Suzhen wanted to break free and go forward to examine the scene, but being held tightly, she couldn’t move. She was about to cry out in anger when fortunately Lian Jie and Lian Qin had already lit fire starters, illuminating the courtyard.

Four corpses lay sprawled in the yard.

One was right at the doorway – a man of forty or fifty years old. Another lay by the well not far away – a woman of similar age. The other pair, elderly man and woman, had fallen on the path from the courtyard toward the house door, appearing to be around sixty or seventy years old.

All had been hacked and stabbed multiple times, blood everywhere – clearly no chance of survival remained.

Suzhen’s eyes blazed with fury as she turned to Xuanwu and said sternly: “I need to go examine them.”

Xuanwu frowned deeply, his gaze sweeping the surroundings as if determining no one else remained in the courtyard before slowly releasing her.

Though knowing it was impossible, Suzhen still went to each one, checking for breath, lingering longest at the forty or fifty-year-old woman’s corpse.

“At this age, she must be Chen Jin.”

She said in a low voice, then walked toward the open house door. Lian Jie and Lian Qin were still examining the dead in the courtyard with shocked faces, while Xuanwu followed closely behind her into the house.

Indeed, there were more dead inside!

Suzhen covered her mouth tightly, barely restraining herself from crying out.

There were two women and one man – one was a young girl of only fourteen or fifteen years old, while the other man and woman appeared to be in their thirties or forties. Like the corpses outside, their throats had been fatally wounded, but their bodies bore multiple stab wounds, showing the killer’s extreme cruelty in ensuring no survivors. Among them, the woman still held an infant about a year old.

Suzhen checked the child’s nose and mouth – the touch was ice cold. The child’s neck hung limply, clearly strangled to death.

“Beast!” Suzhen couldn’t stop her whole body from trembling. She bent down to examine the corpses.

“Help! People are dead! Someone broke in and murdered them!”

Suddenly several terrified cries came from outside the courtyard. Xuanwu’s expression changed as he grabbed Suzhen and rushed outside. Lian Jie and Lian Qin also ran toward the house, meeting them halfway. Looking outside, Suzhen saw over ten people – neighbors who had come to investigate the commotion, mistaking them for the murderers.

“This place isn’t safe to linger. Though being entangled and reported to authorities might not cause trouble, it’s still bothersome. Let’s go.”

Xuanwu said quietly. Lian Jie and the others nodded. More people were gathering outside, some rushing in with torches, but their martial arts were no match for the group. Soon, everyone returned to their carriages, and the palace-trained drivers quickly drove the two carriages away from the area.

In the outskirts, the carriages stopped.

The four got out to discuss.

Xuanwu said: “Originally, we were to split up to find people, locate Chen Jin and head to the next town to meet with other guards bringing palace maids. But now we can’t follow the original plan. With Chen Jin’s family murdered, how could the other palace servants escape?”

“We should return directly to the palace. Please, Seventh Prince, send someone to secretly message the authorities to preserve the bodies and transport them back to the palace for Magistrate Li to examine. Meanwhile, immediately send people to rendezvous with other guards to check on the other palace maids. If any survive, they must be protected and secretly brought into the palace.”

Lian Jie nodded and walked to a spot where he clapped lightly. Soon, over ten fine horses galloped out from the forest, riders dismounting and kneeling to receive orders.

“This killer is too powerful!” Lian Qin was still shocked and angry, fuming indignantly.

“I miscalculated the killer’s speed and cruelty.” Suzhen spoke in a low voice. “I roughly examined these people’s bodies – they’ve been dead about a day. But the killer was skilled, making no sound, so neighbors didn’t notice. From when Li Zhaoting and I were rescued and the cellar bones were discovered, the killer anticipated we would eventually investigate here and sent people early. I was unconscious for three days – we’d already lost the initiative.”

Lian Jie and Lian Qin’s expressions grew even grimmer.

“Who could it be?” Lian Qin cursed under his breath.

“Whoever it is, we can’t determine that now, but we should indeed return to the palace. After all, the nation cannot be without its ruler for a day.” Suzhen spoke as she slowly turned toward Xuanwu.

Lian Jie and the others were slightly shocked, but Suzhen suddenly laughed. “Why are you so surprised? You knew who he was all along, and he probably knew I had figured it out.”

Xuanwu said nothing, but reached up to his head. Soon, the man before them had become Lian Yu.

“Whoever it was, let’s go. This expedition ends here.” Lian Yu concluded.

Suzhen shook her head. “Yes, this expedition is over, but we go our separate ways. Lian Yu, I’m in a very bad mood. I really don’t have the heart to keep pretending.”

Lian Yu replied: “I know. You’re upset that these innocent people died – I’m upset too. Chen Jin showed me kindness in my childhood – she was like a friend to my mother. But being upset doesn’t mean we can indulge our emotions.”

He instructed several drivers: “Prepare immediately. We leave at once.”

The four drivers of both carriages immediately obeyed, leaping onto the carriages and reining in the grazing horses.

