Work in the Court of Judicial Review during the day, and moonlight on the side before curfew. She could manage it!
She said, “Yes. If I have other tasks during the day, then I have less time to work on this — you’ll need to give me more leeway. Also depends on how many clues there are — more clues means faster progress, fewer means you need to give me more days.”
Zheng Xi said with a laugh-scowl, “Same as always — always shrewd. Am I the kind of person who has no regard for those under me? The work here, you keep going with it — just don’t alarm anyone. Don’t overdo it.”
Zhù Ying understood. Even though it was all connected to the Gong Jie case, doing miscellaneous filing work was entirely different from investigating a prince’s eldest son for bribery. Filing could be done openly; investigating the bribery absolutely could not be spoken of. What was the real reason Gong Jie had been doomed? It concerned matters the Emperor cared about deeply — the imperial succession. The case had dragged long and implicated widely, and no one dared advise the Emperor to draw it to a close. If Prince Gaoyang’s residence were touched by this, terrible consequences would follow.
Investigating this case was as much for Prince Gaoyang as for Zheng Xi himself. And Zhù Ying, being in the Court of Judicial Review and brought there by Zheng Xi, was investigating it for herself as well. Before a reasonably watertight solution could be found, it could not be made known. It could not be placed in the open; the Prince could not be named. The miscellaneous work was cover — no need to do it well; use the cover to investigate the bribery.
Zhù Ying said, “Understood!”
She ran through the whole matter in her mind and concluded that she was unlikely to be “silenced.”
She said, “Then let me first sort through what is currently in hand, and I will report to you at the residence this evening.”
Zheng Xi said, “You’re coming to make demands, aren’t you?”
Zhù Ying nodded. “Naturally — this is such a large matter that I cannot handle it alone. You will need to support me. And with a matter this large I also need to brief you on what I plan to do, so you have peace of mind.”
Zheng Xi said, “Go.”
Zhù Ying went back and pulled out several Gong Jie case files and asked a clerk to copy a few brief passages. Su Kuang, seeing her come out of Zheng Xi’s room, drifted over and craned his neck to peek at the clerk’s table. “What’s this for? Little Zhù — have you stopped doing proper work?”
Zhù Ying said, “This is proper work, isn’t it?”
What Zhù Ying was having copied was a list of book titles — items that had been confiscated from Gong Jie’s home. Su Kuang asked, “What — does someone above want them?”
Zhù Ying shook her head. “It’s my own request. Master Zheng says I don’t read enough and haven’t seen enough of the world. So I thought — Gong Jie had many books; let me copy the catalog and find a few to read. Gong Jie’s character may be deplorable, but his books are good, are they not?”
Su Kuang said urgently, “Are you out of your mind?! You want to lay your hands on seized assets?!”
He had not kept his voice down, and the clerk glanced up at him. The Left Evaluating Censor and others were drawn over as well. Zhù Ying rolled her eyes. “Dream on! Everything is sealed and in the archive. The finest pieces have already gone into the palace’s own stores. Who could possibly walk them out of the palace?”
The Left Evaluating Censor, hearing these two exchanges, shook his head — this centipede! And Little Zhù, too — unable to learn from experience, still engaging in conversation with him. He said, “What are you two bickering about? Any moment now you’ll have Deputy President Pei coming over! What is it now?”
He was still busy with finishing up old case reviews, and Zhù Ying — the one who would actually do the work — had been siphoned away by Zheng Xi again. Everyone else’s workload had increased, and the Left Evaluating Censor was not pleased.
Zhù Ying said, “It’s nothing — Brother Su was saying I was after the seized goods.”
Su Kuang said, “I said no such thing! I was only worried you would —”
Zhù Ying cut in, “What?”
The Left Evaluating Censor’s displeasure dissipated a little. He thought to himself: I must be exhausted to have let my guard down — Little Zhù gets along so well with Master Zheng, she can’t be an idiot. She’s not going to come off the worse against Su the Centipede. He said, “Old Su, how could you possibly teach Little Zhù to break the law?”
Zhù Ying said, “I was just saying — it’s a futile idea even if you tried.”
Su Kuang sputtered with indignation and mentally noted a score against both Zhù Ying and the Left Evaluating Censor, intending to put in a good word for Zhù Ying with Zheng Xi at some point — out of concern.
