Bai Ying, naturally tall and elegant, rarely smiled in daily life. Now dressed in men’s clothing, she looked exactly like a handsome young man. When she emerged from the side door to hand something to Zheng Baishi, no one found it strange.

Zheng Baishi didn’t recognize Bai Ying, but upon seeing the delicate calligraphy on the note with its refined strokes, he knew it was Qin Wan’s handwriting. His eyes briefly swept toward the side door, but his expression remained unchanged as he continued questioning Meng Wei, “What did you and your father discuss while drinking? Did you two argue? Could your father have left in anger, and then, affected by alcohol, accidentally fallen into the lake?”

Meng Wei’s eyes widened at these words. “How could we argue? I’m most respectful to my father—Uncle knows this well. That night, Father was indeed angered by Fourth Uncle, so I consoled him while we discussed how to make up for the family’s losses. After we came up with a solution, Father’s mood greatly improved. How could he have left in anger?”

Zheng Baishi studied Meng Wei. “What exactly did you discuss? What solution did you come up with?”

Meng Wei’s lips tightened, and his hands unconsciously clenched into fists at his sides. “I… I was drunk that night, and can’t remember exactly what was said. I just remember consoling Father not to mind Fourth Uncle’s words, saying that since he had once built up the Meng family business, he could certainly rise again from scratch.”

His eyes lowered, and after rolling them around briefly, he continued, “As for the solution, naturally it was to first keep the crucial shops running, and then… then seek new opportunities.”

Zheng Baishi narrowed his eyes. “Which shops were crucial?”

Meng Wei frowned, wondering why the case investigation had suddenly turned to Meng’s family business matters.

With this thought, his gaze became even more uncertain. “The crucial ones were naturally the restaurants. They brought in the most income but needed working capital. Father said we should transfer the jade-buying money from Ruyi Workshop to the restaurants.”

Zheng Baishi’s gaze remained fixed steadily on Meng Wei. Kneeling in the hall, Meng Wei felt Zheng Baishi’s gaze pierce him like a sword, making him even more nervous. Zheng Baishi asked, “How much money was to be transferred?”

Meng Wei’s lips trembled slightly. “Twenty… twenty thousand taels of silver.”

Zheng Baishi gave Meng Wei no time to react, quickly following up, “Which restaurants would these twenty thousand taels be used for?”

Meng Wei grew increasingly agitated, his gaze no longer meeting Zheng Baishi’s, instead flitting between his knees. “For… for Tongfu Restaurant on Maor Street, and Tongsheng Restaurant on Wanhua Street, and…”

Zheng Baishi not only continued questioning but grew increasingly specific. The more detailed his questions became, the more uneasy Meng Wei appeared. Soon, Meng Wei raised his head with a troubled expression, “Your Honor, I can’t remember clearly. All I know is that we needed to take care of several family restaurants.”

Seeing Meng Wei’s disturbed expression, Zheng Baishi smiled slightly. “Very well, I understand. So you’re saying you were drunk and were helped back to your courtyard, and you don’t know where your father went after that, correct?”

Meng Wei’s expression flickered again before he nodded. “Yes, Father said drinking had made his chest feel hot and he wanted to take a walk before returning. Since he could walk properly, I didn’t worry about him.”

Zheng Baishi nodded, seemingly ready to let Meng Wei go. He turned his gaze to Meng Hui. “Meng Hui, tell me, where did you go after the banquet that night?”

Upon hearing the question, Meng Hui hastily replied, “Your Honor, don’t listen to his nonsense. During the banquet that night, I wasn’t the one who provoked first—it was Meng Jin. For all these years, he’s kept all the business under his control, never thinking of sharing with his brothers. In earlier years, I still felt he had earned his position through hard work, but looking back over these years, he was simply greedy. Yes, I despised him, but… but I wouldn’t kill him! As the saying goes, family shame should not be aired in public. He was still my brother after all. I wouldn’t kill him. After the banquet that night, I returned to my courtyard. My wife, my servant, and the two maids from my wife’s quarters can all testify—that night, I slept in my wife’s quarters!”

