Zhu Jiayu went to the Xiao family home, played a few rounds of mahjong with Old Madam Xiao, and personally cooked some snacks for the two elders. After having the meal, he left the Xiao family home.
Back in Zhaohua Lane, she encountered Lin Zhi, who was lingering outside the Zhu family's gate.
The time they had agreed upon had passed, and she thought she would never see Lin Zhi again.
Lin Zhi also saw her, but hesitated and didn't go forward. Clearly, he also felt he shouldn't have come.
Zhu Jiayu got off the carriage and walked towards him, smiling as she said, "The night was cold and the dew was heavy. Did Young Master Lin happen to be passing by?"
Lin Zhi gave a wry smile and remained silent.
Zhu Jiayu nodded: "So you've come to see me? Why don't you come in and have a cup of hot tea?"
"No, I came to give this to Miss Zhu." He opened his hand, showing the jade pendant in his palm.
The jade pendant is carved in the shape of a fan, with the character "林" (Lin) engraved in the middle.
This is the family head's token that Zhu Jiayu wanted.
“But,” she raised an eyebrow at Lin Zhi, “I told you to send this over in three days, once you’d thought it through. But three days have already passed. Do you think I’ll keep waiting for you, Mr. Lin?”
Lin Zhi sighed: "It was my fault for not keeping to the time, but after all, it was a very important matter. It's understandable that I thought about it for a few more days."
That's certainly true.
Zhu Jiayu wasn't in a hurry to ask them to do anything, so what she had just said was just a joke. She hummed in agreement, took the jade pendant from Lin Zhi's hand, and walked towards the door.
After taking a couple of steps, she noticed that Lin Zhi was still behind her, standing there in a daze and not following. She couldn't help but turn around and ask, "What, Mr. Lin, are you really not going to come in for a cup of tea? I'm sincerely inviting you."
Lin Zhi then seemed to wake up from a dream and followed her into the door.
Zhu Jiayu led him to the front hall and then instructed Lüzheng, "Go find someone to bring a pot of tea. You stay outside and don't let my father in."
After she finished speaking, she glanced at the box that Lüzheng was holding before looking away.
"Last time, Miss Lin told me that some of the Lin family's children are now working in various restaurants and pawnshops, is that right?" Zhu Jiayu sat down in the main seat and asked Lin Zhi with her eyes down.
Lin Zhi didn't know why he asked this, but she still nodded: "Yes."
"Young Master, you have been operating in the capital for many years. I would like to ask you, if I were to investigate a case from twenty years ago, where do you think I should begin?"
"Twenty years ago?" A servant served tea. Lin Zhi reached out to test the temperature of the teacup, then withdrew her hand. "Miss Zhu, could you please tell me more about the case?"
"A girl has gone missing." Zhu Jiayu tapped the table with her finger, the crisp "tap-tap" sound echoing in the empty hall. She said slowly, "If we investigate in this direction, shouldn't we be looking into the human trafficking rings in the capital?"
"Logically speaking, that's correct, but twenty years ago, isn't that too long ago? Perhaps the people who committed the crimes back then have all died of old age or illness in those twenty years?"
Zhu Jiayu pondered for a while, then waved his hand and said, "Then let's dig deeper. The people who committed the crime must have had contact with outsiders, such as their colleagues, or the people they contacted when they transferred the child."
"I heard that the young master of the Sheng'an Marquis's mansion went missing a few days ago. Young Master Lin has extensive connections and deep roots, so he should be able to find out what happened before and after the young master went missing, right?"
"Miss Zhu, isn't it a bit unreasonable to ask me to say that? I'm just an ordinary scholar, how could I possibly find out things that even the authorities can't find out?"
Lin Zhi's brows furrowed, his lips pressed into a straight line. What did Zhu Jiayu take him for? A high-ranking constable from the Six Doors? If he had that ability, he would have cleared the Lin family's name long ago; why would he need to beg her for help?
Zhu Jiayu shook his head: "The government has its own connections, and doesn't Young Master Lin have his own connections too? If you ask me, since the Lin family is all over restaurants and pawnshops, they should also have some contact with all sorts of people in Yujing City. What do you think?"
"You haven't even tried, and you're already saying you don't have the ability? How can I believe you're truly determined to restore the Lin family? Once you've done it, and then tell me you can't do it, I won't blame you."
Zhu Jiayu didn't seem to care about his frustration at all, and still smiled as she said, "Besides, I consider us to be in a cooperative relationship. I will do my best for the Lin family's affairs, shouldn't Young Master Lin also care about mine?"
"That's settled then. I'll await Mr. Lin's good news." She stood up. "If anything comes up, let's meet at Songchao Tower."
Lin Zhi clicked his tongue; he had never met someone as difficult to talk to as Zhu Jiayu.
He even began to doubt whether cooperating with her was really the right choice. It was only the first day, and she was already ordering him around so casually. Was she just trying to make him work for free?
Zhu Jiayu returned to her room, and Lüzheng followed, carrying a sandalwood box: "Miss, where should we put this red jade and gold jewelry?"
Zhu Jiayu thought for a moment and said, "Let's put it on the dressing table."
Lüzheng nodded in agreement and then moved behind Zhu Jiayu to remove her hairpins and jewelry.
Her hesitant expression was reflected in the bronze mirror, which Zhu Jiayu found amusing: "Ask whatever you want to ask, although I may not necessarily answer."
Green Kite finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Miss, you asked Young Master Lin to investigate those beggars because of Miss Xiao's matter?"
Zhu Jiayu looked at her in surprise: "You figured that out?"
It's no wonder she was surprised. After all, in their daily interactions, Lüzheng had been quite naive, but she was obedient and loyal, otherwise Zhu Jiayu wouldn't have kept her by his side for so long.
Lüzheng scratched her head: "This servant is just guessing. But this servant doesn't understand why you want to investigate Miss Xiao's matter?"
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