Good luck in love

Gu Jinghong said, "The ledger."

Wen Linchuan remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "...Okay, I'll help you. But the original ledger isn't with me."

Gu Jinghong raised an eyebrow slightly, waiting for him to continue.

Wen Linchuan licked his dry, cracked lips. "Jinghong should know that those things are at Zhuoyue Tower. Let me go, and I'll go get them myself."

Snap, snap, snap—

Gu Jinghong clapped her hands leisurely.

"Senior brother, even in this dire situation, you still think of fighting like a cornered beast?"

Wen Linchuan's face turned pale, his lips moved, but he couldn't refute it.

Gu Jinghong turned her head and nodded slightly to Qingwu.

Qingwu silently turned around and offered him a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

“Senior brother, you are the chief accountant of Qianyuan Pavilion. You have a photographic memory and your accounts are meticulously kept. Those thick ledgers, every false entry, every embezzlement, and every money laundering route are deeply engraved in your mind like an imprint.”

She gestured with her chin to the paper on the table: "Why bother you to get it yourself? Just read it here, word for word, from memory."

Wen Linchuan's breathing became increasingly unsteady as he stared blankly at the papers.

At this moment, Qingwu brought over a tray with a bowl of water, two steamed buns, a small dish of pickles, and a roast chicken.

The aroma of food instantly filled Wen Linchuan's nostrils, and the hunger that had tormented him for seven days and seven nights roared like a wild beast.

Gu Jinghong looked down at the longing in his eyes and said, "Write it down. Every time you finish a book, you'll get food and water. The faster you write, the sooner you'll get to eat."

As she spoke, Qingwu went to untie Wen Linchuan.

Wen Linchuan rotated his stiff wrist, then walked to the table, dipped the tip of his brush in ink, and placed it on the snow-white Xuan paper, spreading the first ink stain.

Gu Jinghong's voice was like a silver bell: "Oh, right, let me remind you, senior brother. Since I can provide evidence of your money laundering methods, it means I'm not entirely without proof. You'd better write it down truthfully..."

Wen Linchuan glanced at Gu Jinghong, then silently studied the ledger without expression.

...

Gu Jinghong dragged over a chair and sat down not far from Wen Linchuan, quietly watching him write.

She would look at each page that Wen Linchuan finished writing.

Time passed in silence, with only the faint aroma of food tormenting Wen Linchuan's will.

He had finished writing a thin book and couldn't help but glance at the plate of roast chicken.

Gu Jinghong didn't even look up, but simply waved to Qingwu.

Qingwu understood, picked up the bowl of water, and held it to Wen Linchuan's lips.

Wen Linchuan practically snatched it and drank it all in one gulp. The water moistened his parched throat, but it only fueled his insatiable craving for food.

"Continue," Gu Jinghong said coldly.

Wen Linchuan took a deep breath, then dipped his brush in ink again and began to write furiously.

After a while, Gu Jinghong flipped through the newly handed-over papers, his fingertip suddenly pausing on a certain line of numbers.

"The total amount of funds for epidemic prevention and relief in the three southwestern routes is 5.8 million taels?" She slowly read out the number, her voice sounding particularly clear in the cellar.

"I remember Senior Brother Wen mentioning that the entire Qianyuan Pavilion's annual operating expenses were only around 500,000 taels. How did you manage to spend ten times that amount?"

Wen Linchuan's pen trembled slightly, but he did not reply.

Gu Jinghong seemed unconcerned and speculated, "It probably ended up in the pockets of the medicine and grain merchants designated by the master, and then most likely flowed back to the master, right?"

Wen Linchuan remained silent.

But silence is also useless; not refuting is tantamount to admitting it.

Gu Jinghong stopped asking about the matter and simply continued to slide her finger down.

Suddenly, she stopped moving again, her brows furrowing slightly.

"Wait a minute. Who exactly is this 'A-Fu'? He handles all the purchases and takes a cut... and he's getting several times more than the landlord?"

Upon hearing this, Wen Linchuan felt a chill run down his spine, knowing that there was no way to avoid this situation at this point.

After a moment's thought, he put down his pen. "I don't know this person very well either. It's just that the landlord specifically instructed that several large sums of money must be transferred through this person, and the amount... is what's recorded in the accounts."

Gu Jinghong frowned slightly. "I'm not quite sure... Has Senior Brother seen him? What's this Afu like?"

“I met him twice,” Wen Linchuan recalled. “Both times, it was through the introduction of the landlord to handle the payment matters. He… was unremarkable in appearance, and his speech and demeanor were ordinary, even somewhat timid.”

Gu Jinghong said, "In other words, it's not someone who can suppress the Lord of the Pavilion..."

Wen Linchuan nodded.

Gu Jinghong's gaze returned to the name on the ledger page—"Afu".

This matter is by no means unusual.

There are indeed people above the original poster.

This "Afu" must be the bridge connecting the poster with the real mastermind behind the scenes!

Gu Jinghong glanced at the water clock—it was already early Hai hour.

Meanwhile, in the King Jin's palace.

Xiao Chengyan was handling military affairs in his study when he suddenly heard Changfeng knocking on the door.

A gust of wind entered, bringing the chill of a winter night: "Your Highness, our men, following Qingwu's trail, eventually disappeared in the western part of the city. We also discovered something else: several days ago, Wen Linchuan, the Assistant Secretary of the Qianyuan Pavilion, went missing after a banquet on a painted boat in Jiangnan called 'Pearl Curtain Roll,' and his whereabouts remain unknown."