Meng Hui turned back, “If Your Honor doesn’t believe me, just ask them—”

As his words fell, several people kneeling behind him immediately nodded in agreement.

Zheng Baishi listened, glanced back at the group, then looked at Zhan Yang. Zhan Yang immediately stepped forward to take the maids to a separate room for questioning. Meanwhile, Zheng Baishi turned his attention to Second Madam Yu.

“Second Madam, where were you that night?”

Madam Yu’s expression remained calm. Though kneeling in court, she appeared as serene as if in meditation. Hearing the question, she opened her slightly narrowed eyes to look at Zheng Baishi. “Your Honor, after leaving the banquet that night, I returned to my quarters and spent the night copying Buddhist scriptures. I didn’t go anywhere else. My maid can testify to this.”

Madam Yu spoke deliberately, showing no signs of nervousness or hurry. Zheng Baishi had likely never suspected her, and seeing her composure, he asked no further questions. His gaze lifted to the Third Branch family members behind her.

“Third Madam, where were you three that night?”

Third Madam Jiang’s appearance was withered. Hearing the question, she respectfully lowered her eyes and said, “Your Honor, after the banquet ended, I returned to our courtyard with my son and daughter-in-law. I retired early, so I went to bed soon after returning. My servants can testify to this. My son and daughter-in-law also usually retire early, and their servants can testify to this as well.”

Zheng Baishi looked at Meng Ziyi. “Young Master Meng, please speak.”

Meng Ziyi raised his head, still holding Madam Xu’s hand. “Mother habitually retires early, and so do my wife and I. That night, after attending to Mother’s retirement, we returned to our courtyard and went to bed. We only learned about Second Uncle’s incident the next morning.”

Meng Ziyi’s demeanor was reserved, and he spoke quietly. While such behavior might be acceptable for a woman, in a man it gave the impression of timidity. Zheng Baishi studied Meng Ziyi briefly, and seeing that Zhan Yang had finished questioning, he had Zhan Yang take the remaining maids to a separate room for individual questioning.

After a moment’s contemplation, Zheng Baishi turned to Meng Zhou and Meng Yao. “Master Meng and Miss Meng, what about you that night?”

Meng Yao kept her head slightly lowered. Seeing this, Meng Zhou said, “My daughter and son both suffer from asthma. That night, neither was feeling well. After the banquet, I first attended to my son, then we all retired to our rooms. The main courtyard’s steward and the family physician can testify to this. Zhang De, speak up—”

Meng Zhou looked toward a middle-aged man, who nodded, “Yes, Your Honor. That night, our master first attended to the young master, then had someone escort the young miss back, before retiring himself. Three guards in our master’s courtyard can testify that the master never left the main courtyard that night. As for the young miss, Zhang Ma can testify.”

Zhang De looked at the woman beside him, who nodded, “The young miss was coughing all night and took medicine again at midnight. Two other senior maids and I attended to the young miss until dawn.”

Meanwhile, Qin Wan stepped back after looking at Meng Yao. “This Miss Meng is the one who came to the Marquis’s mansion asking for my help with her illness. After the incident, she was delayed from coming again. Looking at her complexion, she indeed shows signs of asthma.”

Yan Chi walked inside with her, asking, “What do you think about the others?”

Qin Wan frowned, “Meng Hui seems to be an impulsive person. Such people can’t hide their true emotions and easily conflict with others, but they also easily reveal flaws. Just now when he spoke, he was puffing out his chest and raising his head, seemingly eager for Magistrate Zheng to question him more. In comparison, Meng Wei seems more suspicious. When answering questions earlier, his speech was halting, especially when Magistrate Zheng asked about details from that night—he had to think before speaking. As Your Highness said that day, I also feel he seems to be concealing something. He claims he and his father only discussed how to recover the business, but they likely discussed other matters.”

