Wen Yu got goosebumps when she heard this. "So, the person Tan met at Fanghua Temple was this Mr. Zhou!? Ha! Finally a match. Could he be Tan's mistress?"

Qi Wu thought her words were harsh and frowned slightly, "Impossible! How old was she when she met my grandfather? How could she involve so many people? Once she enters the Qi family, she won't have the opportunity to do anything out of line."

"Who is right? Grandfather is often not at home!" Wen Yu was willing to speculate about her with a malicious heart.

Qi Wu didn't like Wen Yu's words: She actually had this idea? So when the man is not at home, the woman has a reason to be unrestrained? Then will he be able to go out in the future?

"Then you have never met Lord Zhou. How could he be interested in Tan? Tan has been raised in the Qi family for so many years, and she is a bit rustic in her bones!" Qi Wu wanted to say something unpleasant, but it was okay.

"What does he look like?!" Wen Yu was interested.

Qi Wu recalled: "Very clean, very tidy. The fabrics of his clothes are the most expensive in your place! At his age, he has no extra fat. He has a neat beard and a calm attitude. He must have been very handsome when he was young, but now... his eyes are very bright and clear, which doesn't look like someone of his age."

Wen Yu said, "Aren't Tan's eyes like this too? Could it be her brother?"

Qi Wu thought about it and shook his head again: "It's unlikely! He would be very famous outside! He ranked so high in the palace examination, so he must be very good at studying. The local officials must flatter him! With a brother like him, the Tan family would never live in such poverty."

Wen Yu was a little anxious: "It's not this and it's not that. If we want to find out their relationship...what should we do?"

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on things here, and then wait for news from Mu Bo and the others."

Wen Yu's eyes suddenly lit up: "Oh, right, I'll go find Madam Li! Elder Li has argued with him so much, he must know both himself and his opponent, maybe he knows something."

Just do it! Xiaoji was immediately sent to the Li Mansion to deliver the invitation. When Mrs. Li saw that Wen Yu wanted to meet, she nodded coldly: "It's just right, I have something to ask her, let her come."

Wen Yu came quietly, and Madam Li said, "Madam Qi Wu, please take a seat."

Looking at Madam Li's serious and solemn face, without a trace of smile, she was unhappy... Wen Yu had just sat down when Madam Li asked, "A few days ago, it was you who kidnapped Yang Xiangdong, right?"

"You know?" Wen Yu was shocked.

"I knew he was kidnapped, but later on, he came back safe and sound. I thought he might be one of yours."

Wen Yu chuckled and said, "There are some things I don't understand, so I brought him here to ask."

Madam Li sneered. Although she hated Yang Xiangdong and was on guard against him, he was a member of the Li family after all! She could ignore him, but for others... you have to look at the owner before you beat the dog.

This woman in front of me was taken away without saying a word! What does she think of the Li family? This is outrageous! "Wen Yu, you should also restrain yourself! Yang Xiangdong is a member of my Li family and an official appointed by the court! She was taken away without saying a word. How arrogant!"

"Madam, this is Wen Yu's fault. I apologize to you!" Wen Yu readily followed suit and stood up and saluted.

Madam Li looked suspicious. Was she so easy to talk to? "If you were really so sensible, you wouldn't do it like this! What do you want to do? If you know anything, just come and ask me!"

"What do you want to ask? How did Yang Xiangdong deliberately try to bring down the Li family?"

"You!" Mrs. Li was furious.

"Ma'am, don't be angry!"

Madam Li was so angry that she was shaking. She almost called someone to come in and take her out: "Wen Yu, do you think I can't do anything to you!?"

"Madam...Wen Yu just wanted to ease the atmosphere. Today, I came to you specially to ask for your advice!"

"You are so bold that you dare to do anything. Why do you still need to ask me for advice?" Mrs. Li was a little angry with herself. Am I too idle? Why did I ask her to come?

Just give her a good look!

"Really, I sincerely want to ask you for advice. People say that the person who knows you best is your opponent... So, I want to ask you about someone!"

"Where did you hear these nonsense? When you turned around and saw Cui Fengying..."

"My mother-in-law doesn't care about me. It's useless to talk to her! Okay, stop talking nonsense and get down to business!"

Madam Li looked at her coldly and didn't even serve her tea.

"I want to ask you about the former Minister of Personnel, Lord Zhou. He once competed with Lord Li for the position..."

Madam Li forgot that she was angry and said in surprise, "Him? He has been retired for many years and only comes out occasionally when something important happens... Why are you asking about him?"

"To be honest, in the recent events, all the threads were connected to him! But I want to investigate, but I have no clue... Besides, this old man Zhou is quite powerful...

I know he is wrong, but I don't know the depth, so I dare not act rashly. Lord, you were an enemy of Minister Zhou in the past! Lord, you won, so you must have suppressed him. You know more... We have common interests, you will definitely tell me everything, right?"

Madam Li thought about it carefully and said, "You mean, he is behind Yang Xiangdong?"

"That's what my husband said when he asked Yang Xiangdong. But it was just his own guess and he didn't contact that person directly."

"Although he has retired, many of the current chief officers were once his subordinates. He knows what abilities those people have and what mistakes they have made!"

