Upon hearing this, Zhao Yan spat out the mouthful of tea he had just taken.

Excessive concern inevitably conceals something suspicious.

He knew his own thoughts were a bit improper, but he was unwilling to watch Liu Chaoming walk down the wrong path. He interrupted: “That won’t be necessary, will it? If there really is something wrapped up in this matter, His Highness the Crown Prince has surely handled it properly already. If our Imperial Censorate sticks our nose in, wouldn’t we just be adding to His Highness’s troubles?”

Qian San’er continued: “Lord Liu, Lord Zhao, actually the Thirteenth Prince dismissing those two guards isn’t even the strangest part.” He glanced at the two hall officials’ expressions and said: “What’s most peculiar is that not long after these two guards left Yingtian Prefecture, they disappeared.”

“Disappeared?” Zhao Yan was alarmed. “What does that mean? Were they kidnapped, or did they run away midway?”

Qian San’er shook his head: “That’s unknown. We received a confidential letter from Commander Wei here, so our information came quickly. I estimate the Eastern Palace won’t know about this until tomorrow morning.”

Zhao Yan and Liu Chaoming exchanged a glance. He asked: “What do you think?”

Liu Chaoming considered briefly, calculated the route to the northwest, and instructed: “Order the supervising censors of the three circuits of Jiangxi, Shanxi, and Shaanxi to remain vigilant. If any trace of these two guards is discovered within their territories, report immediately without delay.”

Su Jin sorted through the clues in her mind once more.

Before his death, Xu Yuanzhe had said that in early April, Chao Qing had gone to Moon-Seeking Tower once. He disappeared on the ninth day of the fourth month.

Death row prisoner Zhang Kui said that on the seventh day of the fourth month, while “searching corpses” at the mass grave, he was knocked unconscious by someone. When he woke up, the madam of Moon-Seeking Tower falsely accused him of killing the establishment’s top courtesan, Ning Yan’er.

One disappeared, one died—both connected to Moon-Seeking Tower, and only two days apart. It was hard to believe these two cases were unrelated.

To prove he had only sought wealth and hadn’t killed anyone, Zhang Kui had hidden the jade pendant he’d stripped from the corpse in a crack in the Ministry of Justice prison wall.

And this jade pendant was now in her hands, delivered by Zhu Nanxian—the only physical evidence she currently possessed.

This proved that Zhang Kui’s claim of being falsely accused was nine parts out of ten true.

If he was wrongly accused, then the Moon-Seeking Tower madam who had accused him of murder out of thin air must know something.

Dusk had deepened. Thinking of this, Su Jin claimed she needed to rest and bowed in farewell to Zhu Nanxian.

Once Zhu Nanxian’s figure disappeared at the lane entrance, Su Jin quickly turned and gave an instruction: “A Qi, prepare the carriage.” She then glanced at Zhou Ping standing at the side and suddenly smiled: “Gaoyan, change into your official robes and accompany me out.”

Zhou Ping was unnerved by this sudden smile. Seeing her urgent manner, he didn’t dare delay and hurriedly changed into his official robes. Su Jin was already sitting on the carriage shaft waiting for him.

Liu Yichu stood at the magistracy entrance and asked: “Where are you two going?”

Su Jin let Zhou Ping into the carriage and, without changing expression, flicked the horse whip: “A brothel.”

Liu Yichu quickly handed his teacup to A Qi and chased after them, climbing onto the carriage: “Take me along, take me along!”

The moon had just risen, and along the ten miles of Qinhuai, music drifted faintly.

Su Jin tied up the horse outside the district and headed toward Moon-Seeking Tower.

Zhou Ping was so angry his lungs hurt, reproaching her as they walked: “You never indulged in pleasures of the flesh before. How is it that after one trip to the palace, you’ve picked up such bad habits?”

Su Jin glanced at him and couldn’t help explaining: “I’m here to investigate a case.”