Yan Chi nodded, “Perhaps it relates to what you mentioned earlier. Bai Feng will surely return soon; we’ll wait for his news.”

Qin Wan nodded, and in the courtroom, Zheng Baishi questioned Meng Wei again.

“Meng Wei, why do you say your Fourth Uncle harmed your father?”

Qin Wan and Yan Chi exchanged glances and stepped toward the door, watching the proceedings through the curtain gap.

Hearing this, Meng Wei’s face turned bitter, and he immediately replied, “For all these years, Father has worked tirelessly for the Meng family. It’s because of Father that the Meng family has its current wealth. But starting four or five years ago, Fourth Uncle has constantly demanded to split the family. Thankfully, Eldest Uncle mediated, preventing the Meng family from falling apart. Last year, Fourth Uncle became increasingly demanding, repeatedly causing trouble and picking fights—it wasn’t the first time for arguments and physical confrontations. Several times even Eldest Uncle couldn’t stop him. Fourth Uncle always believed my father had embezzled family property and was suppressing the Third and Fourth Branches from participating in the business. But how could that be!”

Meng Wei’s eyes reddened. “Third Aunt has been chronically ill, and Second Brother… Second Brother also frequently needs medicine. Father never blamed Second Brother for not being able to help, but instead sent silver to the Third Branch annually according to custom. As for the Fourth Branch, Fourth Uncle is able-bodied, and Father gave him two shops to manage. However, one shop failed a year ago, and the other requires additional funding just to stay open. Under such circumstances, how could Father dare entrust major business to Fourth Uncle? As they say, the capable should do more work—all this wealth was earned through Father’s hard work. Even if it meant more work for himself, he absolutely wouldn’t hand it over to Fourth Uncle to ruin. It would have been fine if Fourth Uncle was just incompetent, with the family providing him food and drink, but he became greedy—”

Meng Wei spoke earnestly, while Meng Hui’s eyes reddened with anger!

“You, you unfilial creature, how dare you say such things?! Your father managed the family’s common property—yes, he made money, but those properties would make money in anyone’s hands! The business he gave me was already losing money, and after he gave it to me, someone sabotaged it. How could it possibly succeed? This became a perfect excuse for you father and son! Using this excuse to turn public property into private use!”

As they spoke, the two began arguing again, while Meng Zhou’s face turned ashen beside them.

Seeing their contradicting accounts, Zheng Baishi looked to Meng Zhou. “What does Master Meng say?”

Meng Zhou heaved a long sigh. “They say a harmonious family prospers in everything. I wanted the Meng family to live in harmony, so I never wanted to split the family. Second Brother was good at business, so I let him handle it. But in recent years, leaving aside the Third Branch, he wouldn’t give the Fourth Branch any opportunities either. I knew Fourth Brother had grievances—it’s my fault too, always playing peacemaker, letting their differences grow into enmity. Fourth Brother is straightforward, sometimes impulsive, and his words can be harsh, leading to many disputes. But even so, I don’t believe he would harm Second Brother.”

As Meng Zhou spoke, Meng Hui gave a bitter cold snort, while Meng Wei showed clear disagreement with Meng Zhou’s words but dared not talk back to him as he had to Meng Hui.

Meng Zhou continued with another sigh, “Moreover, after the troubles last year, I had intended to split the family this year. Before the New Year, I mentioned it to Second Brother once. At the time, he said since I had made the decision, he wouldn’t oppose it but hoped I would give him six months. He had his eye on a mine, a sure-profit major deal. Once this deal was done, the Meng family’s income would be stable. I knew he had ambitions in business, and since he didn’t oppose splitting, I thought giving him six months wouldn’t matter. Who knew his business venture would suddenly go wrong before the New Year.”

What Meng Zhou referred to was naturally the incident where Meng Jin was deceived.

