betrothal
The fluorescent lake at the Imperial Academy truly lives up to its name, shimmering with golden fluorescence under the sunlight.
Because of the murder that occurred here, no one comes here to enjoy the scenery anymore.
The three arrived at the crime scene. Just as Lanxin had expected, the lakeside was covered with messy footprints. There were no clues to be found here, so they could only check the surrounding area for anything they had missed.
"If the murderer threw the rope into the water, wouldn't the chances of it being retrieved be very small?"
Lanxin gazed at the lake and voiced her question. She had already carefully searched the surrounding area but found nothing.
Just as Cen Yan was about to speak, he suddenly turned his hand and something flew out of his hand.
"Ah!" the person who was hit cried out and walked out.
Before anyone could ask him anything, he rushed over and knelt down.
"My lord, I beg you to do justice for Li Sheng! It's all those three, Liu Jin and his two companions, who have ruined him. Whenever they're unhappy, they take it out on Li Sheng."
Every time I return to the dormitory, I feel half-dead. I beg the authorities to punish the person who harmed me.
Seeing him weeping bitterly, so sincere and heartfelt, as if he were truly heartbroken, Xu Lanxin, having handled murder cases for many years, did not want to overlook any detail.
You should know that what is most unexpected is often the most surprising.
So he stepped forward and stood beside Cen Yan, looking at the newcomer and asking:
"Who are you to Li Sheng?"
"He and I shared a dorm room."
"What's your relationship with him like? Are there any other people in your dorm? What's his relationship with the other people in the dorm like?"
The person stopped crying and began to answer seriously.
“I have a good relationship with him and we have never had any disagreements. There is another person in the dormitory with whom I also have a good relationship. Li Sheng only knows how to study and doesn’t care much about anything else. He has few friends and doesn’t like to chat. He uses all his time to study.”
"Do you know why he clashed with Liu Jin and the other two? Or let me ask you this: after what happened, did they start bullying Li Sheng?"
The man pondered for a while, torn between speaking and remaining silent.
Lan Xin waited patiently without urging him, but the little kingfisher beside her was not.
The Prince of Yan'an stepped forward anxiously: "Say it!"
Tell me everything you know, do you still want to avenge Li Sheng?
Before he could finish speaking, Xu Lanxin pulled him to the back.
Cen Yan felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at Xu Lanxin's hand resting on his arm.
Yan'an belatedly looked over, and was so frightened that he quickly shrank back and pretended to be a background figure.
Lanxin was amused by his cowardly appearance.
The man thought about it for a while, and probably figured it out, so he adopted a "go all out" attitude.
"Alright, I'll say it, for Senior Brother Li."
"It must have been about half a year ago. Li Sheng and I were eating in the cafeteria when I accidentally bumped into Liu Jin on the way out. I apologized to him, but he wouldn't let it go, so Senior Brother Li went up and argued for me for a few words."
So much so that later, whenever he saw the two of us, he would always humiliate us before he would stop.
Why don't you report this to the teacher, the Imperial Academy official?
"In this Imperial Academy, who dares to offend them? If a classmate is bullied by them and complains to the teacher, he or she will drop out of school the next day. We poor students have a hard time getting the opportunity to study here."
"What, you dare to come here again today to cry foul? Aren't you afraid we're their lackeys?"
The man was momentarily speechless after being ridiculed.
"Alright, my family knows. If there are any doubts, they will summon you for questioning again."
"Yes." The man bowed, stood up, and left.
Lan Xin's gaze fell on him, and she felt that something was wrong, a sense of powerlessness that she couldn't quite put her finger on.
"Haven't seen enough?"
Xu Lanxin shook her head, but then noticed a dangerous glint in his eyes and started pecking at the rice like a chicken.
Then she realized something was wrong, so she went up and took his arm:
"I wasn't looking at anything, I was just looking at you. Let's go, let's go to the scene."
Since there are no clues here, let's go check the place where they fought that day.
The Prince of Yan'an, standing nearby, rubbed the goosebumps on his arm, but was so frightened by someone's merciless gaze that he withdrew his hand.
Of course, the three of them found nothing at the scene either. According to the traces, apart from a very short drag mark, they found no other evidence.
Inside the carriage, Lanxin remained silent, pondering where she had overlooked a detail.
"I can't think of it now. We'll think about it another day. You must be tired today, so go home and rest early."
The "da" sound comes from a straight man's hand-cooked chestnuts.
Not wanting to stoop to his level today, Lanxin rubbed her forehead, secretly thinking about how she would get back at him after they were married.
"My lord, investigate that man from earlier. Something about what he said seems off. If everyone is afraid of Liu Jin, why isn't he afraid?"
If their friendship is so deep, why did none of the people we asked mention that Li Sheng had such close friends who would risk their future to speak out for him?
"good."
Cen Yan's eyes revealed an expression of appreciation and satisfaction towards her.
The Qingzhu Garden in the residence of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue is also designed with bamboo as the main theme, creating a serene and tranquil atmosphere.
A path, paved with black pebbles and interspersed with irregular stone slabs, winds its way through the green grass to the dwelling.
In the study, a huanghuali wood table with ruyi cloud patterns and upturned ends is placed in the center. On the table sits a porcelain white candlestick, the light shining brightly, the flame flickering without any wind.
Two knocks sounded on the door, and Qingyun opened it and entered.
"My lord, Qingfeng just delivered it!"
Qingyun held a booklet high with both hands, then stepped forward and placed it on the table.
“The young lady’s method was indeed effective. In less than two days, the man confessed, and Qingfeng retrieved the account books before we could.”