Zhou Ping was very unconvinced: “You’re investigating a case? If you’re investigating a case, why are you in casual clothes while I’m in official robes? You’re really treating me too well. Do you know what the punishment is for an official caught seeking pleasure? Even Magistrate Sun, who treats this place like his second home, only dares to claim he’s a salt merchant and never reveals his identity.”

Su Jin had been about to explain further, but then thought: this morning Shen Qingyue tricked him into believing he was a menial servant at the Imperial Censorate, and he believed it. Later Zhu Nanxian tricked him into believing he was a palace guard, and he believed that too. So why, when it came to her, was he suddenly so suspicious?

Su Jin felt this was letting down her own people while pleasing her enemies. Too lazy to explain further, she said coolly: “Why did I have you wear official robes? Can’t you figure that out? This magistrate is seeking pleasure for the first time—naturally I need to find an official of higher rank than me to add prestige.”

Liu Yichu, who was leading the way ahead, turned back: “Stop arguing.” He raised his hand and pointed to a building at the side: “We’re here.”

Compared to the singing and dancing at the other end of the river district, Moon-Seeking Tower’s entrance was quite deserted. If the main door weren’t still open, one would think it was closed to guests.

Looking in from outside, a woman sat in the building’s main hall holding a fan embroidered with butterflies, fanning herself listlessly. On the left platform sat someone playing the pipa, the strings tinkling—also just a solitary parting song.

Su Jin continued from her previous pretense and patted Zhou Ping on the back: “Straighten your back, lift your chin—show some official dignity.”

Zhou Ping’s anger flared, and he was about to explode when Su Jin looked at him with utmost seriousness. She lowered her voice: “In a moment I’ll say you’re Chief Zhou from the Ministry of Justice. Don’t give yourself away—remember that.”

The woman fanning herself in the hall saw Su Jin’s party of three enter, one even wearing official robes, and couldn’t help but say in surprise: “Gentlemen, you are—”

Su Jin stood with hands behind her back and coldly interrupted: “This is Chief Zhou from the Ministry of Justice. Are you the madam of this establishment?”

Hearing this, the woman quickly signaled the pipa player to come over. The two knelt and bowed to Su Jin’s party first, then said: “In response to this lord’s question, this humble woman is not Sister Yuan’er. Sister Yuan’er left several days ago.”

“Left?” Su Jin was startled and glanced at Liu Yichu.

Liu Yichu immediately pulled out a chair and said: “My lord, please sit.”

Zhou Ping nodded and sat as instructed.

Su Jin didn’t speak either, but picked up the teapot, poured a cup of tea for Zhou Ping and presented it, adopting an interrogative posture: “What’s going on here? Where are the other girls?”

The woman looked at the three of them suspiciously: “This… isn’t it precisely because of that case the Ministry of Justice investigated the other day?” Swept by Su Jin’s cold gaze, she quickly lowered her head and explained meekly: “Around early April, our top courtesan Ning Yan’er mysteriously died. Sister Yuan’er—that’s the madam this lord asked about—after being called to the Ministry of Justice for questioning several times, suddenly said she was getting married and packed up and left. The girls in the establishment thought it unlucky and left one after another to join other establishments in the river district. Only this humble woman and my younger sister remained.” She glanced at Su Jin, her face reddening: “My lord, if you’ve only come seeking pleasure, this humble woman and my sister can certainly serve you.”

Su Jin was quite speechless. After a pause, she asked again: “Did the madam mention which household she was marrying into?”

The woman lowered her eyes: “She didn’t say. But for people like us, unless we meet someone who truly cares, we’d just marry as concubines to some official or wealthy merchant.”

Su Jin nodded, then asked if they had ever seen a scholar-looking person come here.

Unfortunately, there were many scholar types. Fearing she’d alert her prey, she didn’t dare mention Chao Qing’s name directly. Inside and out, she couldn’t get any useful information, and with the Moon-Seeking Tower madam’s whereabouts unknown, the trail went cold again.

Su Jin sighed inwardly and said to Zhou Ping: “Reporting to Chief Zhou, I’ve finished questioning. There’s nothing suspicious.”

