Lin Chengyou led his two sisters before the Empress, completed his courtesies, lifted his robes to sit down, and smiled: “It’s not that your nephew refuses to help choose, I’m just afraid I won’t choose well.”

The Empress picked up several coral beads, leaning forward to try them against Changyi and Azhi’s heads: “These are just this year’s samples from the Weaving and Dyeing Bureau. Not many stand out – it’s quite challenging for these craftsmen, no matter how clever they are, to create something new year after year. As their brother, since you happened to come by, just casually help your sisters choose a few things. They’ll be very happy. As for the rest, Aunt plans to give them as rewards to the inner family members of this year’s meritorious officials.”

Azhi pointed to a Mohe precious chain in front of her and said to Lin Chengyou: “Look, Elder Sister choose this one.”

Then she held up a translucent jade crown: “I picked this one, Elder Brother, help me put it on.”

Lin Chengyou patiently helped Azhi secure the crown on her head.

Azhi tilted her head and asked: “Is it on properly?”

Lin Chengyou leaned his head back slightly, pretending to examine it carefully, then pinched Azhi’s chubby face and smiled brightly: “Our Azhi looks beautiful wearing this.”

Azhi giggled, clearly delighted beyond measure. Changyi asked concernedly from the side: “Eldest Brother, have you been busy with cases these past few days? Why does the Court of Judicial Review always have so many cases to solve?”

The Empress lovingly tapped her daughter’s cheek: “Silly child, what kind of question is that? There are always cases because there are always people in this world who commit crimes for profit.”

While helping his sisters choose a few items, Lin Chengyou couldn’t help but glance at the pearl hairpin on the table. Yesterday at noon, the underground passage was dim, but the second floor of the underground palace was fairly bright. If he remembered correctly, Teng Yuyi had been wearing a pair of pearl hairpins in her hair at the time, so was that what she had lost?

Yesterday she had hurriedly sought out Master Jingchen to inquire about this matter, so she must value the item greatly. Unfortunately, he had been standing a bit far away at the time, and Teng Yuyi’s voice was soft – he had only vaguely heard the words “mother,” and couldn’t make out anything else.

Thinking of this, he picked up the hairpin and absently twirled it between his fingers, casually asking: “Aunt, are these kinds of pearl hairpins very rare?”

Empress Liu Bingyu started, quickly shifting her gaze to Lin Chengyou, studying him carefully several times while suppressing her joy as she asked: “Why do you ask about this?”

Lin Chengyou made a noncommittal sound: “A witness in a recent case lost such a hairpin. I heard it was very valuable, so your nephew wanted to ask roughly how much it’s worth.”

Seeing his expression remained normal, Liu Bingyu’s excitement turned to faint disappointment: “Whether it’s expensive or cheap mainly depends on the quality of the pearls. If they’re of similar quality to this pair on the table, a pair would cost about ten thousand coins.”

Lin Chengyou thought back – the pearls on Teng Yuyi’s hairpins weren’t this large, so they probably weren’t very expensive. Even if the quality was similar to these, Teng Yuyi had already spent over ten thousand coins just on glass beads to reward Juan’er Li and Baozhu, so how could she care about a pair of ordinary ornaments?

If she was so distressed about this hairpin, could it be because it was a keepsake from her mother? He remembered the tears on her eyelashes last night and thought this was possible. If it was a keepsake from her mother, losing it in the underground palace was truly unfortunate.

Unfortunately, at the time they had only been focused on escaping with their lives, and afterward, Teng Yuyi was busy avoiding disaster and had no chance to go back to look for it. Moreover, the layout of that underground palace was ever-changing – even if Master Jingchen went down personally, she might not be able to find it.

However difficult this matter might be, it wasn’t necessarily beyond his abilities. Considering how Teng Yuyi worried about him constantly, perhaps he should help her search the underground palace.

While outwardly helping the children choose items, Liu Bingyu had been secretly watching Lin Chengyou. If only the child would ask her for this pair of hairpins, or quietly slip them into his pocket, she would immediately have Flying Servant send word to Qinyao and Lin Xiao.

