The man remained unfazed and confidently replied, "Slander? If it were truly slander, I wouldn't dare take you, Manager Sun, to court."

"Miss Sun, how did you come to know Miss Dongli? I bet you don't!"

Sun Miao'er looked around but couldn't find Shan Qiu anywhere. "Sir, is Constable Shan not here today?"

"What, still trying to get close to Constable Shan now?" the man mocked.

Zhang Shengmin replied solemnly, "Officer Shan is out on official business today and is not in the yamen."

"Oh, that's really unfortunate." Sun Miao'er pretended to be disappointed. "Last time, when Miss Dongli was kidnapped by villains, it was me and Constable Shan who went to rescue her. By chance, I got to know Miss Dongli."

The man continued, "It was just a brief encounter, and besides, you and Miss Dongli haven't seen each other since then. How could you have had the chance to have Miss Dongli write something for you?"

It seems they did a lot of research and know quite a bit about their whereabouts.

"Since you insist that the words in my hand are fake, then why not produce the evidence!" Sun Miao'er looked at him firmly. Whatever the evidence was, whether it was real or fake, it should be released by now.

The man cupped his hands and said, "Sir, please allow me to bring the witness to the court!"

"allow!"

A moment later, a woman entered, dressed as a maid from Tingyue Pavilion. "Greetings, sir."

"My lord, this is a maid from Duhuan Tower, who takes care of Miss Dongli's daily life. She must be very familiar with Miss Dongli's handwriting. Why don't we let her take a look?"

Sun Miao'er chuckled inwardly at the man's clumsy attempt. She figured this person had probably never even been inside Tingyue Pavilion, and could easily distort the truth by calling a deer a horse by anyone he found.

You should know that all the maids in Tingyue Pavilion dress the same, and she has seen the maid who serves Dongli Xiaoxiao personally before; she is definitely not the one she is looking at.

"It's laughable! You can just buy a maid from Duhuan Tower and call my stuff fake? That's far too hasty!"

"Why don't we invite Miss Dongli here? Then we'll know the truth!"

The man remained calm and composed. His master had said that Dongli Xiaoxiao lived a secluded life, and Duhuanlou was incredibly wealthy, even Magistrate Zhang dared not provoke her easily. They only dared to use this method because they were certain they couldn't invite Dongli Xiaoxiao.

"Invite? Then let Lord Zhang send someone to invite them."

Suddenly, a constable came in to report: "Sir, Constable Shan has returned and is waiting at the yamen!"

"Let him in quickly!"

Sun Miao'er breathed a sigh of relief. Shan Qiu was an important witness for her, and his return was perfectly timed!

As soon as Shan Qiu stepped into the yamen, Sun Miao'er called out to him, "Officer Shan, you have to be my witness! Wasn't it me who healed Miss Dongli's foot injury in the woods that day?"

Dan Qiu remained calm and coldly replied, "Yes!"

"Then take a look at that handwriting, isn't it Miss Xiaoxiao's?" Sun Miao'er couldn't wait for Shan Qiu to prove her innocence.

To everyone's surprise, Shanqiu merely glanced at it indifferently and said, "Sir, Shanqiu has never seen Dongli's handwriting either."

In fact, he recognized it at a glance; it was indeed Dongli Xiaoxiao's handwriting. He had gone to Duhuanlou to investigate cases with her many times, and each time there would be some short poems she had copied down on her desk.

That's when he remembered it.

However, in court, he dared not admit it, because apart from investigating the case, his smile towards Dongli was completely devoid of any personal motives.

Is there really no selfish motive?

That day at Duhuanlou, Dongli Xiaoxiao broke a teacup, and he never went there again. Was he afraid of Hu Tingzhi?

No, it's just that he can no longer use investigating cases as an excuse.

"Your Excellency, this is not my young lady's handwriting," the maid said softly.

The crowd huddled behind immediately became impatient and started making a ruckus. Zhang Shengmin slammed his gavel and said, "Silence! No disrespect is permitted in the courtroom!"

"Manager Sun, do you have any witnesses to prove your innocence?"

Sun Miao'er shook her head, "In that case, I'll have to trouble Constable Shan to make a trip to Duhuan Tower and invite Miss Xiaoxiao over! Everyone will be in for a treat today!"

Danqiu's back suddenly stiffened, and he straightened up without making a sound.

Zhang Shengmin hesitated, but finally nodded. "Shanqiu, go and make the trip. I know you have always despised those brothels, but Dongli girl was rescued by you, so maybe I'll give you some face."

"Yes, sir."

Unlike before, today Shan Qiu stood outside Duhuan Tower, hesitant to step inside.

He came today wearing his official robes.

Upon seeing the official's robes, the servant hurried forward. "Sir, you are...?" Upon seeing that it was Shan Qiu, his expression changed faster than turning the pages of a book. "Officer Shan, my manager said that your birth chart clashes with our Duhuanlou restaurant. I'm sorry, but could you please do me a favor?"

"I'm here to investigate a case," Shan Qiu said, enunciating each word clearly.

The servant said helplessly, "The manager instructed that nothing can be done as long as you come."

"When investigating cases in the yamen, swords have no eyes." As Shan Qiu spoke, he prepared to draw his sword, and the servant had no choice but to let him in.

His gleaming sword terrified the guests, who didn't dare utter a sound. Some ran away, others scattered, all trying to avoid him.

Before he could go up to him, Hu Tingzhi had already come down.

"Officer Shan, do you still dare to come? Hu let you off the hook once last time, there won't be a second time. Do you really want Hu to take action personally? I'm afraid neither of us will be able to save face then."

When Hu Tingzhi saw Shan Qiu, a strange anger surged up in his heart. If he really punished him, he would probably hurt his silly sister's feelings again. If he didn't teach him a lesson, he would never learn his lesson.

Dan Qiu's face was ashen, and his voice was deep and resonant. "Manager Sun of Pingting Cloth Shop is currently at the yamen and is unable to come. Lord Zhang sent me to summon Dongli Xiaoxiao to be Manager Sun's witness."

Sun Miao'er? Why is it this old lady again?

Hu Tingzhi was unwilling. He didn't want his precious sister to get involved in a lawsuit, nor did he want her to go to such a place of trouble.

However, the King of Wei had instructed him to ensure Sun Miao'er's safety, since she was the one the King used to control Mr. Fu.

If he doesn't help with this, what if Fu Yuchi is a vengeful person? Will he have any future working together with her?

Who knows, one day I might end up turning myself into a medicine person.

He had seen Fu Yuchi, who spent his days with poisonous insects, and he had also experienced his prowess firsthand.

Hu Tingzhi twirled the ring on his finger, round and round, and finally turned his head and said, "Go and invite Xiaoxiao. Prepare the carriage and horses. Remember, her feet must not touch the ground and her face must not be exposed to the wind. Have someone clear both sides of the road first. Anyone who voluntarily gives way will be rewarded with one tael of silver. Once the matter is settled with the yamen, bring her back immediately!"