o interact with the Gu family, but rather that they wouldn't want to lower their status by interacting with an unsuitable concubine.Gu Jingxi's face darkened, and his voice was displeased: "A gentle a...Gu Jingxi saw the hatred on the couple's faces. They truly hated their adopted son to the bone, wishing they could reduce him to ashes. So in the end, they didn't even allow someone to collect his body. The yamen officials directly threw him into a mass grave.

He did not answer Shen's father's question, instead asking in a soft voice, "I hear he is very filial to his family and kind to his neighbors. He doesn't seem like the type of person who would do such a thing. Besides his feelings for Miss Shen, love unrequited, do you have any other reasons to believe that he is definitely the culprit"

Mr. Shen sighed softly, his voice filled with grief and anger: "Sir, at first my wife and I also believed him and thought it was young master Li who had harmed Qinghe. But in the end, Qingshan confessed and signed a death warrant. He was sentenced to be beheaded and displayed publicly by Magistrate Wei. Afraid of dying without a whole body, he smashed his head against the court floor before his death. Before he died, he even apologized to us. We truly never expected him to do such a thing. It's true what they say, people are like books—you can see their covers but not their contents."

Gu Jingxi looked at the couple before him, feeling that he couldn't get any valuable clues from them. He could only start with the Li family.

Mr. Shen was very puzzled and couldn't understand why someone from the imperial court would come to investigate his daughter's death. They were just ordinary people, and even if their whole family died, it wouldn't cause a stir in the capital.

For a moment, Shen's father hesitated and asked, "Sir, it has been so long since the case was closed, why are you investigating it again Could there be another culprit behind Qing He's death But Qing Shan has already confessed that he did it."

"Sir!"

After a long silence, Shen Mu suddenly raised her voice, her tone quite agitated. “When you asked if Qinghe had a sweetheart, I suddenly remembered that when news of Yingjie's death arrived, Qinghe seemed completely lost. Now that I think about it carefully, perhaps she truly had feelings for that child.”

But at that time, our husband and wife were busy helping the Yang family and didn't pay attention to Qing He. We don't know when she ran out. Perhaps it was when Qing Shan went to look for Qing He. Did he see that Qing He was distracted and took advantage of her In order to make Qing He lose her innocence and have to marry him Unfortunately, Qing He refused. He was afraid of being exposed, so he killed Qing He and framed Li Gongzi.

If there were no other issues, Gu Jingxi would have also speculated like this. But with the influence of Bi's matter, he was more inclined to believe that Shen Qing Shan was innocent, so he retorted, "What if it wasn't Shen Qing Shan"

Mr. and Mrs. Shen were stunned. Wasn't this Qing Shan

For a moment, Shen's mother was incredulous. "That's Young Master Li" she exclaimed. "My lord, that beast has already confessed to the crime. How could it be Young Master Li You see, my lord, Young Master Li had considered taking Qing He as his concubine, but he hadn't had the chance to bring her into the mansion before she was murdered."

Gu Jingxi asked, "Have you already spread the word about Miss Shen's marriage to the Li family's son through unofficial channels"

Mrs. Shen shook her head. "No, but if the Li family sent a matchmaker to propose marriage, we wouldn't refuse this good match unless Qinghe was unwilling.

"

The Li family are wealthy merchants from Deqing County, with a lot of money. If their daughter married into such a family, she would definitely be well-fed and live a comfortable life. As parents, who wouldn't agree to this They would only refuse if their daughter was unwilling to marry, after all, they only have one daughter. Even if they adopted a son, he wouldn't be as close as their biological daughter.

"Then, did Miss Shen reveal if she has any feelings for Young Master Li"

Shen's mother shook her head again: "That wasn't mentioned, but she did say that young Master Li was kind and a good person. If young Master Li sent a matchmaker to propose, there would be no reason for her to object to this marriage.

Shen Fu carefully recalled his adopted son's actions over the years, combining them with the words of the adult before him. He felt that there might be something suspicious about the case. He asked nervously, "Sir, could it really not have been Qing Shan who did it" As he spoke, he knelt down, "Sir, you must do justice for my people and my daughter! If it wasn't Qing Shan, please, sir, help us find the real murderer.