But Lin Chengyou only examined the pearl hairpin in his hand for several moments before placing it back in the jewelry box. Liu Bingyu choked, immediately showing a headache-stricken expression.

According to the elderly Daoist Master Qingxu’s calculations, this child’s destined trial was approaching, but what had happened? The old master kept muttering “No breaking no making, this is the child’s tribulation, let him resolve it himself” while packing his bags and disappearing without a trace.

Qinyao and Lin Xiao seemed to have also received instructions from Daoist Master Qingxu and hadn’t shown their faces in Chang’an yet. No one was quite sure what this “trial of love” was about. Since it was a “trial,” would the child be hurt badly by it? His Majesty worried about this matter all day, making her anxious as well.

By rights, this child’s “trial of love” should have already arrived in Chang’an, so why hadn’t there been any sign of it? Could it be that the elderly Daoist master had made a mistake in his calculations due to his advanced age?

Suddenly, the palace servants announced: “His Majesty has arrived!”

The Emperor strode in, asking as he walked: “Has there been progress on those cases of murder for fetuses?”

Lin Chengyou rose: “Your nephew came precisely about this matter.”

Liu Bingyu took both children by the hand: “Father and Elder Brother are in a hurry to solve the case, so let’s not disturb them here. Let them discuss while you come with Mother to pick flowers outside.”

After the Emperor sat down and took a sip of tea, Lin Chengyou explained all the clues he had discovered these past few days, as well as his deductions.

The Emperor listened quietly: “So you now suspect the killer might be one of Shu Liniang’s relatives or friends?”

Lin Chengyou said: “Today when your nephew inquired at ‘Jingyun Waterfall,’ it turned out the killer might have targeted Shu Liniang as early as the seventeenth of last month. If so, the killer obtained the first fetus in Tongzhou on the fifth of the third month and could have taken the second fetus immediately, yet he didn’t kill Shu Liniang until the twenty-fifth of the third month. Before acting, he tracked her first, and for such a long time – clearly, he was constantly looking for an opportunity to take the fetus outside. This is one of the strange aspects of this case. Shu Liniang’s residence was more secluded than outside, so why didn’t the killer take the fetus to her home? Considering this person’s build, I suspect he was afraid of being seen by Shu Liniang’s neighbors while acting, which suggests that these neighbors had seen this person before.”

The Emperor made a thoughtful sound: “So you now suspect Shu Wenliang is the killer, and requested the city be sealed because you fear he might flee to escape punishment?”

Lin Chengyou nodded: “He and Shu Liniang are cousins, he had visited Spring Peace Lane before, and his build matches what the eyewitnesses saw of the killer. If Shu Liniang’s neighbors happened to see him on the night of the incident, they would easily connect it to him. However, if it is him, there are still several points that need to be clarified.

“First, he is Shu Liniang’s cousin – even if he knew about the evil deeds Shu Liniang had done, how did he know Young Lady Jiang was a wicked person? Taking fetuses by murder greatly damages one’s cultivation, and one cannot act purely based on rumors. Yet this person set up such an elaborate trap before killing Young Lady Jiang, showing careful consideration. To dare to act, he must have been certain he wouldn’t kill the wrong person. Secondly, this person could awaken Nai Zhong, showing great proficiency in evil arts. Your nephew currently only knows that this person passed the imperial examinations fifteen years ago, after which he served under Peng Zhen in Huaixi Circuit. When did he come into contact with Daoist arts, and when did he fall in with the evil arts faction? All of this remains unclear at present – we can only arrest him first and question him in detail.”

“Nai Zhong—” the Emperor said thoughtfully, “Last time it was a corpse demon, this time it’s Nai Zhong. Looking at it this way, all these cases involve evil arts…”

Lin Chengyou said: “I heard that fifteen years ago, Uncle issued an edict to thoroughly purge the evil arts faction. These recent events mirror those evil arts exactly, so your nephew suspects it’s related to the remnants left from that time. That’s why I wanted to ask Uncle what exactly happened back then.”

