After becoming pregnant, the cold-hearted nobles all went mad.

Shen Lingyi learned from Feng Ren about a case of palace servants being murdered, which was discovered during a search of the palace.

The body was thrown into a dry well that had been abandoned for many years.

"A dead palace servant?" Shen Lingyi was taken aback. "Did they have any distinguishing features, such as what killed them?"

"He was strangled to death from behind."

Feng Ren was very skilled at these things. He had taken a special look at the corpse and immediately knew how the palace maid had died.

He also told Shen Lingyi that the person who did the attack was most likely a woman.

Shen Lingyi's eyes were filled with contemplation as she decided to go see Pei Heng first.

After a while, Pei Heng looked at the people in the hall.

The palace maid's corpse was not far away.

"Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, do you think this person is right?"

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review glanced at Feng Ren behind Shen Lingyi and sneered, "This humble subject did not check beforehand, but I would like to ask the Second Miss, is this person your guard?"

"Yes."

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review looked even more disdainful, his voice dripping with resentment at being woken up in the middle of the night to rush a task. He spoke sarcastically, "Leaving aside why a guard would go out and inquire about such things in the middle of the night, his judgment is also questionable."

This means questioning Feng Ren's abilities.

Shen Lingyi has always had only one attitude towards this kind of person.

"In that case, sir, you may go and see for yourself. However, if my guard is right, you must apologize to him in person."

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review turned pale. Was he joking? He was going to apologize to a mere guard?

Although he was somewhat disdainful, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review still suppressed his anger and looked at the corpse, since His Majesty was still watching.

however,

His expression changed very quickly.

"How was it?" Pei Heng raised an eyebrow, as if he hadn't heard the argument from earlier.

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review glanced at Shen Lingyi, his face trembling slightly, before reluctantly saying, "Just as the Second Miss's guard said, this palace maid was strangled to death."

"Within three days, Your Majesty, please order the apprehension of this person!"

"That's what I meant too," Shen Lingyi immediately replied.

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review is a bit old, but his insight into issues is still quite good.

It was immediately striking how strangely coincidental this was; it might very well be related to the incident that occurred a few days ago.

The girl's eyes were bright, showing no sign of dejection despite being under guard for the past few days. The man glanced at the corners of her bright eyes and immediately ordered a thorough investigation.

After layers of screening, the palace maid's identity was confirmed. She was a laundry maid, and besides the palace servants there, only one other person had been to the laundry hall that day.

Linlang was dragged into the palace by the arm, trembling as she knelt on the ground, pleading, "This servant...this servant is innocent! I beg Your Majesty to see the truth!"

Shen Tingjiao's small face was ashen with fear, and she was filled with anxiety, yet she still spoke up for her maid.

"Your Majesty, Linlang only helped me take the clothes to wash; how could she possibly harm anyone?"

Even a rigid and serious person like the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was moved upon seeing this and said to Pei Heng, "I also think that perhaps the wrong person has been chosen."

"Lian Qing, are you perhaps getting old and your eyesight is failing?" Pei Heng said casually, propping his chin on his hand. "I think it's about time to replace the current Minister of the Court of Judicial Review."

Upon hearing this, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review knelt down with a "plop".

Pei Heng waved his hand, signaling for someone to take Linlang away for questioning.

The unexpected happened at this time.

Suddenly, Linlang, who had been perfectly fine, coughed up blood, her limbs convulsed, and as she fell to the ground, she still tried her best to look to the side.

"what!"

Shen Tingjiao screamed in fright.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, her voice just drowned out Linlang's last words, and no one except Shen Lingyi noticed.

The imperial physician examined Linlang's condition and found a bracelet on her body.

The bracelet was smashed open, releasing a dizzying, exotic fragrance.

The imperial physician covered his nose and stepped back. "Your Majesty, this person died of poisoning. The poison in this bracelet is what killed her."

"Why did it only start happening now?"

"This poison must need to be combined with something else," the imperial physician replied cautiously, carefully considering his words.

Shen Lingyi's gaze remained fixed on Shen Tingjiao the entire time.

Seeing that the imperial physician had reached a conclusion, she raised an eyebrow and sneered, "Your sister's personal maid is dead, and you don't have a single word to say about it?"

"I don't know why Linlang would do such a thing." Shen Tingjiao swayed, looking as if she was about to faint at any moment.

Indeed, it's perfectly normal for a sheltered young lady like her to be frightened after witnessing such a terrifying scene.

In comparison, Shen Lingyi's composure is all the more remarkable.

Pei Heng's lips curled slightly, but then he lowered his eyes again, remembering what she had just told him to inform her. He then ordered someone to keep an eye on Shen Tingjiao.

Even after everyone else had left, Shen Lingyi was still there.

"Your Majesty has specifically asked me to stay behind. Is there something you wish to ask?"

Pei Heng held the dossier in his hand, a deep meaning flashing in his eyes. "Where did you find this?"

Shen Lingyi pouted slightly, a hint of dissatisfaction in her eyes, but still answered honestly.

"Of course it's because my subordinates are capable. Did you really expect His Majesty to favor me?"

Pei Heng smiled wryly.

The little thing starts talking nonsense whenever he stops helping her.

If he hadn't helped Shen Lingyi, not only would her maid have been able to leave the Censorate unscathed, but she herself would never have been so free to investigate cases.

However, after this incident, Pei Heng discovered that Shen Lingyi actually had this ability that he was unaware of.

"The matter of Wuyi Lane should not be made public, so I will send someone to investigate it secretly."

"Your Majesty's decision is fine." Shen Lingyi was quite open-minded; as long as she was cleared of suspicion, that was enough.

On the other hand, as long as Pei Heng is willing to believe her, she is innocent.

That's how much weight the emperor's words carry.

Pei Heng raised an eyebrow and said with a hint of interest, "I thought you would be unhappy, after all, I've kept you locked up for so long."

Shen Lingyi immediately seized the opportunity, asking, "Does Your Majesty have anything that can compensate me?"

Her eyes sparkled, making no attempt to hide her desire for advantage; such openness was certainly better than concealment.

Shen Lingyi then said, "Why don't you give me your personal belongings, Your Majesty, so that I can use them when Your Majesty is not around..."

"What do you want to do?" Pei Heng asked, amused, as he saw her pause.

"So that I may finally be able to satisfy my longing."

Shen Lingyi stared intently at Pei Heng, her eyes revealing her burning passion, which startled the man.

No one can remain unmoved when faced with such sincere sentiments, not even the current emperor.

For Pei Heng, this sentiment was far more precious than any gold or silver treasures.

The man didn't speak, but a clear wavering appeared in his eyes. "You...like me?"