Seeing their expressions, Zhang Dahai knew what they were thinking. Elsewhere, they could torture them to find out who the mastermind was, but this was the capital. Even though the Anning Marquis's mansion had considerable status, there were still the imperial family and royalty above them. He couldn't take the risk for such a minor matter. Moreover, reporting it to the authorities was a good way to gauge their attitude and see if they were someone he could afford to offend.
The Prefect of the capital, though his official rank might not seem high, actually held significant power and was the most well-informed, knowing who could be provoked and who could not.
Upon receiving Zhang Dahai's report, he immediately took the three individuals into custody. He didn't rush to trial. His usual practice was to detain suspects for three days to see if anyone would come to offer bribes. If no one came, it meant these individuals were fair game. If someone did, he would assess their official rank compared to the accuser before making a decision. This was his secret to surviving as the capital's Prefect for so many years without a single misstep.
His guess was correct. The next day, the steward of the Fifth Prince's mansion arrived, speaking with an air of superiority. "This is a gift from the Fifth Prince. You must have already guessed why I'm here. You know what needs to be done with those three individuals from yesterday, don't you?"
The Prefect immediately lowered his stance, respectfully stating, "I will certainly provide the Fifth Prince with a satisfactory answer."
He escorted the steward to the main gate before returning to his room. He opened the box, revealing a large luminous pearl. He nodded with satisfaction. Although the servants of the Fifth Prince's mansion had an unpleasant attitude, their gift-giving was generous.
Zhang Dahai, seeing the Prefect had come in person, understood the answer. It seemed his opponent was more powerful than he had imagined. He suspected that the three individuals would be released as soon as he left.
Zhang Dahai smiled and stepped forward, leading the Prefect to the reception hall. A maid immediately brought tea.
Zhang Dahai made a gesture, saying humbly, "Please, sir, have a seat. My place is humble, and the tea is nothing special. Please make do."
"My pleasure, my pleasure, Shopkeeper Zhang is too kind." Having witnessed the arrogance earlier, Zhang Dahai's willingness to cooperate was somewhat unexpected, greatly improving his mood.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the Prefect stated his purpose. "The three individuals you brought in yesterday, I plan to let them go this afternoon. As for the reason, I'm sure Shopkeeper Zhang has already guessed. I am merely a minor Prefect in the capital and cannot afford to offend anyone. I hope Shopkeeper Zhang can understand my predicament."
"The Prefect personally coming to explain the reason to me, I am deeply grateful. However, they have caused trouble time and again. They are in the shadows, and we are in the open. We still haven't figured out who we offended. I implore the Prefect to enlighten me." Zhang Dahai stood up and bowed deeply to him.
The Prefect immediately helped him up, saying with some emotion, "I shouldn't meddle, but I want to remind you, for your grandfather's sake. The person who came to see me today was the Fifth Prince's steward. You grew up in the south, and the Fifth Prince lived in the north when he was young before returning to the capital. You two should have no connection. How did you manage to offend him?"
"You mentioned the Fifth Prince grew up in the north when he was young. Can you tell me more about that?" Zhang Dahai suddenly thought of something and pressed for details.
"It's not a secret that cannot be told. Everyone knows that the Fifth Prince was swapped for a civet cat at birth and grew up in the north. Later, someone, unable to bear the guilt, leaked the secret. The Emperor investigated and brought him back. He was already seven years old when he returned." The Prefect could only reveal so much. Zhang Dahai repeatedly thanked him.
In the afternoon, as soon as Wu Caiwei arrived home, Zhang Dahai hurried to find her and recounted the Prefect's words verbatim. Wu Caiwei immediately looked up. "You don't suspect them, do you?"
Dahai nodded. "We've only been in the capital for a few days. How could we possibly offend the Fifth Prince? Our winery has made a lot of money, but he is a high and mighty prince. Why would he care about such a small matter? Of course, this is just my guess, and we need further confirmation."
Wu Caiwei nodded. She left the business matters to Zhang Dahai and took her people to a teahouse not far from the Fifth Prince's mansion to quietly keep watch.
She watched for five consecutive days without spotting the person she was looking for. She thought she had guessed wrong. On the sixth day, as she was about to give up, she was drinking tea when she happened to glance at the Fifth Prince's mansion gate. She immediately put down her teacup, went downstairs, having seen the person she wanted to see.
If not for the original owner and her having dealt with her for so many years, she wouldn't have recognized the woman dressed in opulent splendor, even if she had turned to ash.
At this moment, her hair was styled up, and she was followed by layers upon layers of servants. If she wasn't mistaken, she had entered the Fifth Prince's inner courtyard. No wonder the Fifth Prince would stand up for her.
Wu Caiwei immediately followed behind her, trailing all the way to Jinxiu Fang, the largest clothing store in the capital.
Zhang Tiehua was looking at the new styles in the shop when a wet nurse beside her suddenly shouted, "How dare you! Who are you? Get away from our concubine!"
Zhang Tiehua couldn't help but look up and saw Gao Feixue approaching. She frowned impatiently and said, "Which ignorant woman is this? Have her removed. She's an eyesore."
Wu Caiwei looked at her with a half-smile. "We haven't seen each other for a few days, and you don't recognize me? Should I announce your past all over town? After all, we lived under the same roof for ten years. I'm sure someone in your mansion would be interested."
Zhang Tiehua felt a surge of annoyance and waved her hand, dismissing everyone except the two of them. Only then did she speak with an air of superiority. "Since you were able to follow me, you must already know my identity. Be careful with your words. You know very well what you can and cannot say. Let me tell you, the Fifth Prince and I have known each other since childhood. We were childhood sweethearts. His feelings for me are very special. He will always protect me. Do you think you can withstand his wrath?"
Wu Caiwei snorted disdainfully. "You're really good at twisting things. If you hadn't provoked us repeatedly, how would we have known you were in the capital? How would we have come looking for you today?"
She took a breath and continued, "You need to understand, it's not that we don't want to let you go, but that you don't want to let us go. We could have lived without crossing paths, and all past debts would be settled. You insisted on seeking attention. I wasn't scared off. Many of your affairs won't stand up to scrutiny. If you provoke me again, I will go directly to the Princess Consort and have a good chat with her."
After speaking, Wu Caiwei turned and left潇洒ly. Today was just a warning. However, Zhang Tiehua was likely not to heed it. Her guess was correct. Zhang Tiehua's face was contorted with hatred, her mind preoccupied with how to make Zhang Dahai and Gao Feixue disappear from this world.