The clerk buried his head lower and wrote faster, thinking to himself: none of you are good people!
Neither Zhù Ying nor the Left Evaluating Censor had any interest in putting the boot into Su Kuang any further. One remark was enough. Both went back to their own work, and Su Kuang, having taken a knock this time, also gave a huff and left.
Before long Zhù Ying had her book list. She had thought it through: relying only on what Zheng Xi occasionally thought to arrange for her, or the occasional kindly pointer from someone like Wang Yunhe, was not enough for learning. So she seized the opportunity to have a copy made of Gong Jie’s household book catalog.
Gong Jie was a criminal now, certainly — but he was also a man of learning. Never mind what his collection consisted of. Reading it could only do good. Whatever was available to buy in the market, she would buy it and read it first. It did not need to be mastered deeply — just a rough basic familiarity was enough. For what could not be found, she would borrow from Zheng Xi later, and surely Zheng Xi would not refuse.
Book list tucked away, Zhù Ying finished a bit more of her miscellaneous work for the day and it was time to head home.
Zhù Ying gathered her things, book list in hand, and grinned at Su Kuang. “I’m off to buy books. Do you want to check if anything is missing from the inner stores?”
Su Kuang was frantic with irritation. “You are such a troublemaker!”
Zhù Ying made a face at him and left.
Out of the palace gate, Zhù Ying did not take Zheng Xi’s carriage, but walked herself to the Zheng Marquis’s residence.
By this hour, the Zheng Marquis’s residence was beginning to fill with activity.
In such great households, this hour was always busy: those delivering gifts, seeking favors, petitioning for official positions — all gathered and waited at the outer gate. Those without connections relied on sending gifts, with no telling when they might be received.
Zhù Ying looked calmly at the crowd gathered before the main gate. Most of these people were seeking an audience with the Zheng Marquis. The Old Marquis, though he had long since stepped back from affairs, had done so with grace — and in the current situation, with Gong Jie’s downfall, the Zheng Marquis now stood out in the Emperor’s eyes all the more.
Zhù Ying went straight up to request an audience with Zheng Xi, and the people guarding the Zheng residence gate recognized her, smiling, “Seventh Master just mentioned it — come right in.”
Zhù Ying did not slip them a red envelope, just gave a clasped-hand salute with a smile. “Much obliged.”
Those watching from the gate couldn’t help exchanging whispers: “Who is that?”
“Didn’t you hear? It’s someone from the Court of Judicial Review, here to see the Young Master.”
“Oh.”
Zhù Ying thought to herself: compared with them, my official fortunes are actually not bad at all. I can’t keep asking more of Master Zheng. I’m not his son after all!
Having no excessive wants, she arrived at Zheng Xi’s study in a calmer frame of mind. Only she had not expected Zheng Xi to not be in his study! The same page who had fetched her quilt last time said, “Seventh Master was called by the Marquis to talk. Third Master, please wait here a moment.”
Zhù Ying said, “Alright.”
The two chatted idly here and there — the weather was getting cold, they had been a bit busy lately — Zhù Ying even asked the page what books he had read, which led to a discussion about the many books in Zheng Xi’s study.
While they were talking, Lu Chao came trotting in, saying, “Knew you’d still be here — Seventh Master says the Marquis wants to see you!”
“Me?” Zhù Ying was genuinely surprised. There was a whole crowd of people outside, and he was seeing her?
Lu Chao said, “The Marquis asked Seventh Master what happened at the prince’s residence. Be careful what you say.”
“Oh — alright. Is there anything from Master Zheng?”
“Nothing. Before the Marquis, there was simply no time for it.”
Zhù Ying thought: well, that means the Marquis is quite efficient.
The Zheng Marquis was indeed an efficient man. His title of Marquis had been earned through his own military service. He was not from the main Zheng lineage — it was his cousin from a different branch who held the earldom of the main Zheng line, which by his cousin’s generation had already been reduced to a marquis’s title. In the entire Zheng clan’s generational reckoning, though Zheng Xi was the Zheng Marquis’s eldest son, the whole family still addressed him by generational sequence — hence “Seventh Master.”
