My low-key cultivation of immortality was discovered by the emperor in my diary.

Night Guard.

A secret, clandestine body directly under the emperor, responsible for monitoring officials and gathering intelligence.

They have no uniforms or obvious markings, making them difficult to spot in a crowd.

The Night-Slaying Blade is a special honor among the Night Guards, second only to the Emperor's Imperial Sword. There are only a few of them, representing the Emperor's trust in and delegation of power to the Night Guards.

However, the Night Guards don't just wander around outside. Whenever they appear with their Night-Slaying Blades, they are definitely on an important mission.

This Prefect of the Capital was in charge of handling cases in the capital and had the good fortune to have seen the Night-Slaying Blade twice, which is why he was able to recognize it at a glance.

He immediately realized that the person carrying the Night-Slaying Blade must be an important figure in the Night Guard. Judging from his young age, he might be one of the captains of the three titled squads.

The Prefect of the Capital immediately sat up straight and adopted a proper attitude.

He pondered that the Night Guards couldn't have appeared here for no reason, so who were they here for?

Chu Lengyu? Impossible, just an adopted daughter. With no power or influence, how could she possibly have the Night Guards following her?

That means it can only be the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

The recent snow-viewing banquet has been the talk of the town. His Majesty may be planning something against the Four Kings and Eight Dukes, which is why he sent out the Night Guards.

He's showing up so openly with the Night-Slaying Blade, could it be... that he's hinting at something to me?

The Prefect of the Capital immediately imagined many plausible scenarios, and his expression toward Chu Lengyu became even more hostile.

Hmph, even the Night Guards are representing His Majesty the Emperor to support the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, and she still thinks she can win the case? What a pipe dream.

At this moment, Yun Zhongshou shifted his knees, took a step forward, and took out a jade pendant from his belt, saying, "Someone came to me last night, saying there was a good deal. This is something I stole from that person. If you investigate this jade pendant, you'll definitely find some clues."

The Prefect of the Capital glanced at it and said dismissively, "Everyone knows you, Cloud Hand, are a master thief, but who knows when and where you stole this jade pendant? Did anyone witness you stealing it?"

"Huh? How... how could anyone possibly be a witness?" Yun Zhongshou was dumbfounded.

He picked up the jade pendant and hurriedly said, "I'm not lying. I really stole this from that man last night. I went outside the city not long after I got it. If it were something I stole before, why would I carry it with me!"

“But that certainly doesn’t count as evidence unless you can actually prove it,” the Prefect of the Capital said, shaking his head.

A hint of disappointment flashed in Chu Lengyu's eyes.

Before coming, she had thought that the Prefect of the Capital would favor Chu Wenchen and wouldn't want to offend him, after all, he was the Duke of Zhenguo. But she didn't expect the Prefect of the Capital to keep making excuses for him and finding all sorts of reasons.

Seeing her silence, the Prefect of the Capital glanced at the crowd in the distance and asked, "Miss Chu, there is still a question in this case that I must ask. Please answer truthfully. Why do you believe that your second uncle, the Duke of Zhenguo, would send someone to assassinate you? Did you do anything that would make him so desperate to take revenge on you?"

Although this is indeed a point of suspicion, the tone of Jingzhao Yin Ying is still very biased towards Chu Wenchen, which is very unfavorable to Chu Lengyu.

Sure enough, as soon as she finished speaking, the gazes of those around Chu Lengyu changed from confusion to suspicion and accusation.

"Yes. Could it be... that she did something to offend the Duke of Zhenguo?"

"Master Chu is a very kind person, so his younger brother can't be a bad person either."

"Didn't we already hear that she was adopted? Could she be an ungrateful wretch?"

"How could the Duke of Zhenguo resort to such despicable means? If he really wanted to deal with a little girl, would he need to spend money to hire someone?"

"That's it."

……

Although Lou Qing couldn't see Chu Lengyu's expression from the crowd, he believed that Miss Chu must be very disappointed and angry right now.