Meng Zhou sighed deeply. “I serve as an official in court and don’t manage the family business. I didn’t say anything about losing the money, but Fourth Brother had strong opinions about this. Fourth Brother was convinced that Second Brother had embezzled plenty of public funds over the years and had capital to fill the hole, so he said that in splitting the family, the Second Branch shouldn’t receive any more from the current Meng family assets—the money that was lost to fraud should be counted as Second Brother’s share. Naturally, Second Brother disagreed, and that’s how the argument at the family banquet started.”

Meng Zhou’s tone was righteous and serious. Seeing no bias in his words, Meng Hui had no rebuttal, and Meng Wei could find no falsehood, so he too kept his lips tightly sealed. Meng Zhou continued, “As they say, family shame should not be aired in public. I truly apologize for making Magistrate Zheng witness this today. Although Meng Wei claims Fourth Brother harmed Second Brother, in my view, while Fourth Brother may be rough and rash in character, he would never kill his brother. I ask Magistrate Zheng to make a fair judgment on right and wrong.”

Zheng Baishi nodded, then asked Meng Zhou, “Master Meng, there’s one thing I don’t understand.”

Meng Zhou hurriedly replied, “Please speak freely, Magistrate Zheng.”

Zheng Baishi said, “Your family business encountered problems, being cheated of over a hundred thousand taels of silver. Why didn’t you report it to the authorities?”

At these words, Meng Zhou smiled bitterly. “We were going to report it, but Second Brother felt it was too embarrassing, and since they were wandering con men, even if we reported it, they would be hard to catch. It would only make everyone know about the incident, damaging the Meng family’s reputation. That’s why the matter was set aside.” Sighing, Meng Zhou continued, “Thinking about it now, we made a mistake. There are no walls that can completely block the wind. If we had reported it then, perhaps we could have recovered the silver. If we had recovered the silver, perhaps today’s tragedy wouldn’t have happened.”

As Zheng Baishi listened, his expression darkened. Just then, the back door of the side room suddenly opened.

Bai Feng entered with a light sweat, holding a letter. Seeing him arrive, Yan Chi and Qin Wan walked over to him, with Qin Wan urgently asking, “How is it?”

Li Muyun also stood up when Bai Feng arrived. Bai Feng said, “Your Highness, Ninth Miss, the person who deposited money at Xiangfu Bank was indeed the Meng family’s Second Master. He used the alias Meng Duzhou. He placed the bank notes and documents in a box at the bank, and the box had a special key. The Second Master only needed to take that key to the bank to withdraw money.”

Bai Feng handed the letter to Yan Chi, “This was written by the bank owner himself. If you need him to come in person, we can summon him now. Yesterday, someone from the Meng family went to the bank to withdraw money but was refused by the manager because they didn’t have the key. This led to an argument. The manager said he knew the Meng family’s Second Master had met with misfortune and had expected the young master to come, but instead of the young master coming himself, only a servant was sent, and without the token, he dared not exchange the money.”

Qin Wan and Yan Chi exchanged glances—the key, no wonder the two servants they encountered at the Meng mansion were searching for a key.

Yan Chi’s lips curved coldly. “At this time, he naturally wouldn’t dare go to withdraw the money himself, but he’s worried about something going wrong with that sum, so he sent a servant instead. How much money did he deposit?”

Bai Feng frowned. “Two hundred thousand taels.”

Yan Chi and Qin Wan exchanged glances again, a glint flashing in both their eyes.

Yan Chi walked to the writing materials nearby, quickly wrote a long note, and combined it with the letter, having Bai Feng take them out to Zheng Baishi. In the court, Zheng Baishi was questioning Meng Wei, “Meng Wei, tell us how your family was deceived.”

Meng Wei’s face turned bitter. “Your Honor, my father’s life is most important right now. How can that silver compare to my father’s life? Please hurry to investigate my father’s death instead.”

Just as Zheng Baishi was about to raise his eyebrows at this response, he saw Bai Feng walk out. Zheng Baishi straightened his back and quickly accepted the letter and note from Bai Feng, opening them to read. After reading these, Zheng Baishi’s expression grew even more profound.