Zheng Xi had such a big and capable son, the Court of Judicial Review’s main task the Gong Jie case was still unfinished, and recently he had been frequently visiting his maternal uncle’s family and staying out overnight. If the Zheng Marquis noticed something was wrong, that would be strange indeed.
In his study, Zheng Xi was holding up under his own father’s questioning: “Your maternal uncle’s household is in trouble?”
“Ah…”
“Hmm?”
Zheng Xi said with complete honesty, “Uncle is in distress right now. Our family will also have trouble — there is a connection to the Gong Jie case, and Uncle is about to establish the Heir Apparent.”
“Oh?”
Zheng Xi told him what had been happening recently.
The Zheng Marquis said, “So that’s how it is. You should have been quick about it. Your mother just said — you’ve grown up, you can handle things now, the thief has been caught and the goods recovered. I look at you still not coming home and I knew there was something to it. Your mother is going to be upset, though — she was quite fond of that eldest son from the Prince’s residence. These two days, bring Liniang to keep her company.”
“Yes.”
The Zheng Marquis said, “Your uncle doesn’t tell me, and I won’t go looking for him. You two — is this how you handle things? Matters connected to the Gong Jie case, and you dare to drag it out? Tell your uncle: time for quick action now! Best to resolve it without delay — don’t let things burst open from another direction first. If that happens, no matter how he explains himself, the Emperor won’t be in any state to hear it at the time. And that goes for you even more — you’re still running the Gong Jie case!”
Zheng Xi said, “Your son understands.”
The Zheng Marquis said, “You understand nothing! If you truly understood, it wouldn’t have dragged on to now!”
Zheng Xi explained, “At first we only thought it was a household thief. Even if the boy had taken things, we thought he had grown up and needed money everywhere — we never imagined he was using it for this!”
The Zheng Marquis said, “Who have you sent? What is your plan?”
Zheng Xi told him. The Zheng Marquis then scolded Prince Gaoyang: “Hmph! And he calls himself perceptive — with all those people in his household and retinue, not one of them could figure it out as quickly as someone you brought in. That one, bring him — let me have a look.”
Zheng Xi dared not say no, and sent for Zhù Ying to be brought.
It was Zhù Ying’s first time meeting the Zheng Marquis, and she had no idea what to expect, also somewhat worried this man’s eyes might be too sharp and see through her — see that she was a girl.
When she came to pay her respects to the Zheng Marquis, she allowed herself one glance, and her head bowed of its own accord. The Zheng Marquis’s hair and beard already showed obvious streaks of silver. He did not look fierce or frightening, yet Zhù Ying felt the pressure keenly. She could not help recalling the words Jin Liang had said in the prefectural city: “hands that have seen blood.”
The blood-scent on the Zheng Marquis was clearly far stronger than her own. Jin Liang had followed the Zheng Marquis to battle and had freed himself from servant status through military achievement to become an officer — his hands too had known killing — yet Zhù Ying had not felt such great pressure from him, had not sensed such a blood-smell.
The Zheng Marquis had it.
The Zheng Marquis studied her carefully for a moment and said, “Good young one — you’ve seen blood.”
Zhù Ying let out a small breath. The Zheng Marquis laughed. “Not bad. Come here where I can see you properly.”
Already been looked at — and now come closer! Zhù Ying grumbled inwardly, and dutifully walked forward, raising her eyes to look carefully at the Zheng Marquis in return. The Zheng Marquis laughed. “Good, good! I always said Jin Liang was foolish — but he told me you had some nerve, and this time his eye was right.”
The Zheng Marquis found Zhù Ying quite to his liking. He liked capable young people, and he liked children who looked neat and tidy. Zhù Ying was not tall or robust, but she was quick-witted, and at a glance she had the air of someone who had her own ideas but was steady and deliberate in action. The Zheng Marquis said, “This child is very good.”
He picked up a golden knife and handed it to Zhù Ying: “Take it — a gift.”
Zhù Ying looked at Zheng Xi. Zheng Xi nodded. Only then did Zhù Ying thank the Zheng Marquis and accept it with both hands.
The Zheng Marquis said, “Very well — you may go.”
Zhù Ying followed behind Zheng Xi and returned from the Zheng Marquis’s rooms to Zheng Xi’s study.
