In some ways, her current "stunning reputation" surpasses that of her sister.

"It was all that scoundrel brother-in-law's idea! How am I supposed to face anyone now?" Chu Youzhao kicked her feet irritably in the room. These past few days, she had been so embarrassed by the rumors circulating outside that she was practically digging a three-bedroom apartment out of the floor with her toes.

Chu Chuyan suppressed a laugh: "Who told you to go to a place like the Jiaofangsi? Is that a place you should be going? If your brother-in-law hadn't saved you, what happened to you would have been a thousand times worse than it is now."

Chu Youzhao's face turned bright red: "The logic is sound, but after this commotion, how am I supposed to face people in public..."

This is truly a form of social death.

Thinking of how strange the expression on Murong Qinghe's face was when she came to see him, she couldn't help but exclaim, "It's so annoying!"

She crawled directly into the blankets and covered herself completely, as if that would make her feel less embarrassed.

Seeing her rolling around on the bed, Chu Chuyan couldn't help but chuckle. She looked out the window, wondering what Zu An planned to do next.

She found out very quickly!

After learning of this matter, the imperial court dispatched the Prefect of the Capital to investigate the case, as the victim's identity was extraordinary and a proper explanation was necessary.

The Prefect of the Capital was also in a bind. On one side was the only son of the Left Guard General, and on the other side were the heirs of three dukes. What could he do? He was helpless.

However, as the city garrison commander in the capital, a place teeming with powerful and influential people, he was not the kind of person who was rigid and inflexible. He quickly came up with an idea.

The Qin and Chu families are not to be trifled with, but can't the Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau) afford to offend them?

So he sent the head constable to the brothel to arrest the courtesan and everyone in the brothel. He planned to take their statements and then pin the blame on them, thus providing an explanation for the case and giving both sides a way out.

Whether the women in the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment district) were innocent or pitiful was irrelevant to these officials in the political arena.

They've already suffered enough in the brothel; sending them to reincarnation sooner so they can be born innocent and upright in their next life might even earn them their thanks.

Unfortunately, despite the good plan, unexpected changes soon occurred.

After the constable arrived, the courtesan Shuangyue had already vanished without a trace, and even the maids in her courtyard had all disappeared.

What's even stranger is that many things in the courtyard have been deliberately destroyed, as if to hide some secret.

Their professional instincts immediately alerted the constables, and they finally found a clue in a pile of ashes: a letter that had been burned to a mere fraction of its original size. Presumably, the people in the courtyard had left in such a hurry that they hadn't had time to confirm or destroy it, thus unintentionally leaving a flaw.

The head constable, upon seeing the contents, realized they seemed related to the assassination case from a few days prior and hurriedly reported it to the Prefect of the Capital.

The Prefect of the Capital immediately realized that this involved a major case and hurriedly reported the matter to the imperial court.

Upon learning of this, the court was thrown into turmoil, and the emperor was furious, ordering the Embroidered-Robe Envoy to thoroughly investigate the matter.