“Magistrate Huo brought over a dozen yamen runners, along with Constable Qi and Coroner Xu. They’ve already entered the East Garden,” Green Qi reported rapidly as she followed behind Yue Ning and Qin Wan. The case of Song Rou hung like a dark cloud over the Marquis Manor. Now with Huo Huaixin’s aggressive entrance into the manor, all the servants were somewhat alarmed.

Qin Wan and Yue Ning walked briskly. As soon as they left Yue Ning’s courtyard, they saw several servants gathered together, discussing something while looking toward the East Garden. Upon seeing Yue Ning appear, they quickly fell silent with solemn expressions.

Yue Ning cast a warning glance at these people before turning toward the East Garden.

“Coming so early in the morning, both leads must have been verified,” Yue Ning said seriously.

Green Qi replied, “Yesterday, all the people from Second Young Master’s courtyard were called for questioning. That’s when they learned that Second Young Master had indeed lost a robe, though the servants had concealed it without reporting.”

Yue Ning’s eyes narrowed slightly. “It seems the evidence is conclusive.”

As they spoke, the two had already taken a shortcut through the manor and were not far from the East Garden. In the distance, they could see that Yue Qiong and Lady Jiang were already there, with Yue Qing and Yue Jia standing together nearby. Further ahead, the Imperial Princess was standing at the front, supported by Yan Chi. Everyone was positioned from inside the East Garden to outside, with numerous manor servants gathering to watch.

Qin Wan’s gaze darkened. “Looks like Magistrate Huo has run into trouble.”

Yue Ning frowned and strode forward. Yue Qing was the first to spot Yue Ning and Qin Wan approaching and hurried over to meet them. “You’ve finally arrived. Magistrate Huo brought people to arrest Second Young Master Wei – what’s going on?”

Having been at the military camp daily, Yue Qing wasn’t aware that Song Rou’s case had taken a turn. He continued, “Wasn’t it said that Wei family’s Eldest Young Master had been arrested? Why suddenly say the Second Young Master is the killer?”

Yue Ning explained in a low voice, “Second Brother, it’s a long story. In short, the one who had relations with Miss Song wasn’t Wei’s family’s Eldest Young Master. The Eldest Young Master didn’t know who that person was either. And if many things were done by the Eldest Young Master, they wouldn’t make sense.”

Yue Qing glanced at Qin Wan, seeing no surprise on her face, and understood that she knew about this matter. He immediately nodded, “Alright, I understand. Quick, come listen—”

The three moved forward a couple of steps. The Imperial Princess and Yan Chi turned around, and Qin Wan hurriedly greeted them.

The Imperial Princess beckoned to Qin Wan and Yue Ning, tilting her chin to indicate ahead. “You two clever ones, did you know about this matter already?” She glanced reproachfully at Yan Chi, “You knew too!”

Yan Chi curved his lips slightly, while Yue Ning was already holding the Imperial Princess’s other arm, saying, “We just didn’t want to worry Grandmother.”

The Imperial Princess shook her head helplessly. Meanwhile, Qin Wan observed the scene in the courtyard.

Magistrate Huo and Qi Lin stood in the middle of the courtyard, with yamen runners to the side. Behind the runners was a middle-aged man in plain clothes. Wei Yanzhi wore an outer robe and stood somewhat weakly outside the main gate. His expression showed both shock and grievance. His eyes flickered when he saw Yue Ning and Qin Wan arrive, then turned to Magistrate Huo, saying, “Magistrate, are you saying I’m the one who harmed Xiao Rou? How… how could you say such a thing?”

Wei Yanzhi wore an expression of helplessness, even appearing caught between laughter and tears, as if Magistrate Huo’s grand display was some kind of joke.

Today Huo wore his official robes, clearly in full official capacity. Hearing this, he lifted his chin, his somewhat short and stout figure emanating a magistrate’s authority. “Wei Yanzhi, you deny it?”

Wei Yanzhi smiled bitterly even more. “What does the Magistrate want me to admit? I was sick in bed when I was shocked to hear the Magistrate had brought yamen runners storming into the courtyard. I thought perhaps there were new developments in the case requiring questioning of the guards again. But I never imagined the Magistrate came to arrest me.” Wei Yanzhi’s voice grew hoarse. “Magistrate, what’s this all about, so suddenly?”