Zhou Ping grunted: “Then… let’s return for now.”

The two women escorted Su Jin’s party all the way to the entrance of Moon-Seeking Tower. The one holding the fan called out again: “My lord.”

Su Jin turned back.

The woman hesitated, then asked: “Are you truly from the Ministry of Justice?”

Su Jin’s heart lurched, but her face showed no expression: “What, when I come to question you, must you also inspect my official seal?”

The woman quickly knelt: “My lord misunderstands—that’s absolutely not my intention. It’s just that around early April, several officials, high and low, also came to ask about a scholar. Not long after that, our establishment’s top courtesan died. This humble woman remembers that among those officials, one was from the Ministry of Justice. And they also said that in the future, if any office other than the Ministry of Justice came asking questions, they must first notify the Ministry of Justice lords.”

Su Jin’s heart went cold.

The reason she had Zhou Ping wear official robes and claim to be from the Ministry of Justice was precisely to guard against this.

After all, Zhang Kui’s case was just an ordinary murder case. For such a case to bypass the Capital Magistracy and go directly to the Ministry of Justice for review didn’t make sense.

Based on what this woman said, before the top courtesan Ning Yan’er was killed and Chao Qing disappeared, someone from the Ministry of Justice was already involved in this case.

Su Jin asked: “Do you remember what the scholar those officials mentioned was called?”

The woman said: “Surnamed Chao. Chao… Chao something.”

Su Jin was greatly shocked. She said again: “Can you remember what those officials looked like?”

The woman shook her head: “At the time, this humble woman was far away. I only remember they were of various heights and builds. If I saw them, I would definitely recognize them, but thinking back carefully, they all had ordinary features—impossible to describe.” She raised her eyes to glance at Su Jin again, her face reddening once more: “Absolutely none as outstanding in appearance as this lord.”

Liu Chaoming reviewed the case files from the spring examination until now once more, picking out several with particular suspicions. One of them was Zhang Kui’s case.

Because Zhang Kui had formerly been a coroner for the Capital Magistracy, to avoid conflicts of interest, it was reasonable enough that this case had gone through the Ministry of Justice rather than Yingtian Prefecture Office. What was strange was that the Capital Magistracy hadn’t even filed a record.

Thinking of this, Liu Chaoming glanced at Qian San’er.

Qian San’er understood and immediately replied: “My lord can rest assured. I’ve already sent someone to request his presence. Magistrate Yang from Yingtian Prefecture should be on his way here now.”

Liu Chaoming nodded, then said: “When I asked you earlier to find someone to extract Zhang Kui from the Ministry of Justice prison, did you find Shen Xi?”

Qian San’er said: “Wasn’t that precisely what you instructed, my lord? Fearing the Ministry of Justice had ears on the wall, that’s why I found this ‘prince’ of the Ministry of Justice to extract the prisoner.” He paused, then said in surprise: “Lord Liu, are you worried Lord Shen’s work isn’t reliable?”

Liu Chaoming shook his head slightly, but his heart felt something was wrong.

At the time, it was precisely because this case had avoided the Capital Magistracy that he suspected the Ministry of Justice internally wasn’t secure enough, so he had Shen Xi extract the prisoner instead.

Though Shen Xi was the son of the Minister of Justice, he kept one hand free for himself in all matters and had planted his own eyes and ears in every department. Therefore, having him privately extract an ordinary death row prisoner from the Ministry of Justice prison should have posed no problem.

Liu Chaoming had originally planned to hand Zhang Kui over to Su Jin and let the Capital Magistracy investigate the leads themselves. Who knew that on the day of the disturbance, Su Jin would be severely injured, and the Thirteenth Prince would happen to come along—so he had conveniently handed the death row prisoner to Zhu Nanxian.

In other words, his handing the death row prisoner to Zhu Nanxian that day was purely accidental.

Thinking of this, Liu Chaoming’s suspicions suddenly deepened.

Since it was accidental, why did everything that happened afterward seem so deliberate?

