Everyone's face turned deathly pale.
Huang Yixuan exclaimed in shock, "What on earth is this thing that could cause such terrible harm? Could it be the one you were talking about...?"
“That’s right.” An Xin interrupted him expressionlessly. “If His Majesty wants the capital to become a ghost town, he can continue to have fun. Of course, you can choose not to believe me.”
An Xin felt she had talked too much nonsense today.
"But Niu Da was murdered, everyone knows that."
"I've caught the murderer who killed Niu Da." An Xin frowned slightly and said calmly. She had the servant pretend to be Niu Da who had come back to life, and then had the murderer deliberately run into him. The murderer was so shocked that he followed her all the way, and of course he was caught. Such tricks were nothing to An Xin.
"But why use seawater? What exactly is that? How can we be convinced if you don't explain it clearly?!" another voice said.
An Xin said impatiently, "Believe it or not, it's up to you. As for the claim that if the Emperor were to leave the capital and major cities, someone would take advantage of the situation and invade. Where would they invade? Are the soldiers guarding the border made of paper? Even if a thousand troops came, you wouldn't dare stay in the capital, so how could the enemy dare to stay? This kind of joke is ridiculous and should be told once; it's not funny at all!" When An Xin got anxious, she never held back her words. Her words made everyone's expressions change, and even Yan Zhen was stunned.
An Xin's gaze then fell on Yan Zhen and said, "The one who killed Niu Da was Qin Shou, the murderer who killed the strange man. Niu Da accidentally saw Qin Shou chiseling stone, and Qin Shou, feeling guilty, used a trick to kill Niu Da. However, it would have been better if he hadn't killed him, because killing Niu Da exposed his true colors!"
Yan Zhen raised the corners of her lips slightly and said, "I'm becoming more and more curious."
Everyone felt the same way and thought in unison, "The Right Chancellor knows us so well! Heaven knows how much we want to know the truth!"
An Xin said indifferently, "What's there to be curious about?"
Yan Zhen smiled and said, "I'm curious about my Xin'er's extraordinary talent, that she was able to solve such a rare case, one that is unprecedented in history!"
Everyone burst into laughter.
An Xin rolled her eyes at him, her ears turning slightly red, and said, "Shameless."
Yan Zhen shook his folding fan and looked at Huang Yixuan with a smile, saying, "Your Majesty, Xin'er is right. Although there are difficulties in transporting seawater, they are not insurmountable. This matter can be handled by your subject."
Huang Yixuan hesitated for a moment and said, "Shouldn't this matter be discussed among the court officials? After all, relocating the entire city is no small matter, I'm afraid..."
Yan Zhen didn't seem to care and said, "Well, I'll leave everything to His Majesty's decision."
Huang Yixuan laughed and said, "That's excellent, An Youwei, you have a remarkable daughter!"
An Youwei, who was standing to one side in a daze, suddenly heard the Emperor's praise and hurriedly stepped forward, saying, "Your Majesty is too kind! Xin'er, she...she..." She actually has such talent, why didn't he discover it at all in the past ten years?!
Huang Yixuan looked at An Xin and smiled, "An Xin, if you solve the major case in Fengxian Village, I will reward you with a priceless treasure, provided that you explain the cause and effect of this matter to me clearly."
An Xin rolled her eyes, about to say she wasn't interested, but An Youwei turned and glared at her, so what came out was: "I'll consider it..."
Everyone: "..."
Huang Yixuan: "..."
Yan Zhen chuckled and said lazily, "Since Duanfeng Mountain is so dangerous, we'll probably have to send people to garrison it these days to prevent villagers from accidentally wandering in."
An Xin pondered for a moment and said, "Don't let them get too close to Broken Peak Mountain, or they might die at any time. Until then, let's fetch the seawater as soon as possible."
An Xinwei had a slight headache. Choosing seawater was a good solution, but this place was too far from the coast, and relying solely on artificial means would be a worrying prospect!
If we could create seawater...
****
The following day, news swept through the capital—the bizarre and mysterious murder case in Fengxian Village had been solved! Instantly, the name An Xin became the talk of the town!
While everyone was shocked that this once penniless and abandoned woman from the Ling family was such a genius, they were also puzzled about the identity of the murderer! However, the person involved was tight-lipped and her whereabouts were even more mysterious than the murder itself. As a result, some people intercepted carriages, some lay in ambush outside the An family mansion, and some even dared to ask the Ling family why they had divorced such an outstanding daughter-in-law!
Overwhelmed by the pressure, the Ling family gave a single, profound reply: "Get out!"
Meanwhile, an interesting anecdote stirred up a small ripple. It is said that An Xin, on a whim, sent several cages of chicks, ducklings, and many large green caterpillars to the Prince's mansion. Afterwards, Princess Fu Ruyue's screams could be heard for thirteen miles. For the next few days, the Prince's mansion was in complete chaos, truly a lively place...
This matter is trivial and will not be mentioned further.
---Aside---
Have you guessed who the murderer is?
Chapter Sixty-One: If people don't love beauty, they'll be struck down by heaven and earth.
Ten death row inmates were quickly brought in. Dewdrop huddled behind Anxin and whispered, "Miss, these death row inmates look so scary."
An Jin blinked, looking bewildered, and asked, "Sister Xin'er, why do you need these death row inmates?" Jin'er had officially taken An Youwei's surname and was named An Jin. He was also considered An Youwei's adopted son, because Xu Ruolan, who had lost a daughter, really liked Jin'er.
An Xin said calmly, "It's just giving them a different way to die." She casually picked up a rope and walked to the death row inmates. These ten men had committed countless evil deeds and had countless blood debts before they were imprisoned. Their execution dates had already been set, but they were suddenly sent to An Xin. Everyone was confused. Moreover, each of them was wicked, and when they saw that An Xin was just a weak young woman, they immediately had all sorts of ideas!
An Xin glanced at the dew and said, "Untie Zhang San's rope."
Dewdrop exclaimed in alarm, "Miss, Minghe made it clear when she brought the death row inmates that these people are ruthless killers. If they escape once the ropes are loosened, that's one thing, but if they hurt you, I'd be willing to pay with my life!"
An Xin said calmly, "An Jin, come here."
Jin'er is only four or five years old, so naturally she is afraid. Moreover, this Zhang San looks like Zhang Fei and is as fierce as a door god. His forehead only reaches his waist. Just as Lu Zhu said, what if this person goes crazy and hurts Sister Xin'er?
An Jin looked up and saw An Xin's indifferent and calm expression. He couldn't help but feel courageous again. He had grown up and he was determined to become a brave person like his sister An Xin!
An Jin stepped forward and grabbed the rope around Zhang San's wrist.
Zhang San suddenly glared fiercely and said menacingly, "Kid, you've got guts! Dare to untie my ropes, and I'll go easy on you when I slice you into pieces later, hahaha."
Dewdrop's expression suddenly changed, and she shrank back behind An Xin, saying tremblingly, "Miss, should I go find some helpers?"
An Xin threw a punch, hitting Zhang San in the face. His arrogant laughter stopped abruptly, and then several teeth rolled out of Zhang San's open mouth...
"No need, go find some fire tongs." An Xin said calmly as she withdrew her hand amidst the stunned expressions of the others.