The family banquet at Duke Ying’s mansion invited high-ranking officials, all of whom came without their families.

Shen Du, despite his high position, brought Zhu Yan with him, which seemed somewhat excessive in front of the other guests.

However, this also served to dispel the rumors circulating about their marital discord.

Zhu Yan played her part well, acting the role of an obedient wife throughout the event. After they were seated, Shen Du looked at her with interest.

“You seem very well-behaved today. I suppose you have some plan in mind,” Shen Du remarked casually. Zhu Yan merely pursed her lips, ignoring him.

They both knew whether there was a plan or not; there was no need to state it so directly.

Before the banquet began, Princess Yong’an arranged for a performance to entertain the guests.

During the performance, one act caught Zhu Yan’s attention. The performer seemed to conjure numerous moths out of thin air, as if by magic.

The moths fluttered everywhere, earning applause and admiration from the audience. It was indeed a spectacular sight.

However, Zhu Yan’s mind wasn’t on the performance. Moths had been the most prominent feature in their recent case.

Whenever moths appeared, something unpleasant would follow – this was Zhu Yan’s intuition.

She instinctively glanced at Shen Du, who also appeared deep in thought, his brow furrowed.

The performer continued to spin, and as he did so, he suddenly rose into the air. His arms spread like wings as he danced gracefully.

Amidst the audience’s exclamations, the performer transformed into a silkworm cocoon. In a moment, he emerged as a giant moth, its wings shimmering with golden light, a sight of breathtaking beauty.

Zhu Yan was amazed by the performer’s tricks, but what surprised her more was how terrifying and enormous this moth appeared.

It seemed familiar as if she had seen it somewhere before.

The cheers abruptly ceased, as if everyone had been shocked by the scene before them.

In an instant, the moth suddenly took flight, heading straight for Princess Yong’an. Before anyone could react, the moth had carried the Princess away in front of everyone’s eyes.

“Your Highness!” the crowd cried out.

Shen Du immediately led a group to pursue them.

Zhu Yan hurriedly followed the crowd to observe the situation. Fortunately, by the time everyone arrived, Princess Yong’an had already been rescued by Shen Du, and the culprit had been apprehended.

To everyone’s surprise, the culprit was none other than Chen Huoe, who had previously confessed and been punished in the Jinxiu Fang case.

Another person was bound there – it was Yu Chi Yanghe, Princess Yong’an’s consort.

He was currently unconscious, hanging high up like a silkworm cocoon, with flames burning fiercely below.

“The Consort! It’s the Consort! Quick, save him!”

Amidst the chaos, the Consort was rescued. The crowd was shocked that Yu Chi Yanghe, a military general, had been rendered completely immobile. Could the rumors be true?

“Quickly, protect Duke Ying and capture the culprit,” a cold voice commanded.

Lai Luozhi arrived with his men, directing them to make arrests.

Upon seeing Lai Luozhi, Zhu Yan’s heart skipped a beat, and Shen Du’s grip on Chen Huoe tightened.

His intention was clear – he had captured Chen Huoe and would not hand him over to Lai Luozhi.

Lai Luozhi didn’t object to this. Instead, he said, “This is Duke Ying’s mansion. How dare criminals cause trouble here? Come, help out.”

Lai Luozhi had come prepared, bringing many men with him.

Shen Du only had Zhu Yan with him. Lai Luozhi smoothly took Chen Huoe into his custody, appearing to help while having other intentions.

Shen Du knew Lai Luozhi’s motives weren’t pure, but his actions were flawless.

Moreover, with many court officials present, if he were to argue now, it would make him look bad.

Shen Du said nothing more and handed Chen Huoe over to Lai Luozhi, but not without a cold reminder, “I’m entrusting this person to you today, Assistant Minister Lai. Make sure you guard him well.”

“Of course,” Lai Luozhi replied, his expression satisfied. He even complimented Shen Du.

“If Chief Shen always shows such good judgment, we’ll have many opportunities to cooperate in the future.”

“You’re too kind, Assistant Minister Lai.”

This was Duke Ying’s mansion, and everyone knew of Princess Yong’an’s association with Lai Luozhi. If Shen Du were to argue here, it would surely lead to gossip.

Shen Du was a clever man; he knew when to back down.

As Lai Luozhi left with Chen Huoe, Shen Du watched them go with a cold stare, his fists clenching.

Zhu Yan quickly stepped forward, grasping his arm and shaking her head.

Given the current situation, they both understood it wasn’t wise to cause a scene.

The matter seemed to be over, and they were about to return to the banquet when Qi Yeyun hurriedly reported, “Master, something terrible has happened. Ji Fangming has died suddenly in the Da-Li Temple prison.”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yan’s heart sank, and Shen Du’s face showed surprise.

They immediately left the banquet and rushed to the Da Li Temple. There, Ji Fangming’s face was unusually pale.

His entire body was tightly wrapped like a silkworm cocoon, with only his head exposed, but he appeared lifeless.

As the jailer opened the door, Zhu Yan was about to enter when Shen Du stopped her, sensing something amiss.

There was no one else here, and even if silk threads had been prepared, it wouldn’t have been easy to wrap oneself up like a cocoon without anyone noticing.

Zhu Yan also noticed something was wrong. Qi Yeyun stood to the side, looking terrified at the scene before him, not daring to make a sound.

Shen Du stepped forward, raising his sword and slicing open the cocoon. Ji Fangming’s body fell straight to the ground.

As the body fell, Shen Du’s eye caught a fleeting shadow, barely perceptible, but he noticed it.

With a wave of his hand, a cloud of powder flew through the air, and everyone saw Chen Huoe’s face again.

Before anyone could react, Chen Huoe transformed into a moth and tried to fly away.

This moth was different from ordinary ones – its body was engulfed in flames, a true fire moth.

The fire moth quickly flew out of sight, and Shen Du, without hesitation, gave chase.

They left the Da Li Temple and entered the endless night.

The fire moth’s speed slowed only when they reached a grove of trees, where it landed and transformed back into human form.

This person was none other than the real Chen Huoe.

To her surprise, as soon as she transformed, a cold voice came from behind, “Such petty tricks, thinking you could deceive heaven and earth.”

Shen Du, sword in hand, pointed at Chen Huoe and coldly questioned, “I never believed in the resurrection. Was the false case against the Shen family years ago related to you?”

Chen Huoe was surprised by Shen Du’s pursuit but quickly regained her composure. She laughed strangely, her eyes showing contempt as she looked at Shen Du and said,

“Does it matter whether I was involved or not? Your father was nothing but an insect. Even if he died, he deserved it.”

Chen Huoe’s words thoroughly enraged Shen Du. His face turned ashen, his eyes flashing with murderous intent. He raised his sword and attacked Chen Huoe.

Chen Huoe quickly responded, and the two began to fight.