To Shen Manor

Two Rivers Prefecture, Linjiang Street.

On Linjiang Street at this hour, peddlers and laborers were coming and going in a steady stream.

Zeng Anmin rode atop a tall horse, his sharp gaze sweeping over the crowd passing by.

Behind him followed Dachun. Though Dachun's horse was hardly small, beneath him it looked as absurd as a grown man riding a child's wooden hobbyhorse.

Behind Dachun was Shen Jun, the suspect in his aunt's murder, newly recovered from his injuries.

At this moment, Shen Jun's somewhat simple-looking brows were drawn straight up, and his thick lips beneath his face were pressed tightly together.

The look he cast at Zeng Anmin carried both reverence and gratitude.

He knew that this convoy was now heading toward his own home.

Their purpose in going was to help clear him of suspicion.

"Clerk Zeng, Shen Manor has arrived."

Riding abreast with Zeng Anmin was none other than Xu Yunfeng, the Right Clerk of the Xuanjing Division.

Xu Yunfeng's face was wreathed in smiles, and the two wisps of his mustache bounced with each jolt of the horse, looking utterly ridiculous.

Zeng Anmin cast a faint glance at Xu Yunfeng, then looked ahead.

Shen Manor.

A single, massive plaque hung there, simple and unadorned, beneath which lay who knew how many generations of accumulated wealth.

"Open the gate. Enter the manor."

Zeng Anmin waved his hand lightly, and from either side of him, a Red-robed Guard stepped forward and made for the manor gate.

When an old man opened the door and saw the two rows of imposing Red-robed Guards outside, he nearly fainted from fright.

In these times, when officials came knocking on a merchant's door, it was never good news.

After the Red-robed Guard exchanged a few words with the man, they paid no heed to whether he agreed or not. Two of them stepped forward and shoved the gate open.

The great doors of Shen Manor swung wide before Zeng Anmin.

"Let's go."

Zeng Anmin dismounted and strode into the manor with long steps.

Dachun followed close behind him.

Seeing his somewhat hurried pace, Xu Yunfeng wore an unhurried expression as he leisurely climbed down from his horse.

With Shen Jun guiding the way, they soon arrived at the scene of the crime.

Today's purpose in coming to the crime scene was simple.

First, to take more statements.

Second, to search the Spirit Hall from that day for any hidden passages or mechanisms.

"Young Master!!"

A girl in green suddenly cried out in surprise, drawing everyone's attention.

Zeng Anmin glanced over instinctively and saw a modestly pretty girl running over with a face full of joy, looking at Shen Jun:

"It really is you, Young Master! You've come back from the prison!"

Under Zeng Anmin's gaze.

Shen Jun's expression turned somewhat awkward. He rubbed his nose and said with a respectful tone:

"This is my personal maidservant, named Zhenzhu."

Seeing Zhenzhu, Zeng Anmin felt a pang of bitterness in his heart.

Look at that—his personal maidservant's looks, if not absolutely top-tier, were at least above eighty points.

And then he thought of those buck-toothed, flat-nosed ones in his own courtyard...

Father, when will you ever wake up?!

"Mm."

Zeng Anmin nodded expressionlessly, then looked at Zhenzhu and asked:

"When the crime occurred, was she at the scene?"

Shen Jun immediately shook his head and said, "No. If she had been, I wouldn't have been so helpless in defending myself."

"Oh."

Zeng Anmin lost interest at once.

The main hall was the Spirit Hall.

Now that three months had passed since the crime, it had long since lost its original appearance.

Before long, a crowd came running over.

Some were old, some young.

When Shen Jun returned, some wept with joy, others remained silent, and naturally, a few wore dark expressions.

It was a perfect display of the full spectrum of human nature.

Without Zeng Anmin needing to say a word, a Red-robed Guard stepped forward to "negotiate" with the Shen Family.