His thoughts were like water gradually coming to a boil in a teapot—steam rising inside. As soon as the lid was lifted, it would gush forth.

All that was missing was a hand to lift the lid.

Liu Chaoming raised his head to look at Qian San’er: “Go request Lord Shen.”

Lord Shen Qingyue was currently having tea at the Capital Magistracy. Arriving with him was his informant planted in the Ministry of Justice—Squire Lu, who had extracted the death row prisoner for Liu Chaoming that day.

Deputy Magistrate Sun Yinde stood respectfully at the side. Seeing Su Jin’s party of three return from “seeking pleasure,” he glared fiercely at them, then put on a smiling face: “Vice Minister Shen, Magistrate Su has returned.”

Shen Xi nodded slightly, this time fully adopting an official air: “All of you may withdraw.”

Sun Yinde led Zhou Ping and Liu Yichu out meekly. Only then did Shen Xi bend his eyes and say to Su Jin: “Magistrate Su, I’ve come these past days solely to tell you one thing.”

Su Jin said: “Please speak, my lord.”

Shen Xi jerked his chin toward the chair at his side. After Su Jin went over and sat down, he said: “You’ve been privately investigating the case of this year’s missing examination scholar?”

Su Jin was startled and raised her eyes to look at Shen Xi.

Shen Xi grinned: “What, you’re curious how a Vice Minister of Revenue like me knows?” He jerked his chin toward Squire Lu sitting on the other side. “He told me. And he also told me that the Left Chief Censor of the Imperial Censorate even gave you special treatment, making an exception to extract a key prisoner from the Ministry of Justice prison for you?”

Squire Lu mumbled: “Vice Minister Shen, that’s not quite right. Clearly Lord Liu found you first, and you ordered me to extract the prisoner. I don’t just listen to anyone’s words…”

Before he finished speaking, the latter half was swept back by a glance from Shen Xi.

Shen Xi smiled again and said to Su Jin: “This is your case—you can investigate however you like. I won’t interfere. Just one thing: you cannot approach the Yan family.”

Su Jin was stunned: “Why not?”

It had now been confirmed that Chao Qing’s disappearance was indeed related to Moon-Seeking Tower. Unfortunately, the Moon-Seeking Tower madam’s whereabouts were unknown. If she wanted to investigate this case, the best strategy would be to reverse direction and start with Yan Ziqi, finding out why Yan Ziqi went looking for Chao Qing on the day he disappeared.

Shen Xi said: “Have you already discovered that Moon-Seeking Tower’s top courtesan Ning Yan’er died?”

Su Jin said: “Precisely.”

Shen Xi put down his teacup and stood up with hands behind his back: “Good. Then I’ll tell you plainly—this Ning Yan’er had some connection to the Yan family, but this is the Yan family’s shame. Even if you investigate further, you’re just exposing others’ wounds.”

Su Jin raised an eyebrow: “Then according to Lord Shen’s meaning, when Yan Ziqi went looking for Chao Qing that day, it was precisely for this Ning Yan’er who had connections to the Yan family but died unjustly?”

Shen Xi shook his head: “That I don’t know.” He turned back around and bent his eyes again. “I have no interest in this case.”

But the smile in his eyes quickly faded, replaced by a rich, unclear emotion, like the ocean tide rising and falling beneath the night moon. “That day at the Palace Front Garden, when the Crown Prince wanted to cane you to death, though Liu Yun ultimately used the Imperial Censorate’s power to buy your life, if I hadn’t arrived, you probably wouldn’t have escaped so easily. Do you remember this favor?”

Su Jin said: “I should thank Lord Shen.”

Shen Xi said: “No need for thanks. It’s just that though Yan Ziyan and I grew up together, he opposed me at every turn and was my lifelong enemy. When I said east, he had to go west. When I said the scholars were innocent and got beaten with the board, he had to say the scholars were guilty and insist on taking up this disaster to investigate. Now he’s brought fire upon himself—if he dies, it’s his own fault.

