here we go

Zhu Shi Academy is located on Hanlin Street. To match today's mission, Zhu Qinghe specially changed into an elegant moon-white robe, with a matching hairband tied up in a bun, and a white jade pendant hanging at his waist. He was truly a handsome young man.

He looks very knowledgeable.

Shen Wumei watched from a few steps away as she ran over happily, raising her eyebrows slightly: "Oh, not wearing a mustache today?"

Zhu Qinghe waved her hand: "Lord Shen, you don't understand. Learned people don't grow beards."

"Is there any explanation for this?" Shen Wumei asked with great interest.

"A smart head doesn't grow hair," Zhu Qinghe said in a high-pitched voice, and she really had the right tone.

Shen Wumei: "...fallacies and heresies."

Today, Shen Wumei wasn't dressed so seriously. At first glance, he looked like a handsome, aloof young master. So when the two of them stood at the entrance of Zhushi Academy and said they wanted to see the headmaster, the gatekeeper didn't even realize what was happening.

"Which academy are you from? You're late and you're still so arrogant."

Zhu Qinghe silently took a step back, shedding a tear of sympathy for the ignorant gatekeeper. How could he possibly survive in the capital if he didn't even recognize Lord Shen?

Her gaze was drawn to a touch of green. It was mid-spring, and the trees in the Bamboo and Stone Academy courtyard were beginning to sprout, their leaves peeking over the walls and contrasting beautifully with the red bricks and green tiles of the walls.

The faint sound of reading aloud drifted out, exuding a strong cultural atmosphere.

Once the gatekeeper recognized him, he bowed and scraped with a smile as he went to call the headmaster. Zhu Qinghe asked him, "Are you just revealing your identities like that? I thought we were on an incognito visit this time."

Shen Wumei: "So much time has passed, even if we conceal our identities, we won't get anything useful out of you."

"It would be easier to just state your identity openly; that would make things much easier."

Zhu Qinghe nodded. That made sense. In that case, she would accompany Lord Shen on the trip.

Anyway, I got paid, so it's a good deed, killing two birds with one stone, hehe.

The headmaster was a short, middle-aged man who came running out with a flushed face, covering his head with an indigo hat, looking like he was still hungover.

"...Lord Shen...what brings you here?" Shan asked, his tongue slurring.

Shen Wumei spoke in a relaxed tone, as if she were just dropping by: "Headmaster Chen, how have you been?"

Headmaster Chen's smile was more like a grimace. "I'm fine, I'm fine."

"I have come to see the headmaster today because I have a case to ask him. I hope the headmaster will answer me truthfully."

Headmaster Chen wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve: "Definitely, definitely."

-

"The record of July 10th is here." In front of the mountain of bookshelves, Headmaster Chen pulled out a booklet and handed it to Shen Wumei. "The events of that day are all recorded in this book."

Shen Wumei flipped through a few pages, her long eyebrows furrowing, while Chen Shanzhang watched with trepidation.

Shen Wumei casually tossed the booklet in her hand to Zhu Qinghe. Zhu Qinghe quickly flipped through it for a while, and her heart sank. Sure enough, there was no record of Xu Yishu beating and killing the academy's students.

Shen Wumei stared at Headmaster Chen: "Headmaster, isn't your record a bit incomplete? Should I remind you what happened that day?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Shanzhang broke out in a cold sweat and almost couldn't stand up. He trembled all over as he was stared at by Shen Wumei's dark and sharp eyes.

"Lord Shen, I...I really don't know—I wasn't in the school that day."

Zhu Qinghe peeked out from behind Shen Wumei with a smile: "Headmaster, Miss Xu's body is still warm. If you don't tell the truth, no one can protect you."

Headmaster Chen was completely stunned. "Xu Yishu... is dead?"

"Actually, I don't know what happened either. When I came back to the school, the student was already dead. The Xu family took care of the aftermath. They warned me that as long as I kept my mouth shut, everything would be fine."

"I'm just a lowly headmaster, how could I dare offend the Xu family?"

Shen Wumei asked, "Who was that student who died?"

Headmaster Chen squinted and recalled, "I think her name was Fang Xiaoguo, and her family was very poor."

His tone was natural, and he was just introducing things subconsciously, but Zhu Qinghe felt inexplicably uncomfortable listening to him.

"The headmaster really knows every student's family situation inside and out." Her clear eyes held a hint of contempt and mockery, and Headmaster Chen fell silent.

"Is there anything special about this Fang Xiaoguo?" Shen Wumei continued to ask.

Headmaster Chen said, "Although Fang Xiaoguo's family is very poor, he is very smart and has excellent academic knowledge. He is one of the best in our Zhushi Academy."

"It's just that he transferred here later. Normally, we don't accept students from outside the area at this time, but Fang Xiaoguo performed exceptionally well in the initial entrance exam, so we made an exception and admitted him."

"I never expected this—" Headmaster Chen shook his head regretfully, "It's a pity that he actually provoked the Xu family."

Zhu Qinghe, however, noticed something keenly: "Headmaster, didn't you say that Fang Xiaoguo's family is very poor?"

"yes."

"If I remember correctly, transferring to Zhushi Academy requires a large sum of money, right? Where did Fang Xiaoguo get so much money?"

“Oh,” Chen Shanzhang explained to her, “It is said that Fang Xiaoguo’s sister made a lot of money, which is why she paid his tuition.”

"Who is Fang Xiaoguo's sister?" Zhu Qinghe vaguely felt that she had caught a clue.

Unfortunately, Headmaster Chen shook his head in confusion: "I don't know either."

The trail went cold again, and seeing that she couldn't get anything useful out of Chen Shanzhang, Shen Wumei sent him away.

Headmaster Chen hurried away, thanking his lucky stars, while the two of them walked slowly along the cobblestone path in the school. A gentle breeze blew by, and their minds cleared up considerably.

"I always felt that Fang Xiaoguo's sister was very suspicious." Zhu Qinghe stroked the soft flesh on her chin thoughtfully.

"What, do you think she's related to the masked killer from that day?" Shen Wumei asked.

“It’s not impossible,” Zhu Qinghe said. “That masked killer clearly killed Xu Yishu to avenge Fang Xiaoguo. He even mentioned that it was for his beloved girl.”

"Perhaps the girl he loves is Fang Xiaoguo's sister. If that's the case, then all of this makes perfect sense."

"Even so, we have no evidence right now; it's all just your speculation."

Zhu Qinghe said dejectedly, "Then what should we do?"

Shen Wumei's eyes flickered, and she turned her around by the shoulder: "Instead of that, let's see some acquaintances first."

Following his momentum, Zhu Qinghe saw a person not far away. That person had clearly seen her too, and was waving frantically at her with a smile on his face.

The man's breath was close to her ear, carrying a cold, sharp, and awkward tone: "What a coincidence, your dear cousin is here again."