He secretly made a decision: if the Prefect of the Capital favored Chu Wenchen and prevented Miss Chu from getting the result she wanted, or even harmed her, he would have to intervene even if it meant exposing his identity. He absolutely could not let Miss Chu suffer any injustice.

He believed that even if His Majesty the Emperor knew about this, he would allow him to do so.

Just as Lou Qing was about to appear, the bustling crowd parted to make way for her.

—The Duke's steward has arrived!

Steward Zhao, with a serious expression, strode into the main hall, cupped his hands, and said to the Prefect of the Capital, "Your Excellency, my surname is Zhao, and I am the steward of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. My master heard that the eldest young lady has caused a scene at the Prefectural Government, and he specifically ordered me to come here to explain."

"Oh?" The Prefect of the Capital also wanted to hear what the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion would say, and asked, "What do you want to explain? Tell us."

“There is indeed a conflict between Miss Chu and my master,” Butler Zhao said frankly from the outset.

The people were astonished, and even the Prefect of the Capital was puzzled as to what he was trying to do. He leaned forward and asked, "What is the conflict? Can you explain it to me here?"

"Alas. There's no point in hiding it now." The steward sighed. "Actually, it was an inheritance left by my master that Miss Chu embezzled and kept secret for nearly three years. If it weren't for her spending 500 taels of gold to buy a manor outside the city a few days ago, my master would probably still be in the dark."

Upon hearing this, even Chu Lengyu looked at him.

It turns out that Chu Wenchen and the others mistakenly believed that her gold came from Chu Hanchen's "inheritance," which led to the troubles of the past two days.

Now she finally understood the reason, but she shook her head inwardly. No matter the reason, she could not forgive the Chu family for daring to plot against her in this way, not even in the slightest.

The people were terrified.

"My God, did I hear that right? 500 taels of gold!"

"How much silver is that? Five...five thousand taels of silver! So much money just to buy a garden? What a spendthrift woman!"

"If my daughter spent money like that, I would be so angry that I would beat her to death."

"It turns out it was Master Chu's inheritance, which she secretly seized without even knowing it to Master Chu's own brother. She looks innocent and pure, but I never expected her to be so ruthless."

……

"Silence!" the Prefect of the Capital shouted.

Steward Zhao continued, "The garden is currently undergoing land deed procedures with the government. It will be easy to verify once checked; there's no way to fake it in black and white."

After my master learned of this, he even paid a special visit to Miss yesterday. Considering her young age, he didn't want to pursue the matter further despite her extravagant spending. He only wanted to meet her in person and gently persuade her not to continue squandering his inheritance. Unexpectedly, Miss not only refused to see him but also sent thugs to drive him away.

My husband and wife returned home yesterday afternoon, deeply troubled, and even consulted a doctor. However, the accusation of hiring someone to commit murder is a complete fabrication!

The Prefect of the Capital nodded repeatedly, believing that what Steward Zhao said was the truth. He thought to himself: That Chu Lengyu has a cold and arrogant face. She is obviously an unruly, rebellious and arrogant person. Not only does she not obey the Duke of Zhenguo's discipline, but she has also developed a grudge against him. Now that it has come to the government, it is truly a misfortune for the family.

The onlookers were even more indignant.

"Master Chu is indeed kind-hearted; even in this situation, he has not given up on his niece."

"If I had a daughter like that, I'd be driven crazy too."

"How dare she? Isn't she afraid of retribution?"

"What an unfilial daughter! Master Chu treated her so well, yet she repaid kindness with enmity, framing her in the capital. What a heartless wretch!"

"Yes, you ingrate!"

……

The people's emotions were becoming increasingly agitated.

Lou Qing was sweating bullets. If he were to step in now, the public outcry would likely make things even more unfavorable for Miss Chu.

He hurriedly left the crowd and went to the backyard of the Jingzhao Prefecture.