A suicide case with complete evidence—what would be worth hiring people to collect clues for, unless Lady Zhang’s death had other hidden circumstances?

According to the personal maid’s statement, Lady Zhang was merely the daughter of a wealthy household from Huizhou, but if that were truly the case, why would Yuncheng be so panicked about her death? Upon seeing the corpse, instead of reporting to the authorities, the first thing he thought of was clearing himself of guilt.

Ruyi lowered her eyes, her fingertips tapping intermittently on the windowsill.

“The owner is someone who dislikes trouble, so she probably won’t meddle in their affairs,” Zhao Yanning said.

Ruyi came back to her senses and smiled with curved lips: “I’m already too busy with the tavern’s opening—do you think I’d wade into murky waters?”

It would be good if she didn’t wade in. Fuman should also finish up soon. The Yun Manor was not good to get involved with—the earlier they avoided it, the better.

Zhao Yanning nodded and turned back to his room.

Ruyi leaned against the window, gazing at the bright moon in the sky, Wei Zijue’s red-rimmed eyes flashing through her mind.

The moon set, and the golden crow rose—Lin’an had another warm winter sun day.

Shen Qiyuan strode out of his manor gate, his purple-gold sable cloak slightly billowing in the wind, making him appear even taller with fairer skin, like clear wind and snow among orchids.

Ruyi couldn’t help but whistle.

His foot, about to step onto the carriage shaft, paused. He wanted to turn his head, but forcibly restrained himself, only leaving her with a cold profile as he lowered himself into the carriage.

Zhou Tingchuan looked into the distance and said softly: “Miss Liu came so early—perhaps she has something urgent.”

“What urgent matter could she have?” Shen Qiyuan said expressionlessly. “It’s probably just that Wei Zijue is in mourning and she’s bored. Let’s go.”

Zhou Tingchuan rolled his eyes, sat on the carriage shaft, and shouted at the top of his voice: “Miss, our lord is busy going to the Ministry of Justice! It’s cold, and you’re dressed so lightly—you should go back early!”

Though he said this, his hand was beckoning to her.

Ruyi walked over with a smile, supporting herself with one hand as she sat on the right side of the carriage shaft: “What a coincidence—I’m also going to the Ministry of Justice to deliver breakfast to Fuman. You don’t mind giving me a ride, do you?”

Zhou Tingchuan nodded, then glanced at the tightly closed carriage door behind him: “The snow on the ground hasn’t melted yet—it must have been hard on you to stand there so long, miss.”

“Who told your lord not to know how to care for people?” She shrugged. “I’ve already sent several boxes of gifts to the manor, but he won’t even open the door for me.”

Gifts? Shen Qiyuan frowned upon hearing this. He hadn’t received any, nor had the steward reported it to him. Where had they been sent?

“Please forgive us, miss. Yesterday, the weather was bad, and the lord was irritable. As soon as he returned to the manor, he flew into a great rage, frightening all the stewards so they dared not approach. The things you sent are probably still sitting in the second gate’s gatehouse.”

Getting angry again? Ruyi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “I could understand him being angry with me the day before yesterday since I provoked him, but I didn’t even see him yesterday.”

“Well, not exactly unseen,” Zhou Tingchuan touched his nose tip and said vaguely. “We did catch a distant glimpse at the West City Gate, but the lord didn’t let me call out.”

West City Gate? Ruyi understood. Yesterday, when she brought Wei Zijue back from Cang’er Mountain, they had indeed passed through the West City Gate, but since she was inside the carriage, she hadn’t seen the scenery outside.

“Did my lord also go to Cang’er Mountain yesterday?” She turned to look at the tightly closed carriage door.

The person inside didn’t respond to her, the cold wind whistling, blowing the stray hair by her temples.

Zhou Tingchuan coughed and suddenly said, “Miss, why didn’t you bring a cloak? Your hands have turned blue-purple from the cold.”

Ruyi looked down in puzzlement, thinking that while it was somewhat cold, wasn’t blue-purple a bit too exaggerated?

However, as soon as Zhou Tingchuan said this, the carriage door behind actually opened.

Though it was kicked open with some anger, the warm fragrance from within spilled out. Ruyi looked up and could see Shen Qiyuan’s gloomy eyes.

“Either get down, or get in,” he said coldly.

Was there even a choice? Without thinking, Ruyi crawled into the carriage.

Zhou Tingchuan reached out and closed the door.

The carriage was spacious, but with the charcoal brazier, Ruyi could only squeeze beside Shen Qiyuan, looking at him sideways.

Today, his hair was bound high, the stray hair on both sides gathered into twin braids, all combined within a purple-gold precious crown. His brows were handsome and upright, his thin lips held authority. He sat upright in the proper position, not even giving her a corner of his eye.

He only said: “You claim to be delivering breakfast, but I don’t see you carrying a food box. Is there even half a true word in your mouth?”

Ruyi lazily admired his face: “What would I carry a food box for? There’s a steamed bun shop not far from your Ministry of Justice courthouse—I plan to buy some there and deliver them to her.”

“She can return to the Immortal Meeting Tavern by midday—why are you in such a hurry?”

“So soon?” She raised an eyebrow. “Lady Zhang’s case can be decided?”

“After you stirred things up, even the simplest case has become complicated—how could it be easily decided?”

Hey, now he was blaming her?

Ruyi reached out and pinched his face: “Wasn’t it my lord who didn’t want to alert the enemy, which is why you sent me that day?”

“I sent you to gather clues, not to determine that Lady Zhang committed suicide.” He turned his head to avoid her hand.

She was puzzled, her watery eyes full of confusion: “I recreated the scene—how could it not be suicide? Could there be someone thin as paper who could stab her from behind?”

Shen Qiyuan sneered: “The cloud-pattern hanging ring is extremely close to the cabinet door—wedging the knife handle on it was already barely feasible. If someone then bumped into it, how do you know the knife wouldn’t fall instead of smoothly stabbing into her back?”

Ruyi frowned: “But there were blood spatters at the scene. From the angle, Lady Zhang was indeed stabbed in front of the pear wood cabinet.”

He scoffed and suddenly reached out to press her shoulder, pushing her backward against the carriage wall.

The expected pain didn’t come. Ruyi blinked and felt his other hand form a knife shape, positioned exactly at her back.

“What if it were like this?” he asked.

Her pupils contracted slightly as Ruyi was momentarily stunned.

Yes, her case investigation experience was insufficient—she hadn’t considered this possibility. If Lady Zhang had been pushed onto the pear wood cabinet, then the murderer had created a perfect suicide scene.

“Yuncheng is already in the Zongzheng Annex. Don’t go see him unless necessary recently, lest he become desperate,” he withdrew his hand and sat properly again.

Ruyi nodded, then felt something was odd.

If Yuncheng was the murderer, why had Shen Qiyuan deliberately shown intimacy with her in front of him, selling him a flaw?

Shen Qiyuan didn’t look at her again, his expression still cold and clear, but his straight back revealed some loneliness.

Wei Zijue had dreams; he didn’t. Wei Zijue was worth her worry; he wasn’t.

It was good to see early, to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Ruyi propped her chin and looked at him, a trace of amusement passing through her eyes.

She took out a jade thumb ring from her sleeve pocket. The quality was excellent, but the carving was somewhat crude, uneven, and shapeless.

At a glance, it was laboriously polished by someone who didn’t know the craft.

Glancing at it from the corner of his eye twice, Shen Qiyuan pressed his lips together: “What are you doing?”

“Bought it casually on the street—I noticed the quality matched my lord’s character.” She smiled. “I’m giving it to my lord as a return gift.”