After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

Lingyun Wine Shop is one of the largest wine shops in the capital, offering a wide variety of wines, including Thirteen Grade Tribute Wines, Shaoxing Nuzhen Wine, Suzhou Fuzhen Wine, Aged Huadiao Wine, Shanxi Fenjiu, Zhejiang Xunjiu, and even wines from the Western Regions... covering all parts of China.

The merchant groups that cooperated with them traveled across mountains and seas, continuously transporting wine to the capital.

The price is fair, and the taste is the most authentic.

In the capital, wealthy families would often buy wine from Lingyun Wine Shop or even hire wine servers for grand banquets to avoid their servants from being tricked or cheated into buying counterfeit wine and making a fool of themselves in front of their distinguished guests.

Even at the most prestigious Mid-Autumn Festival banquet recently held at the Prince Xin's Mansion, over 30% of the wine served was purchased from Lingyun Wine Shop.

Datong Street was bustling with people.

The blood-red sunset dyed the street a golden hue.

At this time of year, the wine shop would normally be bustling with business, with customers coming and going in a steady stream. The waiters would greet customers with beaming smiles, occasionally receiving a small tip of silver from a wealthy customer, who would then call out, "Honored guest, please take care." But today, Lingyun Wine Shop was unusually quiet, with its doors tightly shut.

Four Imperial Guards, each armed with a brocade spring knife, stood before this renowned wine shop, their faces expressionless and their presence imposing.

Even those pedestrians on the street, filled with immense curiosity, hurried along, keeping their eyes straight ahead, lest these damned men in black flying fish suits assume they had something to hide and seize them to deliver.

Even the stewards of those wealthy families who considered themselves high-ranking officials, who had come excitedly to buy wine hoping to swindle some money from the wine shop owner, could only mutter that they didn't know what was going on as they turned and left without daring to inquire.

Inside the liquor store.

The Imperial Guards lit lamps everywhere.

The stench of blood mingled with the aroma of alcohol, filling the entire space with an unpleasant odor.

Qin Yuanyao, however, remained expressionless, seemingly oblivious, her eyes fixed on the twelve corpses neatly arranged on the ground.

One innkeeper, four taverns, four servants, two cooks, and one groom.

"The cook died in the kitchen, the groom died in the stable, and the rest died in the main hall. They all died around the same time, in the morning, around 5 a.m., before the tavern opened... Several servants and tavern attendants had signs of resistance, bruises on their abdomens, and footprints... They were kicked and then had their throats slit... The manager was stabbed in the back, and there was ink under his fingernails; he must have been keeping accounts at the time..."

With a handsome appearance, thick eyebrows, and big eyes, Qian Sijin held the coroner's autopsy report in his hand and slowly reported it with a solemn expression.

"It wasn't just one person who did it; there were at least seven. One person went to the kitchen to kill the cook, another went to the stable to kill the groom... and the remaining five killed the others in the main hall... Only in this way could they do it without making a sound, without attracting the attention of the surrounding shops, and quickly wipe them out..."

"We checked the backyard, and there were trampling marks on the bricks of the south wall. They must have climbed over there and sneaked in before dawn..."

Qin Yuanyao remained silent, took a few steps forward in her soap shoes, went around to the outside of a corpse, squatted down, grabbed the corpse's chin and turned it left and right to examine the knife wound on the corpse's throat.

"What kind of knives are they using?" The female Imperial Guard, whom the prisoners in the Imperial Prison, and even some of the Imperial Guards privately called the "Female Yama," asked with tired eyes and a somewhat hoarse voice.

"They have them all. There are goose feather blades and willow leaf blades. One wound even looks like a rolling blade, while there are a few that are not visible. They may have been made in private."

Qin Yuanyao's wheat-colored cheeks sank in slightly as she bit her cheek.

Today is August 18th, just eleven days before Prince Xin ascends the throne.

"Have you checked the ledgers?" she asked, standing up.

Qian Sijin nodded: "We've checked. We checked the monthly salary expenditures, and everyone's information matches... The owner of the wine shop is surnamed Yang. We found him. The Yang family is fine, but they're terrified after hearing about this and are planning to go back to their hometown... We've detained them. Owner Yang said that their wine shop has always adhered to the principle of 'harmony brings wealth,' and they haven't offended anyone or owed anyone money..."

"but,"

Qian Sijin's eyes showed some fear. Only after his female boss's cold gaze shot over did he speak, his face slightly pale:

"We've discovered something..."

"explain."

"This Mr. Yang..."

