Chapter 200 What do you actually look like?

Fortunately, she had her head down and was wearing a veil, so Lu Yuan couldn't see the sudden loss of control on her face.

She took a deep breath. "What do you mean by that, Lord Lu?"

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow and suddenly moved closer, grabbing Jiang Zhi's wrist with lightning speed before she could react.

“I just sent someone to check Miss Ji’s medical record. The cold has penetrated her lungs and is incurable by medicine,” he said, placing a single finger on Jiang Zhi’s pulse, his scrutiny in his eyes undisguised. “Why are you still able to come to the banquet alive and kicking?”

Jiang Zhi knew that with Lu Yuan's strength, she would never be able to pull her hand back, so she let him take her pulse.

"It was a wandering physician I met some time ago who cured my illness," she said, her expression now calm. "Lord Lu, you are a man of great importance, yet you concern yourself with such a trivial matter?"

"I see," Lu Yuan withdrew his hand, clearly not believing her words. "But I am very curious, Miss Ji, you usually don't leave the house, so why do you smell of tung oil on you?"

Jiang Zhi felt her scalp tingle.

Time was tight today, and Feng Yuan was urging her on. She secretly finished her business and hurriedly went to the Zhao residence for a banquet with Feng Yuan, without even having time to change her clothes.

She never expected to run into Lu Yuan at the Zhao residence, let alone that he had such sharp eyes that he noticed her abnormality in just one glance.

"Really?" Jiang Zhi, under his hawk-like gaze, pretended to sniff herself. "I guess I got it somewhere."

“That makes sense. After all, not many women dare to approach the territory of the Canal Gang, let alone set foot there easily.” His gaze fell on Jiang Zhi’s embroidered shoes.

Jiang Zhi lowered her head subconsciously and couldn't help but sigh.

She knew that running into Lu Yuan would never end well.

She noticed a small patch of black tung oil on the sole of her embroidered shoe, which was sticking out from under her skirt.

Ordinary people would not notice it at all, and even if they did see it, they would just think it was mud they had stepped in somewhere.

But Lu Yuan was no ordinary person to begin with.

She struggled desperately, "How can Lord Lu confirm that I have been to the territory of the Grand Canal Gang with just this little bit of tung oil?"

"Only ships that travel on water year-round would brush this tung oil on their bottoms for preservation, and the tung oil smell on Miss Ji's body was mixed with the rich, deep fragrance of aged pine resin."

Lu Yuan looked at her with a half-smile, "As far as I know, only the Canal Gang in the entire Xuzhou uses this specially formulated tung oil, right?"

His trip south was to investigate the case of Hang Yushu's account books, which had been seized in Sizhou.

A significant amount of silver recorded in the ledger was secretly sent to Kyoto.

After so many days of in-depth investigation, they learned that all the ships transporting these silver coins were handled by the Xuzhou shipping guild.

If we can find evidence of the connection between the canal gang and Kyoto, we can follow the clues to find the real person behind Kyoto.

Jiang Zhi was suddenly enlightened by him, and quickly calmed down.

"Lord Lu, even if I have some connections with the Grand Canal Gang, it doesn't violate the laws of the court, does it?" she asked him in return.

Lu Yuan smiled and said, "Of course not, but there is something I need Miss Ji to do for me."

"What's up?"

"As long as Miss Ji can introduce me to the leader of the Canal Gang, I will not pursue the matter, regardless of whether you are impersonating someone else."

Lu Yuan originally intended for Prefect Zhao to do this, but in Xuzhou, the power of the canal gang was enough to rival that of the government. Prefect Zhao had only been in office for a short time and dared not offend them in the short term.

Approaching rashly would only arouse suspicion among the canal gang members.

If someone makes an introduction, it will save a lot of effort.

"Can I refuse?" Jiang Zhi asked him, looking down at him.

Lu Yuan smiled, a smile that even seemed somewhat amiable. "I will naturally not force Miss Ji, but since I have discovered something suspicious about Miss Ji, I must go to the Feng family to give her a proper reminder."

He knew she wasn't Ji Zhiya at all.

After she and Feng Yuan left, he specifically asked Zhao Anran about it.

When Ji Zhiya first came to Xuzhou, she was introverted and taciturn, timid and self-conscious, and didn't even dare to speak loudly.

But his health suddenly improved not long after, and now he even dares to deal with the canal gangs.

No one's personality changes drastically in a short period of time unless they become a completely different person.

But he didn't care.

As long as it benefits the investigation, what does it matter to him whether this person is Ji Zhiya or not?

Jiang Zhi was naturally not afraid that Lu Yuan would tell the Feng family.

However, Lu Yuan is really difficult to deal with. If one plan fails, there is no guarantee that he will have a backup plan. I'm afraid that if he investigates further, he will really discover my identity.

It's better to go along with him.

Thinking of this, Jiang Zhi said with feigned helplessness, "Lord Lu is very perceptive, and I admire him. It seems that I have no choice but to agree to this matter."

"Then I'll trouble you, Miss Ji." He picked up the empty teacup on the table and poured himself a cup. "It's a pleasure doing business with you."

Jiang Zhi clinked her teacup against his.

Lu Yuan suddenly asked her again, "Since we are cooperating, I must see what you look like."

After he finished speaking, he reached out to remove her veil.

Jiang Zhi, already on guard, stood up and retreated, saying, "This humble woman is ugly and her face is covered with scars; I'm afraid she might frighten Lord Lu."

"What kind of injuries haven't I seen? How could I be so easily frightened?" He sneered and stepped forward.

Jiang Zhi backed away and arrived at the window behind her.

"Or is there some unspeakable secret hidden behind this veil?"

The more Jiang Zhi retreated, the more suspicious Lu Yuan became.

Although her voice was different from Jiang Zhi's, her figure, behavior, and words gave him a very familiar feeling.

And then there were her dark eyes, which had appeared countless times in his dreams.

It was as if Jiang Zhi was right in front of him.

He needed to confirm it before he could feel at ease.

"Why must Lord Lu reopen old wounds?" Jiang Zhi frowned and backed away.

However, Lu Yuan did not give her a chance to refuse.

In just a few steps, she was cornered in front of the window frame.

Jiang Zhi's lower back was already against the window frame, and in front of her was Lu Yuan's imposing figure. She was completely enveloped in his shadow, like a bird struggling in a cage, with nowhere to hide.

"Whether it's a scar or not, we'll only know after seeing it."

With scrutiny and inquiry in his eyes, he reached out and removed the veil from her face!

She was backlit, her face hidden in shadow.

But when Lu Yuan saw the face under the veil, his pupils trembled and his brows furrowed tightly.

Then there was a crisp "snap".

He received a solid slap across the face.

"Even if Lord Lu is an official of the imperial court, he cannot humiliate people like this!" Jiang Zhi's voice trembled.

My palms are burning hot.

Lu Yuan, however, seemed oblivious, staring intently at her face.