After Lu Che finished his court session and returned to his residence, Pei helped him change into his casual clothes. Seeing that he looked tired, she couldn't help but ask with concern: "But what's bothering the court? Has the case not been solved yet?"

Lu Che shook his head: "It has nothing to do with the case."

Previously, the King of Chu used his injury to catch the mastermind behind the case, which included not only several big salt merchants in Jiangnan, but also most of the Yangzhou officialdom. As the investigation deepened, the radish was pulled out and the mud was exposed, not only officials, but also many aristocratic families and the vague shadows of several princes. At that time, the emperor sent Liang Jue to Yangzhou, on the one hand to help the King of Chu investigate, and on the other hand to remind him not to go too far.

Who knew that the King of Chu had the power of execution granted by the emperor, and secretly transferred troops to the city. He imprisoned most of the officials in Jiangnan, and almost every day, officials had their homes confiscated, causing the entire Jiangnan officialdom to be in a state of panic. The memorials impeaching him flew to the capital like snowflakes.

However, the emperor kept the memorials and never mentioned recalling the King of Chu. Liang Jue, the only one who went to Yangzhou, had been quiet since he was tricked by the King of Chu. The officials in the court watched the emperor scold Liang Jue for his lack of ambition and the King of Chu for his recklessness every day, but he did nothing. They gradually realized the emperor's intentions, and it was clearly a double act between the two brothers.

Yesterday, a team of soldiers from Yangzhou drove more than 20 carriages loaded with gold, silver and antiques into the imperial city. According to rumors in the palace, the emperor happily ate an extra bowl of rice last night.

The officialdom in Jiangnan was rectified, and the King of Chu submitted a secret memorial to the emperor, asking to bring the officials and their evidence back to the capital for trial.

The King of Chu did a great job in this matter. His reputation not only shocked Jiangnan, but also had an impact in the capital. Jiangnan is rich and has many aristocratic families. Most of the officials in the court are from aristocratic families. The King of Chu went around Jiangnan and did not kill them all, but he definitely hurt them. He stepped on the bottom line so accurately that they hated him but could do nothing.

The same is true for the Duke of Ying's Mansion. Old Madam Lu is from the Shen family, and Lu Qing's second daughter Lu Wanxin also married Shen Mingzheng, the second son of the eldest branch of the Shen family. The Shen family has its roots in Jiangnan, and this time it was inevitably affected. The Duke of

Ying's Mansion naturally cannot ignore it. Several people from the Shen family were involved this time, one of whom is from the eldest branch, not to mention that at this time, Shen Mingzheng brought his wife and children to Beijing to visit relatives. Anyone with a discerning eye can see why this is.

Lu Che is also troubled by this, and it is foreseeable that he will not be able to rest during the New Year.

After hearing his explanation, Pei sighed, "We can't offend any of these families. The King of Chu has really created a big problem."

"That would be great." Lu Che pinched his brows, "It is said that the King of Chu will also participate in the three-division trial. I don't know what the situation will be like then."

Both of them were a little worried. At this time, a noise came from the gate of the courtyard. Lu Che frowned, and Pei had already stood up and walked out.

"What happened?"

"Sister-in-law." Lu Zheng stood at the gate of the courtyard, his face still full of anger, and Ji Xiang, who was kneeling beside him, had already burst into tears.

"Why is the third brother here?" Pei looked at the maid and servant beside her, "Why are you bothering the third young master?"

"I ordered you to do it." Lu Che also came out, "What's the matter?"

Lu Zheng opened his mouth, but did not say anything because of the crowd.

Pei understood: "My husband, take the third brother to the study."

Lu Che nodded and walked towards the study.

The study was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. After Lu Zheng finished telling the story, Lu Che looked at Ji Xiang who was kneeling for a long time without anger or joy: "Is it true?"

Ji Xiang was already trembling with fear, and fell to the ground and said: "I just heard... I heard Sister Jinlu and her brother say... not to let anyone find out about his relationship with Lu Liu... Others, other things... I don't know anything..."

"Do you know what the consequences are if you know something but don't report it?"

"I was wrong, I was wrong... Young Master, spare my life!" Ji Xiang was so frightened that she knelt down and grabbed the hem of Lu Zheng's clothes, "Young Master, please beg for me. I didn't know it was so serious... I was wrong, I won't dare to do it again."

Lu Zheng bit his lip reluctantly, but he also knew that Ji Xiang's actions could not be let off so easily. If she was not taught a lesson, she would probably make a bigger mistake in the future.

Seeing that Lu Zheng ignored her, Ji Xiang lost all hope and fell to the ground.

Lu Che stood up and said, "Come here."

A team of guards immediately appeared at the door of the study. Lu Che strode out while giving orders, "Go to Jinlu's residence."

Lu Zheng didn't care about Jixiang at the moment, and hurriedly followed his elder brother out, "Brother, I want to go too."

Lu Che glanced at him, but didn't say no.

Jinlu was a house-born child. Her mother was originally a maid of Mrs. Lu, and later married a manager of the manor. Jinlu was beautiful and smart since she was a child, and her ideas were also correct. If it weren't for her status, she would be no different from a lady from a noble family.