Though Magistrate Huo had handled many cases before and had previously admired Wei Yanzhi, even firmly believing Wei Qizhi was the killer, now after further investigation, as Jinzhou’s father official, he didn’t want his reputation tarnished. Naturally, he was extremely cautious and unwilling to have a wrongful conviction on his hands. His brows furrowed as his tone grew harsh, “Regarding Song Rou’s matter, you told us it was related to Wei Qizhi. This was you deliberately framing Wei Qizhi. As the leader of the wedding escort party that day, you controlled the entire procession – you had the best opportunity to harm Song Rou. Moreover, ‘Seagulls Forget Machinations’ was Song Rou’s favorite tune, yet you claimed you heard it from Wei Qizhi. Wei Yanzhi, you thought you covered everything up well enough that we couldn’t figure out you were the killer, but a person’s actions, whether done or not, always leave traces. You were still careless in the end!”

Wei Yanzhi’s eyes widened as he looked from Magistrate Huo to the Imperial Princess and others at the courtyard entrance, his face full of bewilderment and bitter smiles. “Magistrate, these words are truly… What I told the Magistrate was something everyone in the Duke’s Manor knows. The Magistrate need only ask my uncle and aunt, ask my grandfather – they all know this matter. If not to cooperate with the Magistrate’s investigation, why would I tell the Magistrate about it? This is a scandal between the Duke’s Manor and Wei Manor – I would never want to sully either house’s reputation…”

After a slight pause, Wei Yanzhi continued, “Also, the Magistrate says I was the leader of the wedding escort and could deploy people at will, but with Song Rou dead, both houses would likely place responsibility on me – what benefit would that bring me… As for that tune, indeed many years ago it was my elder brother’s favorite. My elder brother was proud and aloof, with no interest in officialdom – he preferred a free and unfettered life. This ‘Forget Machinations’ tune tells of a couple retiring to the mountains, which perfectly matched my elder brother’s desire to escape worldly affairs. I don’t know which tune was Xiao Rou’s favorite, but even if she also loved playing ‘Forget Machinations’, it was likely because she heard my brother play it and came to love it.”

Wei Yanzhi bit his lip, “Magistrate since this incident occurred, have I ever been uncooperative? Haven’t I been fully dedicated each time? Now as you’re about to close the case, why suddenly turn the arrow toward me? If I were the one who harmed Xiao Rou, why would I… why would I help the Magistrate so diligently?”

Hearing these words, Magistrate Huo paused slightly, seeming to recall that Wei Yanzhi indeed had never deliberately been uncooperative. But thinking of what was discovered yesterday, Huo gave a cold laugh, “Fine, then look at this person – do any of you recognize him?”

Hearing this, questioning flashed in Wei Yanzhi’s eyes. Magistrate Huo turned back to look at the yamen runners, who quickly moved aside, revealing the middle-aged man standing at the back. The man had ordinary features and very simple clothes. Seeing the situation, he stepped forward, appearing somewhat frightened by the grand display.

Magistrate Huo looked at him and pointed toward Wei Yanzhi, “Look carefully – which one came to buy tung oil from you that night?”

The middle-aged man looked up toward Wei Yanzhi’s direction, then pointed definitively at Wei Yanzhi and his blue-robed guard nearby. “Yes, these two people. It was already the third watch of the night, and I had closed the shop and was about to extinguish the lights and rest when someone came knocking. I opened the door and saw this young man…”

The middle-aged man pointed at Wei Yanzhi’s blue-robed guard, “This young man came knocking, but through the door crack I saw this young master. This young master was standing at the street side, facing sideways to me. I found it strange at the time and took note, which is why I remember this young master’s face. That young man immediately asked to buy tung oil. At that time I was only wearing an outer robe and the warehouse was already locked – I wasn’t planning to sell anything. But that young man offered ten taels of silver right away. I…”

“With ten taels of silver, I might not earn that much even selling for a month, so I went to open the oil warehouse to fetch it. There were two barrels. When I brought them out, I looked toward the street again. This young master had turned around then and hurried the young man. I memorized his face again. I’m certain, there’s absolutely no mistake.”

When this middle-aged man first appeared, Wei Yanzhi remained completely calm, but the blue-robed guard frowned. After the middle-aged man finished speaking, the blue-robed guard’s fists were tightly clenched. He didn’t have Wei Yanzhi’s composure – the tension and fear emanating from him was apparent even to the yamen runners.