Zheng Xi glanced at the golden knife in Zhù Ying’s hand and said, “Suits you. Put it on.”
Zhù Ying said, “It’s far too precious. Wearing it, I’d have to watch out for all sorts of thieves.”
Zheng Xi said with a laugh-scowl, “Nonsense again.”
Zhù Ying fastened the golden knife at her waist and said, “I’m not talking nonsense — it’s not the kind of thing someone like me would normally wear. Walking down the street, it draws too much attention.”
Zheng Xi watched her put the knife on and thought to himself: still a child, really.
But what he said aloud was: “You know the full situation now. Anything you want to ask, anything to say, anything you want — say it all. This matter is better handled sooner rather than later. We need an answer as quickly as possible.”
Zhù Ying set aside any more thoughts about the golden knife. “What clues do you have here? Oral confessions, that sort of thing? The prince’s residence affairs are not mine to know, but since the Prince’s son is now involved, I do need to know something. I don’t know which things are taboo and cannot be touched.”
Zheng Xi pulled a stack of papers from a drawer. “Take a look first. Sit.”
Zhù Ying sat without ceremony and in the lamplight of the study quickly scanned through the entire stack of confessions, then said, “Let me go through the whole matter and see if I have it right. Correct me if I’m wrong, and then I’ll say what I plan to do.”
“Go ahead.”
Zhù Ying said, “The root cause is the question of establishing the eldest or the legitimate son as Heir Apparent. The older illegitimate son had ambitions — at the time, Gong Jie was still in power, so he sought to use Gong Jie’s influence to secure the position of Heir Apparent for himself. Using the convenience of his mother’s brother’s access to the inner storehouse, he stole valuables from within to bribe Gong Jie. The storehouse keeper also used his position to steal, and lent out the proceeds at interest and kept a mistress, nursing the hope that once his ‘nephew’ inherited the title he would be elevated in reward. He kept his mouth clamped shut because of this hope. But then Gong Jie fell from power. By coincidence the theft was discovered, and the mistress’s tracks were exposed. Now we need to investigate how much of this is true, and how deeply entangled they are with Gong Jie — and whether there are any other compromising materials that fell into the Gong Jie case files.”
Zheng Xi listened as she laid it out clearly, then said, “Close enough. What do you plan to do?”
Zhù Ying said, “Gong Jie has been serving as Chief Minister for as many years as I’ve been alive. Investigating his case every day has still not wrapped it up — I’m afraid he has a contingency plan.”
“Hmm?”
“You’ve been investigating for this long, and you haven’t found evidence of the Prince’s son’s involvement, have you?”
Zheng Xi gave a nod and did not conceal it. “He must still have a secret account book — with the names of all these ruinous sons!” A massive piece of leverage over countless families, enough to send many households into panic. The previous President of the Court of Judicial Review had already found one such book; Zheng Xi, taking over the Court, had inherited it — assuming this was the whole of it. He let out a sigh. “You only look into this thing — find it, and I’ll send people to audit the accounts.” He was also thinking it was time to find Zhù Ying a teacher for arithmetic.
Zhù Ying said, “I’ll go back through the Gong Jie case files again from the beginning. I don’t know if I can go to the Gong residence to have a look? And those in custody for the Gong case — can I see whoever I want? And the prince’s residence side —”
Zheng Xi said, “So long as it is confidential — all of it can be arranged.”
“There may also be a need for some people — account readers, runners.”
“All possible. If there is anything difficult, come straight to me. If I am unavailable for some reason, go to the Prince’s residence and find the Prince.”
Zhù Ying immediately said, “Give me one night. I’ll start first thing tomorrow.”
“Go.”
Zhù Ying said, “Yes.”
The moment she left, Zheng Xi changed his clothes and went again to Prince Gaoyang’s residence, and the two consulted closely. Prince Gaoyang said, “Your father is right — it needs to be fast. Will that child be able to handle it?”
Zheng Xi said, “The most urgent thing now is secrecy, and for that reason alone, he is exactly right for this.”
