The moment the name left his lips, the atmosphere in the room grew tense. Everyone stared at Aunt Wu.
But Aunt Wu seemed unfamiliar with the name. She furrowed her brow, deep wrinkles creasing her forehead. After a long pause, she shook her head. "Never heard of him."
Lei Mingyu cut in anxiously. "Aunt Wu, think carefully. This is important."
But Aunt Wu stubbornly shook her head again, her tone certain. "Never heard of him. I've never heard of any family surnamed Lu among the friends Mr. Wu often visited."
"Perhaps he wasn't one of Mr. Wu's friends," Jiang Cheng said after thinking it over. "He was a scholar traveling to the capital to take the imperial examination. Do you remember anyone like that?"
"A scholar..." Aunt Wu's face twisted with concentration. It was clear she was thinking hard.
Jiang Cheng prompted her softly. "It would have been around the time before Miss Wu was sacrificed. Did a scholar ever come to the Wu Family Mansion? Or did anyone unusual come calling?"
A few seconds later, Aunt Wu's expression suddenly changed, and her body began to tremble. Everyone immediately knew they were onto something.
Jiang Cheng didn't press her. Instead, he first waved to the people behind him, signaling them to keep quiet if they couldn't help.
"Now that you mention it, I do remember something," Aunt Wu said after hesitating. "Some time before Miss Wu was sacrificed to the river god, a young man really did come to the Wu Family Mansion."
"But he wasn't invited. He was... he was found and brought back," Aunt Wu recalled.
"What do you mean, found and brought back?" Jiang Cheng was anxious, but his voice sounded unhurried, with a calm, comfortable rhythm.
"It had nothing to do with Miss Wu. The young