He fixed his sharp eyes on Meng Wei. “When this official asks you to speak, you should speak. Your father’s case is very complex, and perhaps it’s related to how you were deceived. If you don’t explain clearly, how can the authorities investigate for you?”

Meng Wei took a deep breath and said through gritted teeth, “How could those swindlers come back to harm my father? My father was killed in the Meng mansion. In our household, besides Fourth Uncle, who else would harm my father?” Looking toward Meng Hui, he continued, “Actually… actually, just searching Fourth Uncle’s courtyard would reveal whether Fourth Uncle harmed anyone!”

Meng Hui’s brows shot up. “Search my courtyard?! On what grounds would you search my courtyard?! Have you gone mad?! Your father’s death was karmic retribution! In earlier years, didn’t I trust your father to manage my rightful share? But what happened later?! When did your father and son ever treat us as a family?! First greedily embezzling the First, Third, and Fourth Branches’ family property, and now you try to frame me? Boy, if you don’t repent, beware of karma!”

“Who’s facing karma?!” Meng Wei glared. “Are you feeling guilty?! Is it because searching your courtyard would reveal evidence of you harming my father?!”

“Hah—I’m guilty? I would feel guilty?!”

Meng Hui shouted and was about to argue more when “Bang!”—Zheng Baishi had struck his gavel!

“Insolent! This is a court of law, not a place for you two to argue and shout!”

Zheng Baishi was quite angry—these were people from the Meng family, yet this uncle and nephew showed not a trace of proper conduct. Thinking this, Zheng Baishi glanced sideways at Meng Zhou, seeing him supporting his forehead with one hand, seemingly having given up on disciplining the two.

Zheng Baishi sighed inwardly, but his expression became more meaningful. “Meng Wei, you say searching Meng Hui’s courtyard would reveal evidence. What evidence are you referring to?”

“A key! A key!” Meng Wei blurted out, then showed a hint of hesitation on his face. However, having already spoken, he thought for a moment and continued with a normal expression, “That key was for my father’s drawer where he kept his seal. Usually, my father always carried it with him, but when I was preparing his body, I couldn’t find it. I had people search everywhere but couldn’t find it, which is why I grew increasingly suspicious that someone wanted to seize my father’s private property and therefore harmed him.”

Meng Hui’s eyes widened. “Empty words! I’ve never seen any key of your father’s!”

Meng Wei was about to speak again, but Zheng Baishi asked, “Meng Wei, you knew early on that your father was missing something, yet why didn’t you tell the authorities? The missing items from his person, including the key, would be evidence. Why did you conceal this matter? What was your intention?”

Meng Wei’s eyes flickered. “I… I just forgot at the time.”

Zheng Baishi gave a cold laugh. “Forgot? Did you forget, or was the key something that couldn’t be shown to others?”

At these words, Meng Zhou and Meng Hui both looked questioningly at Meng Wei. Zheng Baishi wouldn’t speak like this without reason. Sure enough, Meng Wei’s expression changed slightly, though he forced himself to say, “What are you saying, Your Honor? How could it be something that couldn’t be shown? Doesn’t Your Honor also have private storage? Isn’t it normal for everyone to have one or two important keys?”

Zheng Baishi smiled. “My private storage doesn’t contain two hundred thousand taels of silver.”

At these words, Meng Wei’s face turned pale. Zheng Baishi continued, “You certainly knew it couldn’t have been swindlers coming back to harm your father, because the ‘swindlers’ never existed in the first place. Meng Wei, what other truths about your father’s death are you still concealing? How much longer do you plan to hide things? This letter was written by the manager of Xiangfu Bank himself. Take a good look!”

With these words, Zheng Baishi threw the letter in front of Meng Wei.

