West of Shu Prefecture, beside Ginkgo Ridge in the suburbs, countless graves faced south.

“They say this land has especially good feng shui, so many wealthy people buy burial plots here. After Minister Huang died unjustly and Huang Zixia fled, their clan declined with no one to collect the remains. Several local gentry in the prefecture pooled money to bury him here,” Zhou Ziqin said, carrying tools he’d just brought from home, circling the not-particularly-large grave while looking at the words on the tombstone and sighing, “Huang Zixia’s name isn’t on the tombstone.”

Li Shubai said faintly: “It will be added eventually.”

“I wonder if Huang Zixia has ever come to see her parents’ graves.” As he spoke, he searched for an opening in the grave built with blue bricks, “Speaking of which, if I secretly kept watch here every day, I’d catch Huang Zixia sneaking back to Shu to pay respects. Then I could jump out and grab her, telling her, ‘Let’s work together to solve your parents’ murder case!’ Your Highness, do you think Huang Zixia would be moved and stay by my side to solve all the mysterious cases in the world…”

“No,” Li Shubai coldly interrupted his words.

Zhou Ziqin could not completely read the room and continued happily: “That’s right. So my current direction is correct – I plan to team up with Chonggu, solve the Huang family case first, then Huang Zixia will definitely return to Shu Prefecture to thank me, and then I’ll say to her—”

As Zhou Ziqin spoke, as if Huang Zixia was right in front of him, he waved his hand and laughed heartily with great spirit: “No need for such courtesy, Huang Zixia, this is all that a constable should do! If you want to thank me, then stay here! Let’s work together solving cases for the benefit of Shu Prefecture’s people and establish a great reputation for our generation!”

Li Shubai felt quite helpless and directly changed the subject: “Where do you think would be most convenient to start?”

Zhou Ziqin studied the nearby graves of the Grand Lady and uncle, then said: “It’s too difficult to dig up five graves in one night. In my opinion, although the uncle’s grave is also built with blue bricks, its structure is much smaller. Besides, the Shu Prefecture gentry only helped collect his remains as an afterthought, the work wasn’t done carefully. I think if we dig a diagonal tunnel from behind the grave, we should be able to get in before dawn.”

The two men checked the orientation of the tombstone and began digging a diagonal tunnel behind the grave. Since the earth was newly buried, it was very soft, and they smoothly reached the burial chamber. After digging out the grave bricks, one end of the coffin appeared.

“This should be the head direction, we’ll cut a lock of hair to take back later,” Zhou Ziqin chatted while dismantling the coffin boards. “We’re lucky this time. Last time in Chang’an, there was also a suspicious case where the Court of Judicial Review required opening a coffin for examination. That family was wealthy – the soil around the grave was mixed with egg whites and glutinous rice juice, hardened like iron from wind and sun exposure. The entire Court worked for four or five days just to dig out the burial chamber, then found the brick joints were sealed with copper solution, in an airtight cage. Finally, we had to lift the whole thing to finish…”

“And your father lifted you too?” Li Shubai asked.

Zhou Ziqin stuck out his tongue and said: “Your Highness truly sees through everything.”

As dawn approached, Li Shubai returned to the inn and saw a faint light still coming from Huang Zixia’s room. He hesitated for a moment, seeing the kitchen staff already preparing breakfast, then had them make two bowls of soup noodles and knocked on Huang Zixia’s door.

Huang Zixia answered and opened the door. She had been waiting all night for his news, her eyes red from staying up.

Li Shubai placed the items on the table, gesturing for her to eat something first.

Dawn was breaking, a single lamp in the room. Huang Zixia held the warm soup noodles, silently watching him.

He looked at her and finally spoke: “It was Zhen poison, without a doubt.”

Huang Zixia suddenly stood up, nearly knocking over her bowl of soup noodles. Li Shubai calmly raised his hand to steady the bowl, saying: “Listen to me first.”

Huang Zixia bit her lower lip and nodded, but couldn’t suppress her body’s slight trembling. She forced herself to press her hand against her throbbing temples, trying her best to calm down and look at him.

“When one cares deeply about something, they become confused. Although you’re usually calm, this concerns your family, so you would certainly become flustered. That’s why I didn’t let you come with us – I worried you might become too emotional, which wouldn’t be good.”

“Mm… I understand,” she managed to say.

“Now there’s been a breakthrough in your parents’ case. I believe clearing their names is just around the corner.” As he spoke, he pushed the bowl of soup noodles toward her again. “But right now, what’s most important is taking care of yourself. If you can’t eat or sleep, overwhelmed by grief, how can you overturn the case for your family, how can you clear their names?”

She silently nodded, then picked up the bowl and ate it all, spoonful by spoonful, before putting it down and looking at him.

The sky was showing signs of dawn – another summer morning was approaching.

Li Shubai then told her: “Based on the characteristics of Zhen poison, your parents, like Fu Xinruan and Wen Yang, were killed by second-generation refined Zhen poison. Therefore, the poisoner absolutely could not have been you with arsenic.”

