He Zeyou was not someone who would easily let things go.

Or rather, twenty years of great ups and downs had long taught him to use any means necessary. Face was certainly important, but if he could seize those thirty-six shops, bearing a few curses wouldn’t matter.

So the next day, just as Ruyi opened her door, she received a summons from the Lin’an prefectural judge.

“Marquis Ningyuan accuses you of three grave crimes: murder and robbery, forcibly occupying others’ shops, and attempted murder. The court will convene tomorrow. Please bring a litigation lawyer and arrive at the Lin’an Prefecture office before the chen hour.”

After listening, Ruyi looked across with resentment.

Shen Qiyuan stood under the eaves, watching the messenger leave, then asked in a light voice: “What is it?”

“If not for you, sir, this trouble wouldn’t have found me.” She cast a sidelong glance.

He Zeyou was someone who deserved to die—she wondered why he had stopped her.

“Killing a marquis in broad daylight, right under my nose.” His expression was impassive. “Your troubles would be even greater.”

With a light hum and shallow smile, she walked toward him with her skirts rippling slightly: “As long as you don’t trouble me, sir, what should I fear from others?”

Shen Qiyuan remained unmoved: “I have my duties. I have no reason to let you off.”

“Oh?”

The trailing tone was drawn out long, even curling at the end.

Ruyi stopped before him, her bright red fingernails brushing past his cheek like a phantom touch, like a snake coiling around prey it was certain to catch, elegantly flicking its tongue: “Then why didn’t you kill me the first time we met, sir?”

A sudden wind rose in the courtyard, sweeping up dried yellow ginkgo leaves that fluttered before their eyes.

Shen Qiyuan looked at her through the dappled dancing leaves, his voice like jade striking ice: “It’s not too late for me to kill you now.”

As his words fell, the casually drifting leaves suddenly condensed into blades around him, countless blade tips pointing at her from all directions, gleaming coldly.

This scene would frighten anyone who saw it, but the person before him took a step forward toward his blades.

He instinctively stepped back.

The corners of this person’s eyes gradually took on a smile, her lips curved playfully, and she even reached through those sharp blades to embrace his waist.

The blades cut several wounds on her arms, but in just an instant, those wounds healed completely.

She looked into his eyes, confidently placing her pale neck in his palm, her beautiful eyes unblinking: “Please proceed, sir.”

Shen Qiyuan’s hand trembled uncontrollably.

Her skin was warm, even with a pulse beating, so vivid like one of his dreams.

He suddenly remembered many things—the boundless heavenly fire, corpses everywhere, himself standing exhausted on a cliff, nearly driven to despair and ready to plunge.

His chest suddenly jolted. Shen Qiyuan pushed her away roughly.

Ruyi stepped back to steady herself and clicked her tongue lightly: “You’re not even as gentle as Qingyi.”

“If he’s gentle, then let him be your litigation lawyer in prison.” His face was cold. “I have other matters to attend to, so I won’t keep you company.”

The withered ginkgo leaves became fragile again, falling in scattered drifts. He walked through them, leaving the villa without looking back.

Ruyi watched his retreating figure with interest, finding it amusing yet somewhat troublesome.

With him around, killing people at will probably wouldn’t be so easy.

Then she really would need to hire a litigation lawyer for the lawsuit.

Ruyi sighed, took her bank notes, and went out to find someone.

Lin’an had as many as fifty famous litigation lawyers, but for some unknown reason, upon hearing the name Liu Ruyi, they all declined, refusing to take the case even with extra payment.

It didn’t matter, Ruyi thought. She was innocent anyway—finding any litigation lawyer would work the same.

However, the ordinary litigation lawyer she had paid failed to appear on the day of the court session.

Ruyi stared at the stone at the yamen entrance carved with the four characters “Expose corruption and promote virtue,” remained silent for a moment, then entered alone.

Who would have expected that once the court convened, the judge would have her shackled?

“The murder case at Huixian Wine House has long remained unresolved. Fortunately, the marquis provided clues proving that you, as the proprietor, instructed Manager Xu to commit murder and hide the body—your scheme is detestable.”

“Furthermore, all the neighbors on Gongshen Street can testify that those thirty-plus shops originally belonged to the Ning enterprise. You stole the property deeds and forcibly occupied the marquis manor’s assets—your conduct is abominable.”

“The gravest crime is that you attempted to assassinate a marquis in broad daylight. Though unsuccessful, there are witnesses—your heart is truly execrable!”

As the gavel struck, the crowd outside erupted in clamor, all saying the world indeed had such a poisonous woman—quite an eye-opener.

Ruyi raised her head, frowning slightly: “Has the magistrate directly decided the case?”

The judge above leaned forward with his hands propped, snorting with laughter: “You’re full of evil deeds, and not a single litigation lawyer in the entire city is willing to defend you. Shouldn’t this case be decided?”

Marquis Ningyuan sat on a stool to the side, holding tea and glancing at her: “Multiple crimes warrant punishment—your fate is execution in the street.”

He didn’t say the latter half, but the implication was clear.

As long as she was willing to bow her head to him and hand over those thirty-six shops, he had ways to save her life.

She scoffed and looked toward the bench: “May I ask, sir, do you know on which day the deceased at Huixian Wine House died?”

The judge frowned: “Naturally, on the day the case was discovered.”

“Not so. He died two days before being discovered, and at that time, I was not the proprietor of Huixian Wine House. How could there be talk of instructing Manager Xu?”

“Absurd! If someone died two days prior, how could the corpse not decay?”

“If you don’t believe me, sir, have someone retrieve the case files from the Ministry of Justice to see.”

“Audacious!” The gavel fell again, and the judge glared. “Not to mention that I cannot access Ministry of Justice case files, even if I could see them, when is it your place to teach me how to judge cases?”

He Zeyou also scoffed: “If you’re not the murderer, how do you know the specific day he died?”

Ruyi very much wanted to say: because when the Ministry of Justice investigated the case, she was at the scene.

But she thought of Shen Qiyuan.

That man held the position of Zongzheng—how could he become subject to gossip?

He Zeyou was probably waiting for her to bring up Shen Qiyuan, so he could accuse him of favoritism and perverting justice as well.

So she fell silent.

The discussion at the entrance was like boiling water. Someone took the lead, and people began throwing vegetable leaves at her. The insect-eaten leaves were mottled and withered, flying from behind in scattered showers—some hitting her back, some landing beside her hands.

Ruyi grew somewhat annoyed.

She turned her head, her beautiful eyes sweeping once with slight ferocity.

The hands outside holding vegetable leaves paused and shrank back in fear.

The judge waved his hand: “Enough, enough. Since you have no evidence to prove your innocence and no litigation lawyer to help argue and refute, this case has no room for mediation. Someone, take her away and lock her in…”

“Wait.” Someone called out.

The judge looked up impatiently, about to scold whoever was disrupting the court, when he saw two rows of purple-hatted guards filing in and lining up on both sides.

Someone stepped into the great hall against the morning light, a robe of crimson cloud-patterned brocade sweeping past the threshold, the hem slightly raised.

The judge was so frightened he stood up, and the bailiffs put away their intimidation rods.

Ruyi didn’t turn around. She knelt with her back thin and straight, her neck slender, only a flash of surprise passing through her eyes.

But quickly, this surprise transformed into shimmering laughter.