Magistrate Huo lifted his chin, “The third watch of the night, buying tung oil, and that very night the morgue caught fire. Wei Yanzhi, what do you have to say? When we were on the boat the night before, only a few of us knew Ninth Miss would examine the body early next morning. You went to set fire to the morgue at night to prevent Ninth Miss from examining the body, didn’t you? You were afraid Ninth Miss would find evidence linking to you, wanted to destroy the evidence – am I right?!”

Wei Yanzhi still stood straight, his brows never moving once from beginning to end.

Magistrate Huo continued, “Similarly, on the day we went to Lishui Lake, the Second Young Master of the manor lost a blue robe. And that morning after leaving the manor gates, only your guard went to Second Young Master’s courtyard to borrow a brush. Then that evening, Ninth Miss was nearly crushed by a falling lantern tower. You were afraid Ninth Miss would find more evidence, so you tried to take Ninth Miss’s life!” Speaking thus, Magistrate Huo looked at the trembling blue-robed guard, “The one who impersonated Second Young Master that day was him, wasn’t it…”

Wei Yanzhi slightly narrowed his eyes but still didn’t speak.

“Won’t talk?” Magistrate Huo’s expression turned cold as he commanded harshly, “Come! Take these master and servant to the yamen prison for thorough questioning! Won’t talk? Let’s see if you can stay silent in prison!”

Magistrate Huo spoke these words rapidly and urgently. Wei Yanzhi frowned slightly but wasn’t intimidated. Beside him, his blue-robed guard suddenly stepped forward and dropped to his knees with a thud. “Magistrate! My master had good intentions, he wasn’t trying to destroy evidence! My master was… was trying to prevent the young miss from bearing a stigma even in death. My master didn’t want Ninth Miss to discover that the young miss had been with child!” The guard’s eyes reddened as he crawled forward a few steps on his knees. “The two houses in the capital place extreme importance on reputation. This matter had already been suppressed in the capital. If it were discovered during this case, sir would certainly write it in the case files to report to the Ministry of Justice. Then, everyone in the capital would surely know. Master took such measures only to protect the Marquis Manor’s reputation. Master would not have killed the young miss!”

The guard’s face was full of earnestness as his voice grew louder and more desperate. He suddenly started kowtowing hard, “Magistrate, please be clear-sighted – master absolutely would not dare take the young miss’s life. The morgue was indeed… indeed burned by us, and the matter with Ninth Miss… was indeed done by this servant. Master instructed me to only cause Ninth Miss minor injuries, absolutely not to take her life.”

The guard raised his head, “Sir, I speak nothing but the truth and dare not lie…”

The crowd gasped slightly at hearing this. Looking at Wei Yanzhi again, they saw him close his eyes with a grief-stricken expression.

Magistrate Huo frowned, “So, you admit to burning the morgue and attempting to harm Ninth Miss, but deny killing Miss Song? What about dressing as a ghost to frighten Ninth Miss?”

At these words, the blue-robed guard quickly said, “No! It couldn’t be! It wasn’t master! That night after the master returned from Prince Chi, he practiced calligraphy the whole time. We guards were outside the whole time – master never left East Garden!”

The guard’s testimony alternated between confession and defense, his words earnest and nearly tearful. Hearing this, Magistrate Huo’s brows knitted slightly.

Meanwhile, Yue Ning said softly to Qin Wan, “This guard’s words don’t seem false. And Wei Yanzhi – why isn’t he defending himself? Does he mean to admit to doing these things?”

Qin Wan narrowed her eyes slightly, “It seems it was for the two houses’ reputations.”

Yue Ning raised an eyebrow – Qin Wan had been most suspicious of Wei Yanzhi, yet now her tone had changed.

Though Yue Ning harbored doubts, she didn’t immediately pursue them, only continuing to watch how the situation would develop.

“Wei Yanzhi, do you acknowledge what your guard has said?”

Wei Yanzhi opened his eyes, showing a trace of resolve. He took a deep breath before speaking hoarsely, “The matter of Xiao Rou is indeed a shame for both the Duke’s Manor and Wei Manor. Originally, I thought with Xiao Rou gone, this matter would be buried forever. But I never imagined Ninth Miss’s autopsy skills would be so remarkable. So I worried that one day Ninth Miss would discover it, therefore… therefore I was momentarily possessed and committed these wrongful acts.”