She nodded silently, barely holding back tears in her eyes, her voice trembling: “Yes… for so many days, I’ve been trying to find a breakthrough, but no matter how I traced things back, all evidence was against me. Now finally, there’s the first decisive piece of evidence – perhaps my possibility of being the murderer can be overturned from this…”

“Yes, in the vast wilderness, finally a glimmer of hope appears.” Li Shubai’s voice was low, slightly tired. That night he and Zhou Ziqin had dug up graves, disregarding his cleanliness obsession, even holding hair cut from corpses – although he had worn the gloves Zhou Ziqin gave him.

But Huang Zixia, in her excitement, forgot to thank him and only asked: “My parents’ bodies… how are they now?”

“Because the symptoms and food were the same for all five people, and time was somewhat pressing, we only cut hair from your uncle and brother for testing – both showed Zhen poison. I think perhaps we can first have Ziqin spread the news about this case, then properly re-examine your parents’ bodies officially. If Zhen poison is confirmed, it can clear your name in one stroke, overturn the old case, and start a new investigation.”

“Right now… my mind is in chaos, I don’t know what I should do…” As she spoke, she pulled the hairpin from her head and slowly drew lines on the table with it.

At first, her hand was still trembling, drawing lines that were stiff and slow, but later her hand drew faster and faster, using the Zhen poison at the center as a connection, lines extending in all directions. As she drew, she softly listed out her questions one by one:

“First, where did the Zhen poison come from? Is the person who used it connected to the palace? Was it the same person each time?”

“Second, with the same poison, what connection is there between my family’s tragedy and Fu Xinruan’s case? Where is the point of contact between the two?”

“Third, how was the Zhen poison put into the lamb hoof soup that I served?”

“Fourth, where did Fu Xinruan and Wen Yang’s Zhen poison come from? Why did they choose this method for their suicide pact?”

Li Shubai looked at the questions she listed, thought briefly, and said: “Among these, the third and fourth points should be easiest to investigate. It’s still early now, let’s rest first. This afternoon we’ll go to the Minister’s mansion. I’ve already had Ziqin investigate everyone who could have had contact with that bowl of lamb hoof soup in the Minister’s mansion before. When we go this afternoon, there should be results.”

The Shu Prefecture Governor’s mansion, located in the center of Chengdu, had high walls enclosing half a street.

Entering through the main gate of the Governor’s mansion, in front was the government office hall, on the left was Shu Prefecture’s largest storehouse, on the right were the living quarters for the three divisions of runners, and behind was the Governor’s residence with a small garden beside it.

This was a place Huang Zixia could walk through with her eyes closed. Her most beautiful maiden years had been forever buried here along with that day’s bloody incident.

She followed Li Shubai through the side door into the constables’ room. Zhou Ziqin was sitting with his feet up eating pine nut candy. Seeing them arrive, he quickly gave them each a piece, then pulled out a roll of paper from his chest, saying: “Come, come, let’s study this.”

It was now late afternoon or early evening, and the constables’ room was empty.

“Last night after cutting the hair with Your Highness and resealing the graves properly, I immediately returned to my courtyard to test the poison, confirming it was Zhen poison,” Zhou Ziqin said proudly. “Your Highness immediately ordered me to investigate all the mansion’s personnel. With my connections and position, getting this kind of information was effortless!”

He unrolled the paper, which was written very clearly. Although Zhou Ziqin’s handwriting was ordinary, it was neat and very easy to:

Cook One, Lu Songniang, is in charge of kitchen provisions. The person who handled locking the remaining lamb hoof soup and other food in the cabinet on the night of the incident. Current situation: Borrowed two strings of cash from doorman A’Ba for her sick son the day before yesterday.

Cook Two, Liu Siniang, in charge of the stoves, with two fire-tending maids under her. Was cooking in the kitchen with one fire-tending maid on the day of the incident. Current situation: Basically unchanged, newly acquired one small silver ring which she shows off to everyone.

Cook Three, Qian Da’niang…

Servants One, Two, Three…

Maids One, Two, Three, Four…

Huang Zixia couldn’t help but admire Zhou Ziqin. He had investigated all forty-plus people in the Governor’s mansion clearly in one morning, recording every detail, truly more formidable than a neighborhood gossip.

“This… I always pay attention to investigating these things, it’s a detective’s basic quality, right?” Zhou Ziqin said righteously. “I believe Huang Zixia must also pay close attention to these things.”

“I don’t think so,” Huang Zixia’s mouth twitched slightly.

Li Shubai gave her an enigmatic look, quickly read through all the materials, then tossed them on the table, saying: “So, your morning’s investigation found no one suspicious?”

Zhou Ziqin finally showed some shame: “Yes… yes. Because Zhen poison is the imperial family’s secret medicine – if someone gave it to someone in the mansion to use, that person would either be killed or considered a trusted confidant and rise to prominence. But now no one has shown any changes, which sufficiently shows that no one has made connections with higher levels due to the poisoning or experienced any changes.”

Huang Zixia nodded, affirming his thinking: “Ziqin’s analysis this time is very correct.”

Zhou Ziqin immediately became proud: “So actually, I’m a very talented person. Given time, if I team up with Huang Zixia, Chonggu, your position as capital’s top detective might be in danger, haha~”

Huang Zixia and Li Shubai exchanged helpless glances, jointly deciding to ignore this person.

“So, our next breakthrough can only come from investigating Fu Xinruan and Wen Yang’s suicide pact case.”