Tranquility returned to Shihua Pavilion.

“Zixiang, are you alright?” After Su Biqing and her people left, Mu Yunjin glanced sideways at Zixiang’s swollen face.

Zixiang shook her head, “As long as Young Miss is fine.”

“I’m sorry for your suffering. I will make them pay for this slap sooner or later.” Mu Yunjin put away her phoenix-tail whip and looked at Zixiang with a slight sigh.

Zixiang’s small face paled as she bit her lip, frowning slightly. “Young Miss, these recent days have been far from peaceful. The Big Madam and Fourth Miss find new ways to trouble you daily. So many incidents have occurred, all targeting you.”

Hearing this, Mu Yunjin curled her lips into a faint smile. “Indeed, I’ve lost count of how many issues I’ve had to deal with. It seems they’ve put great effort into preventing my marriage to Chu Li.”

“Only a few more days to go. Who knows what else might happen? This servant truly wishes the Young Miss would quickly marry into the Sixth Prince’s household and leave this troublesome place,” Zixiang said.

Mu Yunjin forced a smile but did not respond.

……

…

…

The next day, news of Mu Yiyang’s death spread throughout Diehua City.

Immediately, the streets and alleys were once again filled with discussions. Combining this with the events of the past two days in Diehua City, people quickly pointed their fingers at Minister Mu’s mansion.

Minister Mu had just returned from court when he heard the news of Mu Yiyang’s tragic death. The shock aggravated his condition; his throat filled with a sweet metallic taste, and he coughed up blood, nearly collapsing. Fortunately, the butler caught him.

At this moment, Wei Hanqiao, who had been the first to report to the authorities, arrived with a group of officials. As soon as she entered the mansion, she shrieked piercingly, “Where is Mu Yunjin? She killed my son! I demand she pay for Yiyang’s life with her own!”

“What evidence do you have to prove it was Yunjin?” Su Biqing asked with a somber face, her eyes filled with worry, occasionally revealing a hint of success.

Wei Hanqiao was nearly hysterical, glaring at Su Biqing. “I have witnessed testimony and physical evidence. I’ve already reported to the authorities. Stop protecting your daughter! Both your daughters are vixens who have caused my son’s death!”

“Silence! Your son nearly defiled Zhu’er, and you still have the nerve to speak?” Su Biqing retorted when Wei Hanqiao called her daughters vixens.

At this moment, Mu Yunjin, having heard the commotion, walked in from the back garden with Mu Yunhan beside her. Seeing Wei Hanqiao with disheveled hair and a room full of officials, she frowned slightly.

“Mu Yunjin! You venomous woman! You killed my son! May you die a horrible death…” As soon as Wei Hanqiao saw Mu Yunjin, she lunged forward.

Mu Yunhan stepped in front, mercilessly pushing Wei Hanqiao aside.

At this point, Minister Mu’s mansion was in chaos. Outside, many citizens had gathered to watch the spectacle.

Just as the atmosphere grew tense, a guard hurriedly ran in from outside and announced to everyone in the room, “Regarding the matter of Second Young Master Mu, His Majesty has issued an edict that Chen Pu, the Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, will adjudicate this case. All members of Minister Mu’s household are now requested to proceed to the Court of Judicial Review for questioning.”

Upon hearing that the Court of Judicial Review had been involved, Wei Hanqiao gave a desolate smile. “Good, very good! Now let’s see who heaven will spare!”

……

The Court of Judicial Review.

As soon as Mu Yunjin stepped into the interrogation chamber, she was shocked by the ‘grand assembly’ inside.

Chen Pu sat at the central interrogation platform, with Empress Dowager Zheng and Empress Qin seated to his left and right. On the side seats below, Chu Li, Chu Ye, Princess Chu Qingqiang, and Princess Chu Qingyuan were seated.

It seemed the matter had escalated completely.

After taking her position, Mu Yunjin instinctively glanced in Chu Li’s direction. Today, Chu Li was unusually dressed in moon-white brocade robes, exuding an air of elegance, though the cold aura around him remained undiminished.

Chu Li’s gaze briefly passed over Mu Yunjin before shifting away, as if he hadn’t noticed her.

Chen Pu, seeing that almost everyone from the Mu family had arrived, felt immense pressure. He had attendants bring a few more chairs, then looked apologetically at Mu Yunjin.

“Third Miss, as the primary suspect today, you must stand during the hearing and cannot be seated.”

Mu Yunjin responded with a casual “hmm,” glancing at Mu Yiyang’s corpse, covered with a white cloth, on the floor.

Empress Qin, seated in a position of honor, looked at Mu Yunjin with concern in her brow. She didn’t interrupt but simply instructed Chen Pu, “Begin.”

Chen Pu nodded.

“Lady Wei, when did you discover that the victim had been killed?” Chen Pu began, looking toward Wei Hanqiao.

Upon hearing this, Wei Hanqiao immediately burst into tears and spoke hoarsely, “This morning, when I was bringing breakfast to Yiyang, I knocked for a long time with no response. Later, feeling something was wrong, I broke down the door and saw that Yiyang had been murdered.”

“You keep accusing Third Miss Mu of the crime, but do you have any evidence?” Chen Pu continued.

Wei Hanqiao wiped her tears and sniffled, “Considering everything that has happened these past few days, who else could it be but her!”

“Lady Wei, mere words prove nothing! Without evidence, what grounds do you have to accuse Yunjin?” Empress Qin spoke up for Mu Yunjin upon hearing that Wei Hanqiao had no evidence.

