Hearing this, Zhu Yan hesitated for a moment. “Master, didn’t you investigate further afterward?”
“Of course I did,” Chen Wen replied. “I had my suspicions, but after a long investigation, I couldn’t find a single piece of suspicious evidence. I had no choice but to let it go.”
Zhu Yan fell into deep thought upon hearing Chen Wen’s words. It seemed this case was as complex as she had suspected.
“So many years have passed. Reopening the case now would be challenging, especially since much of the evidence is incomplete or missing, which adds to the difficulty of the investigation.”
Zhu Yan nodded. Her master wasn’t wrong, but they needed to get to the bottom of this case. Otherwise, they’d only be able to solve the current case by following the mastermind’s trail, and they’d end up catching nothing more than a scapegoat.
Zhu Yan’s brow furrowed deeply, her mind a tangled mess.
At that moment, footsteps were heard from outside. They both looked up to see Shen Du entering.
Chen Wen quickly stood up and bowed to Shen Du. “Lord Chief has arrived. Please, sit down. My disciple just brought two jars of excellent wine. Come, have a drink.”
Shen Du nodded slightly and was about to step forward when another figure rushed in behind him.
A woman!
Chen Wen was momentarily stunned and looked at Yun Que. “And this is…?”
“I’m Yun Que, a friend of the Chief Lord,” she quickly explained before Shen Du could speak. “Oh, what a coincidence! The Chief Lord’s wife is here too.”
Hearing this, Zhu Yan’s face darkened considerably. Chen Wen was her master; wasn’t it natural for her to visit him?
Coincidence? What coincidence?
The real coincidence was how she and Shen Du always seemed to end up together.
Shen Du gazed at Zhu Yan with deep, meaningful eyes, as if he had something to say.
But before he could speak, Chen Wen quickly said, “Since you’re a friend, you’re one of us. My humble abode is simple, I hope you won’t mind, young lady.”
“Not at all, of course not,” Yun Que made herself at home, sitting right next to Zhu Yan.
“Chief Lord’s wife, why are you here too?” Yun Que blinked innocently at Zhu Yan.
Zhu Yan, looking at her expression, felt her anger rising. Suppressing her inner turmoil, she asked the question on her mind, “And why are you two here?”
“To investigate the case, of course,” Yun Que replied cheerfully. “Don’t tell me you’re here to seek advice, just like the Chief Lord?”
Zhu Yan glared at Yun Que, ignoring her, then turned her gaze to Shen Du.
At this moment, she couldn’t have regretted more than she had initially advocated for this woman to stay at the Shen residence.
Now, not only did this woman show no gratitude, but she also wanted to stay with the Shen family as her companion, without even asking if Zhu Yan was willing.
She certainly made herself at home.
Chen Wen and Shen Du sat down opposite them. As soon as they were seated, Zhu Yan suddenly stood up. “I just remembered I have some matters to attend to. I won’t stay any longer.”
With that, Zhu Yan hurriedly left.
Shen Du clenched his fist, wanting to follow her, but Chen Wen’s words held him back. “When a woman is jealous, it’s best not to provoke or explain. Wait until her jealousy subsides, then explain. She’ll understand then.”
Hearing this, Shen Du seemed to realize something and sat back down, looking at Chen Wen. “You mean… she’s jealous?”
Chen Wen didn’t spell it out, just nodded slightly, savoring a sip of wine. “My disciple is good in every way, but she’s too straightforward, a bit narrow-minded, and can’t tolerate even the slightest imperfection… Ah, well.”
Chen Wen’s words made everything clear to Shen Du. He lowered his head, a smile unconsciously forming on his lips.
If she was jealous, it meant she still cared about him.
Zhu Yan hurriedly left, only to find Jing Lin and others waiting outside.
Seeing Zhu Yan emerge, Jing Lin quickly stepped forward to greet her. “Ma…”
Before he could finish, Zhu Yan, with a dark expression, mounted a fast horse and rode away.
Watching Zhu Yan’s rapidly disappearing figure, Jing Lin was stunned. What had happened?
Had they quarreled again?
Zhu Yan rode her swift horse alone, her mind filled not only with Yun Que’s smiling face but also with thoughts of another person.
The case was crucial now; she absolutely couldn’t let her mind wander. Zhu Yan forcefully suppressed her inner turmoil, trying to think rationally.
In the entire case, they had overlooked one person: the eyewitness who had discovered the body of the retired Madam Chen.
As the first to discover the body, he must know something. She needed to find him and get answers.
But to her surprise, when she arrived at the man’s house after making inquiries, she found him packing his belongings, preparing to flee.
“Where are you going?” Zhu Yan quickly asked.
Her question only made the man more panicked. He mounted a horse he had prepared, abandoning his belongings, and fled.
Seeing his panic, Zhu Yan’s heart sank. She quickly gave chase. If he knew nothing, why run?
He must know something!
Determined, Zhu Yan urged her horse on more vigorously, trying to catch up with the man ahead.
They maintained a constant distance, neither too far nor too close. Zhu Yan didn’t lose sight of him until they reached a forested area where the man suddenly vanished.
Puzzled, Zhu Yan quickly reined in her horse and stopped, circling the area. She realized this place was familiar—wasn’t this the road to Mingsheng Temple?
Confused, Zhu Yan still rode towards Mingsheng Temple.
She proceeded slowly, afraid of missing any clues.
A living person couldn’t just vanish into thin air. She hadn’t lost him, so how could he suddenly disappear?
When she reached the gates of Mingsheng Temple, she found a horse there—the very one the man had been riding.
Could he have hidden in the temple? Zhu Yan quickly dismounted and entered Mingsheng Temple.
The temple was quiet, showing no signs of intrusion.
Zhu Yan began searching but found nothing after a complete circuit. How could this be? How could a person just vanish?
Thinking this, Zhu Yan turned her gaze to the main hall of Mingsheng Temple. She had searched everywhere else; only the main hall remained.
Zhu Yan entered the hall and was surprised to find a woman with uncut hair kneeling there, deeply absorbed in reciting scriptures, unaware of her arrival.
Zhu Yan sensed something different about this woman. Though she practiced with uncut hair, she exuded an aura of superiority.
Zhu Yan approached and was shocked to discover that the woman before her was none other than Princess Runing!
“Princess!” Zhu Yan exclaimed in surprise. Though she knew the princess was practicing here, she hadn’t expected to encounter her so easily.
The woman kept her eyes closed, not even glancing at Zhu Yan, continuing to recite scriptures as if she hadn’t heard.
“Your Highness,” Zhu Yan stepped forward and bowed, about to explain her presence when suddenly, a white silk cord wrapped around her neck, choking her.