Find the key to solving the case

Lan Xin suddenly sat up, and the part she had been struggling with suddenly became clear.

The student she met at the Imperial Academy yesterday seemed strange to her; the way the ropes on his body were woven was different from that of the Prince of Yan'an. She would have to ask him about it tomorrow.

"herring"

Lanxin got out of bed and poured herself a glass of water when Qingyu came in and was waiting.

"Let's go see the master tomorrow and go to the Imperial Academy again."

She knew that telling Qingyu was the same as relaying a message to Cen Yan.

As always, Qingyu remained expressionless, merely nodding slightly before turning and leaving.

After she left, Lanxin stared blankly at the doorway.

The courtyard faces north and doesn't receive direct sunlight. Even in the height of summer, the evenings are not hot, and the chirping of insects outside creates a peaceful and beautiful atmosphere.

Xu Lanxin was still lonely, as if a piece of her heart was missing, and she needed the hustle and bustle of the city and the fast-paced life to fill the void.

She recalled many details of her modern life, and she was afraid that if she stayed in the present for too long, she would think that everything she had experienced in the modern world was a dream.

The next day, Xu Lanxin, with her sleepy octopus eyes half-open, was completely arranged by Xiao Xi.

“Miss, this is the most fashionable outfit in the capital. If you go to see Lord Cen today, you will surely captivate him.”

Little sister, aren't you overthinking things? Your husband is a total straight man.

"Qingyu, is there any news about Granny Li?"

To get back my mother's dowry, I need to know what's on the dowry list.

"Not yet, at the earliest it will be the day after tomorrow."

Lanxin nodded and casually removed two hairpins; simplicity is always best.

"Girl, don't take it apart!" This made Xiao Xi anxious.

Her little hands tugged at her, both flustered and anxious.

"Pfft," Xu Lanxin was amused by Xiao Xi's anxious little appearance. She stopped and let Xiao Xi put the hairpin back in.

Okay, as long as the little girl is happy, she can just quietly be a doll.

As horse-drawn carriages passed by Xianfuzhai, a long queue had already formed early in the morning.

Thinking back to the last time she was eating pastries by the corner of the door, and someone caught her red-handed, I find it funny.

"parking,"

Xu Lanxin had just stepped off the carriage when she bumped into someone she had been longing for.

"Zijin, good morning! I was just thinking of buying you some pastries before coming to find you!"

The man's lips curved slightly, and he shoved the box of pastries in his hand into her hands.

"Eat!"

Lan Xin caught it off guard, and she really wanted to cricket it. Couldn't this person have just handed it to her properly?

Bro, you're going to have a hard time finding a girlfriend if you keep going like this, okay?

The two boarded the carriage, the warmth of the pastries in their hands filling their palms with a sweet aroma. They leaned closer to sniff, and the faint fragrance of rice carried a hint of cool mint.

Opening the food box, there was mint cake. Lanxin took a piece and put it in her mouth. It was fragrant and refreshing, a perfect way to beat the summer heat.

I ate two pieces before I remembered that someone else had bought them, and they hadn't eaten them yet.

He took one and handed it over: "Zijin,"

"Have a piece too." Before she could finish speaking, the man stared intently at her.

"W-what's wrong?"

She unconsciously touched her face. Was there some residue?

The man's eyes were filled with a smile, and the corners of his mouth were slightly raised, but he did not speak.

A slightly cool hand pulled her neck, and the person lowered their head, feeling a dampness and a slight itch at the corner of their mouth.

The sensation was fleeting, and Lan Xin was still in a daze, frozen in place.

The man turned around and leaned against the car wall, smiling broadly.

"It tastes good."

Bro, which one did you mean by "tasty"? She hasn't even tasted it yet! Can we have another one?

I'm a woman of action; I never waste words.

Xu Lanxi stepped forward, grabbed the man's shirt from the chest, pulled him into her arms, and pressed her hand against his chest.

Seeing the man's eyes widen in shock, Xu Lanxin didn't delve deeper, but simply pressed herself close.

How can you blame her? She's been single for 30 years, she's never been in a relationship!

The pastries rolled down with Xu Lanxin's big movement, scattering all over the ground.

The sound of falling seemed to wake him.

She felt a tightness around the back of her neck as he grabbed her. His tongue gently parted her lips, sweeping across the inner walls of her mouth, soft and gentle, before withdrawing and sucking at her lips.

As if he had had enough, he kissed and dotted her forehead and nose.

Lan Xin slowly opened her eyes and met those deep, dark eyes that seemed to reach the depths of the sea.

Without realizing it, I touched his eyes and traced the area around them.

"arrive"

Qingyun's voice startled the two of them. Xu Lanxin let go of his hand, pushed the man away, and hurriedly got off the carriage.

His laughter came from inside the car, and Qingyun looked over with a question in her eyes.

Lan Xin coughed lightly, trying to remain calm and composed.

The man lifted the curtain and got out of the car. Two prominent folds on his chest made Lan Xin's heart start to pound.

Form is emptiness, emptiness is form; beauty misleads people, beauty misleads people!

Lan Xin had no choice but to follow him like an ostrich to his office, where she continued to play dead.

“Come here,” he said, breaking the awkward silence.

"Grind it for me."

Lan Xin moved over hesitantly, holding the ink block: "Sir, how do I use this?"

"Won't?"

Cen Yan tilted his head and looked over, took the ink block from her hand, poured in some water, and began to demonstrate.

