After Xue Jinzhao finished speaking, he stepped forward with a smile and solemnly apologized to Qin Wanyin.

"Alright, I know you don't mean any harm. If you keep bowing, people will start looking over here."

Qin Wanyin was unusually well-behaved for the moment, but her cheeks were flushed, and anyone could tell what was wrong.

With the Crown Prince and Crown Princess personally testifying, the rumors about the Qin family were dispelled.

At the same time, what shocked the capital was the marriage proposal from the Grand Commandant's mansion, which was going to the Qin family of the Grand Tutor's mansion. The chosen people to pick up the bride were indeed Xue Yue and Qin Wanyin.

The Jingzhao Prefecture was established in the capital, and this was Li Shiyue's first time here. The main gate was extremely imposing.

As soon as Chunling helped her down from the carriage, Chang'an, who was standing under the eaves, came forward to greet her: "Please come with me, Madam of the Heir Apparent."

Xue Yue and Qin Wanyin also came along, not for any other reason than to support Qin Wanyin and find out who was behind Fan Heng who was trying to ruin Qin Wanyin's reputation and cause trouble for the Grand Tutor's Mansion.

Following Chang An inside, we arrived at a hall at the back. The hall was simply furnished, with two wooden chairs on each side. On the wall facing the entrance were two calligraphy scrolls, two wooden chairs, and a square table.

Xu Yunci emerged from the side, still wearing his official robes. He walked steadily toward Li Shiyue, despite her quick steps.

He took her hand as if no one else was around, greeted Xue Yue, and then the four of them walked into the main hall.

"Bring it up."

As soon as Xu Yunci finished speaking, Chang An ran to the corridor and waved. He then saw Fan Heng being pushed over from the other side by two people dressed in official robes.

He was still wearing the same plain robe he wore yesterday, which had been covered in dust overnight, and he was disheveled and looked much worse.

Fan Heng had some scars on his cheeks, or perhaps bluish-purple marks.

He knelt in the middle, looking dejected. When he saw Xue Yue and Qin Wanyin standing together, his expression stiffened for a moment.

He then closed his eyes, and the belt around his waist wasn't even straight, making it seem as if the robe had been put on in a hurry.

The soldiers behind him were quite strong. When Fan Heng knelt down, his knees pressed down on the hem of his clothes. The belt was not tied tightly enough, so his chest was exposed, revealing the dirty prison uniform underneath.

"He recognized this after the interrogation. Miss Qin, take a look and see if there's anything he's forgotten."

Xu Yunci slightly raised her eyes, and someone stepped forward with the offering paper and handed it to Qin Wanyin.

Qin Wanyin took the paper from the maid beside her. It clearly stated in black and white how Fan Heng bribed others to spread rumors and what his plans were.

This information had no connection to what was known yesterday, but Fan Heng still insisted that no one had instructed him to do so, when asked who was behind it.

Xu Yunci absolutely refused to believe it. Fan Heng was a poor scholar with only a few ounces of talent. He couldn't possibly have come up with such a method, let alone come up with it. No one would believe it without someone's support.

"The bribes given to those who spread rumors must have amounted to at least several dozen taels of silver. Where did you get the money?"

Xue Yue was wearing a narrow-sleeved robe today, and the waist-cinching design made him look even taller and slimmer.

Narrow wrist guards were attached to his cuffs, and his hands hung naturally at his sides. His ten fingers had developed visible calluses from years of martial arts training.

His eyes were devoid of emotion, staring coldly at Fan Heng, while his sword-like eyebrows revealed a hint of fierceness.

After saying that, he glanced at Qin Wanyin beside him. Perhaps out of consideration for Qin Wanyin, he toned down his fierce aura considerably and didn't look as frightening as before.

Li Shiyue withdrew her gaze and met Xu Yunci's gaze; they both saw smiles in each other's eyes.

If the occasion weren't inappropriate, Li Shiyue would have liked to tease Qin Wanyin, but since General Xue and even the Grand Commandant's mansion were determined to support Qin Wanyin, the couple decided to keep quiet for now.

Just as Li Shiyue lowered her eyes, a cup of fresh tea was pushed towards her. When she looked up, she saw Xu Yunci's hand, which was still outstretched.

He kept his eyes straight ahead, the smile in his eyes disappeared, and his calm and indifferent expression was no less than Xue Yue's, adopting the demeanor of the Junior Magistrate of the Capital Prefecture.

Li Shiyue picked up her teacup, lowering her eyes to hide the corners of her mouth that were curving upwards.

Qin Wanyin, who was standing to the side, carefully examined the paper again and again, and looked up at Xu Yunci: "Someone must have instructed you to do this. How could a few dozen taels of silver be what you earned by copying books in the capital for more than ten days?"

“If one is truly poor, it is common for students to earn money by copying books for others. But at most, it would only amount to a few dozen coins. How did you manage to earn several dozen taels of silver by copying books for more than ten days?”

"Do you really think people are stupid and foolish, that they can do whatever they want without anyone telling them what to do? Bah! You'd better confess as soon as possible, lest you be sold out and still be counting the money for someone else."

A silence fell over the hall. Fan Heng didn't raise his head, remaining kneeling with his head bowed, listening to Qin Wanyin's words.

"You're not alone in your family, are you? You must have siblings still living there."

Xu Yunci slightly raised his eyes, his tone cold and unreadable, his cold gaze fixed on him.

However, after Xu Yunci finished speaking, Fan Heng's hand, which had been gripping his robe tightly, then loosened.

"The people behind you are very clever and have cleaned up your background very well. However, some clues have not been covered up. For example, you are indeed a scholar and your family is indeed poor, but you have never passed the imperial examinations, let alone traveled to the capital to take the exams."

“Fan Heng, it’s not you, and I shouldn’t call you Fan Heng. I should call you Fan Zhuo.”

Xu Yunci paused deliberately after speaking. Looking at Fan Heng, whose head was bowed and hands were clenching tightly, she slowly continued speaking.

“Fan Heng is your cousin. Your hometown is in Huayuan County. You should have been the son of the wealthy Fan family in Huayuan County, but due to the previous corruption in Huayuan County, the Fan family has long since fallen to the status of an ordinary family, even worse off than ordinary people.”

"You traveled a long way to the capital because someone came looking for you and asked you to pretend to be your cousin Fan Heng, who is about to go to the capital for the imperial examination, and to do everything you can to get into the Grand Tutor's mansion and marry Miss Qin."

"What kind of promise could make you kill your own cousin with your own hands?"

After Xu Yunci finished speaking, everyone present, except for Fan Heng who had his head down, was undoubtedly shocked.

How did you know?

Fan Heng—no, he should be called Fan Zhuo—raised his head, his eyes wide open, staring straight at Xu Yunci, his gaze filled with shock, resentment, and surprise.

"If you don't want people to know, then don't do it. Besides, the Zhao Prince's mansion has made quite a commotion. They sent people to Huayuan County, setting off at top speed last night, and they were even carrying swords."

"What do you think these people are going there for, and who sent them?"

Xu Yunci leisurely withdrew his gaze, but in reality, he kept an eye on Fan Zhuo's expression.

Sure enough, his face turned ugly the moment he heard that.

"Who is behind this? If you don't tell us, we'll send you to join your family."