Hearing this, Empress Dowager Zheng paused, her gaze indirectly sweeping over Mu Lingzhu and Su Biqing seated below, then turned to a coroner standing to the side.

“You just examined Second Young Master Mu’s body. Did you find anything unusual?” Empress Dowager Zheng asked.

The coroner who had been addressed stepped forward and spoke clearly, “This humble one immediately examined Second Young Master Mu’s body. The time of death was around the fourth watch (1-3 AM). This humble one found an extremely thin yet deep wound on Second Young Master Mu’s neck, presumably from being strangled to death with a thread. Later, after examining Second Young Master Mu’s blood, this humble one discovered components of an aphrodisiac, which is quite perplexing.”

“Aphrodisiac?” After the coroner finished speaking, Su Biqing exclaimed in surprise, her expression somewhat astonished.

The coroner looked at Su Biqing and nodded.

After a pause, Su Biqing stood up and spoke with apparent anger, “Yesterday, there were rumors in Diehua City that Yiyang and Zhu’er were caught in a compromising situation at a teahouse. Later, when I brought Zhu’er back to the mansion, the physician also diagnosed that Zhu’er had been drugged with an aphrodisiac.”

“If Minister Chen doesn’t believe me, you can extract Zhu’er’s blood for testing. I believe the results will still be detectable.”

Hearing this, Chen Pu frowned and nodded, instructing a nearby guard, “Take Fourth Miss for blood testing.”

Mu Lingzhu was led away.

Mu Yunjin stood in place with no expression on her face, her eyes calmly listening to the earlier statements. Inwardly, she noted that today’s events had indeed escalated.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the guard had extracted Mu Lingzhu’s blood. In the interrogation chamber, two coroners took turns examining the blood, finally concluding—

“There are indeed drug components in the Fourth Miss’s blood.”

After the coroner spoke, Wei Hanqiao laughed coldly, “Well, isn’t everything clear now? A few days ago, Yiyang revealed Mu Yunjin’s illicit affair. Presumably, Mu Yunjin was desperate to exonerate herself, so she cruelly administered aphrodisiacs to Lingzhu and Yiyang to divert attention and shift the blame to Lingzhu.”

Hearing Wei Hanqiao’s words, Su Biqing and Minister Mu could not refute them. Su Biqing spoke first, disappointment in her eyes, “Yunjin, is it true as your Second Mother says? Did you sacrifice your sister to save yourself?”

All eyes immediately turned to Mu Yunjin.

At this moment, under everyone’s gaze, Mu Yunjin showed no timidity. Instead, she slightly raised her chin, her demeanor revealing a touch of arrogance.

“If you want me to confess, produce evidence! Otherwise, how do I know that the aphrodisiacs in Mu Yiyang and Mu Lingzhu’s bodies weren’t just them wanting to have some fun beforehand?!”

Mu Yunjin’s cold and arrogant words once again shocked everyone in the interrogation chamber.

Upon hearing Mu Yunjin’s response, Chu Li raised an eyebrow. His cold, indifferent eyes showed a glimmer of animation, and his face revealed a hint of a smile.

Empress Qin also looked at Mu Yunjin with admiration before speaking, “Indeed, unless you produce evidence that Yunjin administered the drug, mere speculation is unconvincing.”

“By the way, this princess heard a few days ago that Second Young Master Mu came to the mansion claiming he had an illicit relationship with Third Miss Mu. That day, Third Miss Mu was about to be taken by several old matrons to verify her virginity, but then the eldest young master suddenly returned, ending the matter. So, it’s indeed possible that Third Miss Mu killed Second Young Master Mu out of guilt,” Fifth Princess Chu Qingqiang, who had been sitting quietly to the side, calmly spoke up.

“This princess has also heard that Third Miss Mu and Second Young Master Mu have had a long-standing grudge. Not long ago, she even beat Second Young Master Mu into disability. Minister Mu should be aware of this, right?”

Minister Mu, who had been addressed, now had an ashen face. Although his son was disappointing, he was still his flesh and blood. Now that he had died under mysterious circumstances, his heart was troubled.

And with suspicion now pointing at Mu Yunjin, he couldn’t help but recall Mu Yunjin’s recent unusual behavior, secretly feeling a sense of dread.

“Minister Mu, is this true?” Empress Dowager Zheng also asked.

After a moment, Minister Mu’s face showed misery as he nodded, “It is indeed true.”

After a pause, Empress Dowager Zheng spoke, “Since the coroner has stated that Second Young Master Mu was strangled to death around the fourth watch, Third Miss Mu, can you prove that you were in your courtyard before the fourth watch?”

Mu Yunjin’s expression grew cold. “No.”

“Since you have no alibi, you are the prime suspect in this case. All indications suggest that you benefited the most from Second Young Master Mu’s death,” Empress Dowager Zheng said with a cold smile.

Mu Yunjin frowned slightly, a smile gradually forming at the corner of her lips. She looked up at Empress Dowager Zheng, then at Chen Pu. “When it comes to investigating cases, isn’t Minister Chen more professional?”

With that statement, she directly dismissed Empress Dowager Zheng.

Chen Pu, sitting in the center, felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. Never had a case been so difficult to handle.

He couldn’t afford to offend either side, but speaking of suspicion, Third Miss Mu was indeed the most suspicious, yet there was no substantial evidence to prove it—it was truly vexing.

Just as the atmosphere grew tense, Chu Li, who had been silent until now, let out a light scoff. His voice was icy and calm, “Mu Yunjin is to enter this prince’s household. With such baseless suspicions and targeting, are you disregarding this prince’s presence?”