“This person is lofty, hypocritical, pretentious. He thinks himself a distinguished gentleman, an elegant refined scholar. The thing he values most is reputation. If you investigate this case and reveal that the Yan family had dealings with a courtesan, wouldn’t that sweep the Yan family’s reputation to the ground and make the world laugh at them? When that time comes, I fear even Yan Ziyan’s ghost will come to torment me.”

Having said this, Shen Xi suddenly winked at Su Jin and put on an inscrutable smile: “So I’ve come to collect this favor from you. To let me sleep well every night from now on without being harassed by that annoying ghost, won’t you cut off this lead to the Yan family in this case?”

Su Jin met Shen Xi’s gaze, stunned for a moment, then asked: “When will Junior Administrator Yan be executed?”

Shen Xi stared at her for a while. Hearing this question, he answered the question with a nod: “All right, that’s as good as agreement. I’m leaving.” He turned to glance at Squire Lu: “What are you standing there for? Let’s go.”

Squire Lu quickly put down his teacup, walked up to Su Jin, and couldn’t help but bow: “Magistrate Su, I truly apologize. That day when I came to the Capital Magistracy to take the prisoner, I didn’t wish to make things difficult for you. But Chamberlain Ma from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices outranked me. I heard from Lord Shen that you also have injuries. I made you suffer.”

Su Jin returned the bow: “Squire Lu is too kind. You were following protocol—how could there be any offense?”

But Squire Lu said: “Actually I know that on the day of the scholars’ disturbance, Magistrate Su not only bore no fault but actually rendered merit. If the person who came with me that day had been someone else, it would be one thing, but this Chamberlain Ma and I have some family connection. See, today Chamberlain Ma is hosting a full-month celebration for his child, saying he’ll host it for three days and nights. To add luster, he’s invited officials from various offices. I heard even Minister Zeng from the Ministry of Personnel is going.”

With that, he bowed to Su Jin face-to-face once more before following Shen Xi out of the Capital Magistracy.

Near the end of the hour of the Dog, it was already deep night outside.

Just as Shen Xi was about to board his carriage, as if remembering something, he glanced at the sky and asked: “Chamberlain Ma’s household is still hosting a full-month celebration at this hour?”

Squire Lu said: “Indeed. It started this morning. The legitimate son born to his principal wife—Chamberlain Ma is very happy and says he’ll feast for three days and nights. To add luster, he’s invited officials from various offices. I heard even Minister Zeng from the Ministry of Personnel is going.”

Shen Xi raised an eyebrow: “Minister Zeng is going too? How come I didn’t receive an invitation?”

Squire Lu smiled apologetically: “Lord Shen, with your status—you’re Vice Minister of Revenue, the Crown Prince’s in-law—how would Chamberlain Ma dare send you an invitation? Even when Minister Zeng goes, Chamberlain Ma asked through Minister Zeng’s nephew Zeng Ping to invite him, not daring to send an invitation directly.”

Shen Xi smiled lightly: “True enough.” Only then did he take Squire Lu’s hand and board the carriage.

The driver raised his whip. After going a few steps, he was called to stop. Shen Xi lifted the side curtain, stuck his head out, and said amiably: “Oh, Squire Lu, I heard some time ago that you took two young concubines. I haven’t had time to congratulate you yet. I’ll personally come to your home to offer congratulations another day.”

Squire Lu had already been walking toward Chamberlain Ma’s residence. Hearing this, he hurried back and bowed three times to the carriage: “Lord Shen, to tell you the truth—I’m not afraid of you thinking me pathetic—since I took these two concubines, my rear quarters have been in chaos every day. I truly don’t even want to go home. So here I am, going to drink wine instead.”

Shen Xi smiled again and lowered the curtain.

The carriage rumbled along the stone road once more. The smile on Shen Xi’s face vanished the instant he sat back inside the carriage.

This Squire Lu was precisely his informant planted in the Ministry of Justice, and he had always been confident in him.

But from today’s traces, things seemed to have gone awry.

