TGCFNM -Chapter 120 Watch Your Words

For some reason, the study suddenly fell silent.

After a moment, Wan Xing finally spoke up helplessly, “The master is right… it’s just… watch your words.”

What does it mean “the Emperor is already advanced in years”? If you said that in the capital, and someone reported it in the morning, you’d be beheaded by the afternoon.

Chu Ling lowered her gaze slightly, putting down the letter in her hand, and cautiously asked, “Young Master Wan, do you know where Xiao Lengjue is?”

“I do,” Wan Xing replied, folding his hands over his knees. “He will come to Changzhou tomorrow on business. Accompanying him is the Second Young Miss of the Chu family, Chu Rou.”

Chu Ling raised an eyebrow. So Chu Rou really did manage to get close to Xiao Lengjue?

“Xiao Shizi is coming to Changzhou to investigate the silver mine,” Wan Xing added slowly.

Chu Ling’s brow furrowed, and she snapped, “He’s thinking about the silver mine?”

“Over at Prince Rui’s side, there aren’t enough men to dispatch here, and mining is being done in secret. So from an outsider’s perspective, it looks like our Wan family discovered a silver mine but didn’t report it,” Wan Xing said, a little troubled. He hadn’t yet figured out how to handle this situation.

“If Xiao Shizi really finds the silver mine, I have only two options: one, give it to Xiao Shizi; two, report it to Prince Rui to ensure safety,” Wan Xing continued.

Chu Ling frowned and shook her head decisively. “No, neither of those options will work.”

Something was wrong!

Chu Ling suddenly looked at Wan Xing, her eyes showing some shock. “How do you know Xiao Shizi is coming to investigate the silver mine?”

“I have informants, that’s how I know he’ll arrive tomorrow,” Wan Xing replied with a faint smile. “After all, a businessman must have eyes everywhere and ears everywhere.”

Chu Ling thought to herself: indeed. The head of the Wan family could maintain the position of the wealthiest in all of Dazhou during such turbulent times—his strength was not to be underestimated.

However, this businessman was a little too extraordinary.

Chu Ling looked at Wan Xing. “I ran into Xiao Lengjue with Master Wan in Qingyang. He acts very discreetly and never publicizes his identity. So this investigation into the silver mine may also be conducted in secret.”

As for how Xiao Lengjue knew about the silver mine, Chu Ling guessed a large part of it probably came from Chu Rou.

Chu Rou, in order to gain Xiao Lengjue’s trust, would have to repeat what Chu Yue did. For example, in the original story, it was Chu Yue who discovered the silver mine, then cooperated with the male lead to extract it, which became the heroine’s first “pot of gold.”

Chu Rou definitely couldn’t collaborate with Xiao Lengjue to mine the silver, so she could only act convincingly, step by step earning his trust.

A woman blinded by love—there was no saving her.

Chu Ling rolled her eyes, then turned to see Wan Xing looking surprised. She lightly cleared her throat to cover it. “Xiao Shizi probably cannot be certain that there’s a silver mine in Changzhou, but the Wan family is here. If he keeps a close eye on them, he might actually find a clue.”

Yet, the Wan family could also be used as very convenient bait.

“My plan is to let Xiao Shizi find an abandoned mine,” Chu Ling said.

“Even if he finds an abandoned mine, that only proves the original silver mine was already mined… this…” Wan Xing looked puzzled. Would this really work?

“What’s the problem?” Chu Ling laughed. “Now that the contest for succession is out in the open, it’s either Prince Rui or Prince Su who did the digging. If he finds an abandoned mine, what can he do?”

Xiao Lengjue could only suspect some royal family member, but he couldn’t take action.

And at that moment, the matter with the Gao family would land right before his eyes. Given the enmity between Prince Qi and the Gao family, Xiao Lengjue would surely want to personally intervene.

Moreover, there’s another advantage: Chu Rou might begin to doubt her own memories, because they no longer match her experiences from her previous life.

“Well?” Chu Ling asked.

Wan Xing thought for a moment and then nodded. “I think this method will work.” After all, now was not the time to tear faces apart. Even if Xiao Lengjue discovered someone was mining, he could only suspect, not be certain which faction was behind it.

“My lord, I will make the arrangements tomorrow,” Wan Xing said, feeling a little relieved. “Also, will you be presiding over the case tomorrow?”

“Yes, publicly. Raise the doubts so people start suspecting the Gao family. At that moment, Young Master Xiao must be present,” Chu Ling replied.

“Understood, I’ll handle it,” Wan Xing promised.

Chu Ling exhaled in relief. Dealing with smart people was easy. “Young Master Wan, if I have business in the future, I’ll come to you again.” With that, she steadied herself on the table and stood up.

Wan Sanjin supported her. “Brother, shall we go?”

“Go ahead, Steward Zhu will see you out,” Wan Xing escorted them to the back gate. Only after Steward Zhu personally drove them away did he slowly turn back, muttering to himself, “Things really are different now.”

Back at the government office, Chu Ling was about to review the case again when Zhang Dong rushed in, bringing someone with him.

Chu Ling focused and realized it was the prison warden.

“My lord!” The warden’s face was grim. “All three of them are dead.”

“What!” Chu Ling slammed the table, standing up in disbelief. “All dead? How did they die?”

“All three had poison needles in their necks—they were poisoned.” The warden wiped the sweat from his forehead and continued, “I checked around and saw shoe prints outside the cell window. It seems that’s where the poison needles were used to kill the three.”

“Take me there immediately.” Chu Ling leaned on her crutch and looked at Zhang Dong. “Go fetch the Coroner Su.”

“Yes, my lord.”

A short while later, Zhang Dong drove the carriage, rushing Chu Ling and the others to the prison.

Upon arrival, Chu Ling glanced at the Zeng family members locked up. Raising an eyebrow at the warden, she asked if the Zengs knew about this incident.

The warden nodded—yes, they knew.

Chu Ling stopped outside the Zeng family’s cell and looked at them. “Do you know who killed your son?”

The Zengs turned pale, looked at Chu Ling, and shook their heads in silence.

Wan Sanjin shook his head. “Looks like we won’t get anything from them.” They didn’t dare speak.

Chu Ling didn’t waste more time and continued forward. When she reached the three prisoners’ cell, the warden immediately unlocked it, and Su He went in with his tools to inspect.

Chu Ling glanced at the window above the cell before turning toward Zeng Yuanpin.

Zeng Yuanpin was lying on the floor, seemingly unaware, taken down directly by the poison needle.

Wan Sanjin flipped him over and jumped back in shock. “This guy’s insane—he’s dead and still smiling?”

Chu Ling frowned and shook her head. “He’s not smiling after death. He was smiling because he thought someone would save him, so there’s no trace of terror on his face… It’s just that, while he was completely unguarded, the poison needle killed him.”

“Committed such heinous acts and still wanted to get out?” Wan Sanjin kicked him angrily.

“It was probably promised by the Gao family. But later, he must have realized it was simpler to just die, right?” Chu Ling turned to look at Zeng Yuanpin across from her.

Zeng Yuanpin’s eyes widened, panic-stricken, as he stepped back several paces, his face turning pale.