They were aware that Wei Yi was one in a kind “talking” master. Although they had only spent a day with him, this “merit” of Wei Yi was plainly obvious.
If they didn’t nod in agreement, they feared that Wei Yi would pull them aside and speak at least a few hours of rhetoric nonsense. Wei Yi beamed at them before finishing eating his cake. Then, empty-handed, he went back into the room filled with satisfaction to continue to eat.
Meanwhile, Ji Yunshu went to a restaurant after leaving the Rong estate. When she entered, a waiter welcomed her and led her to a private room on the second floor. After pushing the door opened, She saw a person sitting upright, showcasing a graceful and opulent attitude. Despite the annoyance showing on that person’s countenance, her eyes contained an arrogance that couldn’t be hidden. Ji Yunshu knocked on the opened door to get that person’s attention before entering.
This meeting was out of Ji Yunshu’s expectations. Ji Yunshu took out the short letter, then she swept away the rainwater on her shoulders. She walked in with the corner of her mouth slightly curled up. She said, “How unexpected! How did you find out so quickly that I had arrived at the capital?”
Sitting opposite of her was Madame Jiang, that flamboyant and domineering woman whom she met in Jinjiang before. At that time, when Ji Yunshu sent her to the prison, she already knew that Madame Jiang and her brother, Li Zhao, would be released soon. Furthermore, General Li was able to request a legal document which he sent to the yamen. Magistrate Liu had cold sweats after reading it and released the two of them. The Li family’s reputation was truly too huge.
Madame Jiang raised her eyes which contained a smile. Then, she excessively exclaimed in surprise. Both of her hands brushed the chair next to her. “Teacher Ji, please sit here. I already ordered people to prepare some fine food as a welcome meal for you.”
Ji Yunshu wasn’t polite and bluntly sat down. Placed in front of her were many signature dishes and all of them were appealing to the eyes. She courteously smiled, “Madame Jiang, you don’t need to be so extravagant and wasteful.”
“How can you say this is wasteful? Didn’t I say before that Teacher isn’t a fish in a small pond? And here you are today in the capital. It’s normal that I want to drink three cups with you. Thus, I arranged for this feast although it’s obviously a bit lacking.”
‘People with money are so different!’ She moved her eyesight away from Madame Jiang and sternly spoke, “Since it’s not the first time we met, I supposed that Madame Jiang might have something on your mind. You might as well say it. Those delicious dishes are not something this humble one is interested in.”
Madame Jiang lightly shook her head. “Teacher Ji is really clever. I can’t hide it from you. Since you already guessed my mind, I’ll just tell you.”
‘Oh! There’s really something on your mind.’ This shouldn’t be right. Since she exposed Madame Jiang’s skeleton in the closet, the latter should have had her heart filled with hatred for her. How could she have arranged a table full of delicious food and want to respect her with three cups of wine?
Madame Jiang sighed and slowly explained, “I won’t hide from you, my home has a little sister who had recently reached a marriageable age. She’s called Shuiqing. Woefully, not long ago, a day before my return to the capital, she suddenly went missing. We searched and asked around, but there have been no clues so far.”
‘So straight to the point!’ thought Ji Yunshu.
“The missing girls case?” faintly stated Ji Yunshu.
“Correct! You might have heard about it when you passed through the gate check. Within two months, many young women have disappeared in the capital. The investigation has been going on but nothing conclusive has been found. This has caused unrest in everyone. However, I never expected that the criminal’s hand would stretch to our Li family.” When she finished speaking, Madame Jiang clenched her fists tightly.
Ji Yunshu got a general idea and understood the meaning of this meeting. She lowered her eyes and only said, “Therefore, you want me to help you?”
“Teacher Ji, I know your skills.”
“Madame Jiang…”
Madame Jiang promptly interrupted her.
“I know that Teacher Ji doesn’t want to get involved in this matter. However, right now, you are the only one that I know who has the ability to investigate this case thoroughly.”