How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

Zheng Peilan shouted, "No, absolutely not!"

Unfortunately, the woman did not listen to her. As soon as she finished speaking, the servants behind her immediately took action and swiftly dealt with the men.

The blood on the dagger hadn't been wiped dry yet, and Zheng Peilan was momentarily stunned.

"Qiao Da, what are you doing? They are members of the Zheng family. What right do you have to kill them?"

Only then did the person lower the cloak and hood, revealing a fair and slender face. It turned out to be the eldest daughter of the Qiao family mansion, Qiao Da.

Miss Qiao gave her a cold look, "Are they from your Zheng family?"

Zheng Peilan nodded and said, "Of course, you have to consider the owner before you beat a dog. How can you make such a decision on your own..."

"Enough," Qiao interrupted her, his tone full of contempt, as if he were talking about something extremely filthy. "As a woman, how could you condone your servants' violence? A woman's reputation is of paramount importance. Are you trying to kill her by humiliating her like this? Killing a few servants who committed violence is nothing wrong with that. If you want to blame me, then pay me the price."

Zheng Peilan blushed and said, "I wasn't after that little bit of money. It was clearly you who took it upon yourself to ruin my grand plan."

Qiao Dawei's voice was slightly angry and even sharper, "Miss Zheng, don't make me ashamed to know you."

Zheng Peilan's face turned ashen. "You..."

"I have other things to do. Do you want to go down the mountain by yourself, or should I take you back?"

"Hmph, no need." Zheng Peilan angrily flung her sleeves and left.

Qingru then expressed her gratitude, "Thank you, Miss Qiao."

Qiao Da nodded slightly, "No need to be polite, it was nothing."

Qiao Er and Qiao San immediately stepped forward to help Qingru up, and then took a cloak and wrapped it around Qingru from head to toe.

Her clothes were already tattered and torn. If it weren't for Miss Qiao's kindness, Qingru probably wouldn't have been able to get down the mountain.

Thinking of this, Qingru solemnly knelt down to express her gratitude, "Thank you all. If it weren't for you... I, Lü Qingru, would never hesitate to help you in the future."

Miss Qiao accepted the kneeling and waited for Qingru to finish speaking before helping her up. "I really do have a request."

Qingru understood, her eyes reddened, and she led them down the mountain, saying, "Come with me."

Inside the temporary morgue, a woman's soft sobs could be heard, occasionally punctuated by a few painful and sorrowful cries.

Qingru couldn't help but tear up. Her own mother had passed away early, and she felt the same way. At this moment, her heart was also filled with sorrow.

The three Qiao sisters knelt before the corpse of the director's wife and wept, followed by a throng of servants who had just arrived. Qingru then noticed that all the servants were women, including the one who had just committed murder.

After the Qiao sisters calmed down, Qingru brought in hot tea.

At this moment, the Qiao sisters had already removed their cloaks, revealing plain white mourning clothes underneath. Combined with their pale faces, they appeared even more desolate.

"Miss Qiao, please have a cup of hot tea. I'm sure Mrs. Qiao wouldn't bear to see you go hungry and cold."

At this point, the Qiao sisters' eyes reddened again, and their voices choked with emotion.

Miss Qiao stepped forward, took the hot tea, and set it aside. She then grasped Qingru's hand and asked, "Miss Lü, how did my mother die?"

Qingru knew what she was asking, sighed, and briefly recounted the events.

Upon hearing this, Sister Qiao's tears fell again. "Who is it?"

"We don't know yet. This matter involves a wide range of people. All we know is that Mrs. Qiao was shot dead. It wasn't an accidental bullet wound, but rather a premeditated act."

Qingru also felt guilty, as she had only found out so far, and there were some things she couldn't tell the Qiao family.

After all, these matters concern the entire Sifang City, and she doesn't want the Qiao family to get into trouble because of this.

She didn't want to talk about it, and Sister Qiao didn't force her; she just held her hand a little tighter.

"Just tell me, will my mother's death endanger the Four Directions City?"

"Perhaps... the person behind the scenes hopes to create chaos through this."

"Then, can my mother's body be transported back for burial?"

"This... I will consult my superiors and will definitely try to help."

“I understand. Tell your superiors that the Qiao family will not suspect anything or be dissatisfied. If someone is plotting against us, the fault lies with those with ulterior motives. As long as my mother’s name can be cleared, the Qiao family will not have any objections.”

Qingru nodded solemnly, "Okay."

She had only met the Qiao sisters once and knew that they came from an extremely feudal family, where girls of that age still had their feet bound, and that the three sisters were very shy and conservative. But now she saw that they were not like that at all. They were brave and decisive, reasonable and sensible, not at all pedantic or old-fashioned. What was even more rare was their unwavering loyalty and consideration for the greater good.

Commander Guo's judgment was correct; such a woman is indeed worthy of being the matriarch of a large family. In contrast, consider Miss Zheng, whom Qingru and Guo Zixing initially favored…

Qingru shook her head. Forget it, we shouldn't make comparisons like that.

The Qiao sisters stayed behind to observe mourning for Mrs. Qiao. Qingru specially asked Jiang Shen to bring people to prepare a separate room to store Mrs. Qiao's body.

Only then did Qingru realize why the Qiao family hadn't come out to claim Mrs. Qiao during the day.

It turned out that Director Qiao had gone to Wuhan on official business and wouldn't be back for a while. According to his family rules, the Qiao daughters were not allowed to meet guests alone. That's why they waited until evening, avoiding the bustling city center, and happened to meet Qingru on the mountain.

Zheng the comprador and Zheng Peilan have already left; only the Guo family remains. Guo Zixing has yet to return, and Qingru is extremely anxious.

"What? Are you worried about him?" Jiang Shen teased.

“No, if he comes back sooner, we can send Mrs. Qiao back as soon as possible. By the way, what exactly did you find out?” Qingru asked.

"This case involves many aspects, but I have already sent people to investigate secretly, and the truth will come out soon."

Qingru nodded, feeling slightly relieved. "Mrs. Qiao wouldn't be..."

"Absolutely not, I swear on my honor, they didn't put a single shot in the guests."

Qingru looked at him suspiciously, "What evidence do you have? The identities of these men in black will soon be confirmed. If you can't produce any evidence, they might be held responsible."

Jiang Shen hurriedly swore, "Why would I lie to you?" He gritted his teeth and revealed the truth, "I contacted informants, they will find the evidence themselves, don't worry."

Qingru then reluctantly believed it.