The Shen Family quickly agreed to temporarily hand over the main hall of the manor for the officials of the Xuanjing Division to investigate.

Soon, two squads of Red-robed Guards entered the main hall and began rummaging through it with a clatter.

Every Red-robed Guard of the Xuanjing Division had undergone basic training.

They were highly skilled at searching, leaving no corner unchecked.

Zeng Anmin folded his arms, taking the opportunity to carefully observe his surroundings.

Before long, his gaze fell upon the training ground in the courtyard before the main hall.

All eighteen types of weapons—spears, swords, halberds, and more—stood on their racks.

"Does the Shen Manor have someone who practices martial arts?"

Zeng Anmin raised an eyebrow and asked Shen Jun.

"Mm. Leading a fleet comes with many dangers. Learning martial arts for self-defense is basic in this line of work."

"Do you practice martial arts?"

Zeng Anmin pointed at the weapon rack.

"No. That was my uncle's. Unfortunately, he lacked talent. He barely reached the entry rank and never improved after that."

Shen Jun sighed as he mentioned his uncle, his face darkening.

"Oh."

Zeng Anmin nodded thoughtfully.

Then his gaze shifted to two servants dressed in coarse clothes.

"Were you two the servants guarding the Spirit Hall when the incident occurred?"

Having joined the Xuanjing Division only two days prior, Zeng Anmin had already inherited the official air quite well.

His face was ashen, his voice stern, carrying a certain oppressive weight.

"Reporting to the Official, it was the two of us."

The two servants exchanged a glance, then tremblingly approached him, knelt, and kowtowed first.

"I ask you two—during the incident, did you hear any commotion?!"

Zeng Anmin narrowed his eyes, one hand behind his back, his expression severe.

The two quickly knelt and replied:

"We were guarding the hall door."

"No one came to the Spirit Hall except the Young Master... As for sounds, we couldn't hear anything from the front. Before the Young Master came out, he raised his voice and said a couple of things, but we couldn't make them out..."

They glanced dryly at Shen Jun beside them. Seeing no reaction from him, they turned their gaze back to Zeng Anmin.

Their answers were largely the same as those recorded in the case file.

Zeng Anmin shifted his gaze away from them.

These two had no motive either.

Madam Liu Shen had not been violated when she died.

Most importantly, these two had other witnesses.

There were many servants in the Shen Manor, and several who got up during the night had indeed seen these two leaning against the pillars by the main hall door, dozing off.

"Reporting to the Clerk, no hidden passages or mechanisms were found."

Before long, the two squads of Red-robed Guards emerged, and their leader saluted Zeng Anmin to report.

"None?"

Zeng Anmin's heart slowly sank.

"None." The Red-robed Guard nodded firmly. "And there are no signs of recent repairs."

The implication was clear: the killer could not have returned to seal up an existing secret passage.

"A locked-room murder..."

Zeng Anmin's gaze slowly settled on the main hall as he silently calculated.

He then turned his eyes to Shen Jun.

Shen Jun, with his slightly thick brows, stared back nervously, his fists clenched tightly.

Zeng Anmin slowly closed his eyes, beginning to recall all the clues, murmuring softly to himself:

"Shen Jun has no motive, and his suspicion is low. The two servants also had no time to commit the crime—they have alibis..."

"Heh."

A light laugh rang out, cutting off Zeng Anmin's muttering.

Zeng Anmin opened his eyes and saw Xu Yunfeng looking at him with a beaming smile.

"Younger Brother, your words are off the mark. How can Shen Jun's suspicion be considered insignificant? And how can you be so certain he has no motive?"

"You must understand that when judging a case, one's stance must be neutral—you cannot favor one side, or else it is an irresponsibility toward the deceased and a desecration of your own ability."

The words carried barbs, the tone gentle, yet the speech was exceedingly grating.

"And what does Clerk Xu have in mind?" Zeng Anmin raised an eyebrow, his expression calm as he looked at him.