Suzhen continued shaking her head.

“Fine. I won’t ride with you. I’ll take one carriage alone, you ride with Seventh Brother and Ninth Brother.”

Lian Yu looked at her, his temple tensing before finally agreeing.

But Suzhen still stood motionless.

“No. You go first, or I go first.” she said calmly.

“What did you say?” Lian Yu also asked calmly, but his tone was cold to the extreme, carrying danger.

“Li Huaisu, are you insane? Sixth Brother, out of concern and to personally protect you, was willing to disguise himself as a guard. How can you—” Lian Qin was greatly alarmed and tried to step forward, but Lian Jie forcefully pulled him back.

He smiled bitterly at him and shook his head.

Lian Qin cursed and stared hard at Suzhen.

But Suzhen was far less agitated than Lian Qin. Her eyes showed no turbulence – perhaps it could be called deathly still as water.

“Lian Yu, I know you want to compensate, to preserve my life, but did you ask if this is what I wanted? You could have just sent Xuanwu – isn’t his martial arts as good as yours?”

“Don’t cover me with blankets anymore, don’t wipe my sweat anymore, don’t serve me food – you don’t have that right, and I can’t bear it!”

She spoke word by word, her gaze so resolute. Tonight’s eight family members lying in pools of blood seemed like a catalyst, making her reveal all her feelings.

“If you truly care for me, apart from official business, let’s avoid meeting as much as possible from now on, and certainly not be alone like this. I never owed Gu Xiluo anything – please don’t make me indebted to her, and please let me completely let go of you from now on. That would truly be for my good!”

“Do you know how much I loathe you now?” She looked at him and asked.

Lian Yu didn’t speak. He stood several steps away, hands clasped at his sides, listening to her words. He still appeared incomparably noble, still high above, the difference between them still like clouds and mud, yet his refined, intimidating eyes seemed to have something gray and defeated mixed in.

Lian Qin was furious and was about to rush to Suzhen and grab her! Lian Yu’s eyes lifted slightly, and two drivers had already leaped behind Lian Qin, while another two leaped behind Lian Jie, as if anticipating trouble and preventing him from acting too.

“I never intended for you to be unable to let me go.”

Suzhen hadn’t expected him to have people restrain them. Her gaze moved – such supreme authority, yet the following sentence seemed like the most ordinary person.

Even feeling he lacked the arrogance of an ordinary wealthy young master.

For an instant, Suzhen’s palms were actually covered in sweat, forgetting language.

Lian Qin’s eyes reddened with anger. “Li Huaisu, you cannot be so unreasonable! My Sixth Brother is the Emperor – he could have anything he wants. He could easily take you into the harem – why humble himself like this? You cannot be so heartless!”

Suzhen looked at him and said softly: “Lian Qin, you don’t understand.”

“If I were willing to enter the palace with you, would you want me?” After speaking, she asked Lian Yu calmly.

Lian Yu lifted his chin slightly, staring at her as if he hadn’t understood what she was saying. But his eyes showed no joy at this, containing only vast melancholy and a trace of light, mocking coldness.

Lian Qin had thought he understood his elder brother, but suddenly found he didn’t quite comprehend.

But for Suzhen, this was good news.

Because Lian Yu’s mouth curved slightly, and without saying a word, he turned and walked away without hesitation.

Only, perhaps from removing his face covering too forcefully earlier, his hair tie had loosened and fluttered down in the wind, his ink-black hair scattering loose.

The forest was deep and secluded all around, the night misty, starlight pale.

He didn’t turn back to retrieve it, just leaped onto a carriage, took the reins, and drove off himself.

In the forest, light cavalry sounds moved, closely following the imperial carriage, breaking the night’s tranquility.

The hair tie blew toward Suzhen, and seeing it about to hit her, she stepped aside to avoid it.

Lian Yu’s carriage quickly disappeared from sight.

In this scene, Lian Qin looked at Suzhen, so angry he laughed instead. “You would really enter the palace with Sixth Brother? You wouldn’t – why tease him!”

“No, I wouldn’t under any circumstances. I just asked.”

“Then why ask?” Lian Qin’s tone suddenly deepened.

He likes me, that’s true, but he loves A’luo most. If I entered the palace, A’luo wouldn’t be happy. Just like that day in the cellar – he originally didn’t know A’luo was also inside because there were no signs showing A’luo was with us. But later imperial guards found A’luo deeper inside, and the distinction was immediately clear, Suzhen thought to herself.

But she didn’t answer Lian Qin – how could she?

Seeing her acting as if nothing had happened, smiling as she took dry rations from her small bag and eating the hard food with relish, Lian Qin said coldly: “Feng Suzhen, do you really think Sixth Brother wronged you? Do you know who poisoned his mother? It wasn’t someone else – it was your father! We don’t know who your father’s remaining associates in court are, but these people were killed by your father’s associates to prevent you from exposing them too. That Sixth Brother can still treat you this way, even if it’s compensation, shows ultimate benevolence. He loves A’luo more – so what?”