The shopkeeper leaned in and took a look, then pondered for a moment and shook his head, "I haven't seen any paper slips like this."
"Are you sure?" Zhong Li pressed.
"Certain," the shopkeeper replied quickly. "I've been here for at least seven or eight years, and this is the first time I've seen a slip of paper like this. May I ask what this is for, Your Excellency?"
Zhong Li glanced at Lu Wuxie.
Lu Wuxie smiled and said, "Nothing much, just asking you."
Afterward, the two left the Wu Family Silver House with the silver.
"Lin Jin," Zhong Li said to the man preparing to sit in the driver's seat as soon as she got into the carriage, "you don't need to follow. I have another task for you."
"Miss Zhong, please tell me!" Lin Jin inquired.
"Find a way to control that shopkeeper of the Wu Family Silver House, and... take his place!" Zhong Li said, taking her medicine box from a small chest in the carriage and handing it to Lin Jin. "You know what to do."
Lin Jin glanced at the items in the box, quickly jumped off the carriage, and ran towards the Wu Family Silver House.
At the same time, another man dressed similarly to Lin Jin sat in the driver's seat and continued to drive the carriage.
Lu Wuxie looked at Zhong Li, who appeared composed opposite him, and asked, "How did you know that shopkeeper had a problem?"
Zhong Li smiled and said, "Actually, I just had a feeling. There are imperial silver houses in Linzhou, so why would the culprit specify that we go to the Wu Family Silver House? That's the first point.
Secondly, according to the records of the prefectural yamen, this case occurred at least five years ago. Apart from a few reported cases, there must have been other cases. Since the culprit specified the Wu Family Silver House, why would the shopkeeper lie and say he didn't recognize it? Moreover, he himself said he had been working at the Wu Family Silver House for many years, so the possibility of him lying is extremely high."
"What if... the culprit suddenly changed their method?" Lu Wuxie posed a possibility.
"Impossible!" Zhong Li quickly denied. "When something has always worked, and that person isn't brainless, changing the method is very risky. They wouldn't try it lightly."
Lu Wuxie nodded in agreement. "Is there a third point?"
"Yes!" Zhong Li replied, adding, "This is the point that made me certain the shopkeeper had a problem."
As she spoke, she picked up the freshly boiled hot water on the table, poured a cup of clear tea for Lu Wuxie, and handed it to him. "Your Highness, please have some tea."
"This tea is hot!"
"Does Your Highness feel this tea is hot?"
"Of course, it's hot!"
Lu Wuxie replied, and then he suddenly understood.
Zhong Li curved her lips and smiled, "Normally, when answering a question, one should be like Your Highness. So, when I asked the shopkeeper if he had seen the note, what was his answer?
A normal person's answer would be 'I have seen it' or 'I have not seen it.' But what did the shopkeeper say?"
"'I haven't seen any paper slips like this,' he said," Lu Wuxie recalled the shopkeeper's words and replied.
Zhong Li nodded. "So, this is called being unnecessarily elaborate, which easily arouses suspicion. Moreover, his eyes were shifting and hesitant when he answered the question, making the possibility of him lying even greater."
After listening, Lu Wuxie's eyes showed a hint of admiration and he asked, "Did Lord Zhong learn this set of theories from that Fei what's-his-name?"
"Uh... yes!" Zhong Li was caught off guard by Lu Wuxie's abrupt question and instinctively nodded in response.
"Oh, then it seems Lord Zhong has learned a lot."
Zhong Li twitched her lips, avoiding Lu Wuxie's gaze, and said, "Just... a little bit."
The carriage proceeded slowly along the main road of the dark alley. Many young men and women with appearances that seemed to be from the Southern Yue Kingdom and also from the Northern Di Kingdom passed them.
Zhong Li quietly parted the carriage curtain a crack, guessing that their elders must have intermarried with the locals.