Speaking thus, Wei Yanzhi glanced apologetically toward Qin Wan. Though Qin Wan frowned slightly, her expression showed no blame. Wei Yanzhi continued, “But I didn’t expect that even with the morgue burned and Xiao Rou’s remains in that state, Ninth Miss still discovered the truth. When the Magistrate called me to respond that day, I knew as soon as I heard that things were bad, so I dejectedly revealed the truth. Whether what I said is true or false, the Magistrate need only send someone to investigate in the capital to know.”

Wei Yanzhi lowered his gaze, his face full of self-reproach and guilt. The Marquis Manor had treated him well, and Qin Wan had even treated his illness. Yet now, everyone knew that the attempt on Qin Wan’s life that night had been his doing.

Looking at Wei Yanzhi, Qin Wan felt he stood alone before the main hall, mysteriously shrouded in a layer of lonely desolation and melancholy. He was merely someone thinking of his family’s reputation, not intending to take anyone’s life. In the capital, scandals like Song Rou’s would indeed cause the entire capital to mock them – he had his reasons for doing what he did.

Qin Wan sighed inwardly, unable to help but admire Wei Yanzhi.

Meanwhile, Magistrate Huo was also stunned by Wei Yanzhi’s demeanor, then frowned and said, “You admit to these things? What about Song Rou’s death?”

Wei Yanzhi suddenly looked up, “Magistrate, these are two entirely different matters. Xiao Rou’s death is also imperfect for both the Duke’s Manor and Wei Manor. I only care about family reputation – why wouldn’t I let her marry properly into the Marquis Manor to form a good alliance between the two families? Why would I kill her? What evidence does the Magistrate have that I killed Xiao Rou?”

Magistrate Huo was momentarily speechless. He seemed to have no clear evidence to prove this. The gold-traced paper Qin Wan mentioned had only cleared Wei Qizhi of suspicion. Though Wei Yanzhi was indeed highly suspicious if it wasn’t Wei Qizhi, there was still no conclusive evidence proving he was the killer. Frowning, Magistrate Huo was unwilling to give up and said, “Though there’s no direct evidence now, the investigation will surely reveal something. You say you burned the morgue for Wei Manor and Duke Manor’s reputation, but that still raises doubts.”

Wei Yanzhi sighed, “I am guilty, but Xiao Rou’s death has nothing to do with me. If the Magistrate doesn’t believe me, then go ahead and take me to prison to continue investigating.”

This was exactly what Magistrate Huo intended. He snorted and said, “Come, take Wei Yanzhi to—”

“Magistrate, Qin Wan has something to say…”

Just as Magistrate Huo was about to order the arrest, Qin Wan unexpectedly interrupted his command. Magistrate Huo looked at her, “What is it, Ninth Miss?”

Qin Wan stepped forward, glancing at Wei Yanzhi before saying, “Family reputation is indeed important. Second Young Master’s actions are understandable. As for that night when I… I ultimately wasn’t injured, and Second Young Master didn’t intend to kill me. I think, with the Duke Manor’s wedding escort guards all in the Marquis Manor, taking Young Master Wei away might cause unrest.”

Magistrate Huo raised an eyebrow, sharing Yue Ning’s surprise – why did Qin Wan’s words seem to be protecting Wei Yanzhi?

“Ninth Miss… what do you mean?”

Qin Wan lifted her chin slightly, “I think Second Young Master now only has the crime of burning the morgue. Though burning the morgue was wrong, considering it’s his first offense, having him pay more compensation should suffice. Since he’s not the killer, there’s no need to take him to prison.”

Speaking thus, Qin Wan continued in a clear voice, “I know the Magistrate is eager to solve the case. I now have a shortcut – does the Magistrate remember what I retrieved from Song Rou’s stomach that day?”

Magistrate Huo blinked, “Of course I remember.” Not only did he remember, hadn’t they already discovered what it was?

