"Even if you're busy, you still need to eat!" Shen Li opened the food box, took out all the dishes inside, and placed them in front of Shen Yi.
Seeing that Shen Li was still a bit resentful towards him, Shen Yi changed the topic. "Li'er, guess what the Emperor wants to talk to me about?"
"Brother, asking me this is underestimating me! The news has spread among the common people. The court has arrested many merchants this time, and there are quite a few who were privately selling salt. Is there any other reason for the Emperor to summon you?"
Even though Shen Li didn't give him a good look, Shen Yi still praised her generously. "Li'er is truly intelligent!"
In response to Shen Yi's praise, Shen Li just snorted.
As Shen Yi ate the food brought by Shen Li, he continued to praise it. "Mmm... The food my sister brings is really delicious! I'll finish it all later!"
Finally, Shen Li was amused. "Brother, you're so good at flattering! Eat less. If you eat too much, you'll feel uncomfortable again, and I'll worry about you."
Shen Yi just smiled without saying a word.
"Do you have confidence in handling this matter, brother?"
"It's not a difficult task, just a bit troublesome!" Shen Yi didn't think the task assigned by Emperor Dongling was very difficult.
"Brother is so confident. I guess you've already started investigating, right?" Shen Li's tone was affirmative. She knew that with his current control of the Night Shadow Department, no action of the court officials could escape his eyes.
"It wasn't too early. About four or five years ago."
"Oh! It seems that brother is well-prepared. I was going to remind you, but it seems unnecessary now. With your intelligence, you must have made preparations long ago!"
"Yeah! You mean the Panhu Fort?" Shen Yi stopped his chopsticks and looked at Shen Li with a smile.
"It seems that brother has enough information. Then I can rest assured!"
"Hehe! Li'er, tell me. Is there something else you want to tell me? Don't keep me guessing. Just tell me directly!" Shen Yi put down his chopsticks, leaned back on the chair, and looked at Shen Li with a smile.
"Okay. Since brother has said so, I'll give you a reminder. As for whether you can find anything and how much you can find, that's your business!"
Shen Li organized her words in her mind and said, "Last time, I encountered assassins at the Pufa Temple. They were chasing the Fourth Prince and the Heir of the Xuanyuan Family. It seemed that they were after a ledger. The ledger was originally in the hands of the Fourth Prince, and then it ended up in Xuanyuan Jue's hands. It should still be in his hands now!"
"I suspect that the ledger is related to the illegal salt trade!"
Shen Yi bent his index finger and middle finger of his right hand and tapped the table twice. "If that's the case, those southern salt smugglers are too bold. What does the ledger look like? I'll try to investigate it."
Shen Li recalled the ledger she had only glanced at that night. "It has a blue cover, with nothing written on it. It's quite thick."
Shen Yi nodded, still tapping his fingers on the table. This was his habitual action when thinking. Shen Li knew he was lost in thought again. She shook her head helplessly and tapped the table twice hard.
"Cough! You can't just think and forget to eat!" Shen Li picked up the chopsticks on the table and handed them to Shen Yi again.
Shen Yi also smiled, with a hint of doting in his eyes. "Okay, let's eat! Think while eating!"
After saying that, Shen Yi picked up a piece of food, chewed it twice in Shen Li's direction, as if to say: Look, I'm eating! Don't scold me anymore!
Looking at her brother, Shen Li thought he was sometimes like a child.
"One more thing! I once went to the Panhu Fort to gather information. I heard the three leaders there talking about a business deal, and the amount was quite large. I guessed that the person might be from the Western Yue Kingdom."
"From the Western Yue Kingdom?"
Shen Li nodded. "This is just my guess. It needs to be verified!"
"Hehe! If that's really the case, this matter will be even more interesting!" Shen Yi chuckled. "I've heard before that the Emperor of the Western Yue Kingdom sent one of his sons to the territory of the Eastern Ling Kingdom. It seems to be true. So that's what they're up to."
"I just don't know if it's He Liancheng or He Lianyun. If we can catch one of them, hehe, I wonder if the old Emperor of the Western Yue Kingdom will choose his son or the city?"
The influence of the Night Shadow Department not only spread across the Eastern Ling Kingdom but also extended to small countries like the Western Yue Kingdom, the Tuguhuo, and the Laiqiu. As the leader of the Night Shadow Department, Shen Yi naturally knew a lot of inside information. Shen Li wasn't surprised by this.
"Okay! I'll handle all these matters. Don't worry about them blindly!"
"Brother, when I didn't care about these things before, you said I was naive and easily deceived. Now that I've become smarter and want to care about them, you don't let me! How can you be like this? I think the reason I was always deceived before was that you spoiled me too much, and I didn't know how sinister people could be!"
There was actually nothing wrong with what Shen Li said. When Shen Li was only seven years old, her father and mother left. For so many years, she and Shen Yi had depended on each other.
As an elder brother, Shen Yi naturally liked to indulge his sister's temper, allowing her to live a carefree life. That's why she couldn't see through the true faces of Shen Junming's family.
"Okay! It's my fault!" Shen Yi still smiled and admitted his mistake, with a doting tone. "Now that you're in the Night Shadow Department, if you want to know anything, just investigate it yourself! If you want to learn martial arts, I'll find a good master for you."
Naturally, Shen Li wouldn't refuse. She agreed with a smile. "Okay, brother. I'll accept your kindness."
...
"Second Miss, is it really okay for us to do this?" Shen Zhen followed Shen Miao slowly, hesitating.
"What's wrong? As younger sisters, it's normal for us to visit our elder sister, isn't it?" Shen Miao stopped and looked back at Shen Zhen impatiently. Shen Zhen was walking as slowly as a turtle.
"But... I heard that the Night Shadow Department is a secret organization of the court, and outsiders are not allowed to enter. If we just go there like this, will we be beheaded?"
As Shen Zhen said this, she gestured a slashing motion on her neck with her hand, showing a scared expression.