36 Are you well acquainted with the Ghost-Faced Man?

Rong Yu flipped through two pages and said, "On the basis of this alone—falsifying household registration and framing a high official—that constitutes the crime of deceiving the Emperor. You could have him thrown into prison right now."

"That is not enough," Lin Yuejiao said earnestly. "Although the case of the villagers killed years ago was the work of the Green Dragon Stronghold bandits, Chi Shuangxiang was the mastermind behind the scenes. To convict him using only the charge of falsified registration would be letting him off too lightly."

Rong Yu arched a brow, finding it strange. How did this woman know everything? As the head of the Censorate, the highest supervisory body of the imperial court, Rong Yu served as the Emperor's eyes, investigating everyone from imperial relatives down to civil and military officials. He was in charge of an intelligence network that spanned the entire country, and he possessed his own private intelligence channels as well. Yet, in this case, he was not even as fast as she was.

"Do you have evidence that Chi Shuangxiang colluded with the Green Dragon Stronghold bandits?" Rong Yu asked.

Lin Yuejiao shook her head and said softly, "No. But with this register as evidence, I have already proven Chi Shuangxiang is guilty. As for how to uncover the rest of his crimes, that is the duty of a First Rank Left Censor-in-Chief like yourself. How would a humble girl like me dare to overstep my bounds?"

"Hahaha, you dare to direct a noble heir, so what else would the Fourth Miss not dare to do?" Li Moqian could not help but laugh aloud.

Rong Yu casually handed the register to Yun Jian and curled his lips. "You must no longer involve yourself in this Chi family case. From now on, it has nothing to do with you. I have already sent men to track the Green Dragon Stronghold, and news will arrive shortly. Although Chi Shuangxiang acts quickly to silence witnesses, there are always those who slip through the net. You need not worry that he will lack charges against him. Once the evidence from there arrives, I will move against Chi Shuangxiang immediately. You just need to act as if you know nothing."

"Then I thank you, My Lord." Lin Yuejiao felt a weight lift from her heart. With Rong Yu's promise, the downfall of the Chi family was only a matter of time. She would no longer have to worry about their schemes; this would settle it once and for all.

Lin Yuejiao did not want to be entangled in this case because she was still too weak; it would be troublesome to become an enemy of the Crown Prince's faction. Rong Yu, in turn, maintained a tacit understanding, helping her erase the traces of her involvement.

"If you hadn't helped me find Hongxin's family, I wouldn't have been able to obtain this crucial evidence so easily, nor would I have been able to take down the Chi family for my revenge. Since you helped me once, I must do one thing for you in return. Is there anything you require?" Lin Yuejiao asked politely.

"I was already investigating the Chi family; it wasn't really help."

Lin Yuejiao insisted, "Regardless, please tell me if there is anything I can do."

Rong Yu frowned, slightly displeased by her attitude of wanting to draw a clear line between them. However, he did not get angry. He pointed at Li Moqian beside him and said, "Moqian has run into a bit of trouble. Help him find a solution, and we shall consider our accounts settled."

"May I ask what trouble Mr. Li is facing?" Lin Yuejiao asked readily.

Li Moqian, having listened to their back-and-forth, did not expect the fire to burn him. He laughed helplessly, "It is indeed a bit of trouble. At the Xinzhou literary gathering last time, I casually mentioned wanting to discuss calligraphy with Lin Zijin, and now the young ladies of Jiangnan are all using that as an excuse to visit me. I am hiding here at the heir's residence to avoid the disaster."

"Why doesn't Mr. Li simply close his doors to guests like the heir does?" Lin Yuejiao asked, before realizing she had asked a foolish question. Not everyone in this world had the stature or the power to refuse guests. Rong Yu was so arrogant because he was the most powerful man in the Great Zhao; aside from the Emperor, he did not need to give anyone face. Others were not so fortunate.

"My apologies, it was a slip of the tongue," Lin Yuejiao quickly apologized. After a moment of thought, she said, "I saw many young ladies waiting for you at the Yunsheng Water Pavilion today; it must be causing you quite a headache. I have an idea: write a first line of a couplet. Only those who can provide the matching second line may see you. If they cannot, then I am sorry—regardless of who they are, you treat everyone equally and do not meet them. These ladies pride themselves on their talent; if they cannot even match a couplet, who would have the nerve to insist on meeting you? Should there be any shameless ones, the other ladies would scold them into hiding before you even had to speak."

A glint of light appeared in Li Moqian's eyes. "That's excellent. Such a good idea, why didn't I think of it?"

"You were merely too close to the situation, sir. Given your wit, you surely would have thought of it. As the foremost scholar of the century, it should not be difficult for you to write a first line that no one can match," Lin Yuejiao smiled.

Li Moqian chuckled, "Writing a couplet that others cannot match is still a challenge. I will ponder it. Although I am benefiting from the heir's presence, since you offered the idea, Fourth Miss, I must express my gratitude. I will present you with a piece of calligraphy. Pick any poem you like."