“The Qiankun Wanderer had no prior connection to this family. According to him, he chose them as targets simply because they lived nearby and it was convenient for casting his spells.

“When your Uncle and your mother heard of this, they were utterly shocked. ‘The way is revered, virtue is precious.’ The path of the Dao must always be accompanied by virtue. Those who cultivate the way invariably hold the reverence of the Dao and the value of virtue as their core beliefs. Yet this person disregarded human life for the sake of a magical duel, clearly treating Daoist arts as mere toys for his pleasure. If such evil practitioners were not severely suppressed, who knows how many Daoist disciples would be led astray in the future, and the entire Daoist school would become tainted by the corruption of such degenerates.

“Your Uncle therefore immediately issued an edict: the Qiankun Wanderer and all his disciples were to be handed over to the Court of Judicial Review for judgment. Anyone who used cruel Daoist methods to kill would be sentenced to strangulation. The remaining followers would have their martial arts abolished and be exiled or banished, never to be pardoned. All evil arts texts hidden by the Qiankun Wanderer and his followers were to be confiscated, thereby sending a warning throughout the realm.”

At this point, the Emperor looked at Lin Chengyou and said: “You should remember those evil arts texts hidden in your master’s temple: the ‘Soul Scripture,’ the ‘Killing Curse’… including the ‘Heartbreak Gu’ that you mistakenly practiced in your youth – these were all secret texts confiscated during that purge fifteen years ago. Your master didn’t burn these texts at the time because he feared that remnants might resurface one day. Keeping these incomplete versions would allow us to quickly understand how these evil ways were causing havoc.”

Lin Chengyou nodded. It was precisely because he had read that ‘Soul Scripture’ several years ago that he had been able to recognize the famous Seven-pointed Guide Mark that Peng Yugui had used to torture the ghosts of the Tian couple.

The Emperor continued: “Besides this, fearing the Qiankun Wanderer had left behind followers, your Uncle also ordered your master to lead people in conducting detailed investigations in Chang’an’s streets and alleys and all prefectures and counties. Anyone associated with evil arts, without exception, needed to be punished. Those who used evil arts to commit crimes had to be severely punished – once verified, all would be thrown into prison. Even if they had only practiced evil arts out of curiosity, their related inner power had to be abolished immediately. This investigation took four or five years, but it was precisely because of the court’s forceful suppression that evil arts almost disappeared from Chang’an and other regions for the next decade and more.”

After hearing this, Lin Chengyou thought of the doubts he’d had these past days.

“Does Uncle remember that tree demon?”

“Why do you ask?”

Lin Chengyou: “This demon appeared in the bamboo grove beside Purple Cloud Tower on the night of the Shangsi Festival. In previous years, Uncle would always lead court officials to Purple Cloud Tower to observe the great festivities of the Shangsi Festival, and the nearby Moon Lamp Pavilion would also gather the newly selected talents from across the realm for the Scholars’ Feast that night. This tree demon had recently been corrupted into a demon by someone. If someone deliberately led it there that night, with its abilities, it could have killed many high court officials. Had it succeeded, the court would have faced disaster.

“Thinking about it now, the tree demon’s appearance that night was too convenient – perhaps it wasn’t just after beautiful human skin. Its real targets might have been Uncle and the court’s important ministers. Unfortunately for this monster, its luck was poor – first, its powers were greatly damaged when Miss Teng happened to pass by and cut off one of its claws with her divine sword, and then your nephew forced it back to its original form on the spot. This conspiracy was dissolved before it could properly begin.”

The Emperor’s expression gradually grew solemn.

“As for the two demons at Rainbow Phoenix Tower, although they had already broken through the formation long ago, someone had carefully concealed this fact. For a whole month, not even a trace of demonic energy leaked out. The person behind this maintained such careful control only to wait until the two demons had largely recovered their powers, hoping to use them to throw Chang’an into bloody chaos. If they could harm Uncle and the court officials, that might have suited the mastermind’s intentions even better. Unfortunately, this meticulously designed plot was also disrupted by your nephew.

