After handling the Shangguan family matter, Li Rong felt much more at ease. With the Shangguan family not interfering, as long as she pressured Li Ming hard enough, the possibility of Li Ming returning the case to her was extremely high.

She and Pei Wenxuan rarely went to sleep early. That night, early winter’s first heavy snow fell.

Li Rong was startled awake in the middle of the night. The person knocking on the door seemed extremely panicked, even carrying some fear: “Your Highness, something terrible has happened.”

Li Rong’s eyes flew open. Pei Wenxuan raised his hand to press her down, afraid she would get up and catch cold. He called out loudly: “Come in and speak.”

Saying this, Pei Wenxuan put on his clothes and got up, taking Li Rong’s clothes for her. Jing Mei pushed the door open, trembling: “Your Highness, someone… someone…”

“Your Highness,” Jing Lan walked in from outside the door, saying respectfully, “News came tonight. Tonight on the road, someone saw Qin Zhenzhen’s soul possess a corpse and kill Cui Shuyun.”

Li Rong’s head snapped up as she raised her voice: “What did you say?! Qin Zhenzhen?!”

“Yes.” Jing Lan answered calmly. “The carriage driver said that at the time, he was taking Cui Shuyun back to his manor. On the road, a woman blocked their path. That woman had blood on her head, then called out Cui Shuyun’s name. After Cui Shuyun came out, he was greatly shocked and called her Qin Zhenzhen.”

Cui Shuyun was from the Ministry of Justice investigating the Qin family case—he knew almost everyone from the Qin family.

Li Rong quickly put on her clothes, saying urgently: “And then?”

“Qin Zhenzhen said she came to claim his life. All the guards nearby were frightened away. Only the carriage driver was too scared to move and just watched Qin Zhenzhen step forward and kill him.”

“Besides Cui Shuyun, did anyone else die?”

“Wen Ping from the Censorate and Wang Xi, a Ministry of War official—both died. Wen Ping died in a brothel. Wang Xi died in his own home. It’s said Wang Xi struggled with the ghost for a long time before finally dying.”

“When Wang Xi died, was there anyone who saw it? Is Qin Zhenzhen a dead person or a living person?”

Li Rong hurried outside together with Pei Wenxuan. Jing Lan followed beside them. Jing Lan shook her head, saying quietly: “Unknown. There’s no more news currently. Your Highness, what should we do now?”

Hearing this, Li Rong stopped in her tracks.

“Qin Zhenzhen has come back from the dead. The Ministry of Justice will soon trace this here.”

Qin Zhenzhen had killed herself by ramming into the Princess’s manor gate. The one who ultimately buried her was Li Rong. Now that she was alive, no matter how much ghost and spirit talk covered it, they would definitely trace it to Li Rong. Li Rong pondered for a moment, then suddenly reacted, her eyes widening: “Quick! Prepare horses! To the cemetery!”

After speaking, Li Rong rushed out. Pei Wenxuan froze, then said urgently: “Follow her.”

Pei Wenxuan chased after Li Rong as she rushed out. While running, Li Rong said to Jing Mei who was following closely: “Go find some people and spread tonight’s events. Make it sound mysterious—say vengeful spirits are claiming lives, that many people saw it, that Qin Zhenzhen had a huge hole broken in her head and wounds on her body, that it’s impossible for her to be a corpse. Make it as mysterious as possible.”

“Yes.”

Receiving these words, Jing Mei knew it wasn’t truly a ghost manifesting. She became much calmer.

She hurried back to make arrangements. After Jing Mei instructed people to prepare horses, Li Rong ran out of the manor and nimbly mounted her horse. Pei Wenxuan followed closely behind. Putting on his cloak and leading people, they galloped frantically toward the outskirts.

“Clear the road.”

Pei Wenxuan instructed those around them: “Don’t let anyone watch.”

Receiving Pei Wenxuan’s words, the attendants nodded and rode off in different directions.

Heavy snow piled on the road. After leaving the city, the path became increasingly difficult to traverse.

Pei Wenxuan followed closely behind Li Rong, shouting loudly: “What are we going to the cemetery for?”

“To find Xun Chuan!” Li Rong called back. “She’s not someone who causes trouble recklessly!”

With Xun Chuan’s temperament, if she truly wanted to kill Cui Shuyun and the others, why wouldn’t she adopt assassination methods? Instead, she brazenly revealed her appearance on the main street to kill a court minister?

Because she wanted everyone to know that the killer was Qin Zhenzhen.

But since everyone knew the killer was Qin Zhenzhen, they would inevitably trace it to Li Rong. Once they found Li Rong, they would certainly open the coffin to examine the corpse and see whether what was inside that coffin was truly Qin Zhenzhen.

So the easiest way for Qin Zhenzhen to clear Li Rong was to lie in the coffin herself.

After opening the coffin to examine the corpse, if she lay in the coffin, everyone watching—even if it was a fresh corpse—could say the vengeful spirit’s resentment hadn’t dispersed, covering it up with ghost and spirit talk.

No matter what, the killer was already dead. Whether she had come back from the dead to kill or faked death for revenge no longer mattered. After all, the case involved the Qin family being wronged. Now that those involved in the case had died and the killer had died, even if they continued investigating, there was nothing much they could do to Li Rong.

