Zhu Yu could tell from Lu Qing’s expression that he had already concocted some plan.

Every time this guy smiled so kindly, there was always some conspiracy or scheme behind it.

Clearly, He Min, who had just met him, was not aware of this.

"Benefactor, please don’t console me. If there’s truly something I can do, I will do my utmost to repay you both for saving my life and for uncovering the truth about my daughter’s death, such a tremendous kindness!" He Min looked down at his frail limbs and sighed in frustration.

"There will be opportunities for you to help, but the opposing forces are vast and entrenched in the shadows. It’s not as simple as just taking down that Headdress and Shoes Workshop," Lu Qing nodded at him. "Just that day, when you told us where the clothes were hidden, we went to your house and found that it had already been searched.

So for now, you shouldn’t go back to your own home, nor should you appear in public, to avoid being harmed by their people.

The priority now is to keep you safe, so that when the day comes for your daughter’s vengeance, you’ll be there to witness it.

From now on, stay in that small courtyard and nurse your health back."

He Min nodded quickly, "I have no other ties outside now; the benefactor not only saved me but also took me in here to live. I’m already immensely grateful...

I have nothing else to offer... If the benefactor is willing to have me help teach literacy or something, I’d be more than happy to!"

Zhu Yu glanced at Lu Qing, and Lu Qing understood her intention, signaling for the rune to fetch Liu Yueyao.

"This Mr. He used to run a school outside the city and will temporarily stay in that courtyard," Lu Qing instructed Liu Yueyao. "If there’s anything needing letters written or records kept, or if in their free time the musicians, dancers, or staff workers want to learn literacy in the pavilion, arrange for Mr. He to do it.

Pay Mr. He for his work afterward according to market rates."

"That would be wonderful." Liu Yueyao smiled warmly and bowed to He Min, "The staff here are clever but quite a few can’t read a word, even if their names were written large in front of them.

And for the musicians and dancers in the pavilion, this isn’t a lifelong occupation; learning some literacy would be beneficial for their future.

If Mr. He doesn’t mind, I’ll tidy up a room for you to hold a little school, where you can teach people here to read and write, okay?"

"Manager Liu trusting me is an honor for this old man!" He Min hastily bowed to Liu Yueyao and then knelt on the ground, kowtowing towards Lu Qing and Zhu Yu, "The great benevolence and virtue of you two benefactors, He Min will remember. If there’s any way I can serve like a loyal servant in the future, please instruct me!"

Lu Qing nodded at him, smiled, and gestured for him to return to rest.

Once everyone else had left, Zhu Yu asked Lu Qing, "What are you plotting? What could He Min, a school teacher, possibly do for us?"

Lu Qing smiled and asked Zhu Yu, "Do you remember what that Flowing Clouds looked like?"

Zhu Yu thought for a moment and nodded, "Dazzling in the sunlight."

"Indeed, those iridescent shines do leave a deep impression," Lu Qing reminded Zhu Yu, "If you disregard the most attention-grabbing iridescence, what color do you think that fabric was?"

"Under the pale yellow, it seemed to have hints of gold..." Zhu Yu suddenly realized, her eyes widening.

She had indeed observed the fabric closely before, but on one hand, she wasn’t particularly attentive to these things, and on the other, the dazzling colors in the sunlight had blinded her to the fact the base color of the fabric wasn’t really pale yellow. But due to divided attention, she hadn’t thought much of it then.

Looking back carefully now, she realized it wasn’t that simple.

The fabric itself was no ordinary item, something she was always aware of. Initially, she had a preconceived notion, based on previous events, that perhaps the fabric carried some scent for a certain purpose, but it was presented without the infused fragrance - the garment tailored for Duchess Yan would be different.

With Lu Qing’s prompt, she broke out of her previous mindset and realized the issue might not be about scent, but about the color itself.

"I remember that day, the staff at Headdress and Shoes Workshop were vigorously touting at the entrance, complementing the few people in the crowd, almost as if it was a coordinated performance," she recalled. "In essence, their statements conveyed only that the material was incredibly precious and rare, almost unique in the world.

All their insinuations suggested that even the palace concubines had no opportunity to touch this material; it was directly taken by Duke Yan to make clothes for his Duchess and prepared to flaunt it on the birthday feast.

At first, these words seemed normal, but upon deeper reflection, it appeared as if the extravagance of Duchess Yan was surpassing that of the palace, akin to an Empress, or even surpassing Princess Consort Duan.

These statements could be seen as either significant or trivial, all depending on how the listener comprehends them."

"Do you remember previously when we heard about the numerous transfers and appointments of officials recently being debated in the Capital?" Lu Qing asked again.

"Of course, I remember discussing how Duke Yan, once so cautious, seemed to disregard appearances, undertaking such a controversial action..." Zhu Yu said, eyes widening in sudden realization, "So all of this was set in such a place!

If the shadowed individuals intended to incriminate Duke Yan with such a significant charge, this fabric could be a catalyst. The actual matters involved would surely go beyond mere personnel transfers.

After all, promoting one’s cronies alone wouldn’t suffice to topple such a deeply rooted, seasoned power figure and a noble relative.

The opposition must have other evidence in hand and intends to add more weight to prevent Zhao Bi from finding an excuse!"

"Madam, you are indeed extraordinarily astute." Lu Qing laughed, nodding, and took out a note from his pocket to hand it to Zhu Yu, "Delivered last night. I should have burned it after reading, but seeing you sleep so soundly, I didn’t have the heart to wake you and kept it until now."