When Jiang Weide heard that the person who arranged for Zhang Zhiwei to be hospitalized was actually Hu Changping, he couldn’t help but frown:

"How did Hu Changping get involved with the Zhang Family? Zhang Cuilian said that among the Zhang Family relatives, the most capable is her brother, who is the deputy director of a textile factory. But I’ve never heard of anyone being connected to Hu Changping. Why would that old coot Hu Changping go out of his way to help Zhang Zhiwei so diligently?"

Jiang Weide’s wife also found the situation strange, but she didn’t think much of it: "Even the royal family has a few poor relatives, so it’s nothing to pay attention to. Maybe the Zhang Family somehow got entangled with Hu Changping in some distant way."

Jiang Weide did not think the matter was unimportant; on the contrary, he found it very suspicious:

"If they’re really distant relatives, Hu Changping would not care so much and even send people to pick up Zhang Zhiwei. And, have you forgotten? Zhang Zhiwei had been in critical condition, but because they couldn’t afford the surgery, he was left to wait at home for death. If this time his condition hadn’t suddenly worsened, their family might still be holding out, and Zhang Zhiwei would not have been able to get surgery so quickly."

"His son, Zhang Chao, contemplated selling the house to raise money for his father’s surgery. But just a few days ago, the Zhang Family was fretting about not having money for the surgery. Now, they haven’t sold the house, yet the surgery has been done. Don’t you find it strange? Where did the Zhang Family get the money? The surgery fee wasn’t just a few thousand; it was hundreds of thousands. Coming up with hundreds of thousands all at once—if they had this capacity, would they have waited until now?"

Jiang Weide’s wife was startled and immediately realized she might have overlooked something. She quickly lowered her head to scroll her phone, dialed a number swiftly, and after the call was made, she looked up at Jiang Weide:

"You guessed it. I asked a contact at the People’s Hospital, and they said that on the day Zhang Zhiwei had his surgery at the People’s Hospital, his son deposited 300,000 directly into the hospital’s account. After covering the surgery expenses, there was still tens of thousands left for hospitalization and medication, and they didn’t owe the hospital anything."

Jiang Weide’s gaze grew more sinister: "Zhang Zhiwei’s son is only seventeen, not even an adult yet, just a kid who hasn’t fully grown. Where did he get that kind of money? I’d bet he did something shady. Check it out. It seems we can start investigating from this kid!"

Jiang Weide picked up the other documents his wife was holding, analyzed each of the subsequent holdouts, and discussed the next strategies before he retired for the night.

While Jiang Weide was busy buying land and houses, Huo Sining spent a whole day in the largest library in Fucheng. She finally found some clues in an old record from Fucheng. Coupling this with some information she found online, she quickly wrote an article on the exploration and research of the Han Princess Tomb and sent it to Zhou Shitao.

Zhou Shitao, upon receiving the article, didn’t initially take it seriously, assuming it was just a spur-of-the-moment piece by Huo Sining sharing her thoughts on an already excavated ancient tomb. He set the fax aside and went on with his own matters.

Because Huo Sining didn’t want to appear too eager, so as not to alert her mentor, she didn’t emphasize the urgency of the article. After waiting a few hours without feedback from her mentor, she had to return to the hotel to wait.

Meanwhile, Zhou Shitao was absorbed in studying a newly acquired jade artifact. Enthralled, he called his disciple, Ji Kun, over. Ji Kun, whose expertise in jade artifacts matched Zhou Shitao’s, was equally delighted upon seeing the new piece.

The two jade enthusiasts studied well into the afternoon, forgetting even to eat, until Teacher Mother Zhou came into the study, hands on hips, to drag their attention back. By then, the sky had already turned dark outside.

Zhou Shitao stretched languidly and smiled, ready to follow his wife to the dining room, while Ji Kun rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, giving a few embarrassed chuckles to Teacher Mother Zhou. As they stepped out, Ji Kun accidentally snagged a pile of documents with his clothing, sending them scattering.

Startled, Ji Kun hurriedly crouched to gather them up. Once he caught sight of the article title on the faxed documents, he was instantly intrigued, quickly scanning the beginning. Ji Kun’s expression changed dramatically, and he looked up at his master abruptly:

"Master, this thesis..."

Zhou Shitao, stopped by Ji Kun’s call, turned back to see the documents in Ji Kun’s hands, thinking he was merely interested in Huo Sining’s insights. He nodded and said: 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"That’s something your junior sister sent me today. She’s been gallivanting around Fucheng again and suddenly sent me an article. It’s probably something interesting she found in Fucheng and wanted to share her observations with me. If you think it’s well written, you can take it home to study. That girl, though usually so whimsical and unable to settle down for research, always offers a uniquely refreshing perspective in her insights, sometimes an eye-opener, and might just be beneficial to you."

Insights? What does that have to do with anything?

Ji Kun was caught off guard, then unable to suppress a wry smile, he asked:

"Master, have you not read this article yet?"

Zhou Shitao nodded: "No, I haven’t. The girl sent it like a treasure, and I haven’t had the chance yet. Why?"

Ji Kun organized the stack of documents neatly again and handed them to Zhou Shitao:

"Master, you always say that the junior sister doesn’t commit herself to research, but I think she’s actually more dedicated than us senior brothers. Even though she seems to be acting out of character, she has her own ideas and a very clear understanding, way more thorough than us. We senior brothers have been outdone by her. Like this article, I think you should look at it first. It’s quite different from the usual insights and reflections she’s written. If you think she stumbled upon something good by accident, then this time, it is a major find."

Zhou Shitao was taken aback and instinctively took the documents Ji Kun handed him again.

As he read, his expression turned increasingly serious and grave. Initially planning to go to dinner with Madame Zhou, he now put dinner aside and hurriedly rushed back to the study, turning on the computer to start poring over the information eagerly.