But now, she sat on the bed with her hair disheveled and a haggard face, with her mother wiping her tears beside her: "I told you to report it to the police...but you were bewitched and kept it a secret for your brother. Now the case has become such a big deal, what should we do?"

Jinlu immediately retracted her scattered gaze and glared at her mother: "You called me back in a hurry to save his life, but now you blame me?"

Her mother was immediately frightened and stammered: "No...I'm not blaming you, it's just...just..."

Jinlu was agitated by her words and was about to lose her temper She was angry, and suddenly heard the sound of a bowl breaking from the next room. She threw off the quilt and rushed into the next room, yelling at the skinny man on the bed: "What are you throwing? What do you have to be angry about? If you didn't insist on liking that little bitch, our family wouldn't have come to this point. I can't even go back to the Duke's Mansion now. It's all your fault!"

The man shrank back at her scolding. He had been afraid of this sister since he was a child, not to mention that the harvest on the farm was not good. Almost all of them relied on Jinlu's monthly financial support from the Duke's Mansion. He didn't dare to be tough in front of her.

Their father was a weak and incompetent man. Seeing his daughter's anger, he didn't dare to go up and touch her. He could only retreat silently. The couple looked at each other, both panicked.

Suddenly, the gate of the manor was violently knocked open, and a team of guards rushed in and surrounded their small courtyard tightly.

Lu Che rode in slowly, looking at the two people who were so scared that they could not move, with a cold expression: "Where is Wang Dalang?"

Wang Zhuangtou knelt down with a "thump", tears streaming down his face: "Master, spare my life, Master, spare my life!"

Lu Che ignored him and was about to let the guards rush in to catch the man out, when the door was opened from the inside. Jinlu walked out slowly, without even looking at her parents who were paralyzed, and knelt in front of Lu Che: "This servant has met Master, Master, and Master."

Lu Zheng looked at her uncomfortably. Since he traveled through time, Jin Lu has been the person he has spent the longest time with. She is the one who takes care of his food, clothing, housing and transportation. He never thought that he would end up like this with her.

The guards carried Wang Dalang, who was paralyzed on the bed, out. Lu Zheng frowned as soon as he saw him: "Brother, this man..."

It turned out that Wang Dalang was a cripple.

Lu Che's face also turned ugly. Looking at Wang Dalang who was shaking like a sieve, he said coldly: "Take him back to the Ministry of Justice first and try him later."

The guards dragged Wang Dalang out. He shouted in horror at his relatives who were kneeling on the ground: "Dad! Mom! Save me! Please beg my sister to save me!" However,

Wang Zhuangtou and his wife just lay on the ground and cried, not even daring to raise their heads.

Lu Che frowned: "Take her back too."

Jin Lu didn't cry or shout, and kowtowed upright. After looking at her parents with contempt, she was taken out by two guards.

Lu Zheng looked at Jin Lu who passed by, and felt very uncomfortable. At the same time, Wang Dalang was not the murderer, which meant that the case was back to square one, but they didn't have much time left.

Similar to Lu Zheng's guess, the next morning, the third skinned female corpse was found in a land temple outside the west city.

Lu Che interrogated Wang Dalang overnight, but found nothing. He sent people as soon as he got the news. Lu Zheng followed him quietly when he was not paying attention. After knowing the news, he said nothing, which was equivalent to acquiescence.

Lu Zheng and Changshan Changshui rode to the murder scene at full speed. The two forensic officers and the coroner in charge of the case had already started the autopsy.

The body being examined was that of Dendrobium. Lu Zheng even saw Bao Zheng among them, which made him feel relieved.

This was Lu Zheng's first time at the scene. The overwhelming bloody smell made him very uncomfortable, and he could only look around.

This land temple is about 10 to 20 square meters in size. It is low and narrow inside. There is an altar in the center, where the God of Land and the Goddess of Land are worshipped. However, because this place is rarely visited, the two statues are very mottled. A plaque with the words "God of Land" is hung at the door, and there are couplets on both sides. The upper couplet is: Keep the four directions clean and auspicious, and the lower couplet is: Protect the land and peace.

Taking advantage of the female corpse in front, it seems particularly ironic.

Lu Zheng sighed and looked at the clothes placed beside the body. Every time the murderer killed someone, he would fold the clothes of the deceased neatly.

Lu Zheng became interested in the clothes. Just as he walked over, he happened to see Bao Zheng walking towards this side.

"Aren't you... recuperating?" Lu Zheng felt very guilty about him.

Bao Zheng didn't care at all: "The ones who beat people were all brothers. They used their strength skillfully, but it was scary to look at..."

"Oh." Lu Zheng lowered his head, turned over the clothes of the deceased, and asked casually, "Have you found out the identity of the deceased?"

"Found out." Bao Zheng said, "She is the daughter of a wealthy family surnamed Fang in Chongyifang, named Fang Zhilan."

Lu Zheng's hand trembled, and a handkerchief embroidered with orchids fell to the ground, revealing the small words next to the orchids - Zhilan.