Chapter 347 Investigation

After Mingzhu finished her complaint in a huff, the hall fell into a brief silence.

Just then, an announcement came from outside the hall, and Huo Lin strode in, with Shen Yi following behind him.

As soon as Shen Yi entered, he glanced around and raised an eyebrow when he saw Mingzhu, who was puffing up with anger, and He Ling, who looked like she had just heard a big juicy story.

"Wow, it's so lively! Did we come at a bad time?"

As he spoke, he swiftly opened his folding fan and gently waved it.

Huo Lin ignored his banter and said calmly, "If you're hot, take off your jacket."

Jiang Huan loved watching her friends bicker, but before she could even laugh out loud, Huo Lin walked over and sat down next to her, speaking gently.

"I have something to discuss with Mingzhu. Since she's here at Weiyang Palace, I'll tell you all at once."

When Mingzhu heard that the purpose of the visit was to her, she was a little confused, but she couldn't stop talking. She immediately took the lead in recounting the glorious deeds of Young Master Lin, and at the end, she stomped her feet in anger.

"Uncle, you were right before, he's a liar, a big liar! He specializes in swindling people out of their feelings and money!"

Huo Lin's expression grew increasingly grim as Mingzhu recounted her story, and by the end, his eyes were as cold as ice.

[You despicable thing, you're obsessed with currying favor with the powerful and wealthy, you're asking for death!]

He snorted coldly and looked at Shen Yi: "How's the matter I asked you to investigate?"

Shen Yi snapped his folding fan shut, tapped his palm lightly with the fan rib, glanced at the sullen Mingzhu, and smiled faintly.

“Princess,” he said, his voice softening and guiding, “you have known this Young Master Lin for some time now, do you know what his real name is?”

Mingzhu was taken aback by the question, and subconsciously shook her head, her face showing confusion and embarrassment.

She only knew that his surname was Lin, and she called him "Young Master" without ever thinking to ask or investigate his real name.

Seeing this, Shen Yi slowly said, "Lin Ergou, are you surprised?"

Mingzhu's eyes widened instantly, and her small mouth opened into a circle.

"Lin...Lin Ergou?" This name was completely different from the image of the gentle and refined young master Lin in her mind. The huge contrast left her stunned for a moment.

Shen Yi seemed quite satisfied with her reaction. Before she could process the information, he continued, "When this Lin Ergou was twelve years old, he jumped into the river to get close to a wealthy family in the neighboring village. He waited for the family's servants to 'rescue' him and sneak into the family school to audit classes. After that, he honed his skills in serving tea and water and flattering others to perfection."

He shook his head as he spoke, as if telling a story: "When he turned fifteen, he became bold and wanted to curry favor with the county magistrate's daughter. However, his flattery backfired, and he was exposed and kicked out. He was too ashamed to stay, so he changed his name to Lin Wenxuan and ran away to 'study abroad'."

As Shen Yi spoke, he took out a neatly folded, high-quality silk handkerchief from his sleeve.

“Look, this is one of the tokens of love given by Miss Zhu from the south of the city.”

He then magically produced several sheets of paper: "And this is the poem manuscript received by the distant niece of the Vice Minister's family... tsk tsk, the handwriting is quite well imitated, but unfortunately, it's all copied."

Shen Yi covered his mouth with his fan, lowered his voice, and said to Mingzhu, who was dumbfounded, with a hint of mischief, "The most amazing thing is that this young master Lin, in order to maintain his appearance, applies egg white to his face for half an incense stick's time every morning without fail."

He Ling listened in stunned silence, while Jiang Huan's lips twitched.

This resume, this time management, this target customer positioning—he's practically the founding father of ancient PUA.

On a side note, Shen Yi even knows that people apply egg whites; isn't his intelligence network incredibly powerful?

After listening, Huo Lin's tone was icy: "Completely scheming and utterly shameless!"

Why doesn't anyone slap him a few times and disfigure him?

Shen Yi waved his fan and smiled, "That's right. When I found out about these things, I was amazed. This young master Lin may not have any other skills, but he is first-rate at living off women and pretending to be affectionate. He has made several young ladies think that they are his only confidantes and wish they could take out all their private money to support him."

He paused, looked at Mingzhu, and said with a teasing look in his eyes, "Speaking of which, the princess's taste... um... is quite unique."

Huo Lin shot him a sharp look: "If you can't speak properly, then shut up."

[Hmph, only I can scold my niece. Besides, Mingzhu is just young and ignorant, blinded by villains.]

Unlike Chen Yi, who can flit from flower to flower without a single petal clinging to him, he is far more experienced.

Shen Yi immediately raised his hands in surrender, but the smile on his lips did not diminish at all.

"I made a mistake, I made a mistake."

He looked at Mingzhu, who was still sulking, and his tone became unusually serious: "Princess, there is no need to be too angry. It's not worth getting angry over this kind of person. Just consider it a small expense to learn a lesson. You will naturally have a better eye for people in the future."

Mingzhu blushed at his words and mumbled, "Who...who spent money...it's just...it's just that I gave him a few pastries..."

Shen Yi raised an eyebrow: "Oh? Just some snacks? That princess was lucky, her loss wasn't too great. Miss Zhu gave him a valuable Duan inkstone, which is said to be her grandfather's treasure."

Mingzhu: !!!

There are actually people even more blind than her!

Huo Lin rubbed his temples, too lazy to listen to this filth anymore, and directly instructed Shen Yi: "Now that you've found out, you know what to do."

"Of course, keeping such a menace around would only tarnish the morals of the capital."

Shen Yi spoke casually, as if he were merely dealing with a cabbage.

Huo Lin nodded in satisfaction, looked at Jiang Huan, and his tone softened instantly.

"Did I upset you?"

Jiang Huan shook her head and smiled: "Why should I be angry? The main problem is Mingzhu. Luckily, we managed to stop the damage in time."

Huo Lin then glanced at Mingzhu, who was still fiddling with her handkerchief: "Alright, stop fiddling with it. If you keep fiddling, the handkerchief will break. Be more careful in the future, and don't believe everything you hear."

Mingzhu replied reluctantly, "Oh, I understand."

He Ling watched Huo Lin's rapid change of expression and couldn't help but marvel at it.

[Tsk tsk, what a hypocrite... no, a hypocrite dragon.]

He's like a spring breeze to his wife, but like an autumn wind to his niece—a real shrew.

However, it was well done to punish this scumbag!

After finishing his business, Shen Yi didn't linger. He smiled and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now. I still need to 'arrange' the itinerary for that young master Lin."

Huo Lin waved his hand, signaling him to get lost.

Before leaving, Shen Yi winked at Mingzhu, then waved his fan and left gracefully.