Qian Sijin slowly exhaled.

"He is the brother-in-law of the Director of the Sacrificial Rites Department..."

"The Director of the Sacrificial Rites Department?" Qin Yuanyao asked sharply.

Qian Sijin nodded solemnly.

The Director of the Sacrificial Rites Department of the Ministry of Rites, a fifth-rank official, has been in charge of many matters related to the enthronement ceremony of Prince Xin for the past three months.

"And then?" Qin Yuanyao knew that the other party wouldn't make baseless accusations or baseless claims.

Qian Sijin said, "We checked the account books. Three days before the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, the Director of the Sacrificial Affairs Office personally came to Lingyun Wine Shop... According to the account books, he prepaid some deposit money..."

"To silence them?" Qin Yuanyao asked without any hesitation.

Qian Sijin's eyes widened instantly. Although he had only said this much, Lord Qin had naturally thought of it. Although his brother-in-law was the boss, he was only the nominal boss. The real boss should be Lord Lü Xiang, the Director of the Sacrificial Rites Department...

On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, thieves broke into the Prince's mansion, killed the two original wine servers in the wine cellar, and impersonated wine servers to sell wine inside. After being discovered, the two thieves immediately committed suicide.

They searched for a long time but still couldn't find the way the thieves broke into the palace, nor could they find out who the two people were.

This morning, Qin Qianshi changed his approach, believing that since the thieves were able to bypass the heavily guarded Prince's Palace and Embroidered Uniform Guards, accurately locate the wine cellar, and even find the location of the tribute wine, and had prepared the wine clerk's clothes in advance, they must be extremely familiar with the Prince's Palace wine cellar.

They then began to check the account books one by one, screening all the wine shops and merchant groups that supplied wine to the Prince's Palace, delivered wine to the Prince's Palace, and stored wine in the wine cellar.

Many people are keeping an eye on the Qi Prince's Mansion, the Gui Prince's Mansion, and the envoys from various countries. People familiar with the location of the wine cellars inside the mansions are still being screened. The Embroidered Uniform Guard is already short-handed, and even two commanders of a thousand households have been transferred back from outside the capital.

With a shortage of manpower, the work was a bit slow. In the morning, they first went to check on the various merchant groups that were still in the capital. In the late afternoon, after a junior officer finished his work, he led a group to check on Lingyun Wine Shop, only to find that Lingyun Wine Shop was closed.

No one answered the door when I knocked.

They realized something was wrong, kicked open the door, and saw... corpses everywhere...

Qian Sijin stepped forward and lowered his voice, saying, "My lord, judging from the current situation, there is definitely someone who wants to harm His Highness, perhaps even during His Highness's enthronement ceremony."

Judging from the current situation, those two thieves at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet are probably inseparable from Lingyun Wine Shop... It's most likely that Lingyun Wine Shop brought them in... for example, by hiding them in wine barrels or under the carriage compartment, in short, by some method that the guards couldn't possibly investigate.

Qin Yuanyao frowned, thought for a moment, and didn't say much. Lu Xiang, the secretary of the Sacrificial Affairs Department, was a civil official of the fifth rank or above. She didn't have the authority to arrange for someone to arrest him.

At night.

After consulting with the Deputy Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard stationed in the capital, he sent Shangguan Xiu to Lü Xiang's residence to investigate the matter and ask what Lord Lü had done at Lingyun Wine Shop that day and what deposit he had paid.

An hour later, Shangguan Xiu returned.

"Lü Xiang cursed his father for a long time."

Shangguan Xiu, who had been scolded for a long time, said disdainfully,

"They say Prince Xin is about to ascend the throne, he's so busy he barely has time to breathe, but you eunuchs and secret agents are everywhere, trying to take advantage of him at this time... Ugh, I won't say anything worse..."

"What's the important business?" the female clerk asked, her rank clearly indicating her authority.

Shangguan Xiu said, "Lu Xiang was very impatient, but when he heard that Lingyun Wine Shop was completely wiped out, his face turned pale. He said that he went to Lingyun Wine Shop that day on official business. On the day of Prince Xin's enthronement ceremony, the Ministry of Rites would naturally have to prepare wine..." Shangguan Xiu curled his lips and said, "I'm afraid he was just using his official position for personal gain, to get some business for Lingyun Wine Shop... He paid a deposit and ordered about a thousand jars of wine."

While the two were discussing this matter.

But someone rushed in to report, and the two turned around at the same time. The Imperial Guard, dressed in a black flying fish robe, reported with a pale face:

Lü Xiang... is dead.