After my father was sent to marry into the princess's household, I became the darling of the en

Who is Cheng Rui?

Shen Jingque's gaze shifted back and forth between Xiao Mingyue and Xiao Changqi.

The person who could make both my mother and second brother change their expressions at the same time could not be some nobody.

Xiao Changqi tossed the letter back onto the table.

"Who else could it be? It's none other than the highest-ranking official in Yunzhou right now, the Prefect of Yunzhou."

Cheng Rui? Master Cheng?

Shen Jingque suddenly had a sudden realization.

Could it be that the "Lord Cheng" that Li mentioned is actually the Prefect of Yunzhou?!

It was this prefect of Yunzhou who disregarded the disaster in Cangcheng and dragged down Magistrate Liu to his death.

"It must be him!" She slammed her hand on the table, furious. "As the prefect of a prefecture, he not only disregarded the disaster in Cangcheng for the sake of his reputation and political achievements, but he also hired someone to kill someone. Why keep such a person around for the New Year?"

As she spoke, she grabbed Xiao Changqi's sleeve and shook him from side to side, urging him on.

"Second brother, quickly write a letter to Lord Wang and tell him to arrest this man surnamed Cheng!"

Xiao Changqi's head throbbed from being shaken, and he finally managed to pull his sleeve out of her grasp.

"Do you take Lord Wang as a retainer of our Princess's residence? You think you can just take him down like that?"

Then he pushed the letter that Wang Fang had sent in front of her and tapped the words on the letter with his folding fan.

"Look at what Lord Wang wrote himself. He said that Cheng Rui was neither arrogant nor humble in his dealings with others, and that he was simple and diligent in his manners. After chatting for half a day, he felt that they got along quite well."

"They were having a pleasant conversation with the prefect, and now they're going to say that Cheng Rui was the mastermind behind the murder to silence them. Do you think Lord Wang will believe it?"

Shen Jingque glanced down at the handwriting on the official document, feeling indignant.

"His acting was so convincing."

"Which corrupt official isn't faking it?" Xiao Changqi snapped his folding fan shut.

"Throughout history, which corrupt official whose property was confiscated didn't wear patched robes and drink plain water in public, putting on an image of being completely incorruptible?"

Shen Jingque frowned: "So even if we have witnesses, it won't work?"

"What witness?" Xiao Changqi raised an eyebrow. "Did Li witness Cheng Rui hiring the killer? Or did she recognize the assassin's appearance?"

He sighed rather helplessly: "Right now, we're just guessing based on surnames; how can that be considered witness testimony?"

Shen Jingque frowned and muttered resentfully.

"We can't just stand by and watch. What if he realizes that things in Cangcheng have been exposed and then disappears without a trace, leaving us with nothing?"

Xiao Changqi said, "But if you alert the enemy, this Cheng fellow could turn around and impeach the adoptive mother, saying that the princess has overstepped her authority and interfered in local affairs. At that time, those old foxes in the court will have plenty of people cheering for him."

Shen Jingque was speechless.

In ancient times, there were no surveillance videos, no bank statements, and no big data tracking.

Everything depends on witness testimony and physical evidence, which are pieced together one by one.

Now the witnesses are dead, and the physical evidence has vanished.

She paced back and forth in front of the desk for a couple of steps, then suddenly clapped her hands.

"Since we can't do anything to him openly, we can at least investigate him covertly, right? Let's write back to the capital and ask our elder brother to send the Imperial Guards to investigate!"

"With so many capable and talented people under your command, figuring out the background of a mere prefect of Yunzhou should be a piece of cake, right?"

Xiao Mingyue, who had been silent all along, raised her eyes, picked up the celadon teacup beside her, and slowly skimmed off the foam with the lid.

"Chang Geng's network was mostly spread in the capital and among those powerful families."

She took a sip of tea and put down her cup.

"Yunzhou is located in the heart of the southwest, with high mountains and long rivers. The secret agents of the Embroidered Uniform Guard here are probably not even as good as ordinary merchants."

Shen Jingque bit her lower lip, paced back and forth in front of the desk, and turned to look at the two of them.

"This won't work, that won't work! Are we just going to let bad guys get away with it?"

