Hearing his own brother wasn’t actually poisoned, a trace of surprise appeared on Chen Pi’s otherwise expressionless face.

“Little lady, what’s your name?”

“Yan Sanhe.”

“Why is the court reinvestigating the Zheng Family case?”

“Several days ago, the Zheng Family’s surrounding walls all collapsed overnight. One hundred eighty wronged souls haven’t dispersed—they’re still in that vicinity.”

Chen Pi’s expression showed brief emptiness.

“You said you were assigned to the Begonia Garden because you were young. You also said you became this neither-human-nor-ghost appearance after that corpse preparation.”

Yan Sanhe: “It seems you must have discovered something unspeakable.”

The emptiness dispersed. Chen Pi stared fixedly at Yan Sanhe. After a long while, he bit out one word from between his teeth: “Yes!”

Though young, his master was formidable.

His master began funeral work at sixteen and continued until seventy. What kind of dead person hadn’t he seen?

Sometimes when the Ministry of Justice coroners encountered corpses they couldn’t examine, they would secretly come ask him for help.

Though Chen Pi only studied under his master for four years before completing apprenticeship, after completing it, he worked together with his master.

He worked a full ten years. When his master took a fall and never got up again, only then did he work independently.

In the eighth year of Yonghe, when the Zheng Family’s extermination case occurred, he guessed he would be dragged to prepare bodies.

There were only several dozen people handling funeral matters in the capital. With the Zheng Family having so many dead, manpower was fundamentally insufficient.

As expected, two days later, funeral directors from east, south, west, and north began gathering people and preparing coffins and funeral items.

Fortunately, each coffin shop had some stock at the bottom of their boxes. Otherwise, even coffins would likely be insufficient.

The next day, coffins and people all arrived at the Zheng residence.

That scene—Chen Pi could never forget it even unto death—

Coffins were transported into the Zheng residence one after another, finally arranged neatly together. Just watching made one’s scalp tingle.

Just then, an official spoke loudly. Chen Pi couldn’t remember the exact words—only remembered the man mentioned three matters.

First matter: good coffins for Zheng Family masters, inferior coffins for servants;

Second matter: good clothes and shoes also all for Zheng Family masters. Masters’ faces and bodies must be cleaned thoroughly, made to look as if they died of natural causes.

Third matter: after leaving this gate, no discussion of this matter allowed. Whoever dared discuss it behind backs would not only suffer themselves but implicate their families.

At the end, he added: The case isn’t solved yet, the culprits are at large. If you casually speak outside and someone with ulterior motives hears, if it reaches the culprits’ ears, you’ll have ruined everything.

Hearing this, Yan Sanhe had to interrupt.

“This official—what’s his surname, his name, which yamen is he from?”

“Ministry of Justice Vice Minister Qian Chengjiang.”

“Where is this person serving as official now?”

“With the King of Hell.”

Yan Sanhe: “How did he die?”

Chen Pi: “Supposedly fell asleep and never woke up again.”

“Supposedly?”

Yan Sanhe’s brows furrowed. “Meaning there’s more to his death?”

Chen Pi shook his head slightly. “Miss Yan, let’s return to the Begonia Garden matter.”

Yan Sanhe stopped pursuing the question but made a note at Qian Chengjiang’s name. “Continue.”

Chen Pi raised his head again. “After he finished speaking, he began assigning us work—how many people to prepare bodies, how many coffins, all divided clearly.”

He waited half the day without hearing his own name called. In his heart he found it strange—with him healthy and strong, why weren’t more dead assigned to him?

One corpse—the officials gave four taels of silver.

Prepare several more, and he could treat Old Lady’s eyes.

Not until only four coffins remained on the ground did Chen Pi finally hear his own name.

Just like that, he followed a row of blade-bearing guards, twisting and turning toward the Zheng Family’s inner courtyard. Behind followed sixteen coffin carriers.

Walking all the way to the Zheng residence’s farthest northeast corner, the guards pointed to a courtyard ahead, telling him to go in and work.

“Later I learned that courtyard was called Begonia Garden, where the old general’s youngest son’s family lived—a husband and wife with a son and daughter.

Two corpses lay in the courtyard. Two more corpses were in the west side room of the second courtyard.”

Chen Pi’s voice suddenly became distant. In Xie Zhifei’s ears remained only “husband and wife with a son and daughter.”

The Begonia Garden was a two-courtyard compound. The courtyard wasn’t too large, but had both artificial hills and flowing water.

Father and Mother lived in the first courtyard’s east side room. The west side room was Father’s study.

He and Huaiyou lived in the second courtyard’s rooms—he in the east side room, Huaiyou in the west, with a main room between.

Father had even set up a swing frame in front of Huaiyou’s side room for her.

Xie Zhifei looked at Yan Sanhe’s extremely pale face and said in a low voice: “Chen Pi, you needn’t describe the rest in detail. Just tell us what you found irregular.”

Some things—you couldn’t listen to even one more sentence.

One more sentence meant heart-piercing, bone-stabbing pain.

Who could have imagined he was alive, and she was alive too!

“There were two irregular places.”

Chen Pi wheezed hoarsely, his expression extremely pained. “The first was the general’s youngest son. His intestines… didn’t seem… didn’t seem…”

“Didn’t seem to be pulled out by himself.”

Chen Pi’s thin skin trembled violently. “Miss Yan, how, how did you know?”

Yan Sanhe: “I’m following your words, continuing.”

“I don’t know, truly don’t know. It’s just… it’s just…”

Chen Pi shook his head, suddenly becoming incoherent.

“No blood… not that… there was blood… not that… the blood was wrong… shouldn’t be there… also not…”

Xie Zhifei couldn’t listen anymore. He stood up from his chair with a whoosh, his hand pressing on Chen Pi’s shoulder, applying light force.

Chen Pi’s face immediately contorted in pain. Looking up, he saw Xie Zhifei’s sharp jawline.

“Miss Yan asks one question, you answer one. Don’t presume to speak on your own.”

Xie Zhifei gave Yan Sanhe a meaningful look. Yan Sanhe immediately asked: “Chen Pi, where was the blood wrong?”

Chen Pi: “On the youngest son’s hand?”

Yan Sanhe: “Which hand?”

Chen Pi: “Right hand.”

Yan Sanhe: “How was the blood on Zheng Huantang’s right hand wrong?”

Chen Pi’s eyeballs slowly rotated. “There was blood on the back of the hand. The palm… the palm had no blood.”

Xie Zhifei’s pupils instantly constricted. He stood and threw himself to the ground, crawling forward several steps. His right hand grasped as if truly grasping something.

He looked down.

His expression changed dramatically.

After looking for quite a while, Xie Zhifei’s face showed an expression of burning boats and breaking cauldrons. Then he extended his hand to the lower abdomen wound and pulled forcefully.

Yan Sanhe involuntarily stood up.

She suddenly understood the meaning in Chen Pi’s words—

If it was Zheng Huantang’s own right hand that pulled out his intestines, then his right palm should have blood.

But his right palm had no blood, while the back of his hand had blood.

Yan Sanhe’s gaze lifted, staring fixedly at Xie Zhifei. “Why did Zheng Huantang’s hand back have blood?”

Xie Zhifei was quiet for a moment. “Because his right hand gripped a blade. Blood splattered out, landing on the back of his hand.”

“Then why did his palm have no blood?”

Xie Zhifei looked down, meeting Yan Sanhe’s gaze. His eyes held some trembling, but his voice was exceptionally steady:

“Because those intestines fundamentally weren’t pulled out by him.”