Chapter 74: Qin Zhenzhen Returned From The Dead And Committed Murder

After dealing with the Shangguan family, Li Rong felt much more at ease. With the Shangguan family not interfering, as long as she pressured Li Ming, the likelihood of him handing the case back to her was greatly increased.

Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan rarely went to bed early, but that night, the first snow of early winter fell.

Li Rong was awakened in the middle of the night by someone knocking on the door, who seemed very panicked and even a bit terrified, saying, “Your Highness, something terrible has happened.”

Li Rong’s eyes snapped open, and Pei Wenxuan held her down to keep her from getting cold, raising his voice to say, “Come in and speak.”

As he spoke, Pei Wenxuan got up, put on his clothes, and handed Li Rong her clothes. Jingmei pushed the door open and came in, trembling as she said, “Your Highness, someone… someone…”

“Your Highness,” Jinglan walked in from outside, respectfully saying, “News came tonight that someone saw Qin Zhenzhen come back to life and kill Cui Shuyun on the road.”

Li Rong’s head shot up, and she raised her voice, “What did you say?! Qin Zhenzhen?!”

“Yes,” Jinglan replied calmly. “The coachman said that he was taking Cui Shuyun back to the mansion when a woman with blood on her head blocked the road and called out Cui Shuyun’s name. When Cui Shuyun came out, he was shocked and called her Qin Zhenzhen.”

Cui Shuyun was the person from the Ministry of Justice who investigated the Qin family case, and he knew almost all the Qin family members.

Li Rong quickly put on her clothes and urgently asked, “And then?”

“Qin Zhenzhen said she came to claim a life. The guards nearby were all scared away, leaving only the coachman, who was too frightened to move, and he saw Qin Zhenzhen come forward and kill Cui Shuyun.”

“Besides Cui Shuyun, did anyone else die?”

“Yes, Imperial Censor Wen Ping and Ministry of War official Wang Xi also died. Wen Ping died in a brothel, and Wang Xi died at his home. It’s said that Wang Xi fought with the ghost for a long time before he finally died.”

“Were there any witnesses when Wang Xi died? Is Qin Zhenzhen a ghost or a living person?”

Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan hurriedly walked out, with Jinglan following beside them. Jinglan shook her head and said softly, “I don’t know. There is no more information at the moment. Your Highness, what should we do now?”

Hearing this, Li Rong stopped in her tracks.

“Qin Zhenzhen has come back to life. The Ministry of Justice will soon come here.”

Qin Zhenzhen died at the gate of the princess’s mansion, and it was Li Rong who buried her. Now that she was alive again, no matter how much it was covered up with ghost stories, they would definitely come to Li Rong. After a moment of contemplation, Li Rong suddenly reacted, her eyes widening as she said, “Quick! Prepare the horses! Go to the cemetery!”

With that, Li Rong rushed out, and Pei Wenxuan, stunned for a moment, urgently said, “Follow her.”

Pei Wenxuan chased after Li Rong as she ran, and Li Rong, while running, said to Jingmei, who was following closely behind her, “Find some people and spread the word about tonight’s events. Make it sound mysterious. Say that a vengeful spirit came to claim a life, and many people saw it. Qin Zhenzhen had a big hole in her head and wounds on her body. Make it sound as mysterious as possible.”

“Yes.”

Jingmei, having received the message, knew it wasn’t really a ghost appearing, so she calmed down a lot.

She hurried back to make arrangements. Jingmei instructed people to prepare, and Li Rong ran out of the mansion, swiftly mounting her horse. Pei Wenxuan followed closely behind, donning a cloak and leading people as they galloped towards the outskirts.

“Clear the way.”

Pei Wenxuan instructed those around him, “Don’t let anyone follow.”

The attendants, having received Pei Wenxuan’s orders, nodded and dispersed on their horses.

Snow piled up on the road, and as they left the city, the road became increasingly difficult to traverse.

Pei Wenxuan, following closely behind Li Rong, shouted, “Why are we going to the cemetery?”

“To find Xun Chuan!” Li Rong replied loudly, “She’s not the type to cause trouble!”

Given Xun Chuan’s temperament, if she really wanted to kill Cui Shuyun and the others, why not do it secretly instead of openly revealing her identity and killing a court official on the street?

Because she wanted everyone to know that the killer was Qin Zhenzhen.

But since everyone knew the killer was Qin Zhenzhen, they would inevitably find Li Rong. Finding Li Rong would mean opening the coffin to examine the body and see if it was really Qin Zhenzhen inside.

So the easiest way for Qin Zhenzhen to clear Li Rong’s name was to lie in the coffin herself.

After opening the coffin and examining the body, even if it was a new corpse, it could be explained away as a vengeful spirit using ghost stories.

