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They had barely sat down when, just as the maids brought hot tea and refreshments, Lü Ying rushed back and reported, "Young Master, Chief Enforcer Cai, Second Lord Lin, Chief Supervisor Su, Chief Supervisor Zhou, Young Master Zhou, and Young Master Li have all arrived. Chief Enforcer Cai wants to see the Lord of the Fortress." Lü Ying glanced at Lu Qingcheng and changed his address.

Qingfeng was in a terrible mood and snorted, "Do they think this is a restaurant where they can come and go as they please? Let them come up here."

"yes."

Lü Ying went out.

A short while later, Cai Bo'an, Lin Feng, Su Haibo, Zhou Peng, Zhou Jie, and Li Zhen filed in. Cai Bo'an and Lin Feng were so serious that their faces looked as if they had been coated with iron dust; the anger emanating from them could be felt from a distance. As soon as they entered, they greeted Lu Qingcheng, exchanged pleasantries with Qingfeng, and then immediately got to the point.

Cai Bo'an said, "Please forgive me, Lord and Grand Lord. Lü Ying said that the Lord, Grand Lord, Young Master Jian Yue, and the two young ladies are enjoying the flowers and drinking wine. I shouldn't have disturbed them, but I heard some things that shouldn't have happened, so I would like to ask the Lord to allow me to take Zhong He away for questioning."

Lu Qingcheng glanced at Cai Bo'an and then at Lin Feng, and said calmly, "Why are the Grand Enforcer and the Second Lord both so furious?"

"I've heard some things that shouldn't be happening, so I'd like to ask the Lord of the Fortress to allow me to take Luo Yuting away and discipline her properly," Lin Feng said through gritted teeth.

Lu Qingcheng asked, "Does it look like something's wrong here?"

Cai Bo'an and Lin Feng glanced at him but said nothing.

“Nothing has happened to me.” Lu Qingcheng raised her hand and lightly tapped the table. “Since nothing has happened, there’s no need for you two to take my fourth lord away for interrogation or to take anyone away to discipline him.”

Kiyomi Tsuki almost blurted out "amazing!"

Cai Bo'an and Lin Feng were dumbfounded. Luo Yuting, who was extremely frustrated and racking her brains, thinking about how to struggle, how to bite back, how to escape death, and how to be extremely unwilling, was stunned when she heard those words. She blinked, then picked at her ears, somewhat unable to believe what she had heard.

Su Haibo and Zhou Peng rolled their eyes back and forth. Zhou Jie, the young man, was immediately drawn to He Yunya, who exuded a captivating and alluring charm. His gaze was fixed straight ahead, as if cut by a knife; nothing else existed in his eyes or mind but He Yunya. As for Li Zhen, he cautiously looked left and right, but of course, his eyes lingered most on Xu Yun.

Lu Qingcheng's handling of the situation was perfectly appropriate. If he wanted to continue to rely on Qingfeng and Cai Zhonghe, he had to protect their reputations. He didn't pursue Luo Yuting for two reasons: first, to give Lin Feng face, and second, to prevent Luo Yuting from being pushed too far and making a rash accusation. No matter how much he wanted to protect Qingfeng and Cai Zhonghe, it would inevitably cause a huge uproar and a city-wide scandal.

"If there's nothing else, go back." Lu Qingcheng suddenly became a little impatient.

And so, how did these people arrive, and how were they so easily dismissed? Luo Yuting and Zhang Sanlin were sent away like dust, leaving only a few of them to have some fun. If all these people could get lost, and only he and Jian Yue were together, perhaps it would be even more wonderful. Lu Qingcheng thought maliciously, then secretly gloated. How could he not see the logic? Jian Yue was lying because she was jealous of Xu Yun. Heh heh, jealous. Lu Qingcheng's heart burned like a raging fire.

However, just as the steaming hot food and wine were served, before Qing Jianyue could even drool, the group turned back, and there was a newcomer, Fang Runmin, among them.

Cai Bo'an presented a newly arrived report: Zhong Wan'an had committed suicide by poisoning himself in prison. An investigation revealed that a young stranger had visited Zhong Wan'an, and less than half an hour after he left, Zhong Wan'an took poison.

The room fell silent. After a long while, Qingfeng spoke first.

"Regarding the case of the murders of the Tong Kang and Tong Lei brothers, there's something I've never been able to understand. Although Zhong Wan'an certainly had a motive to kill Tong Kang and Tong Lei, even if he hated his two sons, there was no need to kill his own flesh and blood in such a way, was there? Stuffing his sons' heads between a woman's legs—is such a perverted act something a father would do?"

Lin Feng snorted, "In my opinion, Zhong Wan'an is taking the blame for someone else; he is not the real murderer at all."

“I agree with Brother Lin. Zhong Wan’an must be protecting someone. As for who that person is?” At this point, Qingfeng suddenly stopped. Everyone looked at him. Qingfeng said with absolute certainty, “That person is very likely one of us.” Everyone present couldn’t help but change their expressions drastically.