"Grandma Wang barely survived the epidemic. How desperate would she be if she knew that her son was killed for uncovering a corrupt official's misdeeds?"

The study was quiet for a short while.

Xiao Mingyue pondered for a moment, then raised her eyebrows slightly, as if she had thought of something.

"Actually, you already gave the answer."

Shen Jingque was taken aback.

"What did I just say?"

Xiao Mingyue smiled faintly: "Didn't you just say that those people's behavior was more like that of江湖 (jianghu) assassins?"

She leaned back in her chair, speaking calmly and deliberately.

"Since it's the way of the martial arts world, it should naturally be done in the way of the martial arts world."

Shen Jingque blinked.

The ways of the martial arts world?

"Does Mother mean we should also hire someone to kill him?"

Xiao Mingyue: ...

She glanced at Shen Jingque, speechless.

This child's idea is far too audacious.

"What I mean is, we can ask people in the martial arts world to investigate."

Xiao Changqi nodded, but a hint of difficulty appeared on his face the next moment.

"Godmother, although we have a lot of secret guards in our household, it's easy to find money when it comes to inquiring about those businesses in the martial arts world, but finding the right connections is difficult."

He shook his head. "Those assassin professions have very strict rules; outsiders can't even get a word in."

To put it bluntly, if someone of their status were to rashly inquire about something, they would either be taken advantage of or be turned away.

Moreover, the martial arts world has its own rules, and in the assassin profession, revealing the client's information is a major taboo.

Things seem to have reached a stalemate again.

But Xiao Mingyue always maintained a confident and composed demeanor.

"We don't have anyone in our household who understands these rules, but right now, isn't there a perfect candidate?"

Following her lead, Shen Jingque asked in confusion, "Who?"

Xiao Mingyue calmly uttered two words.

"Rong Jing".

Shen Jingque opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

Rong Jing?

He was a hostage thrown into Dayong, without even a free person. He spent his days either listening to music in restaurants or walking birds with a group of playboys.

Even if he had some spare money and knew a few shady characters in the capital, he still wouldn't be associated with the desperate criminals hired by the prefect at great expense.

She couldn't help but speak up, her tone filled with utter doubt.

"Mother, Rong Jing... can he do it?"

"Yunzhou is thousands of miles away from the capital. Where can a hostage like him find connections in the martial arts world of the southwest?"

Xiao Mingyue quietly looked back at her, her gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny.

"How much do you really know about him?"

Shen Jingque felt a little uneasy when asked the question.

How much do you know?

All she knew was that Rong Jing would one day massacre the Great Yan imperial court and ascend the throne as emperor, stepping over a field of corpses.

However, the original book's descriptions of him are all about court politics and military confrontations.

What kind of江湖 (jianghu) stuff is this?

When Xiao Mingyue saw that she couldn't answer, she casually dropped a bombshell.

"Didn't he tell you that he's the master of Listening Wind Pavilion?"

This is the third time Shen Jingque has been stunned today.

Listening to the Wind Pavilion.

She wasn't unfamiliar with this name.

Since transmigrating into the book, she had heard a few scattered rumors in the alleys and back alleys.

People say that Tingfeng Pavilion is the most well-informed place in the world, and there is no secret that they cannot uncover.

"Wait, wait a minute."

Shen Jingque raised her hand, her voice hoarse.

"Does Tingfeng Pavilion belong to him?"

Xiao Mingyue didn't answer, but picked up her teacup and took another sip, her expression clearly saying, "You can taste it yourself."

Shen Jingque's mind raced.

Rong Jing usually mingled with playboys, and was proficient in everything from bird-walking to listening to music. No one thought he was any kind of extraordinary person.

But Wenren Du, the servant under him, was no ordinary page.

The assassins from Baicaoyuan, the assassins from Lihuapo, and even the sudden appearance of Cangcheng.

Many things from the past come together in this instant, forming a vast net spread out in the shadows.

She just never thought about it that way.

In the original book, Rong Jing is just a background character, and his total screen time is less than that of the Third Prince at a palace banquet.

At this moment, Shen Jingque felt like a million horses were galloping through her mind.

Why couldn't that lousy author have explained things a little more in the main text?!