The carriage had just passed several prosperous tea and horse shops when it suddenly jolted. If Lu Wuxie hadn't reacted quickly and pulled Zhong Li, she would have been thrown out unexpectedly.
"How are you driving?" Lu Wuxie said, lifting the curtain, his voice carrying a hint of sternness.
The young constable from the prefectural yamen, who had replaced Lin Jin in the driver's seat, trembled and said, "Apologies, Your... no, Lord Shangyuan, I wasn't paying attention just now and almost hit someone."
"Hit someone?" Lu Wuxie, speaking in the Yingzhou dialect, slowly got out of the carriage.
He saw an old man in patched rags lying on the ground, clutching his stomach and groaning in pain.
"Oh, it hurts so much, it hurts so much!"
As he spoke, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood onto the ground.
"Oh dear, someone's dead!"
"Heavens, this is… so scary!"
...
The street was already crowded as it was nearing noon. Now, with the old man shouting and spitting blood, people around immediately gathered.
"I didn't, I didn't," the young constable, scared, broke out in a cold sweat. He walked up to Lu Wuxie and said, "Master... I didn't."
"I know," Lu Wuxie replied.
The young constable and Lu Wuxie were speaking in the Yingzhou dialect. Those around didn't understand and thought the two were discussing how to escape. Instantly, all escape routes were blocked.
"Don't let them leave!"
"Yes, if you hit someone, you have to compensate!"
"Yes, you can't leave!"
...
Chitter-chatter filled the dark alley. Zhong Li, nestled in Lu Wuxie's arms, trembled as she looked around, appearing quite frightened and pitiable.
"My lord, I'm scared!" Her voice was like a whisper, but Lu Wuxie still heard it. He gently patted her back with his fair palm to comfort her.
"Tell me, how do you wish to compensate?" Lu Wuxie asked, looking at the old man on the ground.
The old man glanced forward through the crowd and coughed forcefully again, a large stream of blood flowing from his mouth.
Zhong Li secretly eyed the old man, her lips twitching a few times. She thought his acting was indeed excellent, but his knowledge of common sense was lacking. With so much blood, he would have already rolled his eyes and died, yet he could still shout so vigorously? He was only fooling ordinary folk.
"Five taels!" After spitting enough, as if he had no more 'stock' in his mouth, the old man finally raised five fingers and stated a sum.
Lu Wuxie casually took out a money pouch from his waist, took out five taels, and placed it in front of the old man.
As the old man took the money and slowly stood up, the surrounding onlookers began to disperse, especially those who had surrounded Lu Wuxie, who had already vanished.
"Ah, our carriage!" The young constable, seeing that the matter was over, wanted to drive the carriage. He didn't realize that the carriage had disappeared at some point.
Zhong Li and Lu Wuxie exchanged a look, knowing that the bait they had cast had taken the hook.
The two found a hidden spot. Lu Wuxie took out a small box from his embrace, and upon opening it, a golden cicada could be clearly seen lying inside.
As Lu Wuxie lightly tapped the box, the golden cicada seemed to awaken and fluttered its wings, flying into the mid-air.
Zhong Li knew this item; it was a tracking treasure from the Dali Temple of the previous dynasty. She just hadn't expected Lu Wuxie to still have a golden cicada, which was already extinct.
"Lord Zhong, wait for my good news when we return," Lu Wuxie said, tearing off the fake mask attached to his face, shedding the Yingzhou attire he was wearing, and quickly leading the disguised young constable towards the direction the golden cicada had flown.
Zhong Li looked at the man's outer garment in her hand, found a hidden place to tuck it away, and then followed Tian You, who had also returned disguised, into the carriage.
Her clothes were too inconvenient, otherwise, she would have gone along as well.
"Lord Zhong, please don't worry. I think with Your Highness and you on this mission, and the flawless plan, we will surely find the stronghold of this group," Tian You said, seeing her repeatedly looking out the carriage window, unable to help but offer comfort.
Zhong Li sighed and nodded, but she felt in her heart that things were not that simple.