Qin Wan curved her lips, “To be honest with you, sir, I’ve discovered it’s a letter, written on gold-traced paper. As for what’s written on it… because too much time has passed, I haven’t been able to read it. However, the night before last, I used a medicine that can restore ink to its original color. After soaking for two days and nights, the faded characters on the letter should reappear. I suspect the letter was written by Song Rou’s killer. Since Song Rou swallowed it, it must contain something that couldn’t see the light of day. Magistrate need only wait one more night – once the characters on that letter appear, we’ll know who the killer is!”

Magistrate Huo’s eyes widened in surprise, while Xu He beside him was also dumbfounded. They looked at Qin Wan’s serious expression, unable to process what she was saying. They had already discovered it was gold-traced paper – calling it a letter was just speculation, and there weren’t any characters that would appear on it. But Qin Wan saying this now was for…

Magistrate Huo and Xu He simultaneously drew in sharp breaths – it was to set a trap!

Magistrate Huo suppressed his doubts and quickly played along, “Is that so?!”

Qin Wan nodded, “Naturally I wouldn’t dare deceive you, sir.”

Magistrate Huo’s eyes lit up, so excited he could barely speak, “This… this is excellent! With that letter, the killer’s identity will be clear as day, and we won’t have misunderstandings like today.”

Speaking thus, Magistrate Huo looked at Wei Yanzhi, “Second Young Master, burning the morgue is indeed a crime, but naturally it can’t be compared to murder. This official will follow Ninth Miss’s suggestion and let you stay in the Marquis Manor for now. However, these few days, Second Young Master should stay in your courtyard to recuperate and not wander about.”

Wei Yanzhi lowered his eyes, speaking with difficulty, “Thank you, Magistrate. I will take responsibility for burning the morgue.”

Magistrate Huo nodded and walked eagerly toward Qin Wan, “Ninth Miss, why don’t we go get that letter now?”

Qin Wan tilted her head thoughtfully, “The characters on the letter aren’t visible yet – we must wait until early tomorrow morning. Also, the medicine for the letter is cold in nature and must be kept in an extremely low-temperature place. I’ve prepared an ice basin at the Qin Manor, but if we bring it here…”

Magistrate Huo looked at Yue Qiong, who immediately said, “The Marquis Manor also has an ice storage. There’s an empty room in Ning’er’s courtyard – we can put the ice basin and letter there.”

Magistrate Huo clapped his hands, “That’s perfect! Ninth Miss can go get the letter now, and early tomorrow morning, we’ll all gather, including Second Young Master, to see what’s written on the letter together, to see who killed Song Rou.”

Speaking thus, Magistrate Huo added gratefully, “Ninth Miss, thank you so much for this!”

Qin Wan shook her head, “It’s my honor to help with this case.”

Joy was evident on Magistrate Huo’s face as he turned and waved his hand, “Alright, alright, everyone withdraw for now. I’ll wait here at the Marquis Manor for Ninth Miss to bring the letter – the rest of you return to the yamen!”

Saying this, he walked out with everyone else. Leaving East Garden, they followed the main path first to the Imperial Princess’s courtyard. Upon entering the courtyard, the Imperial Princess instructed Green Sleeve, “Guard here.”

Green Sleeve understood the Imperial Princess’s meaning and quickly agreed.

Qin Wan then entered the main room with the Imperial Princess, Magistrate Huo, and others. As soon as they entered, Magistrate Huo urgently asked, “Does Ninth Miss mean to set a trap for Wei Yanzhi?”

Qin Wan nodded. Yue Ning came in from outside saying, “I thought you were fooled by him.”

Qin Wan shook her head with a wry smile, “How could that be? The falling lantern tower could have killed someone, not just caused injury. There are many ways to cause injury, but he went to great lengths to lure me far away, intending to prevent you all from saving me – he meant to kill me. Moreover, the Magistrate didn’t mention the left-handed matter earlier, and Wei Yanzhi didn’t admit to the ghost impersonation, because he knows that once he admits to that, the left-handed theory would fall apart, and naturally Wei Qizhi’s suspicion would be somewhat weakened. However, if the Magistrate takes him to prison, wouldn’t that eliminate the possibility of him taking the bait?”

Magistrate Huo exhaled, “Then how should we arrange things today?”

Qin Wan explained, “As mentioned earlier, I’ll return to the Qin Manor once, and ask the Madam to set up the ice basin in the Princess’s courtyard. Everything else should proceed as usual – none of us here should show any signs of our plan.”

