After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

Zhu Guozhi died from poisoning; his internal organs all turned black.

This poison, originating from southern Xinjiang, is colorless and odorless, and is used on members of the tribe who have committed offenses. Those poisoned will die without their bodies decaying. The people of southern Xinjiang believe that the soul of the deceased will be imprisoned within this eternally incorruptible body, suffering eternal torment.

This is the most severe punishment in southern Xinjiang.

This poison flowed into Northern Liang and was used by some Jianghu gangs, causing panic at one point.

Six years ago, a family was murdered in the capital. The victim's home was covered in blood, but the body was nowhere to be found. Panic ensued, and all sorts of rumors circulated.

The case reached the palace, and the emperor ordered the Court of Judicial Review to investigate thoroughly, with the Military Commandery assisting in the investigation. They investigated for three months without success. Just as the Minister of Judicial Review was preparing to enter the palace to plead guilty, the case made a breakthrough.

An unidentified body was discovered inside a statue in a temple outside the city.

The body was wrapped in a clay statue, which was broken and exuded a putrid odor, alarming the monks and worshippers in the temple. Through investigation, they found a total of fifteen bodies of various sizes in two temples and two nunneries, the smallest of which was wrapped in a hair ornament.

Because the body inside the clay statue did not decay, rumors of evil spread throughout the capital until the murderer was brought to justice.

The coroner involved in that case was the same coroner who examined the body in front of the Marquis's residence today. With just one glance, he recognized that Zhu Guozhi died from witchcraft in the southern border region.

Before his death, Zhu Guozhi had been in an argument with someone. He had scratches of varying degrees on his face and hands. There were ligature marks on his neck and a blow to the back of his head. Judging from the appearance of the wounds, they belonged to a vase used for home decoration.

“There was a pair of plum vases in my son’s room, which were a gift from the elders of the family when my son married Ji Wanwan. After my son died, one of them was pawned by Ji Wanwan. I asked her about this, and she hesitated for a long time, saying that she was afraid of being reminded of him by seeing the vase.”

Madam Zhu's lips trembled, her body shook slightly, and a sob escaped her throat.

“This wicked woman said that my son died suddenly from an illness.”

Madam Zhu clutched the memorial tablet tightly in her hands, wishing she could devour Ji Wanwan alive.

“She said my son had a terrible illness and needed to be buried this morning. I asked to see my son one last time, but she used the child in her womb to block me in front of the coffin. My poor son, who was devoted to her, was killed by her.”

The maid supporting Old Madam Zhu said, "The news of the young master's death was leaked to my old lady by someone else. When the old lady arrived, Ji Wanwan was directing people to seal the coffin. She used her unborn child as leverage, lying that the young master had left a will, not wanting anyone to see his death. If my young master hadn't died with his eyes open and frequently appeared in my dreams, my old lady wouldn't have disturbed him and gone to the point of digging up the grave and opening the coffin. That was her own son, whom she carried for ten months and raised little by little."

The onlookers were abuzz with discussion; some sympathized, some cursed, and others pointed at Ji Wanwan, demanding she pay for Zhu Guozhi's life. Ji Wanwan's face turned deathly pale, and she hid behind Lu Huai. Little did she know that her action only solidified Old Madam Zhu's accusations against her.

Seeing that the situation was in her favor, Old Madam Zhu began to wail and scream.

“My poor Zhi’er! You appear in my dreams every night, reminding me… reminding me that you were killed by this poisonous woman.”

Onlookers began to step forward, sleeves rolled up, fists clenched, eager to help Old Madam Zhu seek justice. Ji Wanwan was so frightened that she waved her hands repeatedly and said in a trembling voice, "No, it wasn't me! Don't listen to her, Zhu Guozhi's death has nothing to do with me."

Lu Zhiyuan gestured for Lu Yun to pick her up, yawning as she said, "Aunt Ji said that Uncle's death had nothing to do with you. Yuan'er wants to ask Aunt Ji, where were you when Uncle died? Did you personally handle Uncle's funeral arrangements? If you did, how could you not see that Uncle died of poisoning? Even if you couldn't see the poisoning, you could still see the marks on his body. Is Aunt Ji denying it because she's afraid of paying for murder with her life?"

