"Miss, it's such a long way from the capital to Yangzhou. Should I start packing our luggage now?" Jiaoyue and Mingyue chattered away after a brief discussion, their eyes full of anticipation for Yangzhou.
"Don't be hasty. It's okay to set off next month," Shen Li said as she blew on the letter she had just finished writing, sealed it in an envelope, and handed it to Mingyue. "Let's wait until all the matters in the capital are settled before we go."
"Wait a few more days. Don't rush to pack just yet. We don't want to arouse suspicion."
"Yes, Miss! I got so excited just now that I almost forgot we haven't closed the net yet. You're always so thoughtful, Miss!" Jiaoyue stuck out her tongue playfully.
"You! Whenever there's something fun or delicious, you're always the first one to rush forward!" Shen Li said with a smile as she tapped Jiaoyue on the forehead.
"Miss! Don't hit my head! If you make me stupid, there won't be anyone to serve you. You won't be able to see your smart and cute Jiaoyue anymore!" Jiaoyue covered her head and dodged to the side with a laugh.
"Haha! So what if you're stupid? Even a stupid Jiaoyue has to serve me!"
"Miss, you're so mean!" Jiaoyue looked at Shen Li and complained. "Making me stupid won't do you any good. You're really bad at calculating!"
"Look, right now I can help you get dressed and eat. When you write, I can grind the ink for you. When you paint, I can hold a fan for you. If I were stupid, I wouldn't be able to do any of these things, and I'd only cause you trouble. No matter how you calculate it, it's a bad deal for you, Miss. You'd better keep me around to serve you!"
"Alright, alright!" Shen Li retracted her hand and gently tapped Jiaoyue on the nose instead. "The current Jiaoyue is so smart. You're a great helper. I can't make you stupid. I'd have to find someone to take care of you then, and that would cost me a lot of silver. It's not worth it! Not worth it!"
"Miss!" Jiaoyue stamped her foot lightly and called out to Shen Li.
"Okay, okay! I won't tease you anymore. Have you noticed any abnormalities at the Shen Mansion these days?"
Shen Li had assigned this task to Mingyue. Hearing Shen Li's question, Mingyue reported the latest information. "The Old Lady Zhu and Lord Shen have been acting differently from usual. These days, Second Master Shen has been searching for someone in the capital's taverns, gambling houses, brothels, and teahouses. He's been making quite a stir, but he hasn't found any useful information."
"However, in the past few days, there seems to be something wrong with Eldest Miss Shen and Eldest Master Shen from the eldest branch of the Shen Mansion."
"What's wrong with them? Tell me," Shen Li asked. She had a deep impression of the man in the wheelchair, so she was curious when she heard about their strange behavior.
"Recently, our people noticed that Eldest Miss Shen has been in frequent contact with people outside the mansion. These days, she sends out a letter every day. She seems to be in a hurry."
"In a hurry? Do you know what's in those letters?"
"Our people once intercepted one of her carrier pigeons. The letter inside seemed to be addressed to Lord Shen and Lady Shen. But our people were afraid of being discovered, so they put the letter back intact after reading it."
"I remember that Lord Shen and Lady Shen have been away from home for more than a decade. Why are they suddenly in contact again? Do you have any clues about this?" Shen Li leaned back in her chair, tapping the table with her fingers, lost in thought.
Mingyue thought for a moment before answering. "It was about half a month ago. Eldest Miss Shen first sent out several letters and received one in return. Later, she probably thought it took too long, so she switched to using carrier pigeons."
"Do you know if her letters were sent anywhere else besides to Lord Shen and Lady Shen?"
"Yes. Miss Shen also sent a letter to her maternal grandparents' house, but she didn't receive a reply. After that, she didn't send any more letters there."
"Anything else? Have you noticed any other abnormalities with the siblings?"
"Yes. Miss Shen closed and sold two of Eldest Master Shen's shops."
Hearing this, Shen Li was curious. "With Old Lady Zhu's methods, could Eldest Master Shen still have anything left under his name?"
Mingyue said regretfully, "These two shops were part of Lady Shen's dowry. They're the only things left. The rest have long been taken away."
Although Jiaoyue didn't say where Lady Shen's property and dowry had gone, everyone knew that most of it had probably been taken by Old Lady Zhu.
"Hehe! It seems that only these two siblings in the Shen Mansion are truly smart!"
Mingyue had her own suspicions and asked Shen Li, "Miss, are Miss Shen and Master Shen trying to escape?"
"They're leaving, not escaping. They haven't done anything wrong. They just don't want to be implicated by the people in the Shen Mansion, so they want to leave the capital as soon as possible."
Jiaoyue nodded in agreement. "Master Shen is so pitiful. He's still so young, but his legs are disabled. He'll have to sit in a wheelchair for the rest of his life."
"Miss, you just said they're not wrong. Can we let them go? They've already suffered so much," Jiaoyue pleaded, looking at Shen Li.
"Not yet, Jiaoyue. I still need their help with some things. They can't leave for the time being. But don't worry. Your Miss isn't someone who can't tell right from wrong. I've always only targeted those who have hurt me or tried to hurt me."
"Yeah! We've always trusted you, Miss!" Jiaoyue and Mingyue said in unison.
Looking at their smiling faces, Shen Li couldn't help but smile as well.
"Miss, haven't we already set up the trap? Is there something wrong with our plan?" Mingyue grasped the key point and asked Shen Li.
"There are still some deficiencies. Once I've made the necessary arrangements, we can defeat our enemies even if we're not in the capital."
Mingyue and Jiaoyue exchanged a puzzled look. Mingyue was the first to ask, "Miss, is there still a problem? Isn't it already proven that Shen Feng secretly gave money to the private salt merchants? The investigation is so strict now. Once they're found out, they'll be sentenced to death!"
"Don't forget one thing. Shen Feng was deceived. He didn't actually participate in the salt trafficking. At that time, he could just claim that he was deceived and knew nothing, and he might be able to escape punishment."