The Killer's Cleansing Manual

It is difficult to get the desired answers in a short period of time by investigating these trivial matters. As the day gradually darkened, Lin Shanjuan sat behind the table, carefully analyzing the existing clues.

But there were too few clues after all, and she simply gave up thinking.

The officer on duty at the door came in and reported, "Manager Lin, there's a girl outside who claims to be your servant girl named Xiao'er."

Xiaoer?

Lin Shanjuan checked the time, guessing she was probably asking him to go home. Indeed, it had been four or five days since he'd started playing Landlord. Perhaps the restless people in the mansion were gossiping, so it was time to go back for a night.

She stood up and walked outside. Xiao'er was waiting for her. "Prince Consort, His Highness asked me to take you back."

Lin Shanjuan nodded, mounted his horse, and followed Xiao'er back to the princess's mansion.

Qi Zhaomian was still in the study. Lin Shanjuan guessed that she must have something to say to her, otherwise she wouldn't have specially asked Xiao'er to come to him, so he went directly to the study to look for her.

The afterglow of the setting sun fell on Qi Zhaomian's shoulders, making her peaceful face look particularly gentle.

As soon as Lin Shanjuan opened the door, he was attracted by Qi Zhaomian's gaze. The corners of his lips curled up slightly, and he walked quickly to her under Qi Zhaomian's gaze.

"What's the matter with calling me back?"

Faced with her straightforward question, Qi Zhaomian was not very satisfied and spoke in a sarcastic manner.

"Why, can't I call you back if nothing happens?"

Lin Shan paused for a moment and poured a cup of tea for Qi Zhaomian: "How can that be? I'm here whenever you call me. I'll give you a leg massage!"

She rolled up her sleeves and was about to come over to work hard, but Qi Zhaomian made a "tsk" sound and stopped her with his eyes.

"Do you still remember that you are my consort? You haven't been home for days. Is it so comfortable to live outside?"

Lin Shanjuan felt guilty about the question and laughed, "Where? I won't sleep with you when I come back, and I won't see you most of the time, so it doesn't matter where I sleep, right?"

This sentence inadvertently pleased Qi Zhaomian. Her demeanor softened a little, and she raised her eyes: "Don't you want to come back if you don't sleep with me?"

Lin Shanjuan: Hmm? Who spoke my true feelings?

She scratched the side of her face and said, "I didn't stay anywhere else. I stayed at the Qingzhengsi."

Qi Zhaomian withdrew her gaze. She naturally knew. Not only that, she knew everything that happened today and the Landlord game in the past few days.

I just wanted to call her back, understand the case, and test whether she was hiding anything from me.

Fortunately, this person is pretty good.

"I heard something happened in the reception building today."

Seeing her calmness return, Lin Shanjuan sat down and nodded: "Yes, someone was poisoned to death."

Qi Zhaomian put down the pen in his hand: "Aren't you going to commit suicide by poisoning?"

Lin Shanjuan shook his head. "That was just a lie for others to hear. I asked the waiter, and he said a cup and a pair of chopsticks were missing from the restaurant. Someone must have dined with him and taken them away afterwards, trying to create the illusion that he got drunk alone and then committed suicide by taking poison."

Qi Zhaomian nodded. He had experienced Lin Shanjuan's sharpness many times, so he was not too surprised.

"Do you have any clues?"

Lin Shanjuan shook his head. "We're still investigating his circle of friends. It might take a few days to get a clue."

After the report, she caught a glimpse of what Qi Zhaomian was writing, which was the top three in this spring's literary examination.

Qi Zhaomian turned the paper over to her and said, "The top three in the written exam are not guaranteed to be clean, especially the number one. I'm thinking about where to place them."

Lin Shanjuan nodded. She didn't understand official affairs and had no intention of giving any advice. She just listened to what Qi Zhaomian said.

"Jin Hong, the examiner for this exam, is a loyal official. The third place winner will be assigned to him. The second place winner can also be assigned to the Grand Tutor Li Zheng. As for the first place winner, I haven't found a suitable position for him yet."

Didn't think of that just now? Now...

Lin Shanjuan raised his eyes: "You don't want him to come to the Qingzheng Department, do you?"

Qi Zhaomian smiled and said, "Juan'er can always guess what I'm thinking. He's very smart."

The sudden compliment made Lin Shanjuan blush: "Oh, we're so in tune with each other."

In the modern dictionary, this word does not contain so much emotional color. At most, it just means "we can think alike and have the same thoughts." But for Qi Zhaomian, the weight of this word is far more than that.

Her eyes flickered slightly. "Telepathy? Juan'er means... between us?"

Lin Shanjuan was completely unaware and nodded: "Yes."

Qi Zhaomian stood up and walked slowly to her, a smile in his eyes: "Ke Juan'er said a while ago that we should each get what we need and not interfere with each other. Now today he says we have a telepathic connection. Isn't that moving too fast?"

Lin Shanjuan could hear the joy in her tone and guessed that she liked it. He chuckled and agreed, "It's a bit too fast. How about I take it back?"

Qi Zhaomian's expression visibly darkened, and Lin Shanjuan immediately stopped playing and coaxed people towards Chaoxi Hall with a playful smile.

"That's fake, it's fake. Not only do we have a telepathic connection, we're also in love and in harmony."

All her few cultural relics were brought out. Although she knew that this statement was all exaggerated, Qi Zhaomian was still in a good mood.

She hooked Lin Shanjuan's chin with her index finger and winked as a reward: "Not bad, be sweeter in the future. I will not treat you unfairly."

Lin Shanjuan smiled and nodded when he heard this, and took the initiative to help Qi Zhaomian pick up the hem of her skirt: "Okay, I'll go buy the "Collection of Love Talks" tomorrow, and after I learn it, I'll tell you different ways every day."

A collection of love words?

Love words?

Love... words...

Qi Zhaomian thought for a few seconds and understood the meaning of the word. A hint of heat appeared on his face and he glared at her.

"Just keep an eye on Chu Kuo for now. Make sure he's innocent before entrusting him with important tasks. Don't let a wolf into your house."

Lin Shanjuan also stopped joking and nodded: "Okay, I understand."

At noon the next day, Bai Shu and Qi Zhen finally came back with all the details. They were so tired that their throats were burning. They sat down and started talking about what they had learned from the day's inquiry.

Bai Shu: "This Wang Xing is from Quxian Town. He doesn't usually talk to people. He arrived in the capital two weeks before the Spring Examination and stayed in a small inn with three fellow townsmen."

Qi Zhen: "He usually never left the house. Before the exam, he would not leave the inn except to eat and go to the restroom. He would not go out until after the exam started, but he would always come back drunk."

Bai Shu: "There were also three of his fellow townsmen: Zhao Chuan, Xu Feng, and Du Nan. The four of them used to get along well, but then Xu Feng had a huge argument with the other three for some unknown reason and disappeared. The shopkeeper speculated that it was because the rent wasn't shared evenly, and Xu Feng went back to his hometown, Quxian Town, in a rage."

Lin Shanjuan shook his head, first denying this speculation: "How is it possible? He came all this way here, and he's going back home for such a small rent? He wouldn't go back even if he had to beg."