Chapter 7

She continued painting in one go.

In the dim candlelight, Jian Xinyi rubbed her eyes, her vision becoming increasingly unclear. The weak light made her eyes gradually become blurry. She looked intently at the drawing in front of her, and decided to finish today's work tomorrow. She washed up and fell asleep.

Jian Xinyi had just woken up in the morning and hadn't even eaten breakfast. As soon as she went out, she heard someone talking in the bookstore. After washing up, she walked over, only to find that it was Lao Lin talking to Qian Yuan. As soon as they saw her coming, the two ended their conversation.

Old Lin had a fearful look on his face, his eyes wandering. He came closer to her and said, "Zhuiyu, the Lord of the Jinwu Guard wants to ask about what happened yesterday."

Jian Xinyi was a little confused. Why did Qian Yuan come so early? Could it be that he had some clues last night?

She looked puzzled and didn't know how to start. Qian Yuan cleared his throat and said again, "According to the rules of Jingzhao Yin, you are going to testify. It's just a routine questioning."

Seeing that she was a little worried, Lao Lin warned her, but the fear on his face remained unchanged: "Zhuiyu, go first, Dad is waiting for you at home."

Jian Xinyi was about to ask something else, but seeing Qian Yuan's indifferent expression and unwillingness to reveal anything more, she had no choice but to follow him all the way to the Jingzhao Yin Yamen.

When Jingzhao Yin saw Qian Yuan, he was particularly respectful for some reason and greeted him with a fawning face: "Six..."

The Jinwu Guard behind Qian Yuan immediately reacted and interrupted, "Sir, the person has been brought here."

Jingzhao Yin's face suddenly became clear, and his expression suddenly became serious. He put his hands behind his back and looked up at the sky: "Master Qian, this is really a trouble for you."

Looking at the superb performance of Lord Jingzhao Yin in front of her, Jian Xinyi couldn't help but feel puzzled. Qian Yuan was just a Jinwu Guard, at most a General of the Central Army. Why did he treat him so respectfully?

She secretly looked at Qian Yuan, but couldn't see anything different about him. Maybe it was because Qian Yuan was so dedicated to his work that even the Jingzhao Yin thought he was a good candidate for promotion and wealth?

That should be the case.

After many twists and turns, Jian Xinyi finally followed Qian Yuan to the interrogation room. As soon as she entered, she saw a cabinet taller than a person, densely packed with case files from recent years. The light was extremely dim, and she unconsciously walked slower.

Qian Yuan noticed her strange behavior, quickly lit the candle on the table, and motioned for her to sit down.

Although the candlelight was weak, it was enough to illuminate Jian Xinyi's vision. She slowly sat down opposite Qian Yuan, but she felt uncomfortable all over. She swayed left and right in her chair. She looked up inadvertently, but inevitably met his gaze. She smiled awkwardly, "It's a bit eerie here."

"It's okay, it'll be quick." Qian Yuan asked Jian Xinyi a few routine questions, such as where he met Shi Kui, how they knew each other, and if he had any enemies. Jian Xinyi answered them one by one. After asking the questions, there were no doubts, and they both fell into deep thought.

The more they thought about this case, the more bizarre it became. Even though they both knew Shi Kui wasn't the woman's true killer, who was the real killer? Why did they frame Shi Kui? Was it just an accident?

She frowned and subconsciously wanted to bite her nails, but suddenly she smelled an inexplicable scent of powder at her fingertips. Her eyes lit up. This was exactly the same scent she smelled last night.

She leaned forward slightly and told Qian Yuan about what happened last night: "Speaking of which, I saw a man and a woman last night. The woman was a singer from Xianxian Tower, and she should be with Qianrou. The man was a young man. He asked if the woman last night had just returned from Tanhua Mansion. Do you know who this Tanhua is?"

Qian Yuan nodded and then shook his head, which confused Jian Xinyi. She didn't know whether he knew it or not.

She looked at him in disbelief. Qian Yuan's face flushed red as he flipped through the files on the table with both hands. He lowered his head and seemed to be thinking: "I knew him before, but not too well."

"Oh, if that's the case, why not summon him and ask him? There should be some clues."

Qian Yuan frowned, "Where did you hear that?"

"It's on the street. When I was shopping, there was a sachet shop about ten steps into the North Street, but I don't know if it's still there today." Jian Xinyi's eyes were clear. She didn't know why this man suspected her. She just wanted to go back quickly because she hadn't finished drawing the second chapter yet.

Qian Yuan wrote down what Jian Xinyi said quickly, but he didn't notice that Jian Xinyi was peeking at him. In the dim light of candlelight, the jade ring on Qian Yuan's hand caught her attention. The ring was crystal clear and translucent. Even though she knew nothing about jewelry, she knew it was a good treasure.

It seems that Qian Yuan's background is not simple. At least his family should be a family of officials.

However, the Jinwu Guards, although not a high or low position, have extremely trivial and burdensome tasks. If they were really from an official family, why would they send their children here for training?

After Qian Yuan finished writing it down, he looked up and saw that she was absent-minded and had a confused look on her face. He couldn't help but ask, "What are you thinking about? You seem to be in a daze."