With Li Rong’s hint, Pei Wenxuan immediately understood the key points. The two rushed to Qin Zhenzhen’s burial site. Her tomb was halfway up the mountain. They couldn’t ride horses up, so Pei Wenxuan supported Li Rong as they climbed up through the accumulated snow. When they reached the cemetery, they saw from afar a person beside Qin Zhenzhen’s grave who seemed to be prying open the coffin. Li Rong rushed forward, shouting: “Xun Chuan!”

The person covered in blood heard Li Rong’s call. She panted, struggling to raise her head.

In the night, Li Rong looked in shock at this blood-covered person. The guards behind her were somewhat afraid, not daring to step forward. Pei Wenxuan supported Li Rong. Li Rong pushed Pei Wenxuan away and rushed forward, looking at Qin Zhenzhen: “What are you doing?”

“I’ve caused trouble for Your Highness. I’m solving it for Your Highness.” Xun Chuan held her sword, kneeling on one knee before Li Rong, saying quietly: “Please forgive me, Your Highness.”

“Solving it?”

Li Rong laughed in anger: “How are you solving it? By lying in the coffin yourself and pretending you’re dead?!”

“Zhenzhen killed court officials. If she doesn’t die today, it will certainly be traced to Your Highness. Soon Zhenzhen will enter the coffin herself. I hope Your Highness will help seal the coffin.”

Li Rong said nothing. She stared at the young woman before her.

“You’re going to die before my eyes,” Li Rong clenched her fists, “where does that leave me?”

“You are this Palace’s Inspectorate Bureau Left Commissioner. Your life and death are not yours to decide!”

Li Rong shouted loudly. Xun Chuan froze. She raised her head to look at Li Rong before her. Li Rong took a deep breath, turning her head: “Where is the previous female corpse?”

“Your Highness,” Xun Chuan frowned, “the coroner will be able to tell.”

“Bury it back first.”

Li Rong paid her no mind, glancing at the female corpse still lying on the ground not far away, then turning to look at Pei Wenxuan: “How many coroners does the Ministry of Justice currently have?”

“Fifteen.” Pei Wenxuan said, walking to the coffin’s edge, saying quietly, “Don’t worry about this matter. This subject will arrange it.”

Li Rong acknowledged. She turned away, glancing at the blood-covered Qin Zhenzhen. After a long silence, she only said: “Go back.”

“Your Highness,” Xun Chuan bit her teeth, “it’s not worth it.”

“I don’t care whether it’s worth it,” Li Rong said coldly, “if you shouldn’t die, then you can’t die.”

Finishing, Li Rong turned around, saying coldly: “Hurry and finish dealing with this. Let’s go.”

“Your Highness!” Xun Chuan stood up, shouting loudly: “I should have died already! You are a princess, a chess player. You proceed with difficulty as if treading on thin ice. You can’t have any more vulnerabilities because of me.”

Li Rong said nothing. She stood quietly. Xun Chuan looked at Li Rong’s back, saying quietly: “You should weigh the costs and benefits. The Qin family was originally just one move in your establishment of the Inspectorate Bureau and recovery of the Shangguan family. Why are you so obsessed?!”

“Then why are you so obsessed with dying?!”

Li Rong twisted her head back. She stared at Xun Chuan: “I’ve treated you as a chess piece—why are you still thinking of me?!”

“Because Your Highness saved me. I cannot forget kindness and be ungrateful.”

Xun Chuan looked at Li Rong calmly: “No matter what purpose Your Highness had, Your Highness saved me, saved the Qin family. This is fact.”

Li Rong said nothing. The guards beside them finished burying the body. Pei Wenxuan said quietly: “Let’s leave first. Don’t argue here. I’ll talk to her.”

Li Rong heard Pei Wenxuan’s words and took a deep breath. She turned her head and walked down the mountain.

Pei Wenxuan stood before Xun Chuan. He tucked his hands into his sleeves, saying slowly: “Her Highness is not a chess player, and you’re not a chess piece. Xun Chuan, if you died, Her Highness would be sad.”

Xun Chuan was slightly stunned. Pei Wenxuan smiled gently: “Her heart is very soft.”

After finishing, Pei Wenxuan beckoned people forward to support Xun Chuan.

Li Rong walked ahead with a cold face. The snow was deep. Walking on the path they had come by, she staggered crookedly.

Pei Wenxuan strode after her. Just as she was about to fall, he caught her. Li Rong shook his hand off, saying coldly: “I don’t need your support.”

Pei Wenxuan laughed. He walked in front and crouched down: “Then let me carry Your Highness.”

“Are my legs broken? Do I need you to carry me?”

“I want to carry Your Highness,” Pei Wenxuan remained crouched, “I beg Your Highness to give me face. Will you?”

Hearing this, Li Rong’s expression improved somewhat. Pei Wenxuan urged: “Hurry, otherwise your shoes will get wet.”

Hearing this, Li Rong finally reluctantly climbed onto Pei Wenxuan’s back. Pei Wenxuan carried her down the mountain together with the others. Li Rong leaned on his back, feeling somewhat sad for a moment.