In any case, the killer was already dead. Whether it was a resurrection or a fake death for revenge didn’t matter. The case was about the Qin family’s wrongful treatment. Now that the people involved were dead and the killer was dead, further investigation wouldn’t affect Li Rong.

Pei Wenxuan, prompted by Li Rong, immediately understood the situation. The two of them arrived at Qin Zhenzhen’s cemetery, which was halfway up the mountain. Pei Wenxuan supported Li Rong as they climbed through the snow. When they reached the cemetery, they saw someone near Qin Zhenzhen’s grave, seemingly trying to pry open the coffin. Li Rong rushed forward, shouting, “Xun Chuan!”

The person covered in blood heard Li Rong’s call, gasping and struggling to lift her head.

Li Rong was shocked to see the bloodied person in the night. The guards behind her were scared and didn’t dare to approach. Pei Wenxuan supported Li Rong, but she pushed him away and rushed forward, looking at Qin Zhenzhen and asking, “What are you doing?”

“I’ve caused trouble for Your Highness, and I’m here to resolve it,” Xun Chuan said, holding a sword and kneeling on one knee before Li Rong. “I hope Your Highness will forgive me.”

“Resolve it?”

Li Rong laughed angrily, “How will you resolve it? By lying in the coffin and pretending to be dead?!”

“Zhenzhen killed a court official. If she doesn’t die today, they will surely trace it back to Your Highness. Later, Zhenzhen will lie in the coffin herself. I hope Your Highness will help seal the coffin.”

Li Rong didn’t speak, staring at the girl in front of her.

“You plan to die in front of me,” Li Rong clenched her fist, “What position does that put me in?”

“You are the Deputy Inspector of the palace. Your life and death are not for you to decide!”

Li Rong shouted, and Xun Chuan was stunned. She looked up at Li Rong, who took a deep breath and turned to ask, “Where is the previous female corpse?”

“Your Highness,” Xun Chuan frowned, “The coroner will find out.”

“Rebury it.”

Li Rong ignored her, glanced at the female corpse lying not far away, and then turned to Pei Wenxuan, “How many coroners does the Ministry of Justice have now?”

“Fifteen,” Pei Wenxuan said, walking to the side of the coffin and speaking softly, “There’s no need to worry about this; I’ll handle it.”

Li Rong responded and turned to look at the blood-covered Qin Zhenzhen. After a long silence, she said, “Let’s go back.”

“Your Highness,” Xun Chuan gritted her teeth, “It’s not worth it.”

“I don’t care if it’s worth it,” Li Rong said coldly, “You shouldn’t die, so you can’t die.”

After speaking, Li Rong turned around and said coldly, “Hurry up and finish, let’s go.”

“Your Highness!” Xun Chuan stood up and shouted, “I should have died! You are a princess, a strategist, you tread carefully with every step, you can’t afford to have any weaknesses because of me.”

Li Rong didn’t speak, standing quietly. Xun Chuan looked at Li Rong’s back and said softly, “You should weigh the pros and cons. The Qin family was just a step in establishing the Inspectorate and reclaiming the Shangguan family. Why are you so persistent?!”

“Then why are you so persistent in wanting to die?!”

Li Rong turned her head and stared at Xun Chuan, “I treat you as a pawn, why do you still care about me?!”

“Because Your Highness saved me, I can’t be ungrateful.”

Xun Chuan looked calmly at Li Rong, “Regardless of Your Highness’s intentions, you saved me and the Qin family. That’s a fact.”

Li Rong didn’t speak. The guards nearby had buried the corpse, and Pei Wenxuan said softly, “Let’s go first, don’t argue here, I’ll talk to her.”

Li Rong listened to Pei Wenxuan’s words, took a deep breath, and turned to walk down the mountain.

Pei Wenxuan stood in front of Xun Chuan, his hands tucked into his sleeves, and said softly, “Her Highness is just not a strategist, and you are not a pawn. Xun Chuan, if you die, Her Highness will be sad.”

Xun Chuan was slightly stunned, and Pei Wenxuan smiled gently, “She has a soft heart.”

After speaking, Pei Wenxuan called for someone to come and support Xun Chuan.

Li Rong walked ahead with a cold face. The snow was deep, and she walked crookedly on the path they had come from.

Pei Wenxuan quickly caught up to her and, as she was about to fall, he supported her. Li Rong shook off his hand and said coldly, “I don’t need your help.”

Pei Wenxuan laughed and walked ahead, squatting down slightly, “Then I’ll carry Your Highness.”

“Did I break my leg? Do I need you to carry me?”

“I want to carry Your Highness,” Pei Wenxuan said, half-squatting, “Please grant me this honor, will you?”

Li Rong’s expression softened a bit upon hearing this. Pei Wenxuan urged, “Hurry up, or your shoes will get wet.”

