An Xin buried Uncle Thirteen herself. Lu Zhu wanted to help, but An Xin glanced at her neck, which was wrapped up like a rice dumpling. Lu Zhu shrank back and retreated.
Wang Baishi, with his hands behind his back, sighed, "It's one thing for a murderer to commit suicide out of guilt, but this thirteenth son, who was innocent, also committed suicide! Is suicide a trend these days?"
An Xin ignored him.
Wang Baishi added, "An girl, you've done a great service to our Yi'an County again! If this serial murder case reaches the imperial court, I'll be scolded again!"
Dewdrop pouted and said, "If you don't report this to the court, how will the court know? You only have yourself to blame!"
Wang Baishi glared at Lu Zhu: "How dare you talk like that, little girl!"
An Xin finished building the grave, bowed a few times, and was about to leave when she was stopped by the onlookers.
"Miss An, it's fortunate that you solved this case; otherwise, who knows how many more people would have died!"
"Yes, Miss An, you saved our villagers. We have no way to repay you. Here are some eggs that my family has stored up for a month. Please take them."
“Miss An, Qinglin can rest in peace now. Erdan, quickly kowtow to Miss An.”
"The child's father died unjustly, Miss An. If it weren't for you, he would have died with his eyes wide open in disbelief!"
...
Countless voices rushed in, but An Xin remained expressionless.
Dewdrop said angrily, "Sister Jinqiao is a good person, even though she is the murderer..." Her voice was barely audible.
"Make way! Make way!" Yang Hu ordered several constables to clear the way for An Xin. An Xin remained silent and walked slowly forward. Yang Hu paused for a moment and followed, saying, "Miss An, do you know why Jin Qiao wanted to kill those four people?"
An Xin looked up at the sky. Why? They never mentioned it to her until their deaths. Perhaps that memory was too unbearable to recall, so they chose to bury it.
An Xin smiled faintly and said, "I don't know either."
Yang Hu scratched his head and said, "You, you don't know either?"
An Xin raised the corners of her lips and said, "Perhaps it's because of love and hate. Love makes people infatuated, and hate makes people crazy..." An Xin looked at Yang Hu and smiled, "Brother Yang, I will be setting off for the capital tomorrow. We'll meet again."
Yang Hu suddenly stopped. He had a lot to say, but he lacked the words to organize his thoughts and could only watch helplessly as An Xin walked away.
A carriage blocked An Xin's path. An Xin was startled and looked up.
Minghe jumped off the carriage, and Luzhu rushed up to him, pointing at him and saying, "You, you, you...aren't you that...that young man who gave Yuanbao?!"
The carriage curtain was lifted slightly, revealing a hand with long, graceful fingers and smooth, rounded nails—clearly the mark of someone accustomed to a life of luxury.
An Xin didn't take the hand; instead, she flung open the carriage curtain and said sternly, "The Right Prime Minister can't even see people anymore!"
Yan Zhen, holding up her folding fan, smiled with shimmering eyes and said, "Aren't legendary figures always mysterious in their actions?"
An Xin, too lazy to waste words, asked, "What are you doing here?" To be honest, she really didn't like this Right Prime Minister.
“A series of murders have occurred in Yi’an County. Is there anything wrong with my arrival? Of course, my arrival seems to be very timely.” Yan Zhen reached out and grabbed her wrist. With a slight pull, she was dragged onto the carriage.
An Xin shook him off and said, "A murder committed by a mere county magistrate can alarm the Right Chancellor, who is second only to the emperor. All the officials in the court seem to have a lot of free time!"
Yan Zhen smiled faintly, casually took out the ointment, and pulled her hand to apply it, but did not ask any questions. An Xin naturally did not explain either. The two remained silent, while Lu Zhu and Ming He outside the car could hear the conversation clearly.
Dewdrop exclaimed in surprise, "You really are the one who delivered the gold ingot! What are you doing here?"
Minghe said, "Wherever my master is, I will naturally be there."
Dewdrop asked curiously, "Master? You mean your master is the one in the carriage?" Then Dewdrop lifted the curtain a crack and peeked inside.
An Xin and Yan Zhen glanced at her simultaneously, and the gap was quickly closed. Then came Dewdrop's voice, still shaken: "Tian Tian, Tian Tian! Your master is the young master who drank my master's osmanthus wine! Don't you think your young master is very handsome?"
Minghe: "..."
Inside the carriage, An Xin: "..."
Yan Zhen raised a slight smile and said, "Doesn't your girl know that carriage curtains aren't soundproof?"
An Xin said, "She really doesn't know." What a pig!
Yan Zhen's eyes sparkled, and her smile was as beautiful as a datura flower: "Do you think the young master of the Minghe family is handsome?"
An Xin glanced at him and said, "I don't know if the young master of the Minghe family is good-looking or not, but I do know that the person who asked this question is shameless."
Yan Zhen smiled and said, "Thank you for your kind words."
An Xin replied, "You're too kind."
The dewdrop outside the curtain continued, "It's a pity your young master is a step too late; my young lady already has someone she likes."
Minghe said seriously, "It's okay if someone likes you, as long as they don't like you."
Dewdrop said with a strange expression, "How dare you talk like that?! My young lady doesn't like people, yet she likes animals?!"
An Xin couldn't help but roll her eyes. Their logic was completely different, making communication impossible!
An Xin got up to leave, but Yan Zhen stopped her and said, "Since you're going back to the capital, why don't you come with me?"
An Xin naturally refused.
Yan Zhen then asked, "Are you aware of Lord An's recent condition?"
An Xin paused, turned around and stared at him, saying, "You haven't made things difficult for my father again, have you?!"
Yan Zhen smiled and said, "I will not make things difficult for him, even if I don't care about the monk."