Every word was like a knife to the heart, leaving Ji Wanwan, who was already harboring a secret, speechless.

Seeing the growing chaos in front of the Marquis's residence, Xie Chaoyun approached Old Madam Zhu and whispered a few words in her ear. Old Madam Zhu cupped her hands and said, "As you say, Madam."

When Xie Chaoyun reached the captain, he whispered a few words to him. The captain then took a step back, cupped his hands, and said, "That is only right."

Lu Huai craned his neck, and Ji Wanwan tilted her ear, both wanting to know what Xie Chaoyun had said to them. The captain turned around, and Ji Wanwan hid behind Lu Huai in fright, hearing him say loudly, "This concerns a life, please come with me, Madam Ji."

Ji Wanwan shook her head and tugged at Lu Huai's clothes: "Brother Huai, Wanwan didn't kill anyone, Wanwan doesn't want to go to the Commandant's Mansion."

Lu Huai turned his head, his heart pounding. Emotionally, he believed Ji Wanwan, but he wasn't stupid; the evidence was undeniable, and Ji Wanwan was far from innocent. He turned his gaze to Xie Chaoyun; he needed someone to give him advice.

Xie Chaoyun ignored the noise behind her and walked over gracefully.

“This involves human life, and Your Excellency cannot show favoritism. You must know that even the emperor is subject to the same laws as commoners.” His gaze fell on Ji Wanwan’s hands, and he calmly pried them apart: “If my cousin is innocent, the Commandant’s Mansion will clear her name. In my opinion, this Old Madam Zhu is not a unreasonable person, otherwise she would not have allowed you to live a carefree life with your two children for ten years.”

"Xie Chaoyun," Ji Wanwan gritted her teeth, "you want me dead."

Xie Chaoyun was taken aback, then feigned surprise and said, "What makes you say that, cousin? When you married your husband, I had not yet married into the Marquis's mansion. I was born in the capital and grew up on the frontier. After marrying the Marquis, I made the Marquis's mansion my home. I have never been to Weinan, nor do I know your husband's family. How can you link what you did to me?"

He lowered his eyes and said, "My lord, you should be the judge."

Lu Huai was thinking about something else.

He was sent to Weinan by imperial decree, and he met Wanwan on his second day in office.

On the drizzling street, she stood in the rain, holding a tattered oil-paper umbrella, like a delicate lilac blossom battered by the wind and rain.

In the small shop by the street, she stood awkwardly, her gaze towards him filled with unspoken sorrow. She said she had been forced into marriage, that she had no feelings for her husband, and that he was the only one in her heart. Her eyes were red from crying, and she said she no longer deserved to stand by his side. Before he could say anything, she covered her face and ran away.

She ran so fast that she forgot the umbrella that was placed in the corner.

He told the servant to stay put and went after her with an umbrella. Ji Wanwan punched him, complaining about why he had come to Weinan and why he had to appear when she had already resigned herself to her fate. He tried to explain, but was suddenly kissed on the lips by her.

My brain exploded in an instant, and what happened afterward was both beyond my control and a natural consequence.

They had a child. In the second month after he arrived in Weinan, he was at a loss for what to do and suffered from insomnia for many days. Wanwan comforted him, saying that she didn't care about any formal status and wouldn't make the child public. She said she would find a way to make Zhu Guozhi believe that the child was his.

She nestled in his arms, looking extremely aggrieved. He suddenly felt like he wasn't a man, that Wanwan had borne everything, and immediately vowed to give her and their child a proper status.

Wanwan told him that Zhu Guozhi had died suddenly from illness. He did not suspect anything, not only because he trusted Wanwan, but also because the Zhu family did not cause any trouble, and Zhu Guozhi was buried in accordance with custom.

If Wanwan was lying to him, if Wanwan really killed Zhu Guozhi, if people found out about his affair with Wanwan in Weinan, what should he do?

Lu Huai felt flustered and dared not think too deeply about it.