Upon hearing the words “Xiangfu Bank,” Meng Wei was completely stunned. He moved slowly to pick it up, but Meng Hui snatched it first. After quickly reading the letter’s contents, Meng Hui exploded with rage. “Well, well! Your father had secretly stashed away two hundred thousand taels of silver! Where did this money come from?!” Meng Hui’s angry eyes glared hard at Meng Wei, and soon he realized, “This must be the money your father claimed was swindled away. You… your father and son used such a scheme to steal from your own family! Elder Brother, look at this! How cruelly they’ve deceived us!”

Saying this, Meng Hui stood and handed the letter to Meng Zhou. Meng Zhou frowned and hurriedly read it. While losing the silver had severely damaged the Meng family, if outsiders had deliberately schemed to deceive them, that would have been unavoidable. But if Meng Wei and his father had conspired to deceive the rest of the Meng family, that was an entirely different matter.

Meng Zhou had been somewhat disbelieving at first, but one look at Meng Wei’s ashen face, followed by the contents of the letter, made everything clear! Meng Wei was not Meng Jin—he hadn’t weathered many storms. Zheng Baishi’s unexpected strike had left him almost completely defenseless. Seeing Meng Zhou’s expression change as well, Meng Wei bit his teeth and nervously hunched his shoulders!

Meng Zhou stood up. “Meng Wei, tell me, what exactly is going on?”

Meng Wei kept his head down. Beside him, the Second Madam emerged from her meditative state and frowned at Meng Wei. Meanwhile, Fourth Madam, Third Madam, and even Meng Ziyi all looked at Meng Wei in surprise. This incident had caused quite a stir in the Meng family, but everyone understood the culprits were the swindlers. Now, however, the situation was completely different!

Meng Wei nervously clenched his fists, his eyes daring only to look at the ground. Hearing Meng Zhou’s anger, he knew there was no room for maneuver. In this family, Meng Zhou was the eldest and had always been the peacemaker. With him around, Meng Wei knew that no matter what happened, someone would protect him at crucial moments. But now Meng Zhou was angry, his father was dead—who in this family could protect him now?

Meng Wei’s heart sank into an abyss. Meanwhile, Meng Zhou stepped forward and shouted softly, “Meng Wei, I’m asking you again, what exactly is going on here?! Did you and your father scheme to deceive us all?”

Meng Wei’s eyes reddened, seeming about to cry, as feelings of grievance, fear, and unwillingness surged in his heart. He said to Meng Zhou, “Uncle, this is all because you thought of splitting the family! Why split up when everything was fine? Just because Father managed the Meng family business? All these years, how much has Father sacrificed for the family business? But after the split, Father would only get his original share. What would all his years of effort amount to? Why should the Third and Fourth Branches benefit without doing anything?! Uncle, you can’t blame my father for this. Anyone in his position would have felt the same way!”

Looking at Meng Wei’s state, Meng Zhou gripped the letter tightly, momentarily speechless. But Meng Hui didn’t care about any of that, stepping forward to kick Meng Wei. “You unfilial creature! You and your father went mad and did such things, yet you dare criticize your Uncle?! Without your Uncle, what could your father have accomplished?!”

Meng Wei fell over, and though Madam Yu was right beside him, she made no move to help.

Meng Zhou stood dazed for a while, then suddenly gave a bitter laugh. “So… so… everyone’s worries and arguments these past days were all for nothing. The two hundred thousand taels of silver were here all along…”

Meng Zhou had discovered the missing silver but also uncovered Meng Jin and his son’s scheme. He didn’t know whether to be happy or upset, his heart filled with mixed emotions. And in front of so many people at the magistrate’s office, he had completely lost face.

Meng Zhou raised his hand to stop Meng Hui from hitting Meng Wei again, then turned to look at Zheng Baishi, smiling bitterly, “Magistrate Zheng, thank you for uncovering this scheme. These matters… have truly made us lose face before you. Let’s set this aside for now—please focus on investigating my brother’s death.”