Shen Xi had always heard that Lu Yuwei and his wife treated each other with respect. So when he first heard Lu had taken concubines, though surprised, he hadn’t thought much of it. After all, as a man, having three wives and four concubines was only proper.

But Shen Qingyue was born with an intricate, ingenious mind. Even the most reasonable matters, he would secretly send people to investigate.

The two concubines were a pair of sisters, with clean backgrounds. Only one thing was amiss—they were also distant cousins of the Seventh Prince’s newly taken secondary consort.

However, once a woman married into the imperial family, she was already considered separate from her birth family. Moreover, a cousin relationship could span a thousand miles—who knew how many twists and turns lay in this so-called cousin relationship?

At the time, Shen Xi had thought this way and hadn’t taken it seriously.

But thinking about it now, something was wrong.

Lu Yuwei held the rank of sixth-grade Vice Director. Su Jin was merely an eighth-rank magistrate. Even if Lu Yuwei wanted to show respect for Liu Chaoming’s sake and explain his earlier negligence to Su Jin, why would he need to spell out all the details so clearly? Even mentioning the trivial matter of going to Chamberlain Ma’s house for wine.

Shen Xi couldn’t figure it out. He vaguely felt these tangled threads were like a nine-linked ring puzzle, but thinking it over, he was just going in circles within one of the rings.

That day when Liu Chaoming asked him to find someone to extract the death row prisoner from the Ministry of Justice, he had found Lu Yuwei.

If Lu Yuwei had truly become connected to the Seventh Prince through his concubines, then what did it mean that he deliberately rambled on about all this domestic trivia in front of Su Jin?

Shen Xi felt things were very wrong. He lifted the carriage curtain and said to the driver: “Turn around and enter the palace—go to the Imperial Censorate, quickly!”

Having seen off Shen Xi, Su Jin suddenly remembered that Xu Yuanzhe’s grandmother was resting in her room. Her heart darkened, and she planned to make do for the night in a side room of the Retreat and Reflection Hall. But before she reached the hall, she was pulled aside in the corridor by Sun Yinde.

Sun Yinde and Su Jin had always been at odds, but now he looked as if he wanted to say something but was hesitant, with the demeanor of someone seeking help. After hesitating for quite a while, he finally said: “Magistrate Su, I heard that you’re actually quite close to Lord Liu of the Imperial Censorate?”

Su Jin greeted him formally and deflected lightly: “We’ve only met a few times. Lord Liu summoned me for official questioning a few times, that’s all.”

Sun Yinde pulled Su Jin aside under a low eave and asked: “Then do you think you could help me plead with Lord Liu to show me some leniency?”

Su Jin raised an eyebrow: “What has Magistrate Sun done that you need me to plead for you?”

Sun Yinde saw her hint of gloating and inwardly wanted to strangle her, but on the surface couldn’t show the slightest dissatisfaction. Like spring wind turning to rain, he said: “It’s nothing really. After my shift, I occasionally go to the Qinhuai district for some entertainment. Lord Liu’s subordinates noticed some traces and summoned me for questioning.”

Su Jin silently withdrew her hand from his grasp: “Then I can’t help you, Magistrate. If you seek pleasure and I help plead for you, wouldn’t people think all of us at the Capital Magistracy are birds of a feather?” With that, she turned to head toward the Retreat and Reflection Hall.

Sun Yinde quickly followed a few steps and grabbed Su Jin again: “Magistrate Su, you’re also a man—how can you not understand that home flowers don’t smell as fragrant as wild ones?”

He glanced at Su Jin and continued: “Besides, I’m actually not bad. I just seek some entertainment outside. Look at Chamberlain Ma from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices—he’s something else. Finding entertainment outside isn’t enough for him—he wants to bring the entertainment home. A while ago he took a fancy to the madam of Moon-Seeking Tower and insisted on marrying her as a concubine. But after bringing her home for less than two days, he thought her too old and keeps her locked in the firewood shed for anyone to abuse. Isn’t that vicious? More vicious than me, right?”

Su Jin listened to this entire rambling speech, but only one sentence registered: “You say Chamberlain Ma married the Moon-Seeking Tower madam?”