"Oh, I almost forgot the important thing," Xu Lanxin tapped her head and continued:

"Sir, could you please invite the student who spoke up for his friend the other day? Bring that lad from Yan'an along too."

His gaze held both doubt and certainty.

"Qingyun".

"Go and summon Liu Yu and Yan'an."

Qingyun only paused at the door for a moment before receiving the order and leaving.

"Have you learned it?" He looked over.

"You can see it, but you can't do it with your hands. Why don't you, sir, teach me?"

Okay, okay, here's another flick on the forehead.

"Sir, you'll never get a wife if you keep going like this!"

She shouted out her true feelings, and when she saw him glaring at her, Lan Xin immediately smiled apologetically and said, "Sir, this is a public place, please mind your image. Don't you want to maintain your upright and righteous persona?"

The woman started saying things he couldn't understand again. He chuckled and shook his head, gesturing for her to go to the side while he began reviewing case files and handling official business.

Soon, Qingyun arrived with the two from Yan'an.

The two were wearing the same school uniform with the same ribbons.

Xu Lanxin walked towards Liu Yu: "We meet again."

His eyes showed a hint of panic, and his hands were tucked into his sleeves, where you could see his hands moving incessantly.

"Don't be nervous, it's just a routine inquiry."

She took a step back: "Young Master Yan'an, Liu Yu, are the student robes you're wearing issued by the Imperial Academy? Including the accessories?"

"Of course, they were all custom-made by the embroidery workshop designated by the government, and the embroiderers were also designated."

Yan'an was the first to speak up.

"Including the belt around the waist?"

"certainly."

"Liu Yu, yours was also issued by the academy, and you haven't exchanged it?"

"Of course. Young lady, you have to wear a student uniform at the academy."

The man pretended to be calm, but his eyes were wandering.

"Qingyun, collect the ropes from Yan'an and Liu Yu and hand them over to the master."

Lan Xin turned around and looked at Cen Yan.

"Absolutely not! In broad daylight, this..." Liu Yu swallowed the words he was about to say. Qingyun stood in front of him and immediately cowered.

Cen Yan now had two sapphire blue ribbons in his hands. The difference was noticeable when compared side by side; otherwise, it was impossible to tell the difference at all.

Seeing the look he gave her, Lanxin pointed to the rope: "Sir, you should have noticed, right? The way these ropes are woven is different. If you don't compare them, can you not tell the difference?"

"You can see that the rope weave here is noticeably thicker than the one in Yan'an. The number of strands is clearly different."

Cen Yan looked at Liu Yu with icy eyes, which frightened him so much that his legs went weak and he knelt down on the ground.

"Liu Yu, what else do you have to say?" He threw the rope in his hand over.

A chilling laugh, "Heh heh," emanated from his lowered head, growing increasingly exaggerated until his shoulders began to tremble.

Then he suddenly raised his head and burst into wild laughter.

"Why, despite my hard work, am I still no match for Li Sheng? If it weren't for him, I would be the last disciple of the Imperial Academy, it would be me!"

He stood up with a bitter smile and continued to vent his anger: "He's dead, so he's all mine, haha. Isn't his death a good thing? It lets that spoiled brat who only knows how to bully people get the punishment he deserves."

"His death, in exchange for the peace of the entire Imperial Academy, will make my bullied classmates eternally grateful!"

Liu Yu pounded his chest with a wry smile.

"I'm doing this for everyone's benefit! You should all be grateful to me! You should all be grateful to me!"

He released his pent-up frustration, as if his temper had been deflated, and knelt down on the ground.

Xu Lanxin stepped forward angrily: "You killed your classmate for your own selfish desires, and you still pretend to be a good person."

To act selfishly in the name of benefiting others, and then to do so with such a righteous air, is truly despicable.

"Guards, take Liu Yu into custody."

Liu Yu was taken away, and the room became quiet.

The sound of clapping rang out, and Yan'an ran up to Lan Xin with a fanboy look on his face.

"Sister-in-law, your crime-solving skills are quite impressive! You're even catching up with Zijin."

I declare that my sister-in-law is also someone I admire.

He warmly pulled Lanxin to sit down beside him and asked her to tell him about the process of solving the case.

"Wait, sister-in-law, you said you performed an autopsy?"

Yan'an looked on in disbelief, his mouth agape, utterly shocked.

"Hmm," Lan Xin replied calmly.

"Wait for me to catch my breath, then you do the autopsy, haha, sister-in-law, you're really good at autopsies, you're amazing." Yan'an stood up, swayed around, and then sat down again.

"Sister-in-law, from now on I will only admire you. You are so amazing!"

"Okay, then you can be my number one fan!"

"Number one fan?" Yan An looked bewildered, full of questions.

"A fan is someone who admires a person or thing. If you really like someone, you're called a true fan. If you like someone good-looking, you're called a 'face fan'."

"When many people like the same person or thing, they will form a group and create a fan club!"

Yan'an looked puzzled, but his increasingly bright eyes were full of admiration.

"Sister-in-law, you know so much! I'm known as the number one playboy in the capital, and I don't know as much as you. Where did you learn all this?"

Lan Xin looked at his silly expression and asked the question, her lips twitching. How was she supposed to answer that?

"I read it in a storybook. As for which one, don't ask. You wouldn't understand, and you can't find it anywhere."

"It's alright, I'll ask you for help if I don't understand anything in the future!"

The two continued chatting about the case, ignoring the slight cough from the other person.

Someone should regret not sending that little kingfisher away sooner; it's such an eyesore!