General, you should rest now; the lady is even more ruthless.

Breakfast is usually eaten in the living room of the main house.

The two had just sat down at the table, and before they could even pick up their chopsticks, someone came through the door to announce, "Madam, Qi Yu requests an audience."

"Oh?" Jiang Qiqi was somewhat surprised.

Cheng Zixian and Qi Yu can handle everything in the teahouse perfectly well, so they hardly need her, the boss. What could possibly make Qi Yu come to see her so early in the morning?

"Let him in."

Xiang'er looked at the untouched meal in front of her, her heart breaking. She had gotten up more than an hour early and watched every step of the process in the kitchen to prepare it.

"Miss, why don't you have some breakfast first?"

"Don't worry, I'll be back soon, and I won't skip breakfast," Jiang Qiqi reassured her.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"See Master."

Upon seeing Jiang Qiqi arrive, Qi Yu bowed respectfully. In the few days since he last saw her, he seemed to have grown taller, appearing handsome and dashing, and his presence was quite eye-catching.

Jiang Qiqi gracefully sat down: "Please sit down. You don't usually come looking for me."

"Yes, my lord, but this incident happened so suddenly that Brother Cheng and I are both unsure of what to do."

Although Qi Yu tried her best to control her emotions, she was still young, and Jiang Qiqi was observant, so she still noticed some clues.

Even though he was sitting and talking, his toes were always pointing outwards, he didn't touch the tea on the table, and there seemed to be a cloud of worry between his brows.

"In that case, let's go." Jiang Qiqi pulled off a veil, put it on, and got up to leave first.

Qi Yu was taken aback: "Master, won't you listen to what it is first?"

His reply was Jiang Qiqi's voice, fading into the distance: "We'll talk on the way."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

As it turns out, this incident was indeed quite serious.

A customer at the teahouse suffered from persistent abdominal pain after drinking tea the night before and died within an hour.

If it were an ordinary person, they might just investigate properly and pay some compensation, but the person who died was a spoiled brat from a high-ranking official's family, who, due to his family connections, had become a powerless official.

But after all, he was an official appointed by the imperial court.

"For a high-ranking official to die from drinking at a teahouse is indeed a major incident," Jiang Qiqi said.

“Since the incident, the deceased’s family has been relentless. Cheng Zixian tried to negotiate with them many times, hoping to investigate the body first, but they refused to hand over the body and insisted that our teahouse had killed someone. The last time, they even used their connections to have the Ministry of Justice arrest the person.”

"Cheng Zixian has been arrested?" Jiang Qiqi asked in surprise.

Qi Yu nodded silently; otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to his master when he was desperate.

His hands, hanging in his sleeves, were clenched tightly, partly out of worry and anxiety, and partly out of anger.

I'm angry at myself for being so useless; at a crucial moment, all I can do is send a message and nothing else.

Jiang Qiqi remained silent, deep in thought.

The carriage arrived at the teahouse quickly. The Ministry of Justice acted swiftly; the back door of the teahouse had already been sealed off, and a crowd of people were watching the soldiers search the building.

"Search carefully, make sure you find all of this unscrupulous merchant's poisoned tea!" The Minister of Justice, with his large pregnant belly, stood at the door pointing and gesturing.

The waiter, who had been pinned against the wall, spotted Qi Yu with sharp eyes. As if seeing a savior, he pushed aside the officers blocking his way and ran to the two men.

"Young Master Qi, you're finally back! The government is going to shut down our teahouse and confiscate everything inside!"

Qi Yu looked at Jiang Qiqi; with his master here, it wasn't his place to speak.

Jiang Qiqi smiled, her eyes crinkling, but the smile didn't reach her eyes: "This gentleman must be the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice."

Jiang Qiqi had met the Minister of Justice, but thankfully it wasn't him, otherwise she might have been recognized since she wasn't disguised.

The vice minister turned around and glanced back: "Who is it? Can't you see me? —Miss, what's the matter?"

Seeing that Vice Minister Jiang Qiqi's attitude had completely changed, even though she was masked, based on his experience of having seen countless women, he knew she was definitely a beauty, and even if she wasn't, her figure was absolutely alluring!

The vice minister's eyes were glued to Jiang Qiqi, and he was practically drooling: "Little beauty, I'm handling a case right now. Do you have any requests to make?"

Qi Yu frowned and stepped forward to block his view.

But Jiang Qiqi stopped him.

Jiang Qiqi blocked Qi Yu with one hand and with the other hand, she opened a fan and held it in front of her face.

Wait, what about the fan? Qi Yu quickly touched her lower back, blinked... the fan was gone.

