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The Shen family and the Rong family.

Fujian, Shandong, Liaodong, and Upper Capital.

Rong Shu paused in her steps, her heart thumping loudly.

She had guessed the connection between these places and the Cheng'an Marquis Estate!

"Miss!"

Lost in thought, a slender figure hurried toward her, saying, "Lord Gu has invited you to meet him on Pingnan Street tomorrow. He claims to know what the 'cargo' mentioned in the letter refers to."

Chapter 71

"Fujian, where he uses his influence to purchase the goods."

If the 'sir' was capable of issuing orders to buy such cargo, it must not be ordinary goods.

Assuming her assumption was correct, and that the person colluding with Shen Zhi within the Cheng'an Marquis Estate was indeed this individual, she could likely deduce what these "cargo" truly were.

Rong Shu looked at Liu Ping and nodded. "Very well, I also have something to discuss with Lord Gu."

The next morning, a carriage rolled into Wu's Brick Bridge.

When Gu Changjin received Liu Ping's letter the previous night, he already knew who the second person working with the Water Dragon King, as mentioned by the Dragon Phoenix, was.

According to the Dragon Phoenix, this person was very secretive, always communicating with the Water Dragon King through intermediaries and never meeting in person. The Water Dragon King had initially been impatient with such a cowardly individual, but due to their immense wealth and potential for huge profits, he chose to deal with them.

Now, Gu Changjin was certain that this person was Shen Zhi.

As for the mysterious "sir" who corresponded with Shen Zhi behind the scenes...

Gu Changjin's gaze grew colder as he gazed down at the letter in his hand.

"Master, Miss Rong has arrived."

Lifting his eyes, Gu Changjin glanced outside. His gaze lingered for a moment on Rong Shu's haggard, pale face before he rose to greet her. Once she entered the room, he said to Shiiun and the others, "I have important matters to discuss with Miss Rong. Please wait outside."

The main hall's door creaked shut.

Chang Ji and Shiiun exchanged glances, momentarily unsure of what their master was hinting at that they shouldn't hear.

Rong Shu entered the room and spoke frankly, "Your Excellency, did Lord Uncle go to Fu Jian to purchase firearms?"

Gu Changjin was in the middle of pouring tea for Rong Shu; his hand paused slightly upon hearing this.

He hummed in response, filling the teacup to three-quarters full before pushing it towards her. "Indeed, they are firearms. The pirates of Four Square Island have been purchasing such weapons from several overseas kingdoms. The firearms they used in their attack on Yangzhou came from Folang Country. These weapons possess immense power, comparable even to the newly developed arms by the Divine Mechanism Camp. If such a cache of firearms were to be transported to the capital, the consequences would be disastrous."

Rong Shu received the teacup in silence.

Gu Changjin set down his teapot and looked at her, asking, "How did Miss Rong guess that Shen Zhi went to Fu Jian to purchase firearms?"

Rong Shu gripped the teacup in her hand and said, "His Excellency once mentioned that Shen Zhi frequently visited the Shandong Provincial Administration Commission for Salt Affairs twelve years ago, and on every trip, he would make a detour to Qingzhou. Shen Zhi's visits to Qingzhou were to see an old acquaintance, who happened to be stationed at the garrison."

Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that the moment he encountered pirates plundering his goods, a Commander from the local military garrison immediately came to his rescue?

"Twelve years ago, there was an individual from the Cheng'an Marquis Estate serving in a military garrison in Qingzhou." Rong Shu gazed at Gu Changjin as she enunciated each word clearly, "My second uncle, Rong Yu."

Rong Shu poured a bit of tea into her palm and, with the dampened fingertips, gently traced the names of Fu Jian, Shandong, and Liao Dong on the table. As she wrote, she explained, "Your second aunt's father served as the governor of Quanzhou, while your second uncle originally held a position in the Qingzhou military garrison. A decade ago, he was transferred to the Liao Dong Military Commandery, where he took up the post of Pacification Commissioner in Jinzhou."

The last two characters she wrote were "Capital of the North."

"The Capital of the North refers to the Cheng'an Marquis Estate," Rong Shu explained, her slender fingers tracing the connection between the locations on the table. Her voice was calm as she continued, "Your Excellency, I suspect that the branch of the marquis family is colluding with Shen Zhi. As for who is behind them and why they are secretly purchasing firearms, it depends on whom my uncle and second uncle have pledged their allegiance to."

Rong Shu dared not rashly speculate about the situation in the Capital of the North or guess who stood behind Shen Zhi and Rong Yu.

She trusted that Gu Changjin would uncover the truth.

Unbeknownst to her, upon hearing her words, Gu Changjin's eyes suddenly lifted, his heart stirred by an immense wave of emotion.

Her tone was filled with certainty.

Yet, the clues she had presented—the fact that Rong Yu had served in Qingzhou and Liaodong, and that her father-in-law held the position of governor in Quanzhou—were far from enough to conclusively implicate the Cheng'an Marquis Estate in a major crime alongside Shen Zhi.

Given her character, she wouldn't normally accuse the marquis family based on such inconclusive evidence.

So why was she so certain?

Why was she so sure that the Cheng'an Marquis Estate was guilty along with Shen Zhi?

"Merely based on these conjectures, we cannot conclude that your second uncle is the one colluding with Shen Zhi, nor can we determine the involvement of the Cheng'an Marquis Estate in this matter. Why are you so certain, Miss Rong, that the Cheng'an Marquis Estate is guilty?"

Rong Shu lifted her gaze to look at Gu Changjin.

Why was she so sure?

Because in her previous life, Gu Changjin had once said "evidence is overwhelming." She knew him well enough to understand that he wouldn't make such a statement unless there was solid proof beyond doubt.

She had once considered the possibility of a wrongful conviction.

That was why she had personally come to Yang State Prefecture to seek out this slim chance, but unfortunately, fate seemed to have other plans.

Shen Zhi was not innocent, and neither was the Rong family.

In her previous life, she had spent months striving to clear the marquis estate's name, exhausting all her dowry and even parting with the jade pendant she had worn since childhood to buy wine for the prison guards.

Thinking back on it now, it was nothing but a tragic comedy.

The one thing Rong Shu couldn't comprehend was, if indeed it was the second branch collaborating with Shen Zhi, why would her father confess? Why would he make Mother share this unjust accusation with him?

Has Shen Zhi taken the long route to Fu Jian these years specifically to fetch salt, perhaps passing by Quanzhou or meeting your second uncle's father-in-law? If so, it wouldn't be a coincidence. The 'he' in that letter, who was used to purchase goods, might very well be Second Uncle's father-in-law, Zhong Mian. Would you consider dispatching someone to investigate Governor Zhong Mian of Quanzhou?

Gu Changjin gazed steadily at her.

This young lady instinctively avoided his question. By suggesting he investigate Governor Zhong and inquire about whom Shen Zhi had met in Fu Jian, she seemed to already know the outcome, seeking evidence to support her claims.