She blurted out subconsciously: "The ring is beautiful."

After I said that, I felt a little regretful. This was someone else's private matter, and it wasn't very nice to ask about it so directly.

Qian Yuan simply glanced at his ring, a smile gradually forming on his face, and he softened considerably. "My mother...my mother gave it to me."

Jian Xinyi nodded and didn't feel anything was wrong.

Qian Yuan felt that he was trapped in his own web. The look he gave Jian Xinyi revealed a hint of guilt that was not suitable to be explored, so he let her go back first.

Just as she was about to leave, she felt something was wrong. If the case was not resolved, Shi Kui would not be able to leave.

Thinking of this, Jian Xinyi sat back down and explained her thoughts to Qian Yuan: "The woman that night was named Liu Qin. She seemed to be a girl from Xianxian Tower and was a competitor of Miss Qianrou. I heard from that young master that the two of them often went to Tanhua Mansion. Maybe Liu Qin was jealous at the moment and killed her."

But Qian Yuan shook his head, "If jealousy leads to murder, then there would be countless wronged souls in this world."

Jian Xinyi thought about it and felt that what he said made sense. She could only think about it carefully and tell Qian Yuan the rest of the details. Maybe Qian Yuan would know something.

Before Jian Xinyi could speak, Qian Yuan suddenly asked, "When we interrogated the madam of Xianxian Tower, she said that the building was haunted by ghosts. Did the two of them talk about ghosts and gods?"

"I've never heard of ghost stories." Jian Xinyi shook her head, then changed the subject. "But think about it, that woman took a rosewood bell sachet. Honestly, isn't rosewood supposed to ward off evil? It seems like there are indeed ghost stories about Xianxian Tower."

Qian Yuan scoffed at the idea of ghosts and gods, saying, "There are no ghosts or gods in this world. They are just pretending to be gods."

The resurrected ghost Jian Xinyi nodded, indicating that he was right.

Qian Yuan looked worried, probably because he had not figured out the relationship between the cases, but he couldn't let Shi Kui go so easily.

Jian Xinyi was also helpless. He was afraid that Jingzhao Yin's men would use Shi Kui as a scapegoat and hastily close the case, so he instructed Qian Yuan, "I know it's difficult for you to handle this case, but Shi Kui is truly innocent. If you can find out that he was wronged, please release him as soon as possible."

Qian Yuan nodded. He knew that Shi Kui was most likely wrongly accused, but he said something else: "You have to know that if a scapegoat who is a real prisoner is caught in this prison, the prisoners will let down their guard. I promise you that I will not abuse Shi Kui, but we need him."

Jian Xinyi found this very strange. "You are going to lock Shi Kui up here just to solve the case. What kind of world is this?"

Qian Yuan regained his indifferent demeanor, stood up, and walked out slowly: "With Shi Kui, our investigation will be more convenient and we can catch the murderer sooner. Isn't this also good for Shi Kui?"

"But Shi Kui isn't the murderer. He shouldn't be locked up here." Jian Xinyi reached out to stop Qian Yuan, her face filled with anxiety. "If all the Jinwu Guards handle cases this way, why should you trust me?"

Seeing the two of them deadlocked, another Jinwu Guard stepped forward to mediate: "Young lady, we understand your anxiety, but a judgment takes time. Please be patient. Your friend will surely be out soon."

Jian Xinyi was still feeling resentful and stared at Qian Yuan. She was betting whether Qian Yuan would look her in the eye, but the result was as she expected. Qian Yuan did not show any expression and turned away.

She returned to the bookstore in a daze, her eyes hazy. She didn't even hear what Lao Lin said until he stretched out his hand and waved it in front of her, "This child, why are you so stupid?"

Jian Xinyi plopped down on a chair, grabbed a glass of water, and drank it all in one gulp. "Shi Kui will have to wait a while before he's released. This case is still a bit tricky at the moment."

Seeing his daughter so distracted, Old Lin thought she was just overwhelmed by love. He was extremely anxious, but he couldn't say a word. He could only walk back and forth around the bookstore: "Isn't this related to Shi Kui's parents? It will probably be over soon. You don't have to be too sad about it."

"I know, but they pressed Shi Kui there for no reason. That's too much." Jian Xinyi stood up suddenly. "No, I want to check it myself."

Old Lin was secretly picking up the tea leaves he had brought yesterday and was about to put them in the teapot when he heard his daughter's explosive words. He came over to stop her, "Hey, hey, hey, my dear aunt, go check it yourself. You're being kicked out before you even get in. Don't worry about that."

Jian Xinyi looked at the tea in his hand, grabbed it, and asked, "Where did this come from? Don't tell me you bought it on credit again."

"How could that be!" Old Lin suddenly lost his confidence and his face flushed red. "This was given to me by Shi Kui's parents. Let me rinse my mouth."

"You accepted things from someone's parents and you won't let me get involved?" Jian Xinyi was even more furious. Why did this cheap old man always oppose her? Just as she was about to leave, she saw Lao Lin blocking her way again: "No, they didn't give me things, they gave things to their in-laws. Don't you know that Shi Kui's family has had their eyes on you for a long time?"