Jiang Qiqi held a fan in her hand, and the double obscuring made it impossible for the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice to see her expression.

"Sir, I am the owner of this teahouse. I just rushed here from home after hearing about the incident."

"So you're the teahouse owner," the Vice Minister chuckled. "Do you know that your teahouse serves poisoned tea, which killed a high-ranking official!"

"Ah? How could this happen?!" Jiang Qiqi's voice was full of panic.

The vice minister, with his large belly protruding, took a step forward and threatened, "Poisoning an official of the court is a capital offense!"

Jiang Qiqi seemed unable to withstand such a blow; her frail body staggered back a few steps, swaying and sobbing:

"How could this happen? I came to the capital from the southwest, with no relatives or friends. I finally managed to open a teahouse with all my family's savings, and now... I haven't made any money, and I'm about to lose my life."

"No relatives or friends?" The fat minister's eyes lit up, and his fleshy face squeezed together to reveal a smile.

"But don't worry, young lady. Our Ministry of Justice is the most impartial and will not wrong any innocent person."

He smiled and took two steps forward: "Miss, you must have come in a hurry and haven't had breakfast yet. My house has prepared a meal, why don't you come to my house for a meal?"

His undisguised, naked gaze swept over her from head to toe: "We can also talk about this case."

Qi Yu was already prepared to punch him after hearing such offensive words and actions.

To everyone's surprise, Jiang Qiqi was not angry at all. Instead, she smiled and said, "I appreciate your kindness, but I am a suspect in the murder of an official of the court. I'm afraid it would be inappropriate for me to have too much contact with you."

"No, no." The Vice Minister of Justice rubbed his hands together slyly. "When we're investigating cases, we naturally need to have a lot of contact with the suspects. It's our duty and we can't shirk it."

Although only her eyes were visible, the woman's eyes held a mixture of grievance and allure, enough to melt his bones at a single glance.

“In that case, I will not refuse any longer.” Jiang Qiqi looked around and pointed to a shop that had just opened for business. “Your home is too far away, so why don’t we have some food here first?”

The Vice Minister of Justice was naturally unwilling; he could only get things done if he went home.

However, remembering Young Master Lü's instructions, he dared not neglect them.

Well, even if I can't eat it, touching it is good enough to satisfy my craving: "Okay, whatever you say."

"My lord, please have some tea." Jiang Qiqi obediently poured tea for the fat minister. "This humble woman is unaware of the details of this matter."

Seeing how cooperative she was, the Vice Minister narrowed his eyes in satisfaction and took a sip of tea: "You've really gotten yourself into big trouble this time!"

He squinted and opened his eyes a crack, making sure all his guards were around before speaking: "Do you know who died?"

Jiang Qiqi shook her head.

"The deceased was Feng Jinwang, the second son of the Imperial Censor Feng Gui, and one of the three tyrants of the capital."

"The son of an imperial censor?" Jiang Qiqi thought for a moment, and indeed, the family was prominent.

"If he were just the son of an imperial censor, that would be fine."

The fat vice minister shook his head. The censor-in-chief was of the same rank as him. If it were just his son who had died, he wouldn't be getting out of bed with his beautiful concubine so early in the morning.

"Did you know that this person has another identity?"

Jiang Qiqi truly had no idea this time, and shook her head blankly.

The fat vice minister sneered: "He is the brother-in-law of the prime minister's only son!"

The current prime minister, only son, and brother-in-law.

Jiang Qiqi thought to herself: It's really a coincidence that things are going so well lately, and I'm really going to get into a fight with the Lü family.

"I see." Jiang Qiqi got the answer she wanted and then asked, "Then, sir, how is our manager doing now?"

The fat vice minister glanced at her and said, "Miss, I advise you not to think about him anymore. Someone must be held responsible for Young Master Feng's death. Debts must be repaid and murderers must pay with their lives."

His eyes swept over Jiang Qiqi's face: "It's such a pity that such a young beauty like you lost your life because of this. In my opinion, this case can be closed."

With things said to this point, what else is unclear? Jiang Qiqi's whole body turned cold, and she was about to speak.

"Lord Lü has arrived—"

Before the food was served, the fat vice minister heard the announcement and hurriedly stood up from his stool, jogging to the door. His fat jiggled with each movement, but even so, it did not slow his pace at all.

Jiang Qiqi sized up the newcomer.

The man looked young and, upon closer inspection, bore a slight resemblance to Lü Shuyi. He was dressed in extremely luxurious clothes, surpassing even the princes, let alone Shen Luo, who disliked extravagance.

"Young Master Lü, you've arrived." The Vice Minister, who had been arrogant just moments before, now bowed and scraped behind him like a lapdog.

