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

There was more than one person standing outside the door, Ren Fengjue.

Behind him, Constable Chen, gripping the hilt of his sword, led a group of constables, all eager to protect Lord Ren's safety.

However, when I heard this sentence, I was almost speechless.

But Ren Fengjue acted as if nothing had happened, saying, "So it really is Miss Xia here."

Do they really know each other?

Officer Chen's legs went even weaker.

On second thought, this woman dared to address the young marquis by his given name, which showed that their relationship was quite special.

He reacted quickly, immediately cupping his hands and saying, "So you really are Lord Ren's person, young lady. I was really mistaken earlier."

Xia Ximo coldly replied, "I am not his person."

"..."

Officer Chen was sweating profusely; he really didn't know how to respond to that.

Ren Fengjue offered no explanation, only asking, "I was passing by and noticed the suspicious death of the mansion's owner. Did Miss Xia discover any clues?"

This was clearly an attempt to save face for her.

Xia Ximo merely glanced at Constable Chen without replying.

Chief Constable Chen thought to himself that usually such cases would first be taken over by the local police station, and then reported to the government office, where the county magistrate would give instructions.

Only when a case is major, difficult to solve, or involves a wide range of people and the local government is unable to handle it, will it be reported up the chain of command until it reaches the three judicial departments.

The fact that we've already alarmed such a big shot as Vice Minister Ren is already a headache, so how can we let a mere young girl interfere in this matter?

If the county magistrate finds out, he will surely be scolded.

So, to prove that the constables of the Eastern District were not a bunch of idiots, he immediately stepped forward and replied, "Sir, we have already examined the body, and the preliminary judgment is that he died of poisoning."

Ren Fengjue had also examined the corpse. He didn't refute it, but went along with what he said, "Bleeding from all seven orifices does indeed seem to be caused by poison invading the internal organs."

Then they asked, "What poison was detected?"

Constable Chen panicked slightly. "This hasn't been investigated yet. I'm afraid we should take the body back to the yamen first and have the coroner examine it carefully."

Ren Fengjue knew the rules.

It's definitely not the right time to get involved in this matter.

"In that case, you shall proceed according to the procedures of the yamen."

Hearing this, Constable Chen felt a little relieved, but he still dared not relax in the slightest.

Ren Fengjue did not directly interfere, but that doesn't mean he didn't care.

Everyone knows that the "Living Yama" is incorruptible and would never let any crime go unpunished.

He was under immense pressure, but dared not show it on his face, and gave the order.

"work!"

The constables immediately scattered and began searching the house.

Ren Fengjue put his hands behind his back, looked at Xia Ximo in front of him, and asked directly, "Miss Xia, the questions you asked Master Yan yesterday must be related to this house, right?"

Xia Ximo gave a faint reply.

"So, what are your thoughts at this moment?"

He knew that the other party would not have said those words without reason, nor would they have appeared here without cause.

It's easier to ask the dead than the living for such a question.

Xia Ximo said, "Before yesterday, this house only contained one wrongful murder case."

"But now, there are two."

"And the second one is even more troublesome."

Ren Fengjue was somewhat surprised, as he seemed unaware of the matter. He glanced back at Constable Chen, who was instructing his men to investigate the case not far away.

The other person noticed his gaze and immediately jogged over.

"What are your instructions, Lord Ren?"

Ren Fengjue asked, "Has any murder occurred in this house before?"

Officer Chen immediately shook his head: "No, I've been working in the Eastern District for over ten years. I certainly don't know anything about murder cases..."

"Yan County".

Xia Ximo coldly interrupted him, "The lady of this house is from Yan County."

Officer Chen immediately stiffened. "I remember now."

He slapped his forehead: "This case occurred within the jurisdiction of Yan County and was handled by the Yan County government."

"But the case was closed six months ago. The murderer was brought to justice and sentenced to death. He is currently being held in the capital's dungeon and will be executed in a few days."

Upon hearing this, Ren Fengjue vaguely remembered that Guan Yue had given the dictation, and he had also been the one to review the case files.

I did not intervene.

Is it...

Officer Chen glanced at Lord Ren's expression and thought to himself, "Luckily, this didn't happen in the capital."

Otherwise, it would be really hard to sever ties.

"Okay, I understand."

After Constable Chen left, Ren Fengjue looked at Xia Ximo again and pondered, "Miss Xia said it was a 'wrongful conviction,' so the real culprit must not have been brought to justice."

"good."

As Xia Ximo spoke, she glanced at him, her expression subtly reproachful.

Ren Fengjue immediately thought of what she had just said—that it had scared away even the ghosts.

He couldn't help but lower his eyes and smile.

"It seems this is indeed my fault."

Xia Ximo didn't reply, but only said, "I think you have your own way of dealing with 'living people'."

Ren Fengjue understood immediately, "I'll handle this."

After saying this, both of them paused slightly.

It seemed as if a wonderful, unspoken understanding had quietly formed.

Xia Ximo also felt a strange sensation.

Knowing she had said all she needed to say, she turned to leave.

Ren Fengjue immediately followed her.

"Regarding the second matter, Miss Xia, are you not going to reveal anything?"

Xia Ximo paused and glanced at him briefly: "The second matter, I'm afraid you can't handle it."

-

The dungeon in the capital was dark and gloomy.

A few lights flickered in the dim light.

The jailer was dozing off, and the prisoners in the cell were also quiet.

There was silence.

Suddenly, footsteps came from inside the passageway.

"Where is Li Ada, the official appointed by the Ministry of Justice?"

Hearing the sound, the jailer suddenly woke up and immediately stood up. "Doctor Guan... Doctor Guan, what brings you here?"

Guan Yue displayed a jade tablet: "Lord Ren has ordered that prisoner Li Ada be interrogated."

The jade plaque was a royal gift; seeing it was like seeing the emperor himself, equivalent to a "royal sword" granted by imperial authority.

The jailer immediately knelt on the ground and couldn't help but ask, "Wasn't Li Ada's case already closed? Why, Lord Ren...?"

"presumptuous!"

Guan Yue shouted sternly, "How dare you, a mere jailer, interfere in Lord Ren's affairs? Bring him out immediately, or you'll be held responsible!"

Upon hearing this, the jailer hurriedly got up from the ground, walked to a cell door, and opened it with trembling hands.

Prisoner Li Ada was huddled in a corner when he heard the noise. He thought he was being dragged to be beheaded and was so frightened that he wet himself on the spot.

The jailer took out his whip to strike, but Guan Yue stopped him.

He walked up to Li Ada and deliberately raised his voice, saying, "Lord Ren of the Ministry of Justice wants to see you. Come with me."

Li Ada seemed somewhat bewildered, "...Lord Ren?"

Guan Yue gave a wink to the side, and two constables stepped forward and escorted him out of the dungeon.

An hour later, Li Ada, who had washed himself and changed into new clothes, was brought into the Ministry of Justice's office.

He never expected that he would be greeted with clean, warm clothes and a table full of fine wine and delicacies.

Lord Ren, seated in the seat of honor, gestured to him, saying, "Li Ada, you have suffered in prison these past few days. These dishes and wine are specially prepared to entertain you."

Upon hearing this, Li Ada was so frightened that he knelt down on the ground with a thud.