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

"Have you killed someone?"

Ren Fengjue frowned slightly, and a hint of surprise flashed across his usually calm face.

Xia Ximo lowered her head, her tone serene: "Yes, she killed her half-brother, who was also my uncle's only son—Mu Zheng."

"After learning the truth, my aunt was devastated. Knowing she had no face to face my uncle and Mu Zheng's biological mother, she had no choice but to take the blame for my cousin and report it to the authorities. After that... she hanged herself in prison."

Such a "twist" is indeed heartbreaking, and even Madam Rong felt a pang of pity upon hearing it.

Ren Fengjue, however, grasped the crux of the matter and asked, "Then where is your cousin? Where is she now?"

Xia Ximo shook his head and continued, "After my aunt's accident, my cousin disappeared. Strangely enough, the Mu family sent people to search the entire Xiling County, but they could not find any trace of her."

"Some people say they saw her at the wonton shop at the street corner. She was covered in mud and looked like she had just crawled out of the ground."

"Some people also say they saw her board a merchant ship bound for Kyoto..."

"But I know I can't stay in the Mu family anymore. When I close my eyes, I always feel like my cousin is right next to me. I'm so scared, I have nightmares every night..."

As she spoke, her thin shoulders trembled: "I was terrified, terrified that it would be like that night again, when my cousin rushed into my room with a dagger, threatening to kill me..."

After she finished speaking, tears began to fall like beads from a broken string.

Seeing this, Madam Rong felt very distressed and quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe away her tears, comforting her, "It's alright, it's alright. Now that you're in the Marquis's residence, you naturally don't need to be afraid of that madman anymore..."

He then asked gently, "How did you sleep last night?"

Xia Ximo slowly wiped away her tears, nodded, and replied, "Thanks to Madam's care, I slept soundly last night and only woke up once during the night."

Rong sighed, but turned around and glared at her son, "It's all your fault, you had to bring up these things of all."

Ren Fengjue didn't care at all. Instead, he glanced at the windowsill, his gaze thoughtful. He said, "According to Miss Xia, this daughter of Minister Mu is indeed a dangerous person. We must find her as soon as possible, otherwise it would be bad if she had another attack and hurt someone."

As he spoke, he took the cloak directly from the maid's hand. "In that case, Miss Xia, please feel at ease staying at the Marquis's residence for now. I have some official business to attend to, so please excuse me."

Madam Rong said unhappily, "Isn't today your day off? What official business do you have to attend to? Can't you just stay at home for a day and keep Xi Mo company?"

Ren Fengjue put on his cloak and gave Xia Ximo a meaningful look.

"Miss Xia needs to rest, so I'd better not cause any trouble. Otherwise, if I can't help but ask some unpleasant questions later, I'm afraid Mother will blame me again."

"..."

Watching her son stride away, Madam Rong had nothing to say. She could only comfort Xia Ximo, saying, "This child is always either busy with official duties in the yamen or investigating cases everywhere."

"Once you've recovered, I'll definitely bring him back and take you for a good stroll."

Xia Ximo nodded understandingly, glancing at the man's departing figure out of the corner of her eye, a slight smile playing on her lips.

-

After leaving the Marquis's residence, Ren Fengjue went directly to Yusheng Teahouse by carriage.

This teahouse is close to Dali Temple, and you can even overlook the backyard of Dali Temple from the third-floor tea pavilion.

Upon his arrival, he immediately instructed A-Xia to deliver a message to Yu Lang.

A short while later, Yu Shaoqing, dressed in official robes, went up to the teahouse on his own.

"It is truly a rare treat that Lord Ren has taken the time to invite me for tea."

He put down his official hat, then called over a waiter and ordered two servings of his favorite pastries and fruits. At the same time, he complained that the Junshan Silver Needle pastry ordered by Lord Ren was too bitter, so he turned around and ordered a white peony pastry instead.

Ren Fengjue took a sip of tea and said, "I just came from the Marquis's residence."

Yu Lang immediately became interested and asked, "Is it about Miss Xia?"

Yes and no.

Ren Fengjue deliberately kept everyone in suspense.

Yu Lang only knew that Xia Ximo wanted to annul the engagement, so he guessed, "Did Miss Xia change her mind at the last minute and decide not to annul the engagement with you?"

"In my opinion, even if we tell the Marquis and his wife about this, they will certainly not agree."

Ren Fengjue smiled and shook his head, "I didn't tell them that Miss Xia hasn't changed her mind either."

Yu Lang picked up a piece of pastry, took a bite, and asked, "Then what is it?"

"There's an additional 'Xia Ximo'."

Upon hearing this, Yu Lang almost choked on the pastry in his hand. He awkwardly took a sip of tea, his eyes wide with surprise.

"What do you mean there's another 'Xia Ximo'? Do you have two fiancées?"

Ren Fengjue stretched out his body and leaned back before slowly recounting what he had seen and heard at the Marquis's residence that day.

Upon hearing this, Yu Lang was even more shocked.

"What's going on here? Which of the two is the real one, and which is the fake one?"

Ren Fengjue remained noncommittal, only asking him, "Then, in Yu Shaoqing's opinion, who looks more real?"

Yu Lang did not reply immediately. Instead, he got up and closed the half-closed door, as if afraid that the matter would be leaked.

"You said before that only Lady Hou in your family had seen Xia Ximo, so the one in the Hou Mansion seems to be more convincing."

Ren Fengjue smiled again. "So you mean the one in my house is a fake?"

Yu Lang continued his analysis: "I'm just speculating. If the 'crazy cousin' that Miss Xia from the Marquis's mansion mentioned is true, is it possible that the Miss Xia in your household is that 'crazy cousin'?"

"But this explanation is far-fetched, as if it were a story deliberately fabricated to cover up the truth."

"Besides, your Miss Xia is just a bit aloof, but in terms of courage and boldness, she is more suited to the descent of a military family."

After hearing this, Ren Fengjue showed an appreciative expression and nodded in approval: "Not bad, continue."

"I've said all. I'm afraid I can't go into any more detail, since I've only ever met the person in your household."

After Yu Lang finished his analysis, he felt relieved and drank his tea and ate his snacks. He then asked, "But I'm quite curious, which one does Lord Ren prefer?"

Ren Fengjue clearly had his own considerations, but deliberately did not answer, only saying, "I can't say for sure either. I'm afraid this matter will have to trouble Yu Shaoqing."

"..."

What does that mean?

Yu Lang quickly put down the tea and snacks in his hand, thinking to himself, "I knew Lord Ren wouldn't invite me to eat for no reason."

"What are your tasks, Lord Ren? As long as it's within my duties and doesn't violate the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Relationships..."

Ren Fengjue smiled slightly, "It's very simple. I just want you to go to the Mu family in Xiling County to conduct an in-depth investigation into the situation of 'Xia Ximo' over the years."

"Although Yaoguang is skilled in espionage and tracking, she is not good at dealing with people, which happens to be your strength. If the two of you work together, you will definitely achieve twice the result with half the effort."

Yu Lang gets a headache just hearing the name "Yaoguang".

But since Lord Ren himself has spoken, how can we say "no"?

He could only bow helplessly with a bitter face and say, "Your humble servant obeys."