Lu Jicai walked over without looking to either side and sat down on the stool: "Lord Gao, how's the case going?"

The Vice Minister of Justice gave a fawning smile: "Young Master Lü, the investigation is complete. It was the manager of the 'Floating Life Teahouse' who poisoned your brother-in-law, Young Master Feng, causing him to die at such a young age..."

He raised his sleeve to wipe away non-existent tears from his face, his eyes resolute: "Please rest assured, Young Master Lü, I have already arrested the man and imprisoned him. Once he signs his confession, he will be sentenced to death. This unscrupulous merchant will pay for Young Master Feng's life!"

Lu Jicai glanced at him and drawled, "Hmm—? My brother-in-law is a sixth-rank official in the imperial court, and you're going to pay for it with the life of a commoner? Lord Gao, are you looking down on Censor Feng, or on me, or perhaps... on my father, Prime Minister Lu?"

"This humble official dares not." Minister Gao was so frightened that he almost collapsed to the ground. "This humble official does not know what to do, please enlighten me, Young Master Lü."

Lu Jicai stared at him coldly, without saying a word.

Vice Minister Gao tentatively inquired, "Is the servant who served the tea also a suspect? Could he be in cahoots with the manager?"

Lü Jicai remained silent.

Minister Gao gritted his teeth: "I think the entire teahouse is in cahoots and should all be executed to rid the people of this scourge!"

Lu Jicai nodded and rubbed his temples. "What Lord Gao said makes sense. Let's do it this way." He had already gone to bed late yesterday, and this morning his wife was crying and insisting that he come out to seek justice for her brother. He was exhausted.

"Wait!" A clear, melodious voice suddenly interrupted.

Lü Jicai and Vice Minister Gao turned their heads to look at the same time.

As soon as he entered, Lü Jicai noticed the woman. Although she was covering her face, the extraordinary and refined aura she exuded made it hard for anyone to ignore her presence.

The person remained silent, and he paid no further attention; perhaps she was just a curious young lady from some neighborhood watching the spectacle.

Jiang Qiqi stepped forward and said to Minister Gao, "My lord, the body has not yet been examined. It is still uncertain whether my tea caused the death. I'm afraid we cannot convict him just like that."

"Your tea?" Lu Jicai caught the key point and looked at Minister Gao. "What's going on here?"

Minister Gao, eager to keep this beauty in his household, was winking at Jiang Qiqi, trying to get her to shut up.

“Well, Mr. Lü, this woman is the owner of the teahouse, but I have already investigated and found that she has nothing to do with this matter. All the evil deeds were done by the manager alone.”

Lu Jicai walked down to Jiang Qiqi's side and looked her up and down: "Is what Lord Gao said true?"

Although he had many beautiful concubines at home, none of them were as stunning as this, so Lü Jicai began to have designs on her.

If he takes her with him when he goes out, other scions of prominent families will definitely envy him.

Lu Jicai exuded a powerful aura, which would have intimidated an ordinary person, but unfortunately, he was facing Jiang Qiqi.

"Young Master Lü, is it?" Jiang Qiqi was not afraid at all, and even leisurely started fanning herself.

“Young Master Lü is powerful and influential, and I know I am no match for you. What you said is the truth of the case.”

Although that's what he said, the more Lü Jicai listened, the more awkward he felt.

"You're not convinced?" Lu Jicai looked at her with disdain.

Jiang Qiqi slapped her fan and said, "That depends on the situation."

"What do you mean?"

Jiang Qiqi's eyes gleamed: "If you use your power to oppress me, I have no power or influence, so I have no choice but to submit; but if you uphold justice and reason, then I will naturally not submit."

Without giving the other person a chance to speak, she continued, "Of course, Young Master Lü is incredibly powerful. Why bother with things that can be solved with money and power? Anyway..."

She glanced at Lü Jicai: "Anyway, Prime Minister Lü's power is so great that no one would dare to criticize Young Master Lü's actions."

Lu Jicai stared intently at her, as if trying to bore a hole through her.

Minister Gao was sweating profusely. This crazy woman was courting death; he still wanted more. She was truly ignorant of her own limitations and dared to offend anyone.

He couldn't protect her.

"You audacious scoundrel! You know this is the young master of Prime Minister Lü, yet you still dare to spout such nonsense! I think you're tired of living! Guards, seize this scoundrel!"

"Yes!"

"Wait a minute," Lü Jicai said.

He looked at Jiang Qiqi with nothing but arrogance and disdain in his eyes.

"Lord Gao, since this teahouse owner is not satisfied, then proceed strictly according to the trial procedure. Remember, strictly according to it, without the slightest error!"