After a pause, Qin Wan looked at Yan Chi and said, “To be safe, I trouble Prince Chi to deploy one or two highly skilled guards to watch outside East Garden. When Wei Yanzhi makes his move tonight, we’ll surely catch him in the act, leaving him no room for argument. Besides this, I suspect Song Rou’s head might have been brought by him into Jinzhou City, or even into the Marquis Manor. Yesterday when I asked him where he would hide Song Rou’s head if he were Wei Qizhi, he answered that he didn’t know, then said Wei Qizhi was clever and would surely hide it somewhere we couldn’t imagine.”

Qin Wan smiled as she continued, “I feel that in his heart, he considers himself the most clever, and he too would hide Song Rou’s head somewhere we couldn’t imagine. Previously, we always thought Song Rou’s head was hidden in the birch forest, or somewhere along the road from the Ten Li Temple to Jinzhou City. But we never considered whether Song Rou’s head might have been brought by him into Jinzhou Prefecture, and since he’s been staying at the Marquis Manor since then, or perhaps he had already brought Song Rou’s head into the Marquis Manor?”

Carrying around a dead person’s head… everyone shuddered at the thought.

Lady Jiang said, “It’s possible. The wedding escort procession had many trunks and boxes, some being the guards’ own luggage. I remember Wei Yanzhi himself had a large bundle with him.”

Magistrate Huo’s face showed pleasure, “Good, then let’s split up and act. Everything depends on tonight.”

In the room, Yue Ning and Yan Chi were both in on the plan, while Lord and Lady Yue Qiong, Yue Qing, and Yue Jia later understood as well. The Imperial Princess saw the seriousness appearing on everyone’s faces, while her eyes showed some brightness – at her age, she would join these younger ones in setting up an exciting trap.

In East Garden, Wei Yanzhi sat on a low couch by the window, not saying a word for half a shichen.

Soon after, the blue-robed guard pushed open the door and entered, exhaling as he said, “Master, Ninth Miss has already returned to the Qin Manor accompanied by the Princess. It seems what she said is true – this case will soon have a breakthrough.”

Wei Yanzhi still sat expressionless, his entire being shrouded in a gloomy chill between his brows.

Seeing this, the guard hurriedly said, “Master needn’t worry too much. Burning the morgue is just a small matter – Ninth Miss also said only some compensation is needed. It won’t affect master’s official career.”

Wei Yanzhi’s brows moved slightly as he turned to look at the roaring furnace, his eyes deep and dark.

The guard thought for a moment, feeling Wei Yanzhi was likely depressed about Magistrate Huo’s groundless accusations, and tried to comfort him, “The Magistrate is probably eager to solve the case, so seeing the First Young Master wouldn’t confess, he turned his attention to you. Plus with the morgue burning being discovered, that’s why this happened.”

Speaking thus, the guard’s eyes showed determination, “Master, once they see that letter tomorrow, they’ll know you were wrongly accused.”

Wei Yanzhi looked up at his guard, seeing the guard’s relaxed and confident expression, then lowered his eyes again. Though the room was sweltering, he wore an outer robe. Suddenly, he took off the outer robe and tugged at the buttons at his collar.

The guard was startled, “Master, aren’t you cold? Be careful not to worsen your illness!”

Wei Yanzhi shook his head without speaking or moving, just hanging his head as if struck by something, or as if his spirit had suddenly been drawn out, his whole person somewhat gloomy and dejected.

The guard blinked, feeling Wei Yanzhi was acting strange but unable to pinpoint exactly how. He sighed and said to himself, “When we acted that day, I already suspected we would be discovered. I didn’t expect it would really be found out, but fortunately, the Magistrate is wise, and with Ninth Miss speaking up for us – otherwise, this servant and master would surely be in prison now.”

After speaking, the guard let out a long breath. He had followed Wei Yanzhi for many years. Due to Wei Yanzhi’s status, his life in Wei Manor hadn’t been particularly good, but at least he didn’t lack food or clothing. After following Wei Yanzhi into the patrol camp and taking up duties, he gained more and more recognition from Old Master Wei, and his life improved considerably. Earlier when he thought they would be thrown in prison, he had been terrified out of his wits. Fortunately, this matter could now be minimized and resolved…

“Is what Ninth Miss said true?”