Sun Yinde spread his hands: “Yes! If the Imperial Censorate wants to supervise, they should supervise Chamberlain Ma first. Keeping such a close eye on a good official like me—what’s that about?” He paused slightly and put on a smiling face again: “Magistrate Su, so could you perhaps say a word or two to Lord Liu and ask him to show leniency?”

Su Jin’s mind rumbled like rolling thunder passing through in waves.

She felt something was wrong. Not for any particular reason, but because all of this was too coincidental.

Why was it that just when she was worrying about not finding the Moon-Seeking Tower madam, someone pointed her to a clear path? The madam was at Chamberlain Ma’s residence, and Chamberlain Ma was hosting a full-month celebration—three days and nights, guests coming and going like family.

It was like leaving the door wide open and inviting her in.

Su Jin knew she shouldn’t go, but the thunder in her heart grew louder. If she hesitated now and missed the most important clue, missed the opportunity to find Chao Qing, how could her conscience ever be at peace? How could she spend the rest of her life in such a humiliating state?

Years ago, when she herself was in the gravest danger, she received Chao Qing’s kindness. Now that he was in the gravest peril, how could she ignore it?

So be it. It was just betting one life. Having wagered once and twice without dying, she’d already gained a profit.

Thinking this, Su Jin cupped her hands toward Sun Yinde: “I will carefully consider what you’ve said, Magistrate. I need to rest now. I’ll give you an answer tomorrow.”

However, though she said “rest,” she turned and headed in the direction outside the magistracy.

Sun Yinde watched her figure disappear outside the compound and suddenly smiled, saying in a low voice: “Done.”

From another side room of the Retreat and Reflection Hall emerged two people wearing bailiff uniforms.

Sun Yinde instructed one of them: “You go to the Thirteenth Prince’s residence and tell him that Magistrate Su has gone to Chamberlain Ma’s residence and is in danger.”

The man nodded once. His figure flashed and disappeared into the night.

Sun Yinde said to the other: “You go report to His Highness. Tell him everything is exactly as he predicted. Ask him to rest assured.”

Liu Chaoming closed his eyes and recalled once more the incident when Su Jin was nearly poisoned at the Imperial Censorate.

The palace attendant who delivered the medicine must have come to silence her—this was beyond doubt.

And before coming to the Imperial Censorate, Su Jin had been to three places in total: first, the Office of Ceremonial Affairs; second, Zhu Nanxian’s residence; third, the Capital Magistracy.

Something must have happened at one of these three places that made the palace attendant so panicked he chose the Imperial Censorate—of all places—to act.

The Office of Ceremonial Affairs and the Capital Magistracy were impossible. That left only Zhu Nanxian’s residence.

Liu Chaoming knew that death row prisoner Zhang Kui was at Zhu Nanxian’s residence—Su Jin had gone there precisely to see him.

Though Zhu Nanxian was simple-minded, he wasn’t stupid. He surely wouldn’t broadly announce that his residence was harboring a death row prisoner, would he?

And the people in Zhu Nanxian’s princely residence were all carefully selected by Zhu Minda—they shouldn’t make mistakes.

If Zhu Nanxian hadn’t announced it, then how did the person who ordered the palace attendant to poison Su Jin know that Su Jin had gone to the Thirteenth Prince’s residence and seen Zhang Kui?

Thinking of this, Liu Chaoming’s heart sank.

No, there was one more person!

This person had been like a bystander in this entire scheme, yet from the day of the scholars’ disturbance, from escorting death row prisoner Zhang Kui to Vermilion Bird Lane to bringing soldiers to the Capital Magistracy in the dead of night to seize someone, he had been present all along.

The Ministry of Justice Vice Director Lu Yuwei.

A flash of inspiration crossed his mind. Liu Chaoming suddenly opened his eyes. At the same instant, the duty room door was pushed open. Shen Xi burst in, took a deep breath, and said: “Liu Yun, I’m afraid I’ve ruined everything!”