Zhao Wu and Min Hu asked in unison, "Who is it?"

Xu Lanyin looked at the Hua family without saying a word. With a gloomy face, she walked towards the carriage in the yard. She turned back and said to the Hua family members who had followed her out, "I will definitely do what I promised Qiao Niang. You take good care of her."

She got on the car, Zhao Wu followed closely behind, Min Hu also came up shamelessly, and Zhang Qi was invited to Min Hu's luxurious carriage.

As the carriage drove out of the Hua family's courtyard, the two men asked in unison, "Who is it?"

Xu Lanyin said, "If my guess is correct, it should be Fan Zhong in all likelihood."

Zhao Wu's eyes widened, "Fan Zhong, how could it be him?" He then introduced to Min Hu, "Fan Zhong is Hu Yi's fiancé, and they will get married the day after tomorrow."

Both of them looked at Xu Lanyin, eager to know what was going to happen next.

Xu Lanyin said, "Hua Qiaoniang said that she went to her uncle's house that night and returned home at 12:00. Although the path was usually quiet, it was also safe and nothing had happened there. When she was walking past a big tree, someone suddenly covered her mouth and dragged her into the small bushes nearby. The man was very strong and blocked Hua Qiaoniang's mouth with a handkerchief and tied her arms..."

The man was still mumbling, "I can tell you're smart. I like smart girls..." He suddenly stopped halfway through raping her, slapped Hua Qiaoniang on the face, and asked, "Are you not a virgin?"

Hua Qiaoniang was already frightened and nodded obediently.

The man seemed to be provoked. He picked up the sling and started beating Hua Qiaoniang, cursing as he beat her, "I've been unlucky for eight lifetimes. The wife I want to marry is stupid. I came out to have fun and found a slut. Oh, I'm so angry. I'm going to beat you to death, I'm going to beat you to death..."

The man became more and more angry as he beat her, and finally he cried out of anger, and he beat Hua Qiaoniang more and more cruelly.

Hua Qiaoniang's mouth was gagged and her hands were tied. She thought she was about to be beaten to death. Suddenly, a couple passing by heard some noise and shouted "Who's there?", which scared the man away.

Since Hua Qiaoniang wasn't a virgin, she didn't dare to say the words the rapist had cursed her. She was raped, and while it was shameful, she was still a victim. If she spoke those words, her character would be questioned, and she would be doomed...

Xu Lan patiently coaxed Hua Qiaoniang out of her truth bit by bit. Finally, she promised her that if the clues she provided led to the case being solved, she would receive a reward of fifty taels of silver, and Xu Lanyin would add another fifty taels. Hua Qiaoniang's lover was her cousin, but after this incident, her cousin would definitely not want her. She asked her parents to find a marriage for her in a distant place. With the dowry her parents gave her, plus one hundred taels of silver, she could live comfortably.

Hua Qiaoniang also provided two important clues. One was that the man struck her head and face, accidentally hitting the silver hairpin on her head, causing him to cry out in pain, and there must have been a wound on his palm. The other was that the man was thin but very strong.

Finally, Xu Lanyin said, "Regardless of whether the suspect is the culprit, he developed a low self-esteem and depression because he was about to marry an unintelligent wife, which led to his criminal mentality. He tried to find confidence and pleasure by raping and killing an intelligent girl. Yesterday, I heard from the Hu family's maid who went to the Fan family to set up the bed that Fan Zhong accidentally scratched his right hand while setting up the house and wrapped it with a cloth. He is about to get married, his fiancée is unintelligent, his palm is injured, and he is thin. Based on the crime route, and my intuition about Fan Zhong, I think the suspect should be him."

Minhu said with certainty, "It's not a should, but a certainty. If he hadn't been so angry and killed the girl directly like he always does, there's no telling when we could catch him."

Zhao Wu cursed, "If you disliked the girl's lack of intelligence, you shouldn't have married her. But that bastard wanted to marry her for her wealth, yet he felt he was at a disadvantage and raped and killed a smart girl he didn't even know. And because the girl he raped wasn't a virgin, he was so angry that he lost his mind and even cried. If I hadn't heard it with my own ears, who would have believed that there were such people in the world? It's truly despicable."

Xu Lanyin said, "Some people are just so dark, selfish, and twisted in character. When they are provoked, they blame others for their mistakes and seek revenge."

Min Hu said, "Zhao Wu, come with me to the government office and take people to arrest the suspect." He then said to Xu Lanyin, "Thank you, go home and have a good rest."

They got off the car and took the Minhu car, and Zhangqi got on the Zhao family's car.

Zhao Wu was about to get in the car when he turned back and said to Xu Lanyin, "Don't worry about this matter. Go home and have a good rest. Don't go to Hu's house."

Xu Lanyin nodded in agreement.

The chess master was still a little confused and asked, "Second Madam, who is the murderer? Hua Qiaoniang didn't even mention his name."

Xu Lanyin said, "It's Fan Zhong, do you think it's possible?"

The chess master shook his head in disbelief, saying, "How could it be possible? The Hu family gave him a dowry of 40,000 taels of silver, and they'll even pay him back later. The impoverished Fan family could have lived comfortably for generations. Furthermore, they've also prepared two beautiful maidens for him. He's got everything he wants. Fan Zhong must be so overjoyed to have gotten such a great deal, how could he harbor such resentment and commit murder, or... rape and murder?"

When she heard the word "rape and murder", she shuddered again.

Just now, listening to Hua Qiaogu's details with Second Mistress, Zhang Qi felt shy and frightened. How could such a shameful and horrible thing happen in the world? Now, Second Mistress actually linked the criminal to Miss Hu's future husband. It was unbelievable!

Xu Lanyin snorted coldly, "There are people like this in this world. They get a great deal but still feel they're at a disadvantage. He didn't even consider that Hu Yi is beautiful and her family is rich. If she was in her right mind, why would she choose him? Humph, her family is extremely poor, with only a few acres of thin land, three brothers and a sister. He found a beautiful wife like Hu Yi and a wealthy sponsor, but he doesn't know how to appreciate it. He's so angry that he commits a crime. What a jerk. No, he's not even a thing, he's an animal... No, even animals are better than him. He raped and killed, and then broke down crying because the girl was not a virgin. I've lived two lifetimes to meet such a person..."

She hurriedly blurted out her true feelings, but when she saw that the chess master didn't understand, she stopped talking. She thought to herself, "I pity Hu Yi. I wonder how she can handle this blow." That girl has been through so much trouble. She's met two men, each one worse than the other...

When Xu Lanyin got home, Hu Wan came hurriedly just after she finished lunch.

He was so anxious that his face turned red and sweat broke out on the tip of his nose. He asked, "Grandma Zhao, why did Master Xiao Zhao take people away to arrest my brother-in-law? My brother-in-law is an honest man. Is there some misunderstanding?"