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

“You can’t save your sister, but you can bring the person who killed her to justice.” Commander Ma patted Li Shen on the shoulder: “Stand up and speak.”

Li Shen didn't move, remaining kneeling on the ground, looking at his sister's corpse with deep remorse.

“After that, I never saw her again. Since we came to the Marquis’s mansion, it has always been her, the younger sister, who came to see her brother. I, the older brother, have never taken the initiative to go to see her. Apart from the fact that it was inconvenient to go into the backyard, I always felt that I had much more to do than she did, and I always felt that I didn’t have time to go to see her.”

Li Shen knelt and moved forward two steps, carefully grasping his sister's finger bones.

"In the time before my sister disappeared, she was sent to that man's mansion by the old lady many times, and each time she returned covered in injuries. Until she became pregnant with that man's child, until that man knew she was pregnant with his child. He was a young master from a noble family, and he could not have an affair with a maid, let alone let this maid give birth to his child. My sister was forced to drink medicine, and when she woke up, she went mad. The old lady Lu was afraid that this matter would get out, so she made my sister be beaten to death."

Li Shen lowered his head: "For four hours, they locked my sister in the Buddhist hall and beat her in front of the Buddha for four hours. To make an example of her, they summoned all the maids who had attended the banquet that day to watch. Liu'er was there too; she watched my sister being beaten to death."

"Do you know where Liu'er is? I, the captain, have her brought here. Since this is a murder case, we need witnesses."

“Liu’er… Liu’er is in Guazi Hutong.” Li Shen looked up at Captain Ma: “The innermost courtyard. She was sold by the old lady, and I managed to buy her back. Not only Liu’er, but also two others, they can all testify for me that my sister was beaten to death by the servants ordered by the old lady Lu.”

"To cover up her crimes, Madam Lu spread rumors throughout the mansion that my sister, Yingtao, was a thief, and even asked the government to issue an arrest warrant for her. Please, Miss, please, Commandant, do justice for my sister, Li Yingtao."

Guazi Hutong wasn't far from here, and they arrived in no time, at breakneck speed. As Li Shen had said, they were not only eyewitnesses to Li Yingtao's humiliation, but also to the innocent killing and sale of servants by Old Madam Lu.

According to the laws of Northern Liang, masters had no right to sell servants who had not signed a contract of indenture with the Marquis's mansion.

The deceased is identified, the plaintiff is identified, and the witnesses are identified; all that remains is to summon the defendant.

Meanwhile, Lu Jinyao took Lu Huai to the dungeon. Wei Linglan was gone, Ji Wanwan had vanished, even the traces of blood and struggle were gone. Suddenly turning around, he grabbed Lu Jinyao by the neck, slamming her against the dungeon door, gritting his teeth: "In your and your mother's eyes, am I, Lu Huai, a complete fool? That night the strange men attacked the city, you tricked me into opening the city gates, you almost made me a sinner of Beiliang. Tonight, you've used the same trick again! Lu Jinyao, tell me, where is your mother? Where is that Southern Chu spy your mother killed?"

Lu Jinyao looked completely bewildered.

She didn't know why Wei Linglan had disappeared, Ji Wanwan had disappeared, and even the bloodstains and traces on the ground had vanished, as if nothing had ever happened. Without time to think, she quickly explained, "Jin Yao didn't lie to the Marquis. It was Lu Zhiyuan; she must have taken the Southern Chu spies and Mother away!"

"You dare to implicate my daughter!" Lu Huai tightened his grip. "She's only eight years old! How could an eight-year-old child open the dungeon door! She's not you, she has no relation to Ji Wanwan, what reason does she have to take her out!"

“She is eight years old, but Lu Yun beside her is not eight years old.” Lu Jinyao’s face was pale. “My lord has forgotten that Lu Yun beside her knows martial arts! Besides Lu Yun, there are also those experts raised by the Xie family. Any one of them could take my mother away. Although she and my mother are not mother and daughter, they are enemies. She has a reason to take my mother away.”

“An enemy?” Lu Huai’s fingers loosened slightly. “What grudge does she have against your mother? If there is a grudge, then she should be kept locked up in this dungeon.”

"Has Your Excellency forgotten the rumors circulating in the city? They say that the people in the villa were arranged by my mother, and that they want to kill Lu Zhiyuan." Lu Jinyao moved her neck. "Isn't Your Excellency curious about where the steward and servants in the villa have gone?"

"Where else can you go besides selling them?" Seeing her move, Lu Huai's hand tightened instantly.

Her throat, which had just been cleared, was gripped again, and Lu Jinyao felt a surge of murderous intent, which vanished in an instant. Although Grand Tutor Wei had adopted her as his goddaughter, it was only out of respect for Prince Yong'an. While Prince Yong'an might be her biological father, he was unwilling to acknowledge her, and as a traitorous official, she would be implicated if he failed. Lu Huai, though not her biological father, had raised her for ten years.

Ten years, not ten days; she was certain there was affection between them. She wanted to make the most of that affection. With that thought, she gave up her last struggle and looked at him with obedient, daughterly eyes.

"She killed the steward, the wet nurse, and all the maids around her, and buried them on the mountain behind the villa."

"If Your Excellency does not believe me, you can send a trusted person to check the back mountain after the capital is unsealed."

"The Marquis has never been with his daughter, so he doesn't know her character or her methods. She not only buried those people alive, but also buried them upside down, making them stick to the ground like nails."

Like nails driven into the soil?

Lu Huai thought for a moment, but couldn't recall the scene. Lu Zhiyuan's image floated into his mind, but her face was blurry. He seemed to have never really looked at his daughter properly, only remembering that she was short, thin, and frail, and that she was always dressed more warmly than others.

She seemed reluctant to call him "father," and every time she did, it sounded like she was mocking his inadequate role as a father. She was remarkable; the Emperor liked her, the Empress liked her, even that arrogant princess, spoiled by the Emperor and Empress, liked her… What exactly did they like about her?

I remember now, the steward said that when strange people were causing trouble in the capital, she went straight to the garrison commander's mansion all by herself.

My head was throbbing badly, so I loosened my grip a little.

Lu Jinyao thought she had struck a chord with him and continued, "My sister Yuan'er sees my mother as the mastermind behind this, and she will never let her stay peacefully in the dungeon. My lord, Jinyao knows that my mother has made a mistake, but that's because she cares too much about you. If my mother is truly wicked, you can send her to the authorities. She has served you for ten years; can you bear to watch her die a miserable death?"

Lu Huai was in a state of confusion and removed his hand from Lu Jinyao's neck.

For ten years, his feelings for Ji Wanwan were genuine, as were his affection for Lu Jinyao and Lu Jingyuan. But how much of their affection for him was genuine, and how much was fake?

My head hurts, it feels like I'm being pricked by many needles.

Lu Jinyao held his hand and said softly, "My lord is a man of deep affection, and he would never treat my mother like that. You have loved Jinyao for ten years, and I have called you father for ten years, whether I am your biological daughter or not. As for the strange man, I can explain. I was young and believed them when they said it could help my father gain merit. If my lord cannot forgive me, I am willing to die. But my lord, my mother and I cannot die in the manor."

Lu Jinyao raised her eyes, her eyes brimming with tears: "The Marquis has treated Mother and Jinyao so well. Mother and Jinyao cannot implicate the Marquis or the Marquis's mansion."