Watching the steaming tea before her, Hong Dai raised an eyebrow.
It was rare to see Li Yue Shu so attentive, and she must admit, she rather enjoyed it!
Hong Dai leisurely took a sip of her tea, then, under Li Yue Shu’s expectant gaze, slowly extended her hand. "Since we're discussing business, I'll give you a friendly price: ten taels of silver."
Li Yue Shu: "..."
Never mind. Ten taels of silver for information from Ming Yue Lou was already quite cheap.
Li Yue Shu reached into her sleeve, intending to retrieve the silver from her spatial ring, when a thought struck her.
Ten taels of silver was a significant amount for villagers, but for Hong Dai, it wouldn't even be enough to buy a pretty dress.
Given her personality, even a friendly price wouldn't be this low, unless...
Li Yue Shu suddenly looked up, gritting her teeth slightly. "Did you find out nothing?"
Hong Dai froze, clearly not expecting such a quick reaction from her.
She shrugged, feigning disappointment. "How boring. I couldn't even trick you out of ten taels of silver."
She dropped the pretense and picked up the teapot to pour herself more tea. "It's not that I found nothing, just that there are some discrepancies."
Li Yue Shu frowned. "What discrepancies?"
Hong Dai put down her teacup, her expression turning serious. She spoke slowly, "I followed the lead of your husband. I found out he used to be a guard in a wealthy merchant's household. Later, he married a maid from the estate and had four children. His wife died during childbirth when their youngest son was born. Heartbroken, he resigned from his position and returned to Tong Mu County."
Li Yue Shu listened, a hint of confusion in her voice. "What's suspicious about that?"
Hong Dai glanced at her, her eyes holding an unreadable expression. "I sent people to investigate that wealthy merchant's estate. They did have a guard who married a maid and had four children, with the wife dying in childbirth. But that man's name wasn't Shen Wei, and he didn't match your husband's portrait."
As she spoke, her gaze was scrutinizing, as if trying to discern whether Li Yue Shu truly knew nothing of these matters.
Li Yue Shu, however, didn't notice her scrutiny, her brow furrowed deeply.
If that was the case, then Shen Wei's identity was indeed not simple.
But the original novel hadn't even elaborated on the identities of the four children. What special identity could Shen Wei possibly have?
Outside, Shen Wei listened to their conversation, his brow also tightly knit.
If Li Yue Shu truly knew nothing about his identity, then it meant she wasn't sent by those people from Zhong Zhou.
A fleeting moment of joy flickered in Shen Wei's heart, but his expression quickly turned serious again.
Now that she was having Hong Dai investigate him, was she already suspicious of him?
She had too many secrets. It was possible she might uncover his identity. If so, what then...
"You really don't know anything about your husband?"
Hong Dai suddenly spoke, pulling both of them back to the present.
Li Yue Shu met her probing gaze and instantly understood her meaning.
She rolled her eyes. "If I knew, why would I come to you for answers?"
Seeing that she couldn't get any more information, she didn't linger.
Hong Dai clicked her tongue. "Madam Shen is quite heartless. You didn't even stay for a bit longer to keep me company."
Li Yue Shu gave her a look, then poured her a cup of tea with both hands. "With so many people in Qing Feng Pavilion, I'm sure there are plenty who'd like to keep you company, Hong Dai. I won't intrude."
With that, she turned and left.
Shen Wei left ahead of her, returning to the inn to wait.
To avoid suspicion, he didn't mention a word of what he had overheard, nor did he try to subtly probe.
What Li Yue Shu didn't know was that Wei Zi Miao, who had also hired someone to investigate Shen Wei, had received the same results as Hong Dai.
However, he hadn't investigated the wealthy merchant's estate and had still sensed the suspicious aspects of Shen Wei.
How could someone with such skill be an overlooked guard?
Wei Zi Miao looked at the lively scene outside, pondered for a moment, and then handed the investigation documents in his hand to the guard beside him. "Burn it. No need to investigate this further."
It was clear that this investigation result was what someone wanted him to see. There was no point in continuing the investigation.
The guard was taken aback, but though he didn't understand why, he didn't say anything.
...
Night fell, and the world was silent, as if all living things had fallen asleep.
In Hong Ning City, at the City Lord's Mansion.
After a day of busyness, Qin Xiu Ye was also feeling weary.
Just as he was about to rest, he heard a subtle sound.
Qin Xiu Ye turned his head and saw a shadow suddenly appear, kneeling respectfully before him.
Qin Xiu Ye lowered his gaze, the sleepiness instantly vanishing from his face.
"Your Highness, your subordinate has investigated and found that Madam Shen is just an ordinary country woman, sold to the Shen family by her parents for one tael of silver."
"Those four children were brought back by Shen Wei when he returned home. The villagers do not know who the children's birth mother is."
"The eldest of the four children is eight years old, named Shen Yi Min. The twins are six years old, named Shen Ting Wen and Shen Ting Yi, respectively. The youngest child is four years old, named Shen Zhi Yu."
Hearing the names of the four children, Qin Xiu Ye's gaze gradually deepened.
Yi Min...
Ting Wen...
Ting Yi...
The names of these three children were too similar to those three who had died years ago. Could it all be a coincidence?
Qin Xiu Ye looked down at the person before him, his voice chilling. "Did you find out anything else?"
The shadow hesitated for a moment before saying, "Your subordinate investigated and found that Shen Wei... once served as a guard in the Prince's Mansion."
"What did you say?!" Qin Xiu Ye instinctively stepped forward, almost grinding his teeth as he asked.
The shadow lowered his head even further. "The Prince's Mansion has strict security. Your subordinate could not ascertain the situation inside, but I can confirm that Shen Wei came from the Prince's Mansion."
Qin Xiu Ye remained silent. His gentle and approachable face now held a terrifying coldness.
There was only one Prince's Mansion in the entire Chen Nan Kingdom, and that was the Regent Prince's Mansion, second only to the Emperor in power.
The Regent Prince had disappeared for many years, and everyone was searching for his whereabouts, but not a single trace could be found. This Shen Wei...
Seeing that he remained silent, the shadow cautiously looked up at him. "Your Highness, your subordinate also found out that Shen Wei has now suffered from dementia and has become a fool."
Qin Xiu Ye frowned slightly. "Is he truly foolish, or is it a pretense?"
The shadow shook his head. "Your subordinate feared alerting him and did not dare to approach. However, Li Yue Shu is known as a divine doctor in Tong Mu County. If she is not colluding with Shen Wei, then he must be truly foolish."
Qin Xiu Ye's thin lips pressed tightly together, and a hint of coldness appeared in his long, elegant eyes. "I have never believed in so many coincidences in this world, nor do I believe these things would happen to one person. Whether he is truly foolish or feigning it, I absolutely cannot let him return to Zhong Zhou alive!"
The shadow, having followed him for many years, instantly understood his meaning. "Your subordinate accepts the order."
As he finished speaking, he was about to get up and leave when he suddenly remembered something.
He looked up at Qin Xiu Ye. "Your Highness, your subordinate investigated and found that Li Yue Shu is also Miss Gu's younger sister from the Li family."
Qin Xiu Ye was startled. He hadn't expected such a coincidence.
Thinking of the "Miss Gu" he mentioned, a hint of tenderness flashed in Qin Xiu Ye's eyes. "Do not harm that woman. After all, Ru'er has called her sister for over ten years."
The shadow, knowing the Crown Prince's regard for Miss Gu, quickly acknowledged. "Yes."