Time passed quickly, and the next day, everyone gathered in the courtroom. Just as Lord Liu had predicted, neither side produced any compelling evidence.

After careful consideration, Magistrate Liu said, "According to the autopsy, the coroner found that the three died from arsenic poisoning, but neither of your families has a record of purchasing arsenic in the sales records of major pharmacies, so this lead is useless. Next, the coroner detected venom from a fruit snake in the vomit. Fruit snakes are homemade poisons, which are beyond official control, and their source is unknown. Neither of you can provide evidence to convict the other, so this cannot be used as strong evidence for the charge. Therefore, I hereby declare Hua Yuhe innocent! This case is now closed. If you have any further leads, you may appeal to me again, and I will certainly handle the matter impartially. Court adjourned!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Fengyang couldn't hold back and burst into tears. Murong Xingchen bit her cheek and remained silent.

Hua Yuhe looked at the group of old, weak, sick and disabled people with a mocking smile, and with arrogant steps, she got into the sedan chair. Surrounded by a group of handsome men and beautiful women, she left the county government office with great pride.

Lan Yamei stomped her foot in anger and cursed at the retreating figure, "What are you so smug about? I'll wipe out your Hua Manlou sooner or later!"

Wang Fengyang could no longer cry tears like a spring; his eyes were dry and sore. He could only clench his fists tightly, determined to learn martial arts well from his master.

Although Murong Xingchen held a high position, his family was currently facing numerous troubles, so he could only express his deep sympathy and say to the child, "If you don't mind, you can stay with your brother from now on. Your brother has a younger sister who is a bit younger than you, so you can keep each other company."

Murong Xingchen's willingness to adopt Wang Fengyang surprised everyone, proving that not all members of the Murong family are bad people.

Aunt Guan said, "Lord Murong, you haven't settled down yet, so it's not appropriate for you to adopt a child. Let Ouyang and I adopt him instead. We're old and don't have any children of our own, so we'll take good care of him."

"This... I'm deeply grateful to Manager Mei." Murong Xingchen was deeply impressed. He knew something about the woman's past, a misfortune shaped by the times. He hadn't expected her to still possess such humanity, still showing kindness to the weak. She was nothing like the ruthless, greedy woman his father had described. He couldn't help but wonder if there was more to the story behind the Hua Manlou case from years ago. No, this matter must be investigated further.

Now that the child's destination had been decided, Murong Xingchen said to Aunt Guan, "Please trouble Manager Mei to take care of your sister's illness."

"Don't worry, Lord Murong, I will do my best. Please bring her to the barbecue restaurant sometime. I personally do not wish to visit the Murong residence, please understand." Aunt Guan had come to terms with it. After hiding for so many years, she still couldn't escape being murdered. She might as well act impulsively and do whatever she wanted without being timid.

"Thank you, Manager Mei. I will bring my sister over as soon as possible." Murong Xingchen said gratefully and then hurriedly took her leave to go home and spread the good news.

When everyone returned to the shop, Grandpa Ouyang had already ordered people to clean the inside and outside, and had even specially fumigated the third floor with mugwort. Looking at the tidy room, Lan Yamei said enviously to Aunt Guan, "Grandpa is so thoughtful, Aunt Guan, hehehe..." As she spoke, she nudged Aunt Guan's arm with her elbow.

As soon as everyone sat down, Grandpa Ouyang said, "My brother's funeral is not yet over, and I have to go back and take care of things for a few days. Don't rush to open the barbecue restaurant. This afternoon, take some gifts to the county government office to get a case report, post it on the door, and we'll open tomorrow. You all know where I live; come find me anytime if you need anything." After saying this, Grandpa Ouyang comforted Wang Fengyang a couple more times before leaving.

"Why are there so many murder cases lately? What happened to Grandpa Ouyang's family?" Qiu Zeyu asked lazily, sipping the tea that Grandpa Ouyang had prepared in advance.

"His brother was murdered at the pawnshop, and the killer hasn't been caught yet," Lan Yamei said quickly.

Qiu Zeyu was so shocked that he almost spat out his tea, choking and coughing. It turned out he'd killed this old man's brother—what a blunder!

"You're supposed to be a great hero, how can you choke on water?" Lan Yamei seized the opportunity to tease Qiu Zeyu, after all, this kid had previously said that he was infatuated with Murong Xingchen, so she had to get her revenge.

"I just think Uncle Ouyang is a good person, I'm so surprised! He has a lot of troubles at home, but he still finds time to take care of your mess. I think it's all because of Aunt Guan." Qiu Zeyu quickly covered up.

"There's nothing I can do, Aunt Guan and I are just good friends, you can be envious!" After Lan Yamei finished speaking, she said to Wang Fengyang, "Come on, I'll arrange a room for you, and you'll live with us from now on." She then led Qiu Zeyu upstairs.

Upon returning home, Murong Xingchen rushed to her mother's room and recounted the entire incident to her. Overjoyed, she exclaimed, "Mother, my sister's illness can finally be cured! I never imagined that the miraculous healer, Manager Mei, is still alive, and she's willing to treat my sister!"

Murong Xingchen's mother was Sima Rushuang, Murong Feng's second wife. Since taking a third wife, she rarely came to this courtyard. The second wife always blamed herself for giving birth to a sickly child, which the clan leader considered an omen of bad luck, thus causing her to distance herself. Over the years, she had aged considerably, and strands of white hair had crept into her temples.

"You mean Meilin Pass, the former Flower Pavilion, Manager Mei? That self-taught genius doctor?" Ru Shuang asked excitedly, standing up.

"It's her!" Murong Xingchen said excitedly, "But she doesn't want to come here for house calls, so we have to send my sister over."

"How is she... doing now?" Ru Shuang's chest heaved with excitement, but she still felt guilty when she thought about what happened in the past.

"She runs a barbecue restaurant with a girl named Lan Ya Mei, and today she adopted an orphan named Wang Feng Yang. She also has a group of江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) lads. They're living a pretty colorful life. What's wrong, Mom? Do you know them?" Murong Xingchen acted like a child in front of her mother.

Meilin Pass, which was once famous throughout Lin'an, suffered such a heavy blow, yet it still managed to live a cheerful and unyielding life, which is admirable! I am far inferior to it. Now that the other party is willing to put aside past grievances and rescue my child, Ru Shuang regrets even more for standing up for her cousin back then.

Perhaps impressed by Manager Mei's spirit, or perhaps out of guilt, Sima Rushuang pondered for a moment and told her son what had happened at Hua Manlou back then.

After hearing her mother's words, Murong Xingchen stood there stunned. She never expected that the Murong family would do such a shameful thing, something that would damage their reputation. She herself was the top scholar in both civil and military affairs, personally appointed by the emperor. The royal family had given the Murong family so much face, yet her father had done something that violated the law of the country. How could she, a trusted confidant of the emperor, face the emperor in person?

Seeing her son's embarrassed expression, Ru Shuang had no regrets. These things would have to be told to her children sooner or later. After all, the feuds of the martial world might involve her children, and they needed to know who was friend and who was foe.

"Son, regarding your sister's illness, do you still need to beg Manager Mei for help?"

"Mother, let me think about it. I'll take my leave now." Murong Xingchen walked heavily out of his mother's courtyard. Standing in the blazing sunlight, he felt a chill run through his body.