He was hacked to death! Reborn and married to the Grand Secretary, his family wept with regret.

An Wuyang felt a pair of burning eyes staring at him, and couldn't help but frown, subconsciously taking a step back.

A cool fragrance filled the air, and An Wuyang felt a strange sense of familiarity. But when she looked closely at the person's face, she saw that he had sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, and was handsome and refined. He was the kind of person who would be hard to forget once he saw him in a crowd.

An Wuyang was certain that she had never seen him before.

Yan Juzhi stepped to the side and stood in front of An Wuyang, blocking the newcomer's view.

In an instant, both sides composed themselves.

"City Lord Wen!"

Zhu Ying stepped forward and bowed, then they introduced themselves to each other.

That person was Wen Jingnian, the newly appointed lord of Ning County.

The two exchanged pleasantries, but An Wuyang felt a gaze fixed on him, yet when he looked up, he found nothing.

Their identities were kept somewhat hidden.

Yan Juzhi disguised himself as a minor official who came to Ning County from the capital on business.

When Zhu Ying was about to introduce An Wuyang, An Wuyang preemptively said that he had once served ***.

With the dust still settled, An Wuyang didn't want to reveal his identity too early, lest it cause further complications.

In this way, she would be considered to be of the same rank as Zhu Ying, both being female officials serving the emperor.

Wen Jingnian glanced at An Wuyang with a half-smile, then cupped his hands in a bow and said, "Madam An's name has now spread throughout Ning County."

"So it turns out that Madam An was originally a member of the ***, no wonder she is so righteous."

Wen Jingnian emphasized the three words "***" very heavily, staring intently at An Wuyang as if trying to see right through her.

A smile remained between his brows as he said meaningfully, "I am deeply grateful to Madam An for the medicine she has given me over the years!"

When he mentioned "donating medicine," his eyes seemed to light up for a moment.

His words seemed ordinary, but his eyes were filled with intense passion, and Yan Juzhi's face immediately darkened.

Before An Wuyang could answer, Yan Juzhi stepped in front of him, his voice cold and distant, and said to Wen Jingnian, "We have already paid our respects to the city lord today. If there is nothing else, we will take our leave now!"

After saying that, Yan Juzhi pretended to tug at An Wuyang's sleeve, deliberately making a slightly intimate gesture in front of others.

Wen Jingnian waved his folding fan, a smile on his face, and did not stop him. However, if one looked closely at the subtle emotions in his eyes, one could see the surging murderous intent he harbored towards Yan Juzhi.

Just as the two were about to part ways, a guard suddenly reported, "Lord, we have captured two people of unknown origin in the manor!"

"They're yelling that they want to see ***!"

Upon hearing the guard's report, Wen Jingnian was surprised and turned to look at An Wuyang: "This thief is quite well-informed; he actually came to my residence to ask for news of the thief!"

Because this matter was related to ***, An Wuyang and the others could no longer bring up leaving.

However, someone just happened to report that there was a problem with the pot used for applying medicine, so Zhu Ying took Yan Yan to deal with it.

Wen Jingnian ordered his men to bring the two men in for questioning.

Before long, guards from the city lord's mansion pushed two people into the courtyard; it turned out to be Li Huai-ren and Luo Qing-fan.

The two men were tied with ropes, and as they struggled, their clothes became wrinkled, making them look disheveled.

However, those two pairs of eyes were terrifyingly bright, much like wild dogs scavenging for food in a mass grave, ready to bite into any piece of fat they could find without hesitation.

"We want to see ***!"

"We have important news to report to the ***, please release me immediately!"

Li Huai-ren and Luo Qing-fan shouted loudly, showing no fear whatsoever.

Once they had steadied themselves, Li Huai-ren looked up indignantly and immediately saw Yan Ju-zhi.

From the beginning, he judged that Yan Juzhi was of extraordinary status, so he did not think there was anything wrong with Yan Juzhi appearing in the city lord's mansion.

But seeing Yan Juzhi being treated like an honored guest, sitting in the main seat in the courtyard drinking tea.

But he was tied up like a thief, and compared to that, Li Huai-ren felt increasingly aggrieved and dissatisfied.

Li Huai-ren snorted coldly: "Do you know who I am?"

"How could you treat me like this?"

Facing the city lord and the crowd, Li Huai-ren deliberately straightened his back, putting on what he thought was an extraordinary demeanor.

Li Huai-ren's gaze swept over Yan Ju-zhi and Wen Jing-nian, a secret resentment rising in his heart.

If it weren't for the Kyoto Incident that led to his downfall, as the eldest grandson of a noble family, everyone present should have knelt and kowtowed to him. Why would he have to be so pathetic in front of Yan Juzhi?

As for An Wuyang, Li Huai-ren felt that the woman wearing a veil in front of him looked very familiar, but he couldn't remember who she was for a moment.

Li Huai-ren would never believe that An Wu-yang had a chance to enter the city lord's mansion. Even though she seemed to be close to Yan Ju-zhi now, she was just a crude woman who was more likely to be used than to be worthy of being in a respectable position.

Li Huai-ren snorted coldly again: "I am Li Huai-ren, the eldest grandson of the Marquis of Zhongyong in the capital. Why don't you untie me at once?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a sneer was heard.

Looking up, he saw Wen Jingnian's gaze, which held a hint of ruthlessness.