Unexpectedly, Wei Yanzhi spoke up. His words were calm and unruffled, yet carried a kind of heavy oppressiveness. The guard inexplicably felt his heart tighten, and turned to answer without thinking, “Of course it’s true! Don’t you know Ninth Miss’s abilities? Speaking of which, Ninth Miss is amazing – a young lady who can do a coroner’s work.”

Wei Yanzhi sat quietly, his back sweating from the heat, yet his heart was ice cold. He knew he was standing on the edge of a cliff – one wrong step and he would fall. But he wasn’t sure if Qin Wan was telling the truth.

“Think about that night – we were all sleeping soundly, but Young Miss ran to the birch forest alone. She must have received a letter from someone, otherwise she wouldn’t have gone there for no reason,” said the guard, striking his palm with his fist. “Speaking of which, this letter comes at just the right time! The killer surely never expected that Young Miss would swallow his letter! Not only did she swallow it, but it was found in her stomach as evidence. Ninth Miss is truly remarkable!”

Wei Yanzhi’s head slowly drooped. After a moment, he raised his eyes to scan the room. When his gaze fell on the coal basket in one corner, he suddenly ordered, “Put all the coal inside.”

The guard was startled, “Ah, but that way, the fire might get too strong – the room will surely become unbearably hot.”

Wei Yanzhi said expressionlessly, “Add it in.”

Seeing this, the guard dared not say more. He lifted the furnace lid and carried the coal basket over, dumping all the coal inside. The furnace was packed full, and because it was hollow underneath, the coal quickly caught fire.

The outside of the furnace glowed red hot. The guard found the room’s heat unbearable and hurriedly opened a window, but Wei Yanzhi remained motionless in his original spot. The guard saw that Wei Yanzhi’s temples were wet with sweat. He wanted to express concern, but seeing Wei Yanzhi’s eyes glowing red in the firelight, somehow he suddenly felt his normally gentle and courteous master emanating a sense of ferocity.

Pressing his lips together, the guard swallowed the words he was about to say.

The room was completely silent except for the roar of the furnace and the occasional crackling of coal. After sitting for another moment, Wei Yanzhi suddenly stood up. As usual, he went to the small study in the inner room to practice calligraphy.

The brush was a Huzhou wolf-hair brush borrowed from Yue Qing, and the paper was gold-traced paper bought from outside. The gold-traced paper was known as “small gold-flecked paper,” and he still remembered the feeling of first writing on gold-flecked paper as a child. As the brush tip slid across the shimmering paper surface, he seemed to see power and wealth bleeding through the ink marks. Just when he thought he was so very close to power and wealth, a beating made him realize that power didn’t belong to him, and wealth was bought with his dignity.

Unable to use gold-flecked paper, he had to use gold-traced paper instead. The gold-traced paper was scented, which he quite enjoyed, but Wei Qizhi was different – not only did he dislike the fragrance, but using the paper for long would cause ugly red rashes on his hands. Others thought it was a curse, but only he had discovered this secret. As Wei Yanzhi thought about these things, his writing speed grew faster and faster. His originally neat and graceful regular script gradually became aggressive wild cursive…

At some point, Wei Yanzhi finally stopped. With a “drip,” a drop of sweat fell onto the paper, immediately creating an ugly ink stain that ruined the entire page of cursive script. As Wei Yanzhi stared at it, he suddenly crumpled up the paper!

After throwing away the paper ball, Wei Yanzhi took two deep breaths. He walked out to the blazing furnace, and the guard waiting outside asked, “Master, what’s wrong?”

Wei Yanzhi shook his head, “Isn’t lunch about to be served?”

The guard nodded, “Are you hungry, Master? I’ll go wait outside right away.”

Wei Yanzhi nodded, and the guard went out.

With no one left in the room, Wei Yanzhi lifted the furnace lid…

When the guard returned with lunch, he saw that Wei Yanzhi had already cleaned out the ashes from under the furnace. The guard hurriedly put down the lunch, “Master, please eat first – leave this to me.”

Wei Yanzhi dusted off his hands, “Just throw it out.”

Nodding, the guard carried the ashes out.

Wei Yanzhi spent the entire afternoon after lunch practicing calligraphy, only stopping when evening fell. The guard, returning from an errand with dinner, said, “Master, Ninth Miss is indeed staying at the Marquis Manor tonight. The kitchen servants say the Lady’s fondness for Ninth Miss rivals that for the Princess. Speaking of which, Master, shouldn’t we apologize to Ninth Miss?”

