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

Upon hearing Ren Fengjue mention "Miss Zhou," Zhuang You's arrogance vanished.

She even inadvertently took a step back, nearly bumping into the farmer behind her.

Fearing his daughter might say something inappropriate, the farmer gave a wink to the steward standing nearby.

The steward immediately stepped forward and said, "Lord Ren, as I just mentioned, that day His Highness Prince Yu..."

Ren Fengjue didn't wait for him to finish speaking, and gave him a cold glance, "I didn't ask you anything."

Guan Yue pulled him back, saying, "Speak up when they ask you."

Zhuang You could clearly feel the imposing aura emanating from Ren Fengjue, and she began to regret her impulsiveness in coming forward and becoming the first to speak out.

But she wasn't stupid; she knew that at this moment, she couldn't say anything reckless, much less lose her composure.

"That day, His Highness Prince Yu came to deliver gifts, and I was naturally busy accepting them. At that time, the gifts were all carried to the flower hall, and I was either in the flower hall or in my room."

Ren Fengjue then asked, "Did you see Miss Zhou that day?"

Zhuang You denied it very quickly: "I have never seen it."

Ren Fengjue remained calm and continued, "So, what's the relationship like between Miss Zhuang and Miss Zhou?"

This question made Zhuang You frown visibly, and a hint of disgust flashed in his eyes.

She replied with two words: "So-so."

Ren Fengjue then asked, "Just now, the maid Jinling said that Miss Zhuang likes to eat the sugar figurines from Granny Yan's shop in the East Market. What about Miss Zhou?"

Zhuang You's expression changed again, and his eyes began to dart away.

"You..." She hesitated for a moment before saying, "I don't quite understand your question. Everyone says my relationship with her is just so-so. How would I know if she likes sugar figurines or not?"

Ren Fengjue remained silent, turned to beckon Guan Yue, and whispered a few words in his ear.

After hearing this, Guan Yue nodded, called the butler, and turned to leave.

Because Zhuang You hadn't heard what he said clearly, she naturally felt uncertain and began to get anxious. "What did you ask him to do?"

Ren Fengjue did not answer directly, but said only, "Miss Zhuang, I have asked all the questions I needed to ask. As for who the murderer of Miss Zhou is, I think we will find out soon."

These words made Zhuang You's face turn pale instantly, and even his lips lost all color.

She panicked and turned to look at the villagers.

The farmer's face turned even paler. He said, "What do you mean by that, Lord Ren? My nephew accidentally fell into the water. How could he be implicated as a murderer? And what makes you that judgment?"

Ren Fengjue still refused to answer directly, only saying, "I only want to ask Lord Zhuang, do you truly want to bring justice to the deceased?"

The farmer said irritably, "I just want her to rest in peace as soon as possible."

At this moment, Xia Ximo, who had been silent for a while, spoke up.

"The souls of those who die unjustly will linger in the mortal world, never finding peace."

Her voice was colder than the wind in the courtyard, causing the Zhuang family father and daughter to tremble.

Xia Ximo slowly walked up to Zhuang You and continued, "The reason you fainted at Tianxiang Pavilion that day was because you encountered the evil energy of a vengeful spirit. If that vengeful spirit hadn't later dispelled its resentment, do you think you would have recovered so quickly?"

Zhuang You's lips trembled. "What nonsense are you spouting? What evil spirits? What vengeful ghosts?"

Although she retorted verbally, she couldn't hide the fear in her heart.

The farmer also began to have doubts. He clearly remembered his daughter lying unconscious in bed, vomiting black liquid from time to time.

The physicians at the time were helpless, but later, for some reason, the person suddenly recovered.

This matter is too strange, and even now, I still find it unsolvable.

"Isn't it inappropriate for Miss Xia to say these things in front of us?"

The farmer tried to remain calm.

Xia Ximo stared coldly at him, her eyes icy. "Are you feeling guilty?"

The farmer was already uneasy under her gaze, and these words left him speechless.

Xia Ximo shifted her gaze to Zhuang You beside her, "Or are you feeling guilty?"

Zhuang You opened his mouth, but for some reason couldn't say anything.

At this moment, Guan Yue returned, followed by two nannies and three cooks.

The five people were trembling, quite frightened.

Guan Yue said, "These two nannies are from Miss Zhuang's room and are responsible for taking care of her daily life, while the three next to them are the cooks of the manor."

The farmer's expression changed, and he turned to look at Ren Fengjue.

Guan Yuexian then asked the old woman, "Tell me, what has Miss Zhuang eaten for her three meals over the past three days?"

The two old women exchanged a glance, and although they didn't understand what the other woman meant, they still stammered out what she meant.

After listening, Guan Yue asked the cook beside him, "Is there anything wrong with what these two old women said?"

The cooks exchanged glances and shook their heads, fearing they might get into trouble.

Guan Yue counted on his fingers and then said, "Including the desserts and soups, there are about twenty dishes. Why isn't there a single sweet one?"

One of the nannies replied, "Miss has never liked sweets."

Upon hearing this, Zhuang You instantly understood and shouted, "What nonsense are you talking about?"

The old woman had no idea that her young mistress would react so strongly, but with a high-ranking official from the Ministry of Justice standing next to her, she was honest and kind and dared not lie.

"Miss, you've never liked sweets since you were little, so the kitchen never makes anything sweet. Even your favorite sweet and sour pork ribs don't have any sugar in them..."

Upon hearing this, Zhuang You went berserk and rushed to the old woman, intending to slap her.

"You crazy woman, who told you to talk back!"

Guan Yue stepped forward to stop her, but Zhuang You slapped him across the face.

"You bastard, who gave you the right to stop me? Do you know who I am?"

At this moment, Zhuang You was clearly out of control. He was not satisfied after slapping Guan Yue once, and he was about to slap him again.

Suddenly, he paused for no apparent reason, and the next second, a loud slap landed on his face.

Everyone in the room was shocked.

Zhuang You was also stunned. She suddenly remembered the scene in Tianxiang Pavilion that day, so she quickly looked at Xia Ximo beside her.

Xia Ximo met her gaze, his eyes filled with disdain.

"It's you! It's you again!"

Zhuang You was furious, and he couldn't care less about anything else; he just wanted to settle both old and new scores.

"Guards! Guards! Drag this little bitch away and beat her to death!"

She shouted in all directions, but no one dared to move. Even her father, the farmer, had a livid face and ignored her.

Ren Fengjue frowned, then suddenly shouted, "Doctor Guan!"

Guan Yue was covering his face, feeling indignant. Upon hearing the voice, he immediately replied, "Your subordinate is here!"

"What should be done if someone publicly assaults and insults a fifth-rank official of the imperial court?"

Upon hearing this, Guan Yue was taken aback, immediately released his grip, and showed the evidence of the beating.

"According to the laws of this dynasty, anyone who assaults or insults an official of the fifth rank or higher shall be punished with twenty strokes of the cane and three years of penal servitude!"