Reluctantly, Li Rong climbed onto Pei Wenxuan’s back. He carried her down the mountain along with the others. Leaning on his back, Li Rong felt a bit sad.

“Don’t take what Xun Chuan said to heart.”

He spoke calmly, “You wouldn’t treat anyone as a pawn, I know that.”

“I didn’t care about that,” Li Rong said softly, “I just feel angry.”

Pei Wenxuan didn’t respond. Li Rong lay on his back, her eyes lowered, “I feel powerless. Even if the case is handed to me, I can’t bring justice to the Qin family. Why is justice so difficult?”

Pei Wenxuan listened to Li Rong’s words without speaking. Li Rong wrapped her arms around him, her voice hoarse, “I feel disgusted, disgusted with myself, and everyone else. No one is that bad, but everyone has done terrible things. Can’t kill them, can’t keep them.”

“It’s not that people are bad,” Pei Wenxuan said calmly, “It’s that koi can’t survive in muddy water. If a system can’t limit power, even good people can easily do evil.”

“Your Highness,” Pei Wenxuan smiled, “You are already very good.”

Li Rong didn’t speak, holding onto Pei Wenxuan as he walked through the snow.

“In my previous life, I handled many corruption cases among the cold clans,” Li Rong said hoarsely, “I was never this sad.”

“I never felt powerless or caught in a dilemma. Why does this life feel so difficult?”

Pei Wenxuan didn’t speak, understanding Li Rong’s meaning.

In the previous life, Li Ming, Li Chuan, and he took on the tasks Li Rong is now handling, and Li Rong saw only prosperity.

“Your Highness,” Pei Wenxuan said softly, “The hardest thing is not facing enemies.”

“It’s facing oneself. What you’re doing now is tracing the roots. The process may be painful, but it’s better than living a muddled life like in the previous life.”

“And you don’t have to worry.”

Pei Wenxuan smiled, “This time, you’re not walking alone. I’m with you.”

Li Rong didn’t speak, leaning on Pei Wenxuan.

At that moment, she suddenly felt a bit attached to Pei Wenxuan’s gentleness.

Lying on Pei Wenxuan’s back, she felt a silent reliance.

Pei Wenxuan carried her down the mountain. They rode together, leaving the horse for Qin Zhenzhen, and then the group took Qin Zhenzhen back.

Qin Zhenzhen and the others were not brought into the mansion. Li Rong called Shangguan Ya out and handed Qin Zhenzhen over to her. Shangguan Ya had Qin Zhenzhen put on makeup and then took her back to the Shangguan residence.

After dealing with Qin Zhenzhen, Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan returned to the mansion. As soon as they arrived, Jinglan approached and said, “Your Highness, the Eastern Palace sent a message asking about Miss Qin’s situation and whether we need to bribe the coroner.”

“Tell the Eastern Palace that the body in the coffin is not Qin Zhenzhen. Let them figure out a way with the coroner.”

Li Rong waved her hand, dismissing Jinglan to report back. After Jinglan left, Li Rong, feeling a headache, returned to her room, sat on the small couch, and covered her forehead with her hand.

Pei Wenxuan entered the room with a smile, took off his outer garment, washed his hands, and said softly, “After all this fuss, Your Highness still has no solution?”

“The body is not Qin Zhenzhen. I found a similar one and placed it inside, even disguising it. Qin Zhenzhen was missing a tooth, so I knocked one out. All the bones were matched to hers, just in case someone opened the coffin.”

“Then what is Your Highness worried about now?” Pei Wenxuan sat next to Li Rong. She shook her head, “This method can fool an ordinary coroner, but if the palace wants a thorough investigation, they might do a blood test. If Qin Lin comes and does a blood test, we won’t be able to escape.”

Pei Wenxuan listened, sipping his tea with a smile, not speaking. After a while, Li Rong looked at him, frowning, “Why are you smiling? Are you laughing at me?”

“Your Highness misunderstands, how would I dare?”

Pei Wenxuan said, raising his hand and turning his palm up, showing it to Li Rong.

Li Rong frowned, “What are you doing?”

“Does Your Highness see the wound?”

“Not feeling sorry,” Li Rong waved her hand, “Don’t mess around now.”

“No,” Pei Wenxuan said with a laugh, “I wanted to tell you that I tried the blood test you mentioned.”

Li Rong turned her head, somewhat surprised, “Tried it?”

“Yes, I dripped my blood on the bones,” Pei Wenxuan said seriously, “It absorbed.”

Li Rong’s eyes widened, “Is that person your long-lost sister?”

Pei Wenxuan: “…”

“No,” Pei Wenxuan, seeing it wasn’t clear, said directly, “Have you never doubted that the blood test for kinship… might be unreliable?”

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