Li Moqian's calligraphy was worth its weight in gold. Lin Yuejiao had only meant to repay a favor to Rong Yu and did not need a gift from Li Moqian, but she could not resist this offer; she happened to need him to write a shop sign for her new business.

"Mr. Li's calligraphy is worth a thousand pieces of gold. It is too precious, but I do happen to need your help with a sign, so I will not decline," Lin Yuejiao said with a smile. "I will also write a piece for you in exchange. Though it cannot compare to your work, perhaps it will be of some small help."

Li Moqian was stunned, then laughed, "Could it be that the Fourth Miss intends to write a first line for me?"

"Oh? You guessed it..." Lin Yuejiao said in surprise, laughing. "I shouldn't be showing off in front of you, but since you are gifting me your work, I would be ashamed to accept without a return, so I must brazenly offer a first line."

Li Moqian said with great interest, "I was just wondering what to write. Fourth Miss, you are like timely rain. Please."

The two of them ground ink, spread the rice paper, and began to write. Li Moqian wrote three characters for Lin Yuejiao: "Jade Beauty Pavilion," the name of her new rouge shop, derived from the phrase "as beautiful as jade."

Lin Yuejiao wrote a first line for Li Moqian, one she had written in her previous life that had stumped many people for a long time: "Read the Zuo Zhuan from top to bottom; flip the book to the right."

It included top, bottom, left, and right, and the *Zuo Zhuan* was a real book—it was a difficult challenge.

"This first line..." Li Moqian pondered for a moment, then laughed, "I cannot think of a matching line immediately. It seems that with this hanging at my door, I won't have to worry about being disturbed anymore."

Lin Yuejiao smiled playfully, "Does Mr. Li mean that my calligraphy has the power to ward off evil?"

"Hahaha..." Li Moqian laughed heartily.

Rong Yu watched the two of them exchanging calligraphy and chatting happily, his face darkening. This little woman, Lin Yuejiao, could be so radiant and smiling toward anyone else, so why did she always keep him at such a distance?

Li Moqian noticed the expression on the man beside him and coughed, saying, "Heir, Fourth Miss, I suddenly remembered an urgent matter at home. I must take my leave."

"Heir, I shall also take my leave," Lin Yuejiao curtsied.

Upon hearing this, Li Moqian immediately said with a smile, "Fourth Miss, no need to rush. I had promised the heir a game of Go, but since I have this urgent matter, I cannot play. Perhaps you could take my place and play a game with the heir? Thank you."

"Wait, Mr. Li, Mr..." Just as Lin Yuejiao was about to refuse, Li Moqian strode away as fast as he could, his face twisted in a suppressed, pained smile.

Once Li Moqian was gone, the atmosphere in the hall turned stiff.

"My chess skills are not refined..." Lin Yuejiao did not want to stay with Rong Yu for long and weighed her words carefully.

Before she could finish, Rong Yu raised an eyebrow, "I will give you a handicap."

"Ah?"

"Then I shall make a fool of myself." Lin Yuejiao had no choice but to sit across from Rong Yu. She stared at the remnant game on the board, her brows furrowed in thought, before picking up a black stone and placing it down.

Rong Yu casually dropped a white stone.

They went back and forth, and after a dozen moves, Lin Yuejiao looked at the board while Rong Yu watched her. The woman before him, with every expression and smile, was always exceptionally beautiful.

"A draw. Thank you for your courtesy, Heir," a quarter of an hour later, Lin Yuejiao set down her piece and said politely.

Rong Yu pursed his lips. He had indeed gone easy on her. Had her skills been poor, she would have inevitably lost if she had followed his flow. But she had no intention of winning, and after several exchanges, they had reached a draw, which was enough to show her solid foundation in the game.

"Heir, I would like to ask you about someone. Do you know how to contact the Ghost-Faced Man?" Lin Yuejiao asked.

Now that Li Moqian had finished the sign for her shop, the next step was to list it under the Four Seas Trading Company. Without that sorted, the shop could not open.

Rong Yu did not expect her to mention him suddenly. He arched a brow, "Something the matter?"

"Yes, that's right," Lin Yuejiao nodded, though she did not explain why she wanted to find him. In her mind, Rong Yu was always a noble sitting high above in the clouds, looking down upon them. They were not on the same level, and she always felt inferior in his presence, so she did not like to have deep contact with him.

The Ghost-Faced Man was different. Although he seemed more dangerous than Rong Yu, with a hideous mask that would scare even a ghost, she was not afraid of him at all. Since her rebirth, their few encounters had felt inexplicably familiar.

Rong Yu asked suspiciously, "Why are you looking for a killer? Are you planning to hire someone to kill?"

"Oh? Is he a killer?" Lin Yuejiao's beautiful eyes brightened, and she blinked her watery, large eyes, saying, "Are you very familiar with him, Heir? You seem to know so much about him."

Rong Yu said, "Not familiar. We have just done a few pieces of business together."

"Then you must have a way to contact him. Could you please help me arrange a meeting? Do you know his name? He is so skilled; he must be quite famous in the martial arts world, right? Where does he live? How does one usually find him to do business?" Lin Yuejiao threw a series of questions at him, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Rong Yu was stunned.