Cen Yan put down his pen, picked up the ledger and flipped through it, his eyes growing colder with each glance.
"Why doesn't the magistrate submit the account books?"
Qingyun was very puzzled.
"It's not the right time yet, let's go out first!"
After Qingyun left, Cen Yan fell into deep thought, remaining seated behind his desk without moving an inch.
The next day, Xu Lanxin was woken up by Xiao Xi while she was still dreaming, and she began to dress up.
When she opened her eyes again, all the sleepiness had vanished. Golden light shone brightly above her, truly dazzling her eyes.
Her makeup was also a disaster, making her almost think she was going to perform for Children's Day!
"Xiao Xi, go and get the clothes that Lord Cen sent me a few days ago. I'll choose one. Also, take these pieces of jewelry out of my sight; they're making my eyes hurt."
She turned to look at the bluefish standing by the door: "Bluefish, fetch me a basin of water!"
After washing her face, Lanxin finally understood what it meant for pores to breathe.
Girls at this age have plenty of collagen, and their lips are naturally red without any makeup, so they don't need much enhancement.
I lightly drew my eyebrows with an ink stick, then brushed a little peach blossom pink around my eyes with a small brush, creating a refreshing look without losing color.
Xiao Xi styled her hair into a double-bun hairstyle, adorned with a glass vase hairpin, and pearl tassel hair combs on each side of her temples.
Simple and elegant, yet dynamic.
Lan Xin arrived at the front hall, where Feng Wanqing was sitting in the central hall. To her left sat two women in their thirties, their expressions suggesting that the four of them were having a very pleasant conversation.
The two women must have heard the noise and turned to look at Xu Lanxin.
"Hurry up and come over to greet the two ladies. The Cen family has invited Madam Song from the Auxiliary General's Mansion and Madam Li from the Garrison General's Mansion to deliver the betrothal letters."
Feng Wanqing greeted her warmly, as if there were no longer any barriers between them.
Cen Yan, a civil official, had invited two wives of military officers, which piqued her curiosity.
Lan Xin stepped forward and bowed, while Madam Li, who was sitting at the lower seat, got up with a smile and pulled her over as if they were old friends.
"This is the eldest daughter. I've long heard that she's well-behaved and lovely. Today I finally get to see her. No wonder Cen Yan went to ask for an imperial decree to marry her. I'm also very happy to see her."
"Young lady, you are so lucky. That young man even hunted the betrothal goose himself. I saw that goose was lively and jumping around."
Madam Li seemed like a straightforward person, and Xu Lanxin took a liking to her and started chatting with her.
"Young lady, the master wants you to go there," Qingyu whispered to her.
"Oh, that boy Cen Yan is getting impatient," Madam Li patted her hand, her expression knowing and knowing.
"Go quickly!"
When Lan Xin arrived at the garden, Cen Yan was already sitting in the courtyard. Today, unlike his usual official robes, he was wearing a light blue fine cloth robe and a white jade hair ornament.
As she drew closer, she hesitated, feeling both excited and nervous, her hands unconsciously gripping her sleeves tightly.
She's almost 30, but she acts like a young girl in love.
"Come here!" Cen Yan put the teacup he was holding on the table.
As soon as I walked in, he grabbed me and pulled me onto his lap.
"The date has been chosen: the fifth day of the eighth lunar month."
He held her with one hand, while his other hand played with her earlobe.
"Less than two months, that fast?"
As soon as I blurted out what I was thinking, I felt my arm tighten around me.
"Is it fast?"
"Not fast, not fast, how could it be fast! I think it's too slow!"
To save her own life, Lan Xin fawned over her.
"If you're so eager to marry me, then I'll go and talk to your father about moving the date forward."
Xu Lanxin pulled down the hand that was playing with her earlobe and held it in her hands: "Zijin, the day you chose is very good, really, there's no need to change it."
The man laughed happily, and Xu Lanxin also felt happy.
"Zijin, have you sent someone to investigate that person at the Imperial Academy?"
"We will not discuss official business today."
Okay, she got another flick on the forehead.
If they don't talk about official business, what else can she talk about? Wasn't it agreed that she would help him solve the case?
Bored out of her mind, she could only play with the rope around his waist while her mind went through the case.
I always feel like something's missing.
Suddenly, a slender, fair hand appeared on my wrist.
Lan Xin looked at him, her eyes deep and unfathomable. Under the refraction of light, her dark brown pupils seemed to radiate starlight, as if they could attract one's soul.
Lan Xin lowered her head and slowly approached those thin, crimson lips, just a millimeter away.
"So you were here."
An untimely voice interrupted the beautiful moment.
Xu Lanxin quickly jumped off his lap. Who was this guy? What a clueless jerk.
"Zijin, sister-in-law, I've been looking for you for so long," Yan'an said, plopping down on a stone bench and looking at the food box on the stone table.
"You didn't even call me for Xianfuzhai's Cui Si cakes."
Lan Xin was genuinely amused and annoyed. This bright, shining light bulb was preventing her from getting close to the handsome man.
"Eat it!" she replied irritably.
He took a bite and then cried out, "Ouch!"
"Zijin, why did you kick me?"
Lan Xin was amused by his resentful little expression.
"Their eating manners are unseemly."
The man replied to him in a very serious manner.
After seeing the guests off, Lanxin returned to her room alone and lay on the bed reflecting on her time with Cen Yan that day.
As I was thinking, a sudden thought flashed through my mind: the broken wires were connected again.
"I see."
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