Prince Gaoyang said, “It must be fast! Find out everything that treasonous son has been doing! Gong Jie is already a cornered beast — don’t let him thrash about in desperation and say something he shouldn’t! Whatever others are involved in — I don’t care about them. But the connection between that treasonous son and Gong Jie must be fully uncovered! Only then can I go before the Emperor and beg forgiveness!”
As he spoke, he shed tears: “Now I have only one son left. My family…”
“Uncle.”
Prince Gaoyang had a servant bring out his youngest son, and said to the child, “Come, bow to your elder brother.”
Zheng Xi was inwardly shaken. He helped his young cousin to his feet and said, “Uncle — it has not come to the worst yet. This is still simply following the rules of propriety.”
“You must look after your little cousin well in the future!”
“Yes.” Zheng Xi answered aloud, yet looking at this frail child, worry stirred in him. He now hoped Zhù Ying would quickly finish the matter. If that secret account book could truly be found and all the names on it fell into his hands, at least he could protect himself and the Zheng family.
Zhù Ying walked out of the Zheng Marquis’s residence, drawing many eyes. The people waiting for audiences at the gate had only increased in number. She gave a quiet sigh.
On the way home, the golden knife at her waist drew several curious glances as she had predicted. Once inside, Zhang Xiangu noticed it too, and asked, “Where did this come from?”
Zhù Ying unclipped the knife and let her look. The knife was only about five inches long — the sheath was gold, set with several precious stones, with a crimson silk tassel tipped by a bright pearl. The blade was like frost and snow — sharp enough to split a hair. With Zhù Ying’s month of experience visiting inner storehouses and pawnshops, she knew this object was worth at least two or three hundred gold.
Zhang Xiangu lightly brushed the blade’s edge with her thumb, then immediately pressed the pad of her finger into her mouth — a tiny bead of blood had seeped out. “What a sharp knife!” she said.
Zhù Ying sheathed the knife and said, “I happened to run into the Old Marquis while going to Master Zheng’s to report on something. The Old Master gave it as a gift.”
Zhang Xiangu brightened. “Oh — no wonder you’ve been so busy lately!”
Zhù Ying said, “The case still isn’t finished — there’s more busy work ahead.”
“Oh dear — with a reward like this, being a little busy is only right! You be sure to keep this safe — our house, where would we hide something like it? Maybe you should just keep wearing it? Let people see that your superior holds you in esteem, and they’ll think more highly of you.”
Zhù Ying said, “We’re still a long way from that. And don’t go telling people.”
The knife was very sharp — and its particular length meant it could just barely be brought into the palace. Any longer and it would be prohibited. She planned to fit it with a simpler, plainer sheath so it was convenient to carry and use.
Zhang Xiangu said, “I know! We don’t want to attract thieves. Come now — eat!”
Zhù Ying was slightly distracted while eating, and Zhang Xiangu called her name before she said, “I’m thinking about the case.”
Zhang Xiangu said, “Oh — eat first, then think slowly afterward.”
Zhù Ying finished her food quickly, went back to her room, lit the lamp, and looked at the dancing flame as she replayed everything she had seen in the confessions and evidence that day.
The confessions were far more detailed than the summary she had given Zheng Xi. In short: this eldest son had believed that the “uncle” was entirely devoted to him and would stop at nothing on his behalf — not knowing that the “uncle” had his own private agenda and was not willing to sacrifice everything for him. He told the “uncle” to steal one part, and the “uncle” would steal one and a half. Having access to the inner storehouse created many ways to conceal it.
For instance, a box of gold: the bottom layers were all removed and replaced with bricks and wood blocks — from the outside it was entirely undetectable. Prince Gaoyang’s residence was fabulously wealthy, and there was rarely a situation that required producing every last item in the storeroom at once. Valuables worked similarly. The time Zhù Ying had requested the residence gather an equivalent collection of treasures for her to examine — that was precisely how the deception had been carried out when the keeper was covering his tracks.
With each room and each household member having their own private stores, there was rarely any need to draw constantly on the main storehouse. The main storehouse could easily be robbed by robbing from one part to fill another.
If things had gone according to plan — if the “nephew” had inherited the title and then a full accounting had been made afterward — everything could be attributed to Gong Jie. Money sent to Gong Jie.
