After the fake heiress was arranged to marry a powerful future minister, she took him away.

Manager Wei saw the man on the ground, barely breathing, and suddenly walked over, spitting in his face. "Pah! Your retribution has finally come!"

"Dang——dang——"

Two gongs rang out, and then a group of yamen runners in black robes, each wielding a sharp blade, filed in.

"Official law enforcement, all unrelated persons must stand aside!"

The leader was none other than Qiao Tongzhi. He nodded slightly to Jiang Huaiyu, then turned his gaze to Cao Xin on the ground.

At this moment, Cao Xin was no longer human. He was covered in wounds, his face was contorted, his nose was bruised and swollen, and he had even lost several teeth. He was in a sorry state.

Seeing the way everyone avoided him, Magistrate Qiao understood what had happened, but he didn't delve into it. He simply ordered in a deep voice, "Take the suspect Cao Xin back to the prefectural office for trial!"

The constables then proceeded to question the crowd in detail.

Qiao Tongzhi walked up to Jiang Huaiyu and politely cupped his hands in greeting. “Madam Bai is truly extraordinary. In just one day, she has unearthed such a crucial clue. If this case can be solved clearly, Madam Bai will have made a great contribution.”

Furthermore, he is about to be promoted to a high-ranking official in the capital. If he can add another brilliant achievement of clearing his name of injustice, his official career will be even more dazzling.

Upon hearing this address, Ling Mo silently stepped aside.

Seeing his extraordinary bearing, Qiao Tongzhi couldn't help but ask curiously, "Who is this distinguished guest?"

"Well, he's just a friend."

Jiang Huaiyu thought that Ling Mo might not want to have too much interaction with Qiao Tongzhi, so he chose to avoid it and therefore did not explain in detail.

An hour later, the officials finished recording the testimonies and returned to their offices.

Those spectators who had come from the inn with Jiang Huaiyu had enjoyed the spectacle and vented their anger, so they had no time to spare and bid farewell one by one.

The workshop was deserted, with only Jiang Huaiyu and his group remaining besides the craftsmen.

Qi Xi has slowly regained consciousness under the doctor's treatment. After eating, the people in the workshop have recovered their senses and are all looking at Jiang Huaiyu with curiosity.

They had just heard Manager Wei reveal that she was the big boss behind Luo Eryin. Since Manager Wei spoke with such certainty, he must be right.

However, to everyone's surprise, the woman in front of them was so young, beautiful, dignified and elegant.

Jiang Huaiyu noticed the focus of everyone's attention and couldn't help but show a gentle smile before slowly walking into the center of the courtyard.

Distinguished guests, some of you may have never met me before and are therefore unaware of my true identity. Allow me to briefly introduce myself. I am Jiang, your mastermind. Recently, you have suffered greatly at the hands of Cao Xin, enduring much torment—a truly unfortunate situation. In my capacity as your master, I hereby announce that I grant you five days of leave and compensate you with one month's salary as a token of my remorse. Once you have recovered, we will resume our work together. Furthermore, I solemnly promise that I will ensure today that no similar misfortune will ever occur again in our workshop.

Manager Wei was the first to respond, enthusiastically declaring, "Alright, we will obey the boss's orders!"

Without further hesitation, everyone expressed their gratitude in unison: "Thank you so much, sir!"

Before Cao Xin was arrested by the authorities, he had already confessed to the crime of patricide in front of everyone. With sufficient witnesses and physical evidence, he did not attempt to resist during the interrogation but quickly confessed to all the details of the crime.

The case shocked the entire city as soon as it was announced.

Who would have thought that the peaceful and harmonious city of Wusu would give birth to such a depraved person?

The Western Wei Dynasty governed the country with filial piety, but Cao Xin dared to defy the world and brutally murder his own father. The entire city was heartbroken and condemned Cao Xin as unworthy of being a human being. Scholars and literati also petitioned the state government, demanding that this criminal be severely punished.

According to the laws of the Western Wei Dynasty, Cao Xin committed several crimes and should be subjected to the death penalty of slow slicing.

The original verdict was to be approved by the Ministry of Justice and executed in the autumn. However, the people of Wusu were outraged and put pressure on the government office every day, forcing the governor to order the immediate execution.

Wusu has not carried out the death penalty of slow slicing for more than 20 years.

This punishment, which was originally terrifying and extremely cruel, still drew large crowds of people who flocked to watch Cao Xin's execution.

Cao Shuwan was among them.

Jiang Huaiyu stood beside her and sighed softly, "Your body hasn't fully recovered yet, why put yourself in danger?"

After the case was solved, Cao Shuwan was acquitted. However, she was worried about the execution Cao Xin was about to face and insisted on witnessing the execution before returning to Wusu Ancient Town.

Cao Shuwan stared intently at the desolate figure on the execution ground, muttering to herself, "No matter what, I must witness him suffer the punishment he deserves."

Jiang Huaiyu gently shook his head and said softly, "Then I will return to the inn and wait for your return."

She was heavily pregnant and should not have witnessed such a cruel scene.

Outside the execution ground, the crowd surged and surged, layer upon layer. Yingxiang and Deng Shen carefully protected Jiang Huaiyu, and after much trouble, they managed to escape from the crowded throng. Just as they stepped onto the long street, a light rain suddenly began to fall from the sky.

Ahead, a graceful and refined figure appeared before her. As he approached, he carefully opened his umbrella to shield her from the falling raindrops.

For some reason, there seemed to be a faint worry between Ling Mo's brows.

Jiang Huaiyu asked with a smile, "Young Master Ling, didn't you say you would never set foot on the execution ground?"

The sky was overcast and it looked like it was going to rain. Deng Shen had rain gear with him, so Ling Mo obviously wasn't there to bring them umbrellas.

Ling Mo stared at her for a moment, then said in a heavy tone, "I have something I need to discuss with you."

His expression was truly rare, and Jiang Huaiyu couldn't help but be a little stunned. "What's wrong, Young Master Ling?"

Ling Mo handed the umbrella in his hand to Jiang Huaiyu, and then took another umbrella from Deng Shen, carefully holding it up.

"It's raining, let's go back first."

The drizzle in Jiangnan is gentle and delicate. It starts silently but then continues for a long time. However, this rain does not make people feel annoyed. On the contrary, it makes people feel a rare tranquility while watching the rain and breathing the moist air.

They walked back to the inn, where Jiang Huaiyu and Ling Mo sat facing each other in the elegant tea room on the second floor.

"Young Master Ling?"

Ling Mo turned his gaze away from the rain outside the window and sighed, "Something has happened in the capital..."

"The capital? Is it that Jade Capital?"

Jiang Huaiyu's expression changed drastically, and she immediately stood up.

Ling Mo said slowly, "You are pregnant, so don't be too anxious. Although there has been some turmoil in Baiyujing, it poses no immediate threat to your life."

Hearing this, Jiang Huaiyu's heartstrings relaxed slightly, and she hurriedly asked, "Young Master Ling, what exactly happened?"

Ling Mo gently raised his arm to pour her a cup of warm tea and slowly said, "When I set off from the capital, I was worried that Princess Linchuan would not let the matter rest, so I sent people to closely monitor the movements of the princess's residence and keep an eye on Bai Yujing's situation. These days, everything seems calm, until today, when I received a letter from the capital mentioning that Bai Yujing has been demoted."

"Is it merely a demotion?"

Ling Mo sighed softly and continued to explain, "It was indeed just a demotion, but Bai Yujing's experience was quite unusual. He was demoted from the position of Director of Studies at the Imperial Academy to the Western Army, where he served as a clerk without any rank."