Jinyi Spring

An impatient official pressed, "Explain clearly, how exactly did she die?"

The prison doctor stammered, "It was... he couldn't withstand the torture, he was so frightened that he died."

Commander Xie remained silent, his gaze slowly shifting to Xue Jicheng beside him.

Xue Jicheng remained calm, but shook his head with a hint of regret. "He died before the mastermind could be identified. What a pity."

Commander Xie stared at him for a moment, a vague feeling that something was wrong—but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Ultimately, he couldn't compare to those who had years of experience in administering torture.

A jailer rushed in to report, "Sir, the men who were ordered to arrest Wu Yanhua, Ji Rong, and Ma Jinpo have returned—all three have disappeared and their whereabouts are unknown. Li Mancang was dismissed from his post two years ago due to a serious illness and returned to his hometown in Jinzhou."

Commander Xie's face darkened.

Of the people Ci'an confessed to, some have disappeared, some are not present, and none of them have been caught.

He waved his hand, signaling to continue interrogating the others.

The guards who were watching over Qingxin, along with the nuns from Zixia Nunnery, were brought into the hall one after another.

They confirmed that Cixi did indeed frequently inquire about outside affairs, mainly about the Ming family and General Ming. They also implied that Qingxin wanted to know these things, which was why she had asked her…

The more Commander Xie listened, the more his brows furrowed.

This afternoon, the bodies of the missing persons were found one after another. Although Ma Jinpo had been bribed by Ming Shanyue, she could no longer be allowed to live after being exposed by Cixi.

What others didn't know was that Ma Jinpo's family was safe and sound, and even received an extra sum of money.

They sent men to Jinzhou to arrest Li Mancang, and the case had to be postponed for further trial.

Although the case has not been closed, most of the details have become clear: someone deliberately wanted to kill Qingxin Fagu and instructed Ci'an to ruin her reputation, hoping to confirm her affair with Ming Changqing after her death.

As for who that person was, no one said it, but everyone sitting in the hall knew the answer.

Not only did Empress Dowager Cixi's eyes reveal fear when she looked at Xue Jicheng before she died, but it was also he who, in the Imperial Study, colluded with Minister Xue to lead Cixi to steer the clothing and jade pendant toward Ming Changqing. Those words were piercing to the heart, each step calculated with utmost care.

It hasn't been definitively confirmed; it's just that there's a lack of concrete evidence.

Guo Hei said with a smile, "Even my uncle said that the legal expert is very clever. The things she said to the little nun Zhi Miao made the trial process much easier."

He lowered his voice even further, "Master, please rest assured, Aunt Fa and Miss. General Wang's place is heavily guarded. He's just waiting for Second Master to return to the capital, and then he'll take him to the palace to publicly reveal what happened back then. At that time, even if someone tries to suppress this matter and settle it privately, they won't be able to."

Xiao Wan shed tears. She was truly "dead," and the mudslinging against her had been deflected.

She no longer has to face that heartless and cruel person, and she will no longer hold her son back.

She paused for a moment, then asked, "What about Hongguo? That's Jing'an."

Guo Hei smiled, a hint of relief appearing on his face. "Please rest assured, Aunt Fa, Aunt Hongguo's cold has mostly subsided. My master has been secretly protecting her, otherwise she would have been silenced long ago. Once no one is paying attention to her, she will be sent to your side."

Xiao Wan breathed a sigh of relief and murmured, "Xiao Wan and Qingxin Fagu have already been fed to the wolves. From now on... my surname is Chen, and my given name is Qingrui. You can call me Aunt Chen."

Her mother's surname is Chen.

Feng Chuchen's heart stirred. Qingrui was her mother's name in her previous life, and she still remembered it deeply.

Guo Hei hurriedly bowed and said, "Aunt Chen...." He was still a little unaccustomed to calling his master's future mother-in-law "Aunt."

After Guo Hei left, Feng Chuchen briefly explained the matter of the inner garment and the jade pendant, as well as how Xia Achan had been in love with Ming Changqing since she was young, but after being rejected, her love turned into hatred, and she began to betray the Ming family.

Chen Qingrui's eyes widened in surprise.

She shook her head repeatedly, her face full of disbelief: "Such a clever and charming girl, yet she has the heart of a viper. The old Duke and Princess Changning dote on her so much, how could she..."

Halfway through her sentence, her gaze suddenly became unfocused, as if staring blankly at a point in the sky.

After a long silence, she whispered, "Could it be that she also did something to interfere with my relationship with the Emperor?"

Feng Chuchen's heart tightened. "Mother, what did you remember?"

Chen Qingrui pondered, her brows furrowing slightly, as if trying to salvage fragments buried deep in her memory.

"For the first month or so after I married into the Empress's palace, the Emperor treated me... fairly well."

Her voice was slow, each word squeezed out, "But one night, a little over a month later, he suddenly burst into Kunning Palace, saying that I had a reputation for virtue but harbored feelings for another man, and that as Empress, I dared to exchange tokens with a man outside the palace. He also said..."

"I shouldn't force you; I should let you and him be together!"

Her face flushed slightly, and she was too embarrassed to say the last sentence in front of her daughter.

After taking two deep breaths, she continued, "I knelt on the ground and kept saying 'I didn't,' but he didn't believe me at all... Even now I'm still confused and don't know what wrong I did."

Feng Chuchen suddenly realized, "Mother, it must have been Consort Xue who conspired with Xia Achan to tamper with it. Just like that dress and jade pendant, no matter whose it is, as long as the item is there, and a few ambiguous words are said, that person will believe it."

It was late at night when Ming Shanyue returned to the Ming residence.

The gatekeeper bowed and said, "Sir, the old Duke invites you to the Bamboo Sound Pavilion."

The Zhuyin Tower was brightly lit, and not only were the old Duke and the Ming Duke there, but also the old lady, Madam Ming, Ming Changli, and Ming Shanfeng.

This was the first time Madam Ming had returned to this place in all the years she had been married into the Ming family. Sitting to one side, she noticed the stern expressions on the faces of her parents-in-law and husband, and guessed that it must be related to Xia Achan.

Ming Shanfeng was at the Imperial Academy. He was specifically called back in the afternoon, but he was still confused and didn't know what had happened.

Ming Changli remained sullen, slumped in his chair, and yawned repeatedly.

Unable to hold back any longer, he asked impatiently, "How much longer? I'm going back to sleep."

The old Duke, his eyes wide, slammed his hand on the table. "You worthless wretch! Our house is about to be torn apart, and you're still thinking about sleeping!"

Ming Changli lazily shifted his upper body. "I'm disabled. It's enough for this family to have able-bodied people taking care of it."

The old Duke stood up in anger and slapped him twice on the head. "Useless thing! You can't stand up after the first setback. How are you like a member of the Ming family?"

Ming Changli didn't dodge, but stubbornly retorted, "I'm not like a member of the Ming family, so you might as well kill me."

Duke Ming hurriedly advised, "Third brother, say less. The family is at a critical juncture." He then turned to the old Duke and said, "Father, third brother didn't mean it. Please don't take it to heart. The important matter is more pressing." (End of Chapter)