TGCFNM -Chapter 416 Finalizing a Response Plan

Chu Ling felt an inexplicable chill run down his spine. He actually said it with a smile?

So that means the person the Wu family killed had nothing to do with him. He wasn’t seeking revenge for that person—he just wanted to obtain something, to clear the obstacles in his path.

Then… what exactly does that young master want?

The Ghost Scholar’s eyes narrowed slightly. “To identify the person who set the Wu and Si families as obstacles, you just need to think from a higher perspective—you can narrow the scope.”

Chu Ling sighed. “That’s true, but even after narrowing it down, it’s still quite broad…”

Wu Huan looked at Chu Ling. “I’ve told you everything you wanted to know. Can I ask you for one favor?”

Chu Ling immediately nodded. “Go ahead.”

“I want to find that young master. He promised to save me and my wet nurse… I want to ask him why he didn’t,” Wu Huan said, her eyes red.

Chu Ling understood. This was Wu Huan’s obsession.

“Right now, I have no way of knowing who that young master is. But you can stay by my side for the time being. Once we find him, I’ll ask him for you. Is that okay?” Chu Ling said.

Wu Huan nodded, choking back tears. “Thank you.”

“As far as we know, that young master knows the Si family’s son. If he could get an invitation, their relationship must be quite close,” the Ghost Scholar said, looking at Chu Ling. “We can investigate based on this point.”

Chu Ling recalled the students she had met. It seemed none of them were from the Si family, but the character chart showed two individuals.

Chu Ling grabbed an oil lamp and went to the room with the character relationship chart, examining it carefully.

“Among the younger generation of the Si family, only two require special attention: one is the eldest son, Si Yuanqi, and the other is a younger son, Si Yuangang. As for the others, they don’t need much attention for now,” the Ghost Scholar said.

Chu Ling hummed. “Si Yuangang’s personality doesn’t match, so it’s likely the eldest son, Si Yuanqi. We could look into him…”

The Ghost Scholar nodded slightly. “You could also ask Lu Shi if it’s possible to investigate the eldest Si son. Even though he cannot lie in front of Lu Shi, he can choose not to speak. I doubt Lu Shi would press him.”

Chu Ling nodded, then suddenly remembered something amusing. “Scholar, sixteen-year-old Wu Ting was gambling, while sixteen-year-old Wan eldest son had already started doing business. Now, eight years later, he has led the Wan family to become the wealthiest. If Wu Ting hadn’t been gambling back then, maybe he would have built something himself. Isn’t he supposed to be smart? Right, Fu Qingyu should be about the same age as Wan eldest son. I remember asking Master Wan, and he said Scholar Fu never allowed Fu Qingyu to take the imperial exams, which delayed him until now. I even teased him that, though he’s only a year younger than his elder brother and Fu Qingyu, he’s achieved nothing. He got angry and said he had a private treasury, while I didn’t.”

The Ghost Scholar chuckled. “Master Wan grew up carefree. Naturally, he didn’t have to consider too many things, so he’s simpler as a person.”

Chu Ling felt he couldn’t argue—after all, Master Wan really did have a private treasury!

“All right, we have to go out to investigate a case tomorrow. Get some rest,” Bai Su said.

Chu Ling nodded. After taking one more look at the character chart, he left the room and returned to his own bedroom to rest.

Since the Ghost Scholar was close by, he stayed in the chart room, staring at a particular line, lost in thought.

The next day…

After getting up and freshening up, Chu Ling set off for the dining hall to have breakfast.

Wan Sanjin saw her and greeted, “Master, today we have vegetable noodles.”

Chu Ling sat down and looked around. “Is it just the two of us?”

Wan Sanjin nodded. “You asked Su He whether he could get Wu Ting’s autopsy report, so after breakfast he was sent by Zhang Dong to the government office early this morning. And Xiao Hua said she was going out to accompany the cook’s wife to buy groceries. Only the two of us got up late, so we’re the only ones eating now.”

Chu Ling made a small sound of acknowledgment and began her breakfast.

After finishing, she looked at Wan Sanjin and carefully voiced her thoughts: “So, I’ll need to visit Lord Lu’s residence today and ask him some questions about the Si family.”

“You’re right, Master. Now that the Wu family is gone, only the Si family—the victim of that theft back then—would know any concrete details. So this matter must be related to them, but the Si family certainly won’t tell the truth; we’ll have to investigate ourselves,” Wan Sanjin said.

Chu Ling nodded—yes, they would have to investigate themselves, starting with the eldest son of the Si family.

“But if we go now, Lord Lu probably won’t be at home,” Wan Sanjin remarked.

Chu Ling remembered then that she was the only idle official in the capital, while Lord Lu had work to do. “…Then let’s go in the afternoon. We can also wait to see if Su He manages to get the autopsy report by then.”

Wait—Wu Ting’s autopsy report? It was just a hanging, after all; the real Wu Ting died after leaving the capital.

Sigh… poor Su He might have made a pointless trip.

At that moment, Steward Liu came in cheerfully, holding a letter, and handed it over directly: “Manager Hong sent this over. He said the eldest young master should be back in a day or two.”

Wan Sanjin took the letter and opened it. His happy expression froze instantly, and he silently passed it to Chu Ling.

Chu Ling glanced at it and stiffened as well.

Bai Su couldn’t stop laughing, pointing at the letter as she read aloud: “I’ll be back the day after tomorrow. You’re still alive, right… hahahaha! Does Wan Xing really think you’re about to die?”

Ghost Scholar couldn’t help but laugh too: “If it weren’t for people helping a few times, we wouldn’t even know how many times we’ve died.”

Chu Ling looked at Wan Sanjin silently. “Should we reply and let him know we’re alive and well?”

Wan Sanjin hesitated. “But what if big brother retracts part of his promise to save our family’s assets? That’s our safety net.”

Chu Ling silently folded the letter and carefully slipped it back into the envelope. “Young Master Wan works so hard doing business away from home and still worries about our safety. He’s truly kindhearted. I will remember Young Master Wan’s kindness for my whole life.”

Wan Sanjin: “…Master, you really know how to adapt.”

Chu Ling wanted to cry but had no tears—poverty leaves one with no choice!

After sharing the news, Steward Liu felt a lightness all over. He quickly left the dining hall and personally went to prune the garden. His cheerful figure was obvious even to Chu Ling and Wan Sanjin.

Chu Ling looked at Wan Sanjin and lowered her voice: “If something makes your big brother think we’re too risky to save… then we’ll unify our story: say it was Mei Gao who ordered it, and behind Mei Gao is Prince Ruì. That way, we’re not at risk.”

Wan Sanjin’s eyes brightened. “Master, that’s a good idea. Plus, we can still involve Lord Lu.”

Chu Ling and Wan Sanjin exchanged a look and nodded firmly, having finalized their response plan.