Lord Qiu has been busy since last night and has not even had time to drink a cup of tea. He is completely overwhelmed and has not even remembered the time when County Lady Mingyi left. He just hurriedly sent a visiting card and asked the innkeeper to take it back.

He just thought that Shen Huaixu was a mute girl raised in a poor family, so he didn't think there were so many requirements.

Now that I have come to my senses, I realize how foolish I was in this matter.

Even if Chen Huaixu is not particular about details, the followers around her should be very careful.

Kneeling on the ground, County Magistrate Qiu's head, which had been heavy from lack of sleep, became extremely clear at this moment. "It is my fault for not thinking carefully. I beg your forgiveness."

Shen Huaixu sneered, "I wonder what County Magistrate Qiu wants to talk to me about?"

Beads of sweat slid down his temples and eventually fell to the ground. His mind raced, and County Magistrate Qiu said in a hoarse voice, "Your Highness, the recent rumors in Ji County are entirely your fault. I will swiftly quell these rumors and will not allow these false reports to pollute your ears."

"Oh?" Chen Huaixu was slightly surprised and asked curiously, "This county lady has always been oblivious to what's happening outside the window. County Magistrate Qiu sent a special invitation for this matter. I think it's not a small matter. I would like to ask County Magistrate Qiu to explain my confusion."

County Magistrate Qiu opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say for a moment.

As the son-in-law of the Chu family, he relied on the Chu family's connections and wealth to rise from a poor boy to the position of county magistrate. If nothing unexpected happened, the position of county magistrate should have been his, but he was unlucky and Jiang Xun came and took the position of county magistrate.

He was not a saint, so it was natural that he disliked the new County Magistrate Jiang. He used the foundation he had built over the years in Ji County to secretly create many obstacles for him, and the discord between the two was almost obvious.

The current head of the Chu family is his eldest brother-in-law. In order to form a ghost for his youngest son, he has put in a lot of effort. Although he does not agree, he can only turn a blind eye.

Princess Mingyi and County Magistrate Jiang were brother and sister, and it was such a coincidence that County Magistrate Jiang left and Princess Mingyi came right after. It just so happened that it was during the time when the Chu family was holding a ghost marriage. It was such a coincidence that he couldn't help but think about it.

All sorts of conspiracies and schemes raced through his mind, and in the end, this county lady told him she knew nothing?!

County Magistrate Qiu didn't know what to say for a moment. He licked his dry lips and said, "People at that time were ignorant. These are all things that are not worthy of being mentioned in public. I am afraid that they will pollute the ears of the county lady..."

Chen Huaixu winked at Xiaoman, who immediately understood and said, "I was just about to tell you, young lady, that a lot of interesting things have happened in Ji County recently. The biggest one is the resurrection of a dead person in the Chu family, the richest family in Ji County..."

County Magistrate Qiu immediately broke out in a cold sweat. He didn't believe that the dead could come back to life. He just thought that County Magistrate Jiang got the news before leaving, which caused County Lady Mingyi to make such a fuss.

Seeing that Lady Mingyi just wanted to observe secretly, he confirmed this guess.

Instead of saying in front of him that his Yue family had done something wrong and that there was a ghost in the middle of the night, as they were doing now.

Xiaoman quickly recounted the Chu family's affairs, glanced at County Magistrate Qiu, who was still kneeling on the ground, and said quickly, "In my opinion, the ghost bride must have died at the hands of someone else, otherwise why would she be so resentful?"

Chen Huaixu glanced at her amusedly, saying, "A gentleman should not speak of strange things," but then he said, "This matter has become so turbulent. Has County Magistrate Qiu ever considered giving that woman justice? Whether it was suicide or homicide, only by finding out the cause of death can we give the people an explanation. What do you think, County Magistrate?"

County Magistrate Qiu naturally didn't say much, so he just kept saying yes.

Shuangjiang said, "As far as I know, County Magistrate Qiu and the Chu family are relatives by marriage, so County Magistrate Qiu must avoid suspicion."

Shen Huaixu nodded in agreement, "Then we can only wait for County Magistrate Jiang."

When he walked out of the inn, County Magistrate Qiu's face turned ashen, as if he had eaten a fly. His heart was filled with anger, and he couldn't help but feel resentful towards his brother-in-law's family.

He didn't know how the bride died. The only thing he knew was that since County Lady Mingyi had spoken, the matter had to be investigated thoroughly. If the investigation continued, the Chu family would definitely be implicated.

Thinking of this, County Magistrate Qiu did not bother to go back to rest, but got on the carriage and rushed to Chu's house.

He had to first find out whether Qin Xiaowan's death was caused by the Chu family. If not, perhaps he could still find a way out.

Xiaoman walked back into the guest room and said to Chen Huaixu, "Miss, County Magistrate Qiu's carriage is heading towards the Chu residence. Lixia gave me this at the door just now. It came from Tanyuan City."

Shen Huaixu's gaze shifted away from Shuangjiang's hand grinding ink, and he saw that Xiaoman was holding a small bamboo tube in his hand.

She took it, opened the letter and glanced at it briefly, her expression changed.

"Tomorrow we will set off back to Kyoto."

Zhu Yue noticed that Chen Huaixu looked a little strange and asked, "What happened?"

Shen Huaixu frowned, "My father has been ill recently, and I want to go back to see him as soon as possible."

Like Zhuyue, Chen Su was brought back from the brink of death by her using potions. His recovery was not very good to begin with, the only difference was that Chen Su also drank a body-tempering potion.

Before, when she was at home, she saw that her father was a "workaholic", so she would feel his pulse every ten days and always remind him not to work too hard. But after being away for such a long time, without her advice, her father returned to his old ways and this time he actually fell ill.

Zhuyue had only heard a little about Chen Su, and seeing Chen Huaixu so worried, she whispered a few words to comfort him.

Xiaoman and Shuangjiang were different. They both became nervous after hearing the news.

"Don't worry, miss. We'll go pack our bags now."

"The Marquis has so many people around him, how come he can't even take care of himself..."

The ink was already ground, and Shen Huaixu wrote a letter to her second brother. As she put down her pen, she said to Zhuyue, "I wonder if using the ghost marriage to interfere in the dispute between my second brother and County Magistrate Qiu will disrupt my second brother's pace."

"You are overthinking it, County Lady. Your brother is the third place winner of this year's imperial examination. To have achieved such great results at such a young age, he must be quite capable. What you have done might help your brother take a step forward."

A piece of letter disrupted Shen Huaixu's thoughts. Her eyes fell on the words in front of her that had not yet dried. She exhaled lightly and murmured, "I hope so."

In the letter, she not only explained the whole story of the ghost marriage, but also asked Jiang Erlang to find out the cause of Qin Xiaowan's death.

After leaving Huai'an Prefecture this time, the two of them probably won't see each other for a short time.

I had only met Shen Huaixu, the owner of Ningyuan Inn, a few times, but one conversation left a deep impression on him.

Before leaving, she left the letter she had written at the inn, and Manager Lao handed it to County Magistrate Jiang when he returned.

On the other side, Jiang Xun had already received the news that Shen Huaixu had arrived in Ji County. He rushed back before dark, but learned that Shen Huaixu and his party had left Ji County early in the morning and headed towards the capital.

He rode on his horse, holding the reins, and stood quietly for a long time facing the direction of the capital. The twilight cast a lonely light and shadow on his handsome face.

After a long time, he sighed softly, looked down at the letter in his hand, and raised the corners of his mouth helplessly.

After all, I was a step slow.