Qin Jinxiu hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke with difficulty, her fingers clenched together. "Big sister, brother-in-law met a woman in He County. That woman keeps pestering him, saying she wants to marry him. She even came with us to Jinling. And brother-in-law knows that woman; her surname is Xie."

Qin Xiaozhou was stunned for a moment, his heart tightened, and he clenched his fist. "And then? Where is that girl now?"

Is your surname Xie?

Lu Yunfeng only knew one girl surnamed Xie, Xie Yin.

Qin Xiaozhou had only heard Lu Yunfeng mention Xie Yin once, and knew nothing else about her.

Qin Jinxiu was a little nervous and carefully observed Qin Xiaozhou's expression. "That girl not only followed us to Jinling, but she also kept pestering my brother-in-law while we were there, and then she came back with us."

She gritted her teeth and continued, "Once, she encountered a storm on the road and was accidentally blown off the boat and into the water. Her brother-in-law jumped in to save her. She said that her brother-in-law had ruined her reputation and that she would not marry anyone but him."

Qin Xiaozhou, seething with anger, said, "You go and rest first, I'll handle this."

"Sister, don't argue with your brother-in-law." Qin Jinxiu was a little nervous and regretted saying it.

Qin Xiaozhou went to the main house in the backyard to look for someone. There was only a bundle that Lu Yunfeng had brought back and had not yet packed, which was placed on the table. There was no one there.

She came out of the main building and found Lu Yan in the corridor. "Where's your brother?"

"My brother went out." Lu Yan ran over happily. "Sister-in-law, I was just looking for you. I think those pearls are not only good for embroidering on clothes, but they are also the most beautiful for making hair ornaments. I have a few ideas to share with you."

"That's not urgent. I need to talk to your brother." Qin Xiaozhou suppressed her anger but couldn't help asking, "Xiao Yan, have you encountered any unusual people on your journey?"

"Special people?" Lu Yan tilted her head and thought for a moment. "There are dancing girls on the painted boats in Jinling. They are as beautiful as celestial beings. They dance in the river under the moon, like fairies descending to earth. It's wonderful. Their makeup is also different from what we usually see. It's such a pity that you couldn't go with me, sister-in-law."

Qin Xiaozhou was disheartened. Lu Yan was not sensitive to matters between men and women, so why should she make things difficult for a young girl? After giving her a few instructions, she went to find Lu Yunfeng.

Lu Yunfeng was not at home at the time, but was inspecting the trading market and taking the opportunity to invite Constable Li for a drink.

Constable Li had a pent-up frustration that he couldn't hold back. "There's still no major evidence regarding the matter of the embroiderer in the embroidery brothel being poisoned with croton seeds, but I suspect it was done by a girl surnamed Xie."

"Xie Yin?" Lu Yunfeng frowned, twirling his wine glass. "Why do you suspect her?"

Officer Li and Lu Yunfeng had drunk together more than ten times and had also gone through the famine of winter together. They had developed a revolutionary friendship and spoke freely with each other.

"Although I don't have concrete evidence, I carefully walked the route from the kitchen of the embroidered building to where the thief entered several times. That person's lightness skill was superb, and in the entire Fenggu County, I have only seen such a person once, when he was with Xie Yin."

Lu Yunfeng gripped his wine glass tightly. "I've only ever seen Xie Zhong around Xie Yin; I haven't seen the person you mentioned."

Officer Li looked around warily, and only after confirming that no one was eavesdropping did he whisper, "I only saw this person once by chance. It was at night in the back street of the restaurant where Xie Yin was staying. He was very stealthy. If it weren't for the chance, I would never have noticed him."

Lu Yunfeng tilted his head back and drank the wine. "Thank you for informing me of this, Officer Li."

“Hey, why are you being so polite?” After keeping his doubts bottled up for several days, Constable Li couldn’t hold back any longer. “I also want to catch that thief, but I have no evidence. Besides, Xie Yin wasn’t in Fenggu County a few days ago, so my suspicions are even less valid.”

Lu Yunfeng left the tavern and went to the restaurant where Xie Yin was staying.

Xie Yin seemed to have anticipated his return. Sitting in the top-tier room, she smiled and said, "Sit down. Have you told your wife about our marriage?"

"Between you and me, there's only the matter of the croton in the embroidered chamber." Lu Yunfeng stood at the door without going in, and said in a low voice, "Miss Xie, did you do what happened in the embroidered chamber?"

The voice was not loud, and no one else could hear it.

Xie Yin said nonchalantly, "Do you have any evidence?"

She was betting that Lu Yunfeng wouldn't find any evidence. If he had, they would have already gone to court, and he wouldn't be questioning her here.

Lu Yunfeng had already guessed the whole story when Constable Li expressed his suspicions earlier. Xie Yin had trapped Qin Xiaozhou in the embroidered tower, hoping to meet him in Jinling. Her repeated attempts to get close to him were all for the purpose of marrying him.

He just couldn't understand why Xie Yin would like him.

This realization confused and troubled him. All he wanted was to live a good life with Qin Xiaozhou, support their elders, raise their younger siblings, and raise their children in the future.

As for the idea of ​​having multiple wives and concubines that others might have, he never even considered it. No matter how wealthy he became or how finely he dressed, deep down he was still Lu Yunfeng, the hunter from Wangjia Village.

Lu Yunfeng of Wangjia Village would not have three wives and four concubines.

He bowed towards the house from the doorway, saying, "Miss Xie, my wife and I are just ordinary people. I am just a rough country bumpkin. We are not worth your trouble. Please be lenient and do not make things difficult for us in the future."

Xie Yin's heart was breaking. She desperately wanted to marry him, but what about him? "Make things difficult for you? You saved me when I fell into the water, and now my innocence is gone..."

“Miss Xie, watch your words!” Lu Yunfeng interrupted her sharply. “Miss Xie, don’t say anything that could be misunderstood, as it would be detrimental to our reputation.”

Xie Zhong appeared just in time, bowed to Lu Yunfeng, and said with a warning, "My young lady will be leaving soon, so please don't spread the news of her falling into the water too much, Young Master Lu."

Lu Yunfeng's face turned cold. "It's just saving a life. As long as Miss doesn't cause any more trouble, we'll pretend this never happened!"

After saying that, he turned around and walked down the restaurant. When he looked up, he saw Qin Xiaozhou standing in the lobby.

He was taken aback for a moment. "Why are you here?"

Standing beside Qin Xiaozhou was Constable Li, who looked embarrassed as he explained to Lu Yunfeng, "My sister-in-law came to me and said she wanted to see you, so I brought her here."

Qin Xiaozhou glanced up at the room on the second floor that was still open, then turned and walked out of the restaurant.

Lu Yunfeng followed closely behind, and the two returned to the mansion.

He then explained, "On this trip to Nanjing, we met Miss Xie on the way. She wanted to travel with us, but I did not agree. However, her boat kept following us, and we bumped into each other a few times in Nanjing. On the way back, we were caught in a sudden downpour, and I saved her life. I never expected that she would have other ideas."

Qin Xiaozhou looked at him, "And what about you? What do you think?"

“I rejected her. I’ve already made it clear to her that there’s no possibility of anything, and I’ve also said that I won’t see her again.” Lu Yunfeng stepped forward and stated urgently, “I went to see her today to ask about the Embroidery Pavilion. According to Constable Li’s information, I suspect that she sent someone to poison the Embroidery Pavilion, but she denies it.”

“Xiao Zhou, we are husband and wife. Believe me, I saved her because I didn’t want a life to die like that.”