Xiao Chengyan's eyes narrowed, and he slowly put down the document in his hand: "Wen Linchuan, the Grand Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat... missing? What's the reaction from the other side?"

Changfeng said, "...Without Gu Gefu, Qianyuan Pavilion is not so sensitive. They don't seem to know that Wen Linchuan has disappeared."

Xiao Chengyan slowly got up, walked to the window, looked in the direction of the west of the city, and a complicated smile with a hint of worry appeared on his lips: "It's her...only she has the courage and means to do this. Immediately send more people to help her clean up her mess and prevent unrelated people from interfering with her plans."

Changfeng clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes."

Xiao Chengyan, wearing a cloak, gazed at the winter night sky. The bright moon hung high, probably illuminating her way home.

After dealing with Wen Linchuan's matter, Gu Jinghong returned to the Prince's Mansion at 1:45 PM.

As she passed by the Prince's mansion, she glanced over and was surprised to see that the light was still on in the study.

After returning to Chun Shen Garden, Zhi Xin thoughtfully brought over a bowl of bird's nest soup. Gu Jinghong thought for a moment, then took the bird's nest soup and pushed open the door to the study.

The candlelight flickered in the study. Xiao Chengyan sat at his desk, and when he heard the sound, he looked up, and his originally stiff face suddenly broke into a smile.

He stood up to greet him.

Gu Jinghong smiled as she placed the bird's nest on Xiao Chengyan's desk. Suddenly, she felt a tightness around her waist as a familiar scent enveloped her.

“Ah Hong”.

These two simple words contain endless tenderness.

Gu Jinghong instinctively closed his eyes, only to feel the hairs on his body suddenly stand on end.

As her rationality began to fade, the investigation of the past few days, Wen Linchuan's ledger, the mysterious "Afu"... all suddenly intertwined in her mind, bringing her back to her senses.

She reached out and pried Xiao Chengyan's hands off her waist: "Your Highness, I have something to tell you."

Xiao Chengyan wrapped his arm around her again, but his face remained pressed against her cheek, refusing to leave her side: "You say it."

Gu Jinghong carefully chose her words, her gaze unfocused on the flickering candlelight: "There's something... that might be related to the old stories of the Southwest."

He calmly said, "Continue."

Gu Jinghong turned her head slightly to look at Xiao Chengyan, and continued, "Last winter, I unexpectedly obtained a secret box, which was... the South Wind Secret Box."

Xiao Chengyan's gaze became slightly more focused.

“I opened that box before. Inside were three things: a brownish-red pill, a map, and a list. I didn’t know what they were at first, but His Highness told me about the epidemic in the southwest, and I increasingly felt that these three things all pointed to the epidemic in the southwest.”

She paused, looked at Xiao Chengyan, and only continued when she saw his eyes gradually clear.

"Unfortunately, the box has been stolen, and we can't take it out to study it in detail now. Fortunately, I kept the powder from that pill and showed it to Xuanru. Xuanru said that the thing was... the Intestinal Piercing Demon."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Chengyan released his arms from around Gu Jinghong's waist.

Gu Jinghong turned to look at Xiao Chengyan.

She let out a soft breath, as if she had unloaded a small burden: "Unfortunately, the box is now lost, and my words alone cannot prove anything."

Xiao Chengyan listened quietly, his face expressionless, but his heart suddenly felt warm—was this woman finally starting to let her guard down around him?

Seeing that he was stunned, Gu Jinghong assumed that he was disappointed because the clue had been obtained and then lost, so she added, "It was my negligence that I failed to protect that crucial piece of evidence."

Xiao Chengyan snapped out of his reverie and gently kissed her forehead: "No. This isn't in vain. If something existed, there must be traces to follow. If that pill really is a remnant of the Southwest epidemic, someone will eventually figure it out..."

Almost simultaneously, their eyes met, and they instantly understood each other's thoughts, uttering the name in unison:

"Xuanru!"

Xiao Chengyan's lips curled into a very shallow smile: "It seems that I must ask Xuanru to return to the capital as soon as possible."

Gu Jinghong smiled gently.

Viewing a beautiful woman under the lamplight has a unique charm.

Xiao Chengyan gazed intently at Gu Jinghong, watching her radiant smile, the red mole at the end of her eyebrow, and noticing the apparent erosion of her once impenetrable inner defenses. Suddenly, he pulled her into his arms…

He never believed in ghosts or gods, but this time, he secretly prayed that the precious pearl in his arms would not be tarnished again.

...

Xuan Ru arrived quickly, reaching the capital in just three days.

At that moment, Gu Jinghong was sitting by the window of the flower hall, looking at a bright red plum blossom in full bloom outside, when she heard a series of crisp and hurried footsteps approaching from afar.

"Ah Hong! Ah Hong! I'm here!"

The person arrived before the voice.

A genuine smile instantly bloomed in Gu Jinghong's eyes. Just as she stood up, a figure carrying a faint medicinal fragrance rushed into her arms.

"Aru!" Gu Jinghong patted her back with a smile, "Why are you still so impulsive?"

Xuan Ru released her, took two steps back, and carefully examined her from head to toe, clicking her tongue in disapproval: "Let me see what kind of intractable disease has caused Ah Hong to rush me back from Medicine Master Valley in such a hurry..."

She pretended to grab Gu Jinghong's wrist to take his pulse.

"Huh? Her complexion is rosy, her eyes are bright, and her internal energy seems to have improved quite a bit! She doesn't seem sick, more like she's had a stroke of good luck with women?"