Being only a year or so older—what’s there to talk about regarding old and young? Shen Qiyuan scoffed disdainfully, but sitting in the carriage, his expression remained gloomy.

A great demon monster of several thousand years, still falling for the act of playing young, losing all sense of direction upon hearing a single “elder sister”—truly foolish to the extreme. It was the same with Qingyi before, and now with Wei Zijue as well. He couldn’t understand what was so appealing about these little boys who hadn’t even grown all their hair yet.

The sound of horse hooves rang out beyond the carriage. He opened the window with a sidelong glance and saw Wei Zijue holding the reins, smiling as he said to him, “My lord is getting on in years, be careful not to catch a cold from the wind.”

Having said this, he whipped his horse and rode away.

Shen Qiyuan kicked the carriage wall with one foot, startling Zhou Tingchuan outside. He hurriedly opened the carriage door, only to see his lord sitting properly inside, not even his robe hem disturbed.

“What’s wrong?” Shen Qiyuan asked as if nothing had happened.

Zhou Tingchuan shook his head and closed the door with lingering fear.

Amitabha Buddha, he thought, the weather is already been cold enough recently. He hoped Miss Liu would show great mercy and not let cold winds blow through the carriage anymore—he feared his back would develop rheumatism.

Ruyi had just reached the entrance of the Yun Manor when she let out an enormous sneeze.

Sniffling, she pulled her cloak tighter around herself, puzzled as she looked around in all directions.

Perhaps due to the death that had occurred, the servants had all been driven to the outer quarters to serve, with only a few trusted household slaves patrolling near the main courtyard. Upon seeing her, they came forward to inquire, and after quite a bit of trouble, they finally let her in.

Zhao Yanning and Hua Fuman were both still at the crime scene. As soon as she entered, both of them came forward to greet her.

“I don’t know how to write this autopsy examination record,” Yanning frowned deeply. “The deceased was ambushed and killed from behind, yet Master Yun insists it was suicide. With this angle and depth, how could it be suicide?”

Fuman also presented the testimony of the deceased’s maid.

Ruyi glanced at it and felt somewhat of a headache.

She admitted that the words about the tavern taking on civil litigation cases were indeed spoken by her, but at that time, wasn’t it to trick Zhao Yanning and Fuman into helping? Who would have thought that through this strange twist of fate, she would have to serve as a litigation master for someone?

However.

Yanning and Fuman during case investigations were completely different from their state when doing odd jobs at the tavern. Although they were also happy at the tavern, at the crime scene, both of them would emanate a unique radiance, their eyes filled with solid confidence.

Humans are vivid creatures—they cannot always strive forward, nor can they always merely survive. To be well-nourished, they need both rice and moonlight.

After thinking for a moment, Ruyi still seriously examined the testimony.

Master Yun’s wife, Lady Zhang, was famously known for her beauty paired with wisdom, lenient toward servants, and considerate toward her husband. But since Haiyan’s death, the two had been constantly erupting into quarrels. Yuncheng had moved to sleep in his study for a month already, and even when he occasionally returned to the main courtyard, it was only to fetch clean clothes.

On the day Lady Zhang died, Yuncheng had quarreled intensely with her, even saying extreme words like “kill you” and “die together.” The maid was sent away midway to brew soup, and when she returned, Lady Zhang was already lying in a pool of blood.

However, according to the steward’s testimony, shortly after quarreling with Lady Zhang, Yuncheng had returned to his study, and at that time, Lady Zhang’s crying could still be heard from within the room.

Ruyi swept a glance over the scene. Things were in disarray, with a shattered vase nearby, as if there had been a struggle. So the question arose: if Lady Zhang was still alive when Yuncheng left, who was it that drove this knife into her back?

“I wonder if my lord could tell us the reason for the dispute with Lady Zhang?” she asked Yuncheng.

Yuncheng sat in the main seat with a livid expression, saying glumly, “That is my family matter.”

“It concerns the motive for murder. Even if we go to the Ministry of Justice, my lord will have to speak of it. Why not tell us early, so we can also prepare your defense when the time comes?”

What could these few women defend? Yuncheng thought dismissively.

The reason he had sought out the Immortal Meeting Tavern wasn’t because he believed in their case-solving methods at all, but because he knew Shen Qiyuan treated the owner of this Immortal Meeting Tavern with special regard. As long as she stood on his side, his chances of winning the lawsuit would greatly increase.

Ruyi stared at him, still waiting for his answer.

Yuncheng grew impatient but still opened his mouth: “She always thought that Haiyan and I were as close as brothers, that when I risked fraternal discord to marry her back then, I truly cared for her. But when Haiyan had his incident and His Majesty rebuked me, she discovered that I had always been jealous of Haiyan. Finding this somewhat unacceptable, she kept quarreling with me.”

Lady Zhang had known Haiyan first, but it was Yuncheng who first expressed interest. Haiyan withdrew first, so Lady Zhang married Yuncheng. When the two wed, Haiyan even sent generous gifts.

Lady Zhang had always thought Yuncheng loved her so much that he wanted to marry her, but when the truth came to light, she suddenly realized that Yuncheng back then might have simply wanted to snatch away something from Haiyan, which was why he had come to her family’s door to propose marriage.

A marriage matter concerning life, death, and love was, in Yuncheng’s eyes, merely a trophy. Lady Zhang was naturally extremely angry and had been melancholy for several months straight. Whenever she saw him, she would inevitably fly into a rage.

Yuncheng was also angry. His own wife quarreled endlessly with him over Haiyan. He had thought himself assured of victory, but after the man’s death, he suffered complete defeat—how could he think it through?

The rift between husband and wife grew larger and larger, finally reaching an irreconcilable point.

“She has lived in silk and jade for so many years, having whatever she wanted. I don’t know what she still found insufficient,” Yuncheng said irritably. “Ending up like this is also her own doing.”

All three women in the room frowned in unison.

Ruyi examined the floor thoroughly, found no water stains, then said with a stern expression: “Women and men have always had different demands regarding marriage. Women want love, and only when that’s truly impossible do they want clothing and food. Men want completeness, harmony, and the continuation of the family line—having love is better, but it doesn’t matter if there isn’t any. What seems unimportant in my lord’s eyes might precisely be the thing that took Lady Zhang’s life.”

Yuncheng couldn’t listen.

He stood up and said, “You all should look for evidence. If we can only determine it was murder, then you’ll all stay overnight at my humble manor.”

These words carried some threat. He Tinglan was somewhat angry as she pulled Ruyi: “I don’t really want to do his business.”

Ruyi looked toward Fuman and Yanning. Those two, having experienced more, showed no particular expression on their faces upon hearing this, only some worried looks toward her.

“What does the owner think?” Zhao Yanning asked.

After all, they were all just ordinary commoners. Getting involved in these high-family vendettas brought no benefits—it was reasonable that she wouldn’t want to take it on.

However, Ruyi’s face showed not the slightest hesitation as she immediately said: “You all investigate with peace of mind. Whatever happens, I’ll take responsibility. If it’s suicide, then it’s suicide. If it’s not suicide, then it’s not suicide. I don’t believe this Yun Manor towers into the heavens with no way to leave.”

Fuman and Yanning exchanged glances, both feeling settled in their hearts.

“Owner, do you think she committed suicide, or was it… murder?”

Ruyi picked up a chair and sat down: “It indeed looks like murder, but I’m very curious—why does this Lady Zhang appear so much taller than us, with features that are particularly gorgeous and deeply defined?”