Lu Qingcheng glanced at Cai Bo'an without changing her expression, "What does the Chief Enforcer think?"

Cai Bo'an said in a deep voice, "I have also been studying this case for a long time and I feel that there are many suspicious points. This murderer is extremely perverted, and in my opinion, he is very likely to reappear. Therefore, I think we cannot let our guard down, especially the fortress lord, we must strengthen our defenses."

Lu Qingcheng nodded and said, "This case will be fully handled by the Grand Enforcer. I will have Qingfeng and the Second Lord assist you. You must get to the bottom of this no matter what."

The three men cupped their hands and said, "Your subordinates obey."

Lu Qingcheng pondered for a moment and then asked, "Brother Lin, is your wife's illness any better?"

Lin Feng was taken aback, and quickly said, "Thank you for asking, Lord Fortress. Thanks to the medicinal herbs you sent, my wife's health has greatly improved after taking them."

Lu Qingcheng smiled and said, "Since you enjoyed the food, I have some left over. I'll have someone send some more over tomorrow."

Lin Feng said happily, "That's great. You don't need to send anyone to deliver it; I'll just pick it up later."

Lu Qingcheng laughed heartily, "You really don't hold back."

Lin Feng's wife, Luo Yuting's elder sister, was beautiful and charming, her looks in no way inferior to Lei Yongxiang's wife, Yang Xueli. It was said that Mrs. Lin came from a scholarly family and was quite wealthy, while Lin Feng was very poor, even his tiled house was dilapidated. Mrs. Lin did not discriminate based on wealth and poverty, and still married him. Although Lin Feng later became successful, Mrs. Lin's health deteriorated, and she was bedridden for many years. They had been married for five years without children. Lin Feng's parents always complained about this, but Lin Feng, grateful for his wife's kindness, remained devoted to her.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Mysterious Yun Ya

How long has it been since I last stepped into this peony garden?

She remembered how she used to come and go as she pleased. The doors here would always be open for her, and the owner would always be waiting for her. But one day, everyone left and the garden was empty, and she never set foot in that peony garden again.

How long has it been? It's been a very, very long time.

When the owner of this place returned, the door was no longer open for her, and her image was no longer reflected in the owner's beautiful eyes. Frustration, regret, sorrow, and pain gnawed at her heart day and night; she could no longer bear it, she could no longer wait like this. She would knock on this door, at any cost. She would use the hands that had made such a grave mistake to reclaim what she had lost; she would make sure that the owner's beautiful eyes once again held only her image.

Liu Mei looked up at the three large, gilded characters on the plaque above the door: "Peony Garden." No matter how many times she was rejected, she never gave up. Finally, her wish came true; the owner of the place agreed to see her.

“Miss Liu, please come with me,” Lü Ying said.

"yes."

Supported by her maid Xianghe, Liu Mei followed behind Lü Ying, her face beaming with barely concealed excitement and joy. Just as they disappeared through the gates of the peony garden, a figure draped in a black cloak emerged from the woods, only to vanish in an instant. Like a mantis stalking a hawk, another masked man in black appeared and disappeared in the same brief moment.

The wind was blowing, starting in the afternoon and growing stronger, causing the temperature to drop sharply. It looked like a heavy snow was on the way. Lü Ying led Liu Mei and her maid directly to the living room in the third courtyard, and said with a forced smile, "Miss Liu, please sit and wait. My young master will see you when he wants to. As for how long it will take, I can't say for sure."

"Mr. Lü, please go ahead with your business. We're all acquaintances, so let's skip the formalities," Liu Mei said, maintaining her impeccable composure. Of course, her former arrogance was gone, replaced by extreme humility and caution.

"Hahaha."

Lu Ying chuckled dryly a few times, then turned and left. He couldn't be bothered to waste his breath on this woman.

Liu Mei gave Xianghe a wink, and Xianghe understood. She went to the hall entrance and looked around, watching as Lü Yingzhui disappeared into the side gate of the garden in the blink of an eye. Although there were still some guards on duty in the courtyard, they did not pose much of a threat. She nodded to Liu Mei, who immediately got up, walked out of the living room, and went upstairs as if nothing had happened. She pushed open the carved door, told the maid to stay, and then stepped into the flower hall and went straight to the bedroom.

Overwhelmed with emotion, she called out tremblingly and uncontrollably, "Qingfeng, Qingfeng..."

The large bedroom, decorated in an elegant and mysterious aquamarine, was divided into two rooms by a huge embroidered screen. Liu Mei didn't even need to think; she assumed Qingfeng was lying behind the screen, inside the luxurious apricot-yellow bed curtains, as usual. Her heart pounded like waves on the sea. But as she walked around the screen, to her disappointment, Qingfeng wasn't in the room, and her heart sank.