"My sister-in-law didn't know how that cousin of hers was doing either. She told me about this when she was young.
Back then, she wanted to look for her cousin, but apparently she never found her. She didn't mention her again for more than a decade after that.
If I hadn't heard you talking about twins from behind the screen just now, I would have forgotten all about it."
After hearing Second Madam Song's account, Shen Shixu knew they would have to investigate that cousin.
But she had been missing for so long that she would probably be difficult to trace.
Shen Shixu and Xiao Jinyi went to Madam Song's natal home, where her nephew received them.
When Madam Song's older brother learned that the Song family had been massacred—that his sister, brother-in-law, and nephews were all dead, and the sole surviving nephew had been falsely accused of being the killer—he could not bear the blow and had been bedridden ever since.
Even Madam Song's nephew, Fang Yue, looked haggard. "Who are you? What business do you have with my father?"
Shen Shixu had barely introduced himself before Fang Yue excitedly grabbed his hand. "Sir, has there been any progress in my aunt's case? Has my cousin been cleared of suspicion? Can he be released now? Who was the real killer?"
Seeing Fang Yue clutching Shen Shixu's hand, Xiao Jinyi frowned and reached out to pull Fang Yue's hand away.
Only then did Fang Yue realize he had overstepped, and he hurriedly apologized. "I'm sorry, sir. That was presumptuous of me."
Shen Shixu nodded in understanding. "The case isn't closed yet. We came to ask your father about something. Is he able to answer my questions right now?"
Disappointment flickered in Fang Yue's eyes when he heard that the case