“Then came Nai Zhong, which was even more extraordinary. Once its Yin power fully recovered, neither the court nor Chang’an’s citizens would have escaped disaster. Your nephew has thought through these cases several times and always feels that the person behind them, besides wanting to throw the realm and Chang’an into chaos, harbored a kind of inexplicable hatred.”

“Hatred?” The Emperor started, then lowered his eyes in thought, gradually beginning to understand.

Lin Chengyou said seriously: “Hatred for Uncle and the court. Looking back at these evil spirit disasters, except for that tree demon whose powers were somewhat weaker, all the remaining evil beings were major entities that Heaven and Earth could not tolerate. No matter how strong this person’s evil arts were, when manipulating these evil beings from the shadows, they would constantly face the risk of being devoured. Yet this person still took such risks, which makes your nephew feel… feel that this person harbored an all-or-nothing obsession, as if willing to sacrifice their own life to achieve their goal. Combined with their mastery of evil arts—”

The Emperor understood: “You suspect the person behind this harbors hatred for the court and your Uncle because the court suppressed the evil arts faction fifteen years ago?”

Lin Chengyou made an affirmative sound: “So your nephew wanted to ask Uncle, among those evil practitioners from fifteen years ago, especially that instigator the Qiankun Wanderer, did any relatives remain in this world, or did any disciples escape the court’s pursuit?”

The Emperor frowned in thought for a long while, suddenly remembering something.

“Your Uncle recalls that the Qiankun Wanderer was extremely skilled at winning people’s hearts and had nurtured many disciples who were utterly devoted to him. To ensure his sect’s evil arts would flourish, he particularly trusted several senior disciples. When the incident occurred, the Qiankun Wanderer intended to preserve the Wuji Gate lineage and fought to the death to help his senior disciple escape. Although the court later pursued them in various prefectures and counties, they only captured some of them. Two disciples vanished without a trace from then on. These two had memorable titles – one was called the Bright Moon Wanderer, the other the Literary Clarity Wanderer.”

Lin Chengyou tensed: “Does Uncle remember what these two male disciples looked like and their ages?”

“Male disciples?” The Emperor waved his hand. “The Literary Clarity Wanderer was male, but the Bright Moon Wanderer was a female disciple.”

“A female disciple?” Lin Chengyou showed a thoughtful expression.

“At the time, your Uncle had portraits made of them, which should still be kept in the Major Cases Division of your Court of Judicial Review. However, since this case is fifteen years old, finding them might take some effort.”

Lin Chengyou pondered for a moment, then smiled and nodded: “I think I’m starting to get some clues about this case, but before returning to the Court, your nephew has a few more things to ask Uncle about.”

“Go ahead and tell me.”

“Regarding the recent fetus-taking case, leaving aside the first two incidents, the third victim, Young Lady Jiang, seemed to have too many coincidences when she met her fate. For instance, on the day she was killed, she had a sudden urge to buy things at the spice shop, and when tired, she decided to rest in the meditation room downstairs as usual… If any link that day had gone differently, the killer’s carefully designed trap would have failed.

“But Young Lady Jiang followed every step according to the killer’s calculations, and it was precisely because of this series of coincidences that the killer had the opportunity to murder and set up the trap. So your nephew keeps feeling that this case is different from the previous two – besides the killer’s careful planning, there must have been someone helping to guide things along from the shadows… and this person must have been someone Young Lady Jiang deeply trusted. Of course, this is all speculation – your nephew currently can’t find evidence of this person’s involvement in the crime, so I wanted to ask Uncle: if a man truly loves his wife, would he allow rumors and slander to harm her?”

The Emperor was stunned for a moment, then smiled kindly: “For this, you need only look at your father. Would your father allow your mother to be slandered? When a man has a woman he loves, he will take all her matters to heart and absolutely won’t allow her to suffer even the slightest grievance.”

When Lin Chengyou heard the first part, his eyes brightened brilliantly, but upon hearing the latter part, an image inappropriately popped into his mind.

He felt puzzled, shook his head to clear that figure from his thoughts, and rose with a smile: “Your nephew understands.”