In the Northern Song Dynasty, he started by marrying the eighth daughter of the Su family.

The room fell silent for a moment. After thinking for a while, Lü Huiqing slowly said, "Brother Han, I suspect that there is a force within the Court of Imperial Sacrifices that has suppressed the news about the ritual objects issue in advance."

"It's been suppressed?" Han Zhi was slightly taken aback.

Lu Huiqing nodded slowly and said, "Brother Han, as you know, my master is the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. When I was investigating the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, I found that several senior officials in the court were behaving in a way that was very different from usual."

“They are usually very attentive to trivial matters, but this time when the ritual objects had problems, they were unusually calm, as if they had known all along.”

“On one occasion, I discovered that the Guanglu Temple’s accounts for purchasing raw materials for ritual objects were in complete disarray. In the past, the purchase records were clear and straightforward, but in recent months, the purpose of many funds was unclear, and the people in charge were also being secretive.”

"I asked the manager in charge of purchasing, but he claimed it was a new regulation from above and that we didn't need to ask. If I weren't the son of the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, he probably wouldn't have said a word to me."

Zhao Zongshi then spoke up, saying, "Actually, I heard quite a few rumors in the court today. At this point, the court is unlikely to target anyone just because of one person."

"In my opinion, this matter of switching ritual objects is likely involving several forces. Perhaps the problems between the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices are just the beginning."

At this point, Lü Huiqing asked, "I heard from you, sir, that the Court of Imperial Sacrifices is short this time..."

But before he could finish speaking, Han Zhi interrupted him again, whispering a reminder: "That family's young lady is inside."

Lu Huiqing understood immediately, nodded slightly, and showed an embarrassed expression. He coughed lightly to cover it up, and then said, "By the way, I heard from my master that Brother Han has already caught the main culprit?"

“He can’t be considered the main culprit,” Han Zhi nodded, then said, “He was just in charge of carrying out the work. As for the rest… we still can’t find out.”

Lu Huiqing frowned slightly, as if deep in thought, and then slowly said, "Brother Han, since Zhou Ning is just someone who does things, there must be a key figure behind him directing things."

“We might as well start with his daily interactions. He works at the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and must have had many dealings with other officials there. Perhaps we can find clues from these people.”

However, Han Zhi sighed and said, "But... I questioned him all day, and he kept giving evasive answers and wouldn't tell the truth."

Lu Huiqing narrowed his eyes slightly, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Brother Han, it's expected that Zhou Ning won't tell the truth. After all, the person behind him must have done something to him, making him afraid to speak easily. But we're not without options..."

Han Zhi was slightly taken aback and asked in confusion, "What's the solution? Brother Huiqing, please explain in detail."

Lu Huiqing smiled slightly, a glint of wisdom flashing in his eyes, and said, "Brother Han, since Zhou Ning doesn't dare to confess, let's start with the source of his fear. The power behind him that makes him so wary must have grasped his weakness."

“We might as well investigate Zhou Ning’s family situation and see if he has any people or things that he cherishes, such as his wife, children and elderly parents, or something that he went to great lengths to obtain.”

Han Zhi frowned slightly, as if he had thought of something extreme, and said hesitantly, "Huiqing, wouldn't it be inappropriate to do this? Although Zhou Ning is guilty, his family may be innocent. We cannot harm innocent people in the name of investigating the case."

Lu Huiqing quickly waved his hand and explained, "Brother Han, I don't mean to hurt his family. I just want to find his weakness by understanding his family situation, so that I can find a breakthrough."

“We can secretly protect his family from harm, and at the same time use this to make Zhou Ning understand that only by cooperating with us can he protect the people or things he cherishes.”

Lu Huiqing smiled gently and patiently explained, "Brother Han, I understand your concerns. You're overthinking it. As long as he cooperates with the interrogation and tells the truth, we will do our best to protect his family's safety and even provide them with some assistance within permissible limits."

At this moment, Zhao Zongshi spoke up: "I don't think this matter is that simple. Since the forces behind Zhou Ning have such a firm grip on him, they must have also anticipated that we would target his family. Perhaps they were already prepared, or even set a trap for us."

Lu Huiqing's eyes instantly sharpened like an eagle's as he stared intently at Zhao Zongshi. He quickened his pace and said in an unquestionable tone, "Brother Zhao, it is precisely because they may have set a trap that we cannot tolerate it. Blindly fearing traps will only make us more passive in this case."

"I have a plan, I wonder if Brother Han would be willing to listen?"

As Lü Huiqing spoke, his eyes suddenly changed, becoming extremely sharp. Han Zhi was slightly taken aback, then asked, "What plan is Brother Huiqing referring to?"

Lu Huiqing smiled and said, "We can carefully plan a 'fake operation'. First, we can arrange for a few seemingly insignificant minor officials to pretend to be in charge of investigating Zhou Ning's family, and walk around Zhou Ning's house in a high-profile manner to deliberately attract the attention of others."

“These minor officials will be chosen from those who are usually loud and showy. This time, the fake investigation must be carried out in a very impressive manner, so that others can tell at a glance that they are investigating Zhou Ning’s family.”

"It would be best to inform the Zhou family in advance and have them pretend to be terrified. They need to act convincingly, like frightened birds. Then we can arrange for some people to create a false impression that we are fully investigating Zhou Ning's family."

Zhao Zongshi and Han Zhi exchanged a glance, then nodded slightly, their eyes revealing a hint of appreciation. They said, "Brother Huiqing, this plan is indeed ingenious, but it requires a lot of manpower to implement. If there is even the slightest mistake, all our efforts will be in vain."

"There's no need for Brother Han to worry about that," Lü Huiqing smiled and said, "If you don't trust your own men, do you not trust mine?"

As he spoke, he leaned slightly closer. Zhao Zongshi and Han Zhi also leaned closer, and then they heard Lü Huiqing whisper:

"I have kept a group of assassins in my residence..."

Han Zhi and Zhao Zongshi were both startled upon hearing this. They exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with shock and confusion. Han Zhi was the first to recover and asked in a low voice, "Huiqing, raising assassins is a taboo. How dare you do such a thing?"

"It's just a pet, and it's not used anywhere else on a regular basis, so why worry?"