Cross-referencing with what Chen Meng had told her only made it clearer: if Gong Jie had not fallen from power, this scheme might actually have succeeded! Because the legitimate son was young and frail, Prince Gaoyang had been hesitating, and there were stirrings of a desire to support the eldest son.
Both the Dowager Consort and the Prince were wavering. Those within the residence had probably sensed this inclination to some degree — otherwise the illegitimate son would not have developed such ambitions.
The Gong Jie case was being handled by Zheng Xi as the main officer — it was a major case with multiple people involved, and Zheng Xi was not the only person working on it. If someone else were to discover it, Zheng Xi and the Prince would both be beyond exculpating.
The Emperor was deeply invested in matters touching on the succession. It was very difficult for him to remain calm.
With Zhù Ying’s knowledge and experience, she would ordinarily not be able to think on this level — but Gong Jie and she had a deep and winding connection. If Gong Jie had not ruined Imperial Secretary Feng, Imperial Secretary Feng would not have died and the Feng family would not have been destroyed, and Huajie would not have ended up stranded outside the capital, and she would never have met Zhù Ying. Several of the most pivotal events in Zhù Ying’s life had been connected to Gong Jie. She had thought it through before.
And so what she needed to do now was very clear: Zheng Xi must not fall.
She had to find that secret account book!
Now — what was there to be most afraid of? She still had not found the account book, and yet it might surface from some other direction first, before Zheng Xi’s side could deal with it.
Wait — if the account book were to simply disappear, what then? No, that was not right — there was still Gong Jie, and there were the people who had handled the transactions.
No, no — start over from the beginning! If this account book were to appear, what would happen?
Zhù Ying leapt to her feet!
She threw a punch at the air and said to herself: let me test this — whether my thinking is right. Tomorrow, ask Master Zheng first. If he thinks it sound, then I’ll know I still have a path to walk in this court!
That night — quite uncharacteristically — she tossed and turned for quite a while before sleep came.
The next morning she was at the Court of Judicial Review early. She pulled out the relevant Gong Jie case files and studied Gong Jie’s confessions with great attention, trying to work out his psychology. Though Gong Jie’s years serving as Chief Minister equaled the number of years she had been alive, and the depths of a Chief Minister’s mind were not something an ordinary person could see through, she had at least gotten hold of a small thread of it.
Once Zheng Xi returned, Zhù Ying pushed in ahead of Su Kuang to see him.
Zheng Xi said, “What is it? Can’t wait?”
Zhù Ying smiled and leaned in close, speaking near his ear: “Master, what if we seek a hearing with Gong Jie?”
“You?” Zheng Xi’s expression turned serious. “Do you know why this case has dragged on so long? For one, the Emperor wants it fully documented — to see who else is implicated. And two, he is difficult! Even I have to work hard against him. You are sharper than most, but he is not merely sharp — and you still don’t fully understand the workings of the official world.”
Zhù Ying said, “I know I’ve never tasted pork and have barely seen a pig run. But on this matter — hear my idea first. I’m not overreaching — just speaking off the top of my head.”
Zheng Xi pulled himself back and looked at Zhù Ying: “Speak.”
Zhù Ying’s face was only three inches from his, and she asked, “Tell him — the secret account book has been found. It was presented to the Emperor. The Emperor did not open it. He burned it on the spot.”
Zheng Xi’s eyes and smile opened simultaneously. He reached out and pinched Zhù Ying’s cheek: “Very good!”
Zhù Ying stood straight, pulled her face out of Zheng Xi’s hand, and rubbed her cheek. “What are you pinching for.”
Zheng Xi laughed heartily: “Very good! Very good! Exactly right! You really are made for books — reading history and putting it to use!”
“Hmm?” Zhù Ying did not want to pretend she had understood. There was too much history — which story was Zheng Xi referring to? If she encountered it again without knowing, that would be a real problem.
“You haven’t read the story of Cao Cao burning the letters?” Zheng Xi was astonished, and through Zhù Ying’s expression realized she truly had no idea what the reference was.
Zheng Xi told her the story, then said, “This is very good indeed.”
Zhù Ying asked, “Then — do we still look for the account book?”
Zheng Xi said, “Wait for my word — we still need to find it. Hmm. Come with me. Let me take you to meet Gong Jie. Speaking of which, there is something of a connection between the two of you.”