Madam Li said, "To tell you the truth, when he first stepped down, I paid attention to him for two years. But he kept a low profile and was very stable. Apart from finding a stable job for his son, he stayed put. The elder once praised him: He was able to take on responsibilities and let go, and he knew when to advance and retreat. He was really admirable! But when you say that..."

"What kind of person is he?" Wen Yu asked.

"This man... the old man said he had great talent, clear thinking, and steady methods. He took the lead in several major events, which are all worthy of praise. However, his thoughts were a little scattered, and his attention was not completely on the main task. He spent too much energy trying to understand the ways of the world. It was precisely because of this that the old man won by a narrow margin.

He has been in the Ministry of Personnel for a long time and is well versed in the ways of being an official. I am afraid he also knows a lot of officials' secrets. It is possible that those people's lives and property are in his hands and he can use them for his own purposes."

"What is his relationship with the princes?"

Madam Li looked at Wen Yu again, "At that time, the emperor's position was already stable, he was young and strong, and he was very wise, so no one was close to the prince. Do you mean that he attached himself to someone?"

Wen Yu smiled and said, "If you want to touch Elder Li, no matter how capable Lord Zhou is, it will be difficult! But if you get involved with a certain prince, it is not impossible."

"Did you hear it from the Crown Prince?" Madam Li asked with a smile.

Wen Yu shook her head: "I found out myself, because of my cousin..." Then she told the Song family what happened.

"Prince Wu's Palace?" Madam Li's eyes narrowed again.

Wen Yu gestured and talked about the object, "Take it to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to have a look. His Royal Highness said that there are four of these incense balls in total. The Crown Prince's Mansion also has them, but the gems on them are different."

"Your Highness..." Madam Li said in a low voice, "I'm afraid that he hasn't had a good time recently."

"For Your Highness, it's good enough to be alive." Wen Yu said seriously.

Madam Li sighed softly, turned her head and thought about it carefully, "What you said reminds me of a case from a few years ago, the Yun family. When I was young, I had a girlfriend. We were classmates for only one year. Her family moved away, and we lost contact for a long time. Later, I heard that she married into the Yun family. After the Yun family got into trouble, I specifically asked about the reason. I heard this method..."

"Madam is really smart. It took us a long time to connect the dots."

Madam Li glared at Wen Yu and said, "Stop flattering me!"

Wen Yu said, "Yang Xiangdong guessed that the person behind this was Mr. Zhou because he knew a family that had similar experiences. Yang Xiangdong is not an ordinary person."

Madam Li sighed, "That's why I don't know what to do. If I restrict his future, he will resent me. If I help him, I'm afraid he will become a threat. If he drags down the Li family, I will be a real sinner."

"How is he at home?"

"It's back to the old days. My sister is happy all day long. I have persuaded her to let Yang Xiangdong take a concubine."

Wen Yu said, "I understand your feeling of powerlessness. Yang Xiangdong is a master at judging the situation. Wei was a fool he made before, and I believe he will restrain himself in the future. As long as the Li family does not fall, your sister will have no worries."

"I hope so!"

"I suspect Lord Zhou, there is another very important reason. Looking at your spending in my shop... I can roughly infer the life of the Li family. It is very different from the Zhou family..."

Madam Li didn't take it seriously: "My father-in-law became a minister not for promotion or wealth. He was there to share the emperor's worries and to benefit the people. He is a clean-handed man! I am not one who covets pleasure. Don't mock me with this!"

"How can I be sarcastic about you? Even my grandfather wouldn't be willing to spend thousands of taels of silver to burn incense. Do you have any leverage over Lord Zhou?"

Madam Li shook her head: "He is a slippery man. If we talk about major mistakes, there really aren't any!"

Wen Yu expressed doubt.

"Wen Yu, what I said is true. The dispute between him and the elder was a dispute over court affairs. The elder disdained to do anything, but Lord Li and I have investigated privately. This person is not without small mistakes, but no one is perfect, including my father-in-law! Therefore, in the end, my father-in-law's proposal was more in line with the emperor's will. His defeat is not disgraceful."

Wen Yu was a little disappointed. "Is there really nothing? His background is similar to that of the elder, right?"

"It's about the same, just an ordinary country gentleman! The Li family has officials in the court, so they should be stronger than the Zhou family. If there is anything strange, there is one thing..."

"You say."

"Generally speaking, as long as someone in a family becomes successful, they will definitely help their fellow clan members. Even in the Li family, I have also put a lot of energy into this aspect.

It was either exams or job hunting, weddings or funerals, in short, it was inevitable. After Mr. Zhou became an official in the capital, he bought a study and arranged for male and female managers. Whenever someone from his hometown came, they would be received there.

Those who are good at studying can receive rewards there. Those who are in financial difficulties can also get some relief there. Those who seek him for a job can place their request there and basically get it arranged. In theory, he is also a friend, right? But people want to see him, but they can't. The Zhou family has no other high-ranking officials in the capital, and they have never heard of his glorious return to his hometown. When others ask about it, he will sigh softly, as if he has something to hide..."

The next chapter will be late, don't wait.