Wei Yanzhi ate in silence, nodding with a soft “Mm.”

The guard scratched his head and continued, “Come to think of it, that lantern tower incident was really dangerous. We thought it wouldn’t kill anyone, but if Prince Chi hadn’t come, Ninth Miss probably would have…”

Wei Yanzhi said nothing, just silently swallowing his bowl of rice.

After dinner, Wei Yanzhi sat by the furnace, still silent. The guard asked, “Master, are you still unwell? Are you not taking medicine today?”

Wei Yanzhi shook his head, “Go rest.”

The guard had faced Wei Yanzhi’s strange behavior all day and was already on edge. Hearing the dismissal, he immediately withdrew. The main room was Wei Yanzhi’s, while the guard lived in the side room. After the guard left and the door closed, the entire East Garden fell silent. Wei Yanzhi sat quietly before the furnace, his eyes still glowing red in the firelight.

Time ticked by slowly. Just after the third watch, Wei Yanzhi suddenly stood up.

He quickly went to the inner room and took out a close-fitting blue outfit from the bundle atop the tall cabinet by the bed. He put it on efficiently, extinguished the lamps in the room, and stood at the door listening quietly for a while before bolting it. Then he turned and went to the back window of the inner room, leaping out through the half-open window frame.

Though the Anyang Marquis Manor was vast, it was built according to the layout of ordinary noble residences. Wei Yanzhi knew where Yue Qing’s courtyard was and the general direction of Yue Ning’s courtyard. He quickly made his way to the back of Yue Ning’s courtyard.

In the deep night of autumn, a thin chill permeated the air. Wei Yanzhi took out a square cloth and wrapped it around his face. Listening carefully, the courtyard was silent without a trace of lamplight. He steadied his thoughts, gathered his inner force, and leaped onto the wall in one bound.

The room holding the letter was an empty room. Wei Yanzhi’s gaze swept around, starting his search from the side rooms. Soon, he found a room locked from the outside. Wei Yanzhi crept along the wall, listened intently for a few moments, and quickly confirmed there was no one inside. Relieved, he took an iron needle from his sleeve and effortlessly picked the lock.

Slipping inside, the cold air that hit him as soon as he entered made Wei Yanzhi shiver.

But Wei Yanzhi’s heart leaped with joy – he hadn’t found the wrong place!

Having found the right room, the letter must be here too. Straining his eyes, Wei Yanzhi’s gaze swept around, and soon a small wooden box appeared in his vision, on a table by the window. The box was small and exquisite, just large enough to hold one letter.

Wei Yanzhi crept over and opened the box. Immediately, a medicinal smell wafted out. Then, Wei Yanzhi pulled out a somewhat damp paper. Wei Yanzhi clenched his teeth, his lips unconsciously curving up in delight and relief as he tucked the letter into his sleeve and replaced the box. Wei Yanzhi carefully crept out, closing the lock with a “click.”

Having obtained the letter, Wei Yanzhi’s heart settled. Turning around, he saw the courtyard was still pitch black. Qin Wan and Yue Ning must be sound asleep. He just needed to return and dispose of this letter, and all would be well!

Thinking this, Wei Yanzhi’s steps grew lighter. Leaping back over the rear wall, Wei Yanzhi gathered his inner force and moved swiftly through the pitch-black manor as if through uninhabited territory. The night wind was somewhat biting, but Wei Yanzhi’s lips curved up high. His face was animated, his chest surging with excitement, the smile in his eyes about to overflow.

With an almost inaudible sound, he landed ghost-like behind his room.

The window was still half-open, and the entire East Garden was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. He pushed open the window lattice and leaped lightly in. The moment his feet touched the floor inside, his whole body relaxed. He removed his face cloth and eagerly pulled out the somewhat damp paper, unconsciously walking to the corner to light a lamp. But just as he had taken four or five steps, the soft hiss of a fire striker sounded behind him.

At the same time, bright lamplight, accompanied by six or seven tall shadows, fell before his eyes.

Wei Yanzhi’s steps halted as he froze in place as if struck by lightning.

Behind him, Magistrate Huo stepped forward, “What is the Second Young Master holding in his hand?”