Seeing Meng Zhou’s anger, Zheng Baishi remained silent as if watching a show. Now that Meng Zhou had regained his composure, he naturally needed to properly investigate the murder case. He struck his gavel, “Meng Wei, tell us honestly, how did you and your father arrange this matter? How is your father’s death related to this? Also, what did you and your father discuss that night, and where did he go afterward?”

Qin Wan’s letter had mentioned that when Meng Wei spoke of drinking with his father that night, he seemed to be concealing something and lying, so Zheng Baishi had questioned him in great detail earlier. When questioned in detail, Meng Wei indeed revealed more flaws in his story. Zheng Baishi had been wondering what father and son would need to hide about drinking together, but now knowing about this matter, he understood—these father and son must have been discussing their scheme to deceive their family members, which they couldn’t openly admit in court.

“I… my father and I were discussing this matter of swindling the silver.” Seeing the situation was hopeless, Meng Wei had to tell the truth. “This was all arranged by Father, including the mining business documents. He used these to convince Uncle he was going to buy mine. The later events were just Father’s story—he never actually went west to deal with any supposed swindlers, he just transferred the money elsewhere. The others didn’t know that after Father returned from the West, he put on another act, making everyone believe he had truly been swindled this time.”

“That night, when Fourth Uncle became angry, Father and I returned to our courtyard feeling somewhat vindicated—Fourth Uncle truly didn’t appreciate the Second Branch’s contributions at all. Father said to let Fourth Uncle make trouble for a few days, then we’d agree to split the family. Best if our Second Branch could get some more family assets, but if we couldn’t, it wouldn’t matter. Once we moved out to live separately, we’d gradually withdraw the two hundred thousand taels of silver without anyone knowing, then use Father’s old connections to start business anew. By then, all our earnings would be our own.”

“That’s basically what we discussed. Father and son were happy and drank too much. I got drunk first. I wasn’t lying about what happened after—Father said his chest felt hot and wanted to take a walk. The mansion wasn’t that big, and it was nighttime. He was afraid of water and definitely wouldn’t go near the lake—at most he’d just walk around the garden—”

Zheng Baishi frowned slightly. “He didn’t have anyone follow him?”

Meng Wei shook his head. “Father must have been too happy—having someone follow would have meant restraining his emotions. No one in the Meng family knew about this; Father used an old manager who had worked with him for many years in his outside shops.”

Given this explanation, Zheng Baishi could understand. “So do you think your father’s death is related to the money you took?”

Hearing this, Meng Wei immediately nodded. “Of course it is. The key to Father’s person disappeared. Your Honor probably knows now that for that sum of money, either Father had to appear in person or someone needed that key to withdraw it. Since the money’s source was questionable, Father didn’t plan to withdraw it himself, so that key was crucial. He had planned to have that old manager get it after the family split, but after Father died, I couldn’t find that key on his body.”

His eyes darting around, Meng Wei continued, “Either someone knew Father had secretly transferred the money and killed him to get that sum, or they just thought it was the key to Father’s private storage, or, very unlikely, Father lost it himself.” He looked anxiously at Zheng Baishi. “But that possibility is too small—Father wore this key around his neck like a protective charm. He couldn’t have lost it.”

Hearing this, Zheng Baishi’s expression darkened. When they examined Meng Jin’s body, he was already dressed in burial clothes, and the clothes he died in had been burned. Thus, the only clues they could find were the wounds on Meng Jin’s body. Yet peculiarly, the wounds on Meng Jin’s body had no clear indication of their origin—even Old Coroner Fang Bai who performed the autopsy thought foul play was unlikely. If not for Qin Wan’s different opinion, they might have treated this case as an accident.

“Is there anything else you’re hiding? Did you send someone to the bank yesterday?”

Meng Wei first shook his head, “No, no, I’m not hiding anything anymore.” Then he nodded, “Yesterday I still couldn’t find the key, so I tried sending a servant to see what would happen. As expected, they couldn’t withdraw anything. Without the key, even if I went myself, it would probably be troublesome—”

Zheng Baishi turned to look at the others. “Did any of you know about their scheme?”

