The villainous bosses from their past lives have all been reborn.

"Pregnant?"

Xia Jin stared at the doctor in disbelief. You see, the people of the Six Northern States are quite open-minded, and it's not uncommon for women to marry their lovers without their parents' consent. But to be pregnant out of wedlock and not even know who the father is is quite avant-garde in the Six Northern States.

Then, Xia Jin looked at Yuan Xiu with a particularly strange gaze, his mind automatically conjuring up a scene.

"Could this child be Yuan Cai's? I've always heard that this fellow is of bad character and loves to philander."

Yuan Xiu rolled her eyes, giving Xia Jin, this virgin, a severe look of contempt.

Is it that fast?!

The doctor, standing nearby, explained:

"The young lady is over a month pregnant!"

At this moment, Xia Jin finally realized what was happening and said:

"Then it's not Saburo's. I knew it! Saburo wouldn't be that kind of lecherous freak!"

The doctor nodded slightly, took his leave, and departed. Xia Jin, however, was lost in a mental whirlwind.

After what seemed like an eternity of storming, Xia Jin's eyes lit up.

Judging from his appearance, Yuan Xiu seemed to hear a familiar Japanese phrase.

"Rokuro, I'm afraid I already know the truth!"

Yuan Xiu looked at Xia Jin, only to hear him talking to himself, saying:

"Is it possible that Ying'er secretly had an affair and became pregnant? The governor discovered this, felt it was a disgrace to the family, and was furious. He ordered Ying'er to abort the child and also to severely punish the man. Ying'er's lover, enraged and ashamed, accidentally killed the governor?"

Yuan Xiu was somewhat speechless and said:

"Didn't you say that no one entered the post station at the time of the incident? Then how did this lover get here?"

Xia Jin stroked his stubble-covered chin and said:

"That's one of my soldiers at the post station... someone who frequently travels with the governor's mansion and knows Ying'er... Could it be Little Wang? I knew that pale-faced fellow, always chasing after women, why has he been quiet lately!"

Just then, a hurried cry came from inside the house.

"Help! Miss is trying to commit suicide!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Xiu and Xia Jin immediately ran into the house. Inside, Ying'er was holding a pair of scissors, about to stab herself in the stomach, while her maidservant desperately tried to stop her.

At this moment, the two of them couldn't care about anything else. Yuan Xiu stepped forward and snatched the scissors away.

Having lost the scissors, Ying'er seemed to have lost all will to live. She lay sprawled on the bed, crying incessantly as her maid comforted her.

Seeing this, Xia Jin comforted her:

"Ying'er, even if this child's grandfather is a terrible person, you mustn't hurt yourself!"

Ying'er stopped crying and looked up at Xia Jin, only to see him turn his head away and sigh.

"We know, of course, mainly based on my deduction. But even if you don't want this child, there's no need for this! I'll find you a good doctor. If you want to have the child, you can; if not, it's just a matter of a bowl of medicine. Don't worry, this isn't your fault!"

Upon hearing this, Ying'er's eyes reddened even more.

"We've known each other since childhood; I'm like your older brother. I promise you, even after your grandfather is gone, no one in Jinzhou will dare to laugh at you!"

Upon hearing this, Ying'er cursed.

"He's a beast!"

Xia Jin's expression changed, and he suddenly stood up, looking somewhat angry.

"You mean he forced you?"

A tear rolled down her cheek, and Ying'er nodded helplessly.

"Outrageous! This beast, who is always like that, would never have committed such a despicable act! When did he...?"

Xia Jin was very indignant, but Ying'er smiled bitterly:

"I am not his daughter, he adopted me."

Xia Jin, who was originally filled with righteous indignation, was stunned.

"He pretended to be just and upright in front of the people, loyal to the court, and honest and frugal in front of his colleagues, but in private he was a beast. Two years ago, when I had just arrived in Guishui, he drugged me..."

Xia Jin couldn't listen anymore after hearing this.

"He was appointed Prefect of Jinzhou, yet he committed such a beastly act during his term in office. Wait a minute..."

Xia Jin realized what was happening, looked at Ying'er, and said:

"So he was... by you..."

Ying'er nodded and said:

"I killed him. Now that you all know, I'm willing to accept the punishment!"

For a moment, everyone in the room fell silent.

……

Prison.

"Saburo!"

Outside the cell, Yuan Xiu called out.

Hearing this, Yuan Cai, who was drawing circles on the ground, turned around, his eyes filled with tears, and dropped the straw in his hand!

"Why are you so late?!"

Yuan Cai looked aggrieved and tearful, like a little wife.

"Do you know how I've been these past few days?"

"I heard that Grandpa Fu made special arrangements for you; you're staying in a single room, and you're enjoying fine wine and food every day. You're living a very comfortable life!"

"Pah!" Yuan Cai said with great dissatisfaction, "How can you be carefree in this place?"

Yuan Xiu smiled and said:

"I have good news for you. The murderer has been found."

Yuan Cai was overjoyed, but before he could rejoice for long, he heard Yuan Xiu continue:

"But you can't come out yet!"

"..."

Yuan Xiu told Yuan Cai about the murderer, and the latter suddenly realized what had happened.

"So that's how that old lecher died!"

"Old lecher?"

"That day I was drinking with him, and after a few drinks I caught a glimpse of him touching his daughter's leg. At the time I found it strange, wondering if their family was so open-minded, not even bothering to be intimate with their daughter who was so old!"

Yuan Xiu nodded and said:

"Ying'er will also be locked up here. You stay by her side and protect her well. Don't let anyone harm her. She still has many secrets."

"secret?"

"I heard from people at the governor's mansion that the governor, in order to avoid suspicion, usually has Ying'er take care of his daily needs. If that's the case, Ying'er has had plenty of opportunities to make her move, so why did she have to wait until Liangshuipu to act?"

"Furthermore, she's petite and weak; how could she wield that bone-scraping knife? Someone must have taught her a technique to control her internal energy! And who was that person?"

"Most importantly, the governor of Jinzhou is likely in cahoots with the Demonic Sect and wants to pass on some intelligence. This intelligence probably fell into Ying'er's hands."

Yuan Cai listened and said:

"Then just ask her directly, why go through all this trouble?"

"I've inquired about it. The governor of Jinzhou didn't teach Ying'er any books. She can barely read or write. Even if she got the information, she wouldn't know what was written on it! Besides, she's been back in Jinzhou for so long. This information has probably been given out. Regardless of what the governor of Jinzhou is like in private, his reputation is good. Many people have come to pay their respects these past few days. I wonder who got this information."

Yuan Cai seemed to be deep in thought, but then he saw Yuan Xiu take out the token with the character "Xia" on it from his sleeve.

"She's quite frail and has no will to live; she probably won't last long. You'll stay next door to her and keep an eye on things. If anything changes, you can use this token to get out at any time."

……