Gu Jingxi said in a low voice, "Whether it is or not, this official will find out. You are currently staying here. If you remember any clues, please inform Fang Xuan and them. Before the case is solved, you must not leave, nor appear in public. What does your daughter look like Describe her to me, and I'll draw a portrait."

After hearing this, the Shen couple was at a loss. Their daughter had already passed away. What use could her appearance be But they still described their daughter's height to Gu Jingxi, who she resembled in nose and eyes, even mentioning her favorite hairstyle.

According to what they said, Gu Jingxi painted a five-point likeness. Afterward, he made two revisions based on their descriptions, and the painting was about nine points similar to Shen Qinghe. He then dismissed the couple from the studio.

"Policy asked: 'Lord, why do you insist on pursuing this case'"

Gu Jingxi narrowed his eyes and said slowly, "There's nothing unusual about the other cases. The only one that feels a bit off is this one, so we can't let it go. Zhou Yun and Yu Chuan have investigated, and Magistrate Wei has been found to have accepted bribes in exchange for favors. While his private accounts haven't been located yet, there are records of him doing favors for people. The Li family is wealthy, so it's possible they bribed Magistrate Wei."

He said, his voice turning grave: “Even if this case is unrelated to the deaths of the previous two county magistrates of Deqing County, it still needs to be investigated. We can turn a blind eye to minor things like accepting bribes and doing harmless favors, but intentionally fabricating false cases and causing wrongful death is a serious matter that must be thoroughly investigated. If we don't, more people will suffer unjust accusations, be wrongly convicted, and die.”

The policy nodded and then asked, "Lord Marquis, if this case is related to the deaths of the previous two county magistrates, how should we investigate their deaths"

Gu Jingxi replied, "I will investigate the county government office in Deqing County to see if I can find any clues. The first official sent by the court died inside the government office, which means they must have found some clues. However, it is unknown whether there are any more clues left behind. Before Miss Shen's case is solved, you must keep an eye on their couple and prevent them from going out. Otherwise, if they go out and talk about it, they will startle the snake."

The policy replied, "Lord, rest assured, I understand."

Then, Gu Jingxi ordered Fang Xuan to go to Huzhou City and secretly investigate the private accounts of Wei, the magistrate. As long as his private accounts were found, whether Wei should be moved would be clear at a glance. Even if the private accounts weren't found, finding evidence of collusion between officials and merchants would do.

Having dealt with these matters, Gu Jingxi glanced at Shen Qinghe's portrait and massaged his temples with a headache. If this case had nothing to do with the deaths of the previous two county magistrates, there would be no leads in the County Government Office, nor any elsewhere. If the perpetrator didn't reveal themselves, this case might truly become an unsolved mystery.

When going back, Gu Jingxi also brought the portrait with him.

When he returned to the guest room, Ayayo had already fallen asleep, but a lamp was left burning in the room, lit for him.

The following morning.

Gu Jingxi gave the painting to Chan'er, told her about Shen Qinghe's case, and asked Chan'er to disguise herself as Shen Qinghe and go to talk to the Li family's son at night.

Last year, because of Meng Jin Yao's instructions, Chan Er had rich experience in dressing up as a ghost to scare people. She also had experience talking to people as a 'ghost', so this was not a difficult task for her. She immediately replied: "My Lord, rest assured, the slave will not disappoint you."

Meng Jin yao smiled and asked, "How could my husband do such a superstitious thing"

Gu Jingxi smiled gently and replied, "I've never thought of using this method before. It was all taught to me by Ayao. People with guilty consciences are most afraid of ghosts. They won't be startled easily and are more likely to divulge information."

Meng Jiny Yao raised her head and glared at him. She did this because she was limited in ability and could only do this kind of thing. a conflicted and depressed state, she lost her appetite. Though she didn't want to go hungry, she still had to force food into her mouth.She originally chose to marry Gu Jingxi because she wanted his...