In ancient times, the powerful and wealthy seized power step by step.

Zhu Qingyu's only worry was whether Xie Ze's source was reliable. She was afraid he might be wrong again, leaving her disappointed. So she asked him:

"Young Master, who did you get this information from? Is it reliable?"

Xie Ze made a solemn vow:

"Of course, I was going to ask my cousin Gu, but he's on duty at the cabinet today and not at home, so I asked the Duchess of Dingguo. What she told me couldn't be wrong. Oh, right, there's one more thing. Madam Gu said that the two families haven't finalized things yet, and she told me not to gossip. If it doesn't work out in the end, it might cause some gossip and be bad for the Zhuang family's daughter. This is something you and I should keep quiet about."

Zhu Qingyu nodded vigorously:

"Of course, of course, it's between you and me, we won't tell anyone. So what are your plans for the future? Shouldn't you hurry back and talk to your elders, in case the Grand Princess has arranged another match for Miss Wen?"

Upon hearing this, Xie Ze realized it made sense and quickly ran home, saying as he ran:

"Don't forget about your day off. I'll arrange for a carriage to pick you up at 9:00 AM that day."

How could Zhu Qingyu forget that she would be able to see Zhang Shen on her day off? She only hoped that when she went to see him, she could bring him some good news to put his mind at ease and make him wait patiently for her to come out.

As soon as Xie Ze left, just to be on the safe side, Zhu Qingyu quickly pulled out the class book again.

He flipped through the register twice, from front to back and then from back to front, and confirmed that there was indeed only one official with the surname Zhuang among all officials of the fifth rank or above.

Further down the list, there is only one eighth-rank official surnamed Zhuang. Given Gu Zhao's family background, it would be impossible for him to marry the daughter of an eighth-rank official.

Therefore, the girl he wanted to marry was from the family of Zhuang, the Commissioner of the Court of State Affairs.

Zhu Qingyu summoned Uncle Lü, gave him a sum of money, and instructed him:

"Uncle Lü, when you get to this address, find someone to inquire about the residence of the Commissioner of the Court of State Affairs, Zhuang. Find out how big the house is, how many people live there, and where Madam Zhuang usually goes, whether it's shopping, offering incense, or going on outings."

Although Lord Zhuang may not be financially well-off, he is still a third-rank official and a confidant of the emperor, in charge of sensitive matters such as memorials and appeals for justice. Presumably, there are countless people who want to curry favor with Lord Zhuang.

If a woman from a merchant family like her were to rashly bring money to Lord Zhuang's door without an introduction, Lord Zhuang would certainly not pay her any attention. Therefore, Zhu Qingyu planned to find an opportunity to meet Lady Zhuang by chance, establish a relationship, and then she could have a better conversation with him.

The things Zhu Qingyu asked her to inquire about weren't exactly private matters, and Uncle Lü replied that very evening:

"Lord Zhuang's family is quite large, with over a dozen members just for the master and his family, along with many servants. They live in a three-courtyard house. Despite the large family, there is only one carriage, which is reserved for Lord Zhuang's use when going to court. Therefore, when Madam Zhuang goes out, she often rents a carriage from a carriage shop. I asked a nearby carriage shop, and the Zhuang family has booked a carriage for the eighth day of next month. It seems that Madam Zhuang is going to Huangjue Temple to offer incense on that day."

Although she already had a basic understanding of the dealer's financial situation from the address, Zhu Qingyu was still somewhat surprised when she actually found out what was going on.

She never expected that the Gu family would be so unconventional in choosing a wife, and that the Zhuang family, with their meager resources, would not care at all.

If the Gu family doesn't care, does that mean the Zhuang family doesn't care either?

If they can't even afford a carriage, the dowry prepared for Miss Zhuang must be very meager. In the future, when compared with her sisters-in-law, Miss Zhuang will have to endure a lot of gossip. Zhu Qingyu doesn't believe that Madam Zhuang would be indifferent to her daughter's future predicament.

Since the bookmaker desperately needed money, the matter took shape.

The key now is to see what kind of person Lord Zhuang is and what his thoughts might be on Zhang Shen's case.

The quickest way to find out what kind of person Lord Zhuang is is to see how he handled cases where people sought redress from the people and went to the Office of Transmission.

Zhu Qingyu resorted to the same old trick, taking the lower-level route, and spent a large sum of money to copy a drum document from a minor clerk in the Office of Transmission.

The "drum report" is the original document used by the Office of Transmission to register wrongful convictions. If Lord Zhuang judged that there was indeed a wrongful conviction, he would forward it to the Emperor and would clearly state his views on the case in each complaint.

In the following days, Zhu Qingyu spent most of her time studying this massive, drum-shaped book.

The memorials that Lord Zhuang wrote for the Emperor could not possibly be written in plain, colloquial language. Zhu Qingyu read them very slowly, putting in the same effort she had when she first arrived here to study the laws. She read them for several days straight, day and night.

By observing his actions and listening to his words, Zhu Qingyu saw in the letters that even though he was a high-ranking official of the third rank, he still had a compassionate heart for the people.

Can this Lord Zhuang understand Zhang Shen's helplessness at the time? Is there any possibility that he can clear Zhang Shen's name?

Yes, I think so.

It definitely can.

Zhu Qingyu suddenly felt a strong sense of anticipation for her chance encounter with Madam Zhuang on the eighth day of next month.

This optimism and anticipation lasted until she met Zhang Shen in the imperial prison at noon on her day off.

Because Zhu Qingyu kept sending money, Zhang Shen has been well taken care of by the prison guards these past few days, and his condition is much better than before; at least he no longer sleeps all day.

But when Zhu Qingyu suddenly appeared, Zhang Shen was still stunned:

"Did I faint again? Qingyu, I must be daydreaming, right?"

Zhu Qingyu didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so she rushed over and hugged him, asking:

"Jingyan, are you alright? Do you have anything to eat? Are you cold at night? Did they hit you? Are you hurt?"

She was so warm in his arms, and the care he received was so gentle. She was real; he wasn't dreaming.

Zhang Shen grasped Zhu Qingyu's shoulders, pushed her away from his embrace, looked directly into her eyes, and smiled as he spoke his second sentence since their meeting:

"Qingyu, let's get a divorce."

From the secret room next door, specifically used for eavesdropping, someone chuckled:

"See, I told you, she came for the divorce papers."