Disguised as a man, she became the biggest villain in the book.

"Third Sister, do you know when Xiao Jie usually shows up?" Zheng Luoqi asked, looking at Third Sister.

“This…” Third Sister hesitated for a moment, seemingly unsure whether she should speak, but finally chose to be honest: “Actually, Third Sister hasn’t seen him for a while. Ever since the rumor of ‘opera taking lives’ spread from Yuexin Pavilion, I haven’t seen him. I don’t know if he will come again.”

Upon hearing this, Zheng Luoqi frowned, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Send someone to keep watch first, and notify me if there is any news." After saying that, he turned and left Yuexin Pavilion.

Inside the carriage, Zheng Luoqi closed his eyes to rest, while Ye Churan sat quietly beside him. After a while, Ye Churan broke the silence and asked, "When does Lord Zheng plan to take action?"

Zheng Luoqi slowly opened her eyes, a slight smile playing on her lips, and asked in a slightly teasing tone, "Which thing are you talking about?"

Ye Churan looked at Zheng Luoqi expressionlessly and replied indifferently, "About the matter of Young Master Hu's corpse."

Zheng Luoqi sat up straight, a sly glint in her eyes, and chuckled, "Oh, so that's what it is. I saw how disapproving you looked during the day, and I thought you disdained associating with me!"

Ye Churan gently shook her head and explained, "Lord Zheng, you misunderstand. I just felt that it was inappropriate to steal someone else's corpse without permission, but I had no other choice."

Zheng Luoqi raised an eyebrow, looking at Ye Churan with a half-smile, "Tonight, at the Imperial Guard, all you need to do is wait for me there."

Ye Churan pondered for a moment, then nodded.

Prime Minister's Mansion

Not long after Zheng Luoqi returned, Zheng Yuxiang came to see her.

Upon seeing Zheng Luoqi arrive, Zheng Yuxiang asked, "How's your investigation going today?"

Zheng Luoqi respectfully replied, "Father, we have some leads, but not many. We discovered a martial arts figure of unknown origin named Xiao Jie at Yuexin Pavilion. Coincidentally, he shares the same name as the martial arts figure we captured at Yuexin Pavilion last time, although that person was called Xiao Jie. We have already sent people to investigate whether there is any connection between the two of them."

Zheng Yuxiang nodded slightly in satisfaction, then said, "Yes, we must not let our guard down. The situation is tense right now, and we must act with even greater caution." As he spoke, he took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to Zheng Luoqi.

Zheng Luoqi took the letter and unfolded it with a puzzled look. He saw that the paper was densely covered with the names of various shops, none of which he had ever heard of. He couldn't help but ask curiously, "Father, what does this mean?"

Zheng Yuxiang explained calmly, "This is a strategy devised by that kid, the Emperor, along with the Chen, Wen, and Lin families. They plan to open new shops in the capital; they're already preparing to compete with us in the industry arena."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Luoqi immediately understood, and he quickly asked, "Father, what should we do?"

Zheng Yuxiang waved his hand, signaling Zheng Luoqi to calm down: "There's no need to panic for now. Let's observe for a while, understand the situation of our opponents, and then make a decision. Besides, we also need time to prepare countermeasures."

"On the other hand, if they want to develop so many things to compete with us all at once, can they really handle so many? This 'Opera Death Scheme' is probably also their doing!" Zheng Luoqi said with a hint of doubt in her voice.

Zheng Yuxiang frowned, pondered for a moment, and nodded, indicating that he agreed with his daughter's guess. He said in a deep voice, "You guessed right. We were tricked this time. If the investigation into Yuexin Pavilion is successful, we will become Ye Churan's stepping stone. The emperor will arrange a good job for Ye Churan. If the investigation is unsuccessful, then our Yuexin Pavilion will be ruined."

As a pavilion that monopolizes opera in the capital, Yuexin Pavilion generates a huge income every year. For the Prime Minister's residence, the income from Yuexin Pavilion is also considerable. Yuexin Pavilion is absolutely indispensable. No matter how you look at it, the Emperor is not at a loss.

After listening to his father's analysis, Zheng Luoqi realized the seriousness of the problem. He nodded, agreeing with his father's reasoning.

.................

At night, the Imperial Guard

Ye Churan had already joined the Imperial Guards and others.

A moment later, Zheng Luoqi finally arrived. Behind her were several guards from the Prime Minister's residence, struggling to carry a corpse over. Zheng Luoqi ordered them to put the body down and then immediately summoned a coroner to examine the body.

Zheng Luoqi stood calmly to the side, observing intently, her gaze focused on every movement of the coroner. The coroner skillfully opened the corpse's chest and abdominal cavities, carefully examining the internal organs.

Ye Churan had never seen such a scene before and couldn't bear it for a moment. He felt a strong sense of physical discomfort surge up, his stomach churned, and he almost vomited.

For Ye Churan, a scholar, such a bloody scene was far too stimulating and exceeded his tolerance.

Ye Churan tried hard to suppress the urge to vomit, but his distorted face still betrayed his discomfort.

Zheng Luoqi noticed Ye Churan's reaction and couldn't help but laugh. She found Ye Churan's disgusted yet unable-to-look-at expression quite amusing.

Zheng Luoqi's lips curled into a wicked smile as he said softly, "Lord Ye, are you feeling unwell? If you're not used to this environment, you don't have to force yourself. You can wait for us outside." His voice carried a hint of sarcasm and provocation.

Ye Churan took a deep breath, trying to control his inner aversion, but his face was still a little pale. He forced a smile and replied, "Thank you for your concern, Lord Zheng. I am fine, I'm just not used to the smell here."

"Oh, I see." A sly glint flashed in Zheng Luoqi's eyes. "Then Lord Ye must cover his mouth and nose to avoid being affected by the smell. It would be such a pity to miss the crucial moment of the show because of this. Lord Ye, you must keep your eyes wide open and watch carefully."

Zheng Luoqi narrowed her eyes slightly, looking at Ye Churan with a half-smile.

Ye Churan clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging deep into his palms, as if trying to use the pain to ignore his nausea. So, he straightened up and replied with feigned composure, "Don't worry, Lord Zheng, I will observe carefully and not miss any details."

Looking at Ye Churan's appearance, Zheng Luoqi thought to herself, "This person is quite tolerant. You have the guts to use my Prime Minister's mansion as a stepping stone, but you don't have the guts to even watch a coroner examine a corpse. How cowardly."

Zheng Luoqi wouldn't let this opportunity to annoy him slip by so easily. He dared to use the Prime Minister's residence as a stepping stone; she had to teach him a lesson.

So Zheng Luoqi looked at Ye Churan with a smile and said, "Lord Ye, cover your mouth and nose and come over to take a look." Then Zheng Luoqi began to explain to himself every suspicious point about the corpse.

Ye Churan was forced to stand next to Zheng Luoqi and listen to Zheng Luoqi's explanation.