After asking this, he saw only surprised and bewildered expressions. Zheng Baishi then looked at Meng Zhou and Meng Hui. Meng Zhou smiled bitterly, “Our family has had many arguments about this matter lately. If anyone knew about this, they would have come to tell me to expose these father and son.”

Zheng Baishi swept his gaze across everyone. If the Fourth Branch knew, they would have been unable to contain their anger. The Third Branch, with its widowed mother and sick son, had no heart for fighting over money. As for the First Branch… they held official positions and couldn’t engage in business. Therefore, the possibility of someone killing for knowledge of the Second Branch’s hidden money had to be ruled out.

Zheng Baishi sighed, “Very well, I’ve asked what needed to be asked for now. Do any of you have anything else to say? If anyone discovers anything unusual and reports it to the authorities, there will be a substantial reward.”

With this question, Zheng Baishi looked toward the concubines and consorts kneeling at the back and instructed the legal advisor beside him, “Advisor, take them aside and record their statements separately.” Then Zheng Baishi stood up and looked at Meng Zhou, “Master Meng, please wait here a moment.”

Meng Zhou nodded and remained seated, while Zheng Baishi walked toward the side room where Qin Wan was.

Upon entering, Zheng Baishi raised his chin, and everyone walked out through the back door together.

Once in the corridor, they no longer needed to speak in low voices. Zheng Baishi looked at Yan Chi, “Your Highness, what do you think?”

Yan Chi narrowed his eyes. “Only father and son knew about their scheme—others didn’t know. Thus, no one would specifically kill for the key, and how would ordinary servants dare do such a thing?”

Qin Wan nodded. “This scheme was discovered by accident. Although the possibility of Meng Jin dying because of that sum of money seems low, the missing key is crucial.” She turned to look at Zheng Baishi. “Your Honor could have people drag the lake. If the key is found there, the possibility of an accident would be very high.”

Zheng Baishi nodded, and beside them, Li Muyun asked, “Couldn’t he have been killed in the lake?”

Hearing this, Qin Wan tilted her head and thought for a moment. “If you ask whether it’s possible, it’s not impossible. However, the inner lake is surrounded by ancient rocks, and Meng Jin’s body showed no injuries that could have rendered him unconscious, nor were there signs of drugs. So if Meng Jin was murdered, he must have drowned alive. If he was drowned alive, there would have been a struggle. If he struggled by the lakeside, the injuries on his hands shouldn’t have been just two or three places—they should have been much more severe than what we saw. The struggle of accidentally falling into water is quite different from being forcibly drowned.”

However, as she said this, Qin Wan suddenly frowned. Her expression immediately caught Yan Chi’s attention. “What is it?”

Qin Wan looked at Yan Chi. “Master Li reminded me of something. You must remember the bruise on the occipital area of Meng Jin’s head. Although that bruise wasn’t fatal, that location would not be injured easily. If Meng Jin was indeed drowned, and the killer held his head down while using other means to restrain his body without leaving marks, couldn’t that have killed him?”

Zheng Baishi raised an eyebrow. “Other means that wouldn’t leave marks?”

Qin Wan nodded. “For example, when some people are suffocated, their faces show bruises from hands, but when people are suffocated with pillows, no bruises appear on their faces—it’s the same principle.”

Continuing, she added, “Also, Meng Jin had a horizontal wound on his stomach. During the autopsy, I was wondering how it was caused. Now it seems, if Meng Jin was pressed against a rock, wouldn’t it leave exactly such a mark?”

Zheng Baishi’s eyes immediately lit up, and he asked eagerly, “Would Ninth Miss be willing to accompany us to the Meng mansion?”

Qin Wan glanced at Yan Chi, who said, “It’s still early. If you’re willing, it would be best if you came with us.”

Qin Wan nodded. “Very well then, let’s go to the Meng mansion!”