Holding a lantern, guiding souls across, Lady Hou comes from the underworld.

After news of Minister Zhong's death reached the Zhong residence, a servant soon came to inform Zhong Dingyan.

It is claimed that Aunt Qiu also hanged herself in her room.

Three members of the Zhong family died in one day.

Zhong Dingyan appeared to be grieving, but there was no sadness in his eyes.

There was even a hint of indifference.

Some servants vaguely sensed that the eldest young master had been acting strangely since returning to the manor, but they dared not say anything.

They could only follow his instructions to handle the body and prepare for the funeral.

When Ren Fengjue and the others returned to the Zhong residence from outside, white lanterns and mourning curtains had already been hung outside.

A servant came out and said to them, "Guests, Aunt Qiu from the manor has also gone. The eldest young master is busy with the funeral arrangements and may not have time to attend to you. Please go back to your rooms and rest."

Ren Fengjue remained outwardly polite, saying, "Please accept my condolences, young master."

Then, he added, "However, we've just discovered some suspicious points regarding the deaths of Minister Zhong and the Second Young Master Zhong. Could we perhaps meet with the Eldest Young Master first?"

Unable to make up his mind, the servant led them to sit in the flower hall for a while before turning to report.

However, after waiting for nearly half an hour, a reply came: "The eldest young master is too heartbroken to discuss this matter for the time being."

"They also said that the cause of death of the master and the second young master has been clarified, and they do not wish to mention it again, and ask the guests not to bother to investigate further."

After hearing this, everyone understood without saying a word.

The young master Zhong's attitude toward this matter changed rather quickly.

Yu Lang whispered, "It seems that this 'Young Master Zhong' just wants to get the funeral done as soon as possible and start a 'new' life."

Ren Fengjue probably expected this to be the case, so he said, "In that case, let's follow Master Yan's method for now."

Yan Zhengchu suggested that if Zhong Dingyan was indeed possessed by Zhong Yi's ghost, a transformation talisman would be enough to make his soul appear.

Since he refuses to see anyone.

Then take the initiative to go find him.

The four of them left the flower hall and headed towards the inner garden, their servants unable to stop them.

Earlier, on the way to the guest quarters to rest, Zhong Dingyan had given a general introduction to the terrain of the Zhong residence.

At this point, it didn't take much effort to find Zhong Dingyan's room.

However, two guards stood watch at the entrance.

Upon seeing that they had found them, the guards immediately blocked their way, saying, "Guests, please wait. Our young master is not receiving guests at the moment."

Ren Fengjue deliberately raised his voice, "I just have a few words I'd like to say to the eldest young master in person. It concerns Minister Zhong; surely he shouldn't be indifferent to this?"

The guards' attitude remained firm.

"So much has happened at your residence, and the eldest young master is too grief-stricken to listen to anything right now. Please leave, guest."

Yu Lang stepped forward, raising his voice even higher: "Grief is all that matters, but doesn't the eldest young master want to know the truth about the deaths of Minister Zhong and the second young master?"

"..."

After a moment of silence, Zhong Dingyan's voice came from inside: "Let them in."

The guard hesitated for a moment before opening the door as instructed.

Inside, only a candle was lit on the desk. Zhong Dingyan was leaning alone on a small couch, looking rather dejected and listless.

Seeing everyone enter the room, he slowly rose, supporting himself with his right hand, his face listless, and asked, "Does Lord Ren have something to say that must be said now?"

"Yes." Ren Fengjue nodded, his gaze subtly taking in some of the subtle details about him, and then said, "It's too late, I'm afraid it will be too late."

On the couch, Zhong Dingyan's expression immediately turned cold, but he questioned, "My father and second brother are both gone. Things have come to this, why insist on clinging to this matter?"

Hearing his rude tone, Yu Lang was very displeased and couldn't help but speak up: "What do you mean we should keep pressing this issue? It concerns our closest relatives. Shouldn't you be the one who 'keeps pressing this issue' the most?"

Ren Fengjue then walked a few steps toward Zhong Dingyan, chose a chair, and sat down by himself.

"Back when I was in the capital, whenever I visited Lord Zhong's residence, I would always see Young Master Zhong busy taking care of things."

"As the eldest son of a high-ranking official, his filial piety has been praised by the Emperor himself several times."

"Now that Lord Zhong has passed away, it is only natural that Young Master Zhong is saddened."

"But this attitude seems more like an attempt to cover up the truth."

Zhong Dingyan's face flickered in and out of focus under the candlelight.

Upon hearing this, a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

He asked again, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"Judging from the state of Zhong Shangshu's body, he did not die today."

Zhong Dingyan countered, "Does Lord Ren not believe what I said?"

Ren Fengjue remained noncommittal: "I'm just pointing out some points of doubt so that Young Master Zhong will be aware of them."

Zhong Dingyan stared at him for a while, then a strange smile appeared on his face: "Okay."

"Since Lord Ren suspects that there are other suspicious circumstances surrounding the deaths of my father and second brother, then please find out the real culprit and give them justice."

Ren Fengjue remained calm and composed: "This matter involves a long history, and I'm afraid it has to start from thirty years ago."

"Thirty years ago?"

Zhong Dingyan smirked, "Does Lord Ren intend to make fun of me?"

"The reason why Minister Zhong appeared in Liuhua Lane is because... the original owner of that house was surnamed Zhong."

Zhong Dingyan remained expressionless: "I am unaware of this matter."

Ren Fengjue didn't expose him, but only asked, "Shangshu Zhong must have told you, young master, about his upbringing at the Beiding Academy, right?"

"There's no need for Father to tell us this; everyone in Beiding County knows it."

Ren Fengjue continued, "Two scholars surnamed Zhong went to the capital to take the imperial examination. One of them died on the way, while the other entered the capital, passed the examination, and then had a smooth career. In the end, he became the Minister of Justice. This is your father, Minister Zhong."

"The one who perished was named Zhong Yi, and he had always been on good terms with Minister Zhong."

Zhong Dingyan glanced at him. "What does this have to do with my father's death?"

"Of course there is, because it wasn't Zhongyi who died back then."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Dingyan suddenly stood up, his face full of anger and his whole body tense.

"Ren Fengjue, what you're saying isn't just baseless, it's downright absurd!"

Ren Fengjue was quite satisfied with his reaction.

"It certainly sounds absurd, but isn't the fact itself even more absurd?"

He emphasized his words and asked again, "Lord Zhong, you haven't fully adapted to this body yet, have you?"

Zhong Dingyan narrowed his eyes slightly, his left hand clenched into a fist, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly…

Ren Fengjue continued, "I haven't been in the Ministry of Justice for very long, but for the first two years, I worked with you almost every day, so I'm quite familiar with some of your habits."

"When you're angry, you like to clench your left fist, and the left corner of your mouth will twitch slightly, but Young Master Zhong doesn't do that at all."

"Over the years, you have become accustomed to your high position, so when you speak to me, you still cannot forget your identity as the Minister of Justice, and naturally you are not as humble as Young Master Zhong."

"And the most important point is that you have been in a sick body for too long, often needing to rest in bed, and because of the injury to your left shoulder, you can't use your left arm."

"So, when you got up and got out of bed just now, even though the left side was more comfortable, you still preferred to use the right side..."