In my dream of returning to the Tang Dynasty, I snatched Wu Zetian from my lap.

Li Yuanchang squinted.

"The eldest son?"

Why should we tell him not to come back?

"No, I don't know. When the master came back last night, his complexion was not good. He seemed a bit lost and had drunk quite a bit."

"They told me to set off around midnight," the man said.

Li Yuanchang wondered if his son was also involved in stopping the car and crying out for justice yesterday.

Where is Lü Ping's son now?

The man said, "Young master is away on business and rarely sees people, so I don't know where they are."

"I was just going to deliver a message to the young master's entourage at Luoma Post Station."

"As for the rest, I don't know."

Li Yuanchang had a strong premonition that his son might be the key.

"I'll give you a chance to make a contribution. Go and continue to deliver the message, but don't tell him not to come back."

Instead, he was ordered to return to Liangzhou as soon as possible.

"This..." The man clearly dared not. As a servant of the Lü family, doing such a thing would result in being thrown into a well, and in ancient times, such a thing would not even be considered a violation of the law.

If you sell yourself, the worst you'll lose is some money.

"If you deliver the message, I will reward you with twelve strings of cash, a house, and guarantee the safety of you and your wife."

"If Lü Ping's son really comes back, the reward will be doubled, how about it?" Li Yuanchang said.

The man was tempted, but struggled internally. Considering his situation, he gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, I'll work for Your Highness!"

"Guo Chao, send someone to go with him and get the job done."

"yes!"

Just fifteen minutes later, the people set off.

At the same time, Li Yuanchang, who was at the Prince of Han's residence, received news that some people in the community claimed to have seen the woman who cried out for justice yesterday.

Li Yuanchang then made two plans and led his men to their destination.

"Your Highness, this is it. At least three people claim to have seen the woman at this inn." The speaker was Wang Hongzhi's deputy.

After Wang Hongzhi took charge of the granary, he entrusted some affairs of the Wang family to Cao Wei.

"Ni Lü" is a term unique to the Tang Dynasty, roughly meaning a restaurant or inn. It refers to a lower-level, cheaper establishment that anyone can enter.

Li Yuanchang nodded and went straight in.

A strong stench of sweat mixed with body odor suddenly wafted through the inn, causing everyone to instinctively cover their mouths and noses.

The place is very basic, and the people who stay there are all sorts of people from different walks of life.

Li Yuanchang looked up and saw that dust was falling from the ceiling, making a creaking sound that was very jarring. He could also vaguely hear some decadent music.

This left Cao Wei and his men feeling slightly embarrassed.

Is anyone there?

Is anyone there?

Cao Wei called out several times, but despite the many people passing by, no one responded.

There were clearly two men at the counter not far away, but they ignored them.

Li Yuanchang stepped forward: "Gentlemen, may I ask if you are the manager of this place?"

"Meal or overnight stay?"

"Go to the back for meals, and stay overnight for one coin for two nights."

"I'm not going to eat or stay. I'm here to inquire about something," Li Yuanchang said.

The shopkeeper looked up at Li Yuanchang, who had a mole on his lip and a mean expression: "Looking for information? Get out of here!"

"I don't have time to deal with people like you!"

Cao Wei was displeased and directly showed his waist token.

The shopkeeper's eyes instantly cleared, as clear as a fifteen-year-old apprentice's.

"Do you have time now?" Li Yuanchang asked with a smile.

The shopkeeper jumped in surprise, his face immediately displaying obsequiousness and awe. He quickly ran out from behind the counter: "Young master, I was blind to your greatness, I didn't know you were...

Li Yuanchang interrupted, "There's no need to reveal our identities."

"Just answer whatever they ask you, and that's your reward."

He naturally wouldn't argue with the innkeeper of a small inn, and gave him twenty coins.

The shopkeeper accepted it with a broad smile.

"Young master, please speak freely and ask whatever you wish. I will answer all your questions to the best of my knowledge!"

Li Yuanchang took out a portrait, which was copied last night based on the head of the woman who cried out for justice.

Have you seen this person before?

The shopkeeper glanced at it and said, "I've seen it before, I've seen it before!"

"She lives here, but she didn't come back last night."

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanchang and the others' eyes lit up.

"Where is her room?"

"Young master, this way, please come with me," the shopkeeper said.

Li Yuanchang followed, and they circled around to the most secluded room on the second floor, a room where sunlight barely reached.

creak...

The shopkeeper unlocked the door and pushed it open: "Young master, please come in."

Li Yuanchang led his men inside, looked around, and found the cramped, damp, and cold room extremely rudimentary.

But compared to the outside environment, the inside was spotless, with all the dishes arranged neatly.

"Young master, this is the room she stayed in. She stayed here for seven days. If you hadn't come, we were planning to clean it out for her."

"They didn't pay yesterday's rent; I wonder if they ran away."

"She's dead," Li Yuanchang said.

"Huh?" The shopkeeper was shocked, clearly unaware of what had happened outside yesterday.

Li Yuanchang checked the room to see if anything had been left behind.

"Do you know her name and where she lives?"

The shopkeeper was lost in thought: "This... I don't know the name, but the accent is from Liangzhou."

"Has she always been alone?" Li Yuanchang asked again.

"Yes!" the shopkeeper nodded.

At this moment, Cao Wei suddenly called out, "Young Master."

Li Yuanchang walked over and saw a bundle in the mottled and dilapidated cabinet.

He opened it on the spot, and inside were two tattered clothes, some nearly spoiled dry food, and finally, even paper and pen!

Li Yuanchang was slightly startled.

You have to understand that in ancient times, paper and pens were luxuries. How could a woman who couldn't even afford to eat still have paper and pens?

Moreover, this isn't just any pen; it's made of wolf hair, making it quite valuable.

He examined them carefully, but the sheets of paper were all blank, without any content, and there was nothing else in the bundle.

There was still no clue. Just when Li Yuanchang was feeling overwhelmed, suddenly...

"Young master, look!"

A guard exclaimed in surprise and pointed to the corner of the wall.

There was a line of words there, carved in stone, which was almost invisible because of the backlighting.

Li Yuanchang frowned and read aloud: "Heaven's justice is clear; if this injustice is not redressed, we will fight to the death!"

"Wang Xiu".

Finally, there is a signature: Wang Xiu.

"Heavens, what a great injustice this is!" Cao Wei frowned, unable to help but sigh. Just from these twelve words, one could feel the woman's despair and hatred.

Li Yuanchang frowned, staring intently at the words on the wall.

"This isn't the old one, is it?"

The shopkeeper immediately shook his head: "No, not the old one!"

"What on earth is going on?"

Li Yuanchang did not answer, but instead said to Cao Wei, "Go and investigate. There are families in Liangzhou with the surname Wang, but they have fallen on hard times or have been destroyed."

"We are focusing on targeting certain businessmen and prominent families."

"This line of writing, along with paper and pen, is something that an ordinary person couldn't write or produce. That woman must not be some rural village woman."