“Don’t take what Xun Chuan said just now to heart.”

He said peacefully: “You wouldn’t treat anyone as a chess piece. I know.”

“I’m not concerned about that.” Li Rong said quietly. “I just feel angry.”

Pei Wenxuan said nothing. Li Rong lay on his back, eyes lowered: “I feel my own incompetence. Actually, I know that even if the case is handed to me, I still can’t give the Qin family justice. Why is justice so difficult?”

Hearing Li Rong’s words, Pei Wenxuan made no sound. Li Rong wrapped her arms around him, her voice hoarse: “I feel disgusted. I disgust myself, everyone disgusts me. No one is that bad, yet everyone has done very bad things. Can’t kill them, can’t let them stay either.”

“This isn’t that people are bad.” Pei Wenxuan’s voice was peaceful. “Rather, koi cannot survive in muddy water. If a system cannot limit power, even the best people can easily commit evil.”

“Your Highness,” Pei Wenxuan smiled, “you’ve already done very, very well.”

Li Rong said nothing. She held onto Pei Wenxuan as he carried her through the snowy ground.

“In the previous life, I handled many corruption cases involving poor scholars.” Li Rong said in a hoarse voice. “I was never this distressed.”

“I didn’t feel incompetent, didn’t feel caught in a dilemma. Why do I find it so difficult this lifetime?”

Pei Wenxuan said nothing. He understood Li Rong’s meaning.

In the previous life, there were Li Ming, Li Chuan, and him to shoulder what Li Rong was doing now. Everything Li Rong saw was a prosperous age.

“Your Highness,” Pei Wenxuan spoke slowly, “the hardest thing for people has never been facing enemies.”

“Rather, it’s facing oneself. What Your Highness is doing now is tracing back to the source. The process may be very painful, but at least it won’t be like the previous life, muddle-headedly living for a lifetime.”

“Moreover, Your Highness needn’t worry.”

Pei Wenxuan smiled: “This time, Your Highness is not walking alone. I’m accompanying Your Highness.”

Li Rong said nothing. She leaned against Pei Wenxuan.

At that moment, she suddenly felt somewhat greedy for the gentleness this person Pei Wenxuan gave her.

Lying on Pei Wenxuan’s back, she felt as if she had gained a silent support.

Pei Wenxuan carried her down the mountain. He shared a horse with Li Rong, leaving the horse for Qin Zhenzhen, then the group brought Qin Zhenzhen back.

They didn’t bring Qin Zhenzhen into the manor. Li Rong called out Shangguan Ya and directly handed Qin Zhenzhen over to her. Shangguan Ya had Qin Zhenzhen put on makeup, then followed her back to the Shangguan manor.

After handling Qin Zhenzhen, Li Rong returned to the manor together with Pei Wenxuan. As soon as they arrived at the manor, Jing Lan came forward: “Your Highness, the Eastern Palace sent news asking about Miss Qin’s situation, asking if they need to bribe the coroners.”

“Tell the Eastern Palace that what’s in the coffin isn’t Qin Zhenzhen. Have them find a way with the coroners.”

Li Rong waved her hand, having Jing Lan go down to report back. After Jing Lan left, Li Rong returned to her room with a bit of a headache, sitting on the small couch and raising her hand to cover her forehead.

Pei Wenxuan smiled as he entered the room. Taking off his outer robe and washing his hands, he said softly: “After all that commotion, Your Highness actually has no solution?”

“That body isn’t Qin Zhenzhen. Earlier I found a similar one and placed it inside. I even specially disguised it. Qin Zhenzhen was missing a tooth, so I knocked one out. All the bones matched against Qin Zhenzhen’s—I was just afraid someone would later open the coffin and dig up the grave.”

“Then what is Your Highness worried about now?” Pei Wenxuan sat beside Li Rong. Li Rong shook her head. “This method can fool ordinary coroners, but if the palace wants to investigate strictly, blood verification is inevitable. When that time comes and Qin Lin arrives to verify blood on the spot, I’m afraid we can’t escape.”

Hearing this, Pei Wenxuan smiled as he sipped his tea without speaking. Li Rong rested for a while, then looked up at him, frowning: “What are you smiling at? Are you laughing at me?”

“Your Highness misunderstands. How would this subject dare?”

Saying this, Pei Wenxuan raised his hand, turning his palm upward and presenting it before Li Rong.

Li Rong frowned: “What are you doing?”

“Does Your Highness see the wound on it?”

“I don’t feel sorry for you.” Li Rong waved her hand. “Don’t fool around at a time like this.”

“No,” Pei Wenxuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “I wanted to tell you that I just tried the blood verification you mentioned.”

Li Rong turned her head back, somewhat surprised: “You tried it?”

“Yes, I dripped blood onto the bones to try,” Pei Wenxuan said earnestly, “it merged in.”

Li Rong’s eyes widened: “Is that person your long-lost sister?”

Pei Wenxuan: “…”

“No,” seeing communication wasn’t working, Pei Wenxuan said directly, “have you never suspected that this blood verification thing… might not be reasonable?”