She's skilled in medicine, martial arts, and even understands animal language—the abandoned dau

"Please don't be offended, young lady. We've only just arrived here ourselves," Chu Zhiyi quickly explained. "May I ask if this Eight Immortals Fist technique was taught to us by a man named Li Mufeng?"

"That's right. Who are you to Mr. Li? What do you want with me?" Shen Man pretended not to know his identity and asked deliberately.

"I am Li Mufeng's nephew. My maternal grandfather's family has encountered some misfortune, so I have come here specifically to seek your help."

"I wonder what I call you, young master?"

"My name is Chu Zhiyi," Chu Zhiyi said, cupping his fists. "Miss should have guessed my identity, but it is not appropriate to reveal too much when traveling. You can call me Young Master Chu. This matter is of great importance. May we accompany you home so that we can discuss it in detail?"

Upon hearing that something had happened at Li Mufeng's family, Shen Man agreed without hesitation. "Okay, come with me!"

All three were skilled in martial arts and quickly arrived at Xiaoyao Village.

Early this morning, Fuling and Granny Fang went to the silkworm cooperative to help pick mulberry leaves and feed the silkworms.

Lanxiang didn't see Shen Man come home last night, so she didn't go out today and waited for her alone in the house.

"Man'er, did you stay at the clinic again last night? Why are you covered in blood? What happened?"

When Lanxiang saw Shen Man return, she quickly went to greet her and asked with concern, looking at the bloodstains on Shen Man's body.

When she saw Chu Zhiyi and his servant, she was stunned: "Who are they?"

“Mother, I’m fine. This is Young Master Chu, Mr. Li’s nephew. He’s here to see me about something.” Shen Man introduced Lanxiang, “Young Master Chu, this is my mother.”

"So it's Young Master Chu. Please come inside and have a seat."

"Young Master Chu, now you can tell us, what exactly happened at the master's house?" Shen Man led the two to sit down in the room, while Lanxiang busied herself making tea for them.

After thinking for a moment, Chu Zhiyi slowly said, "A month ago, someone found a dragon robe in my maternal grandfather's study!"

"What? A dragon robe?" Shen Man was shocked upon hearing this.

She knew that in ancient times, the dragon robe was not just a piece of clothing; it was a symbol of supreme power, a mark of imperial authority, and the only honor and privilege that the emperor could enjoy.

Others, including ministers, the emperor's sons and brothers, could not wear the dragon robe, no matter how much the emperor favored them, nor could they even keep it privately.

This was practically a "high-voltage line," and ministers who touched it would be executed or exiled.

As one of the Three Dukes, the Duke of Ningguo must have known that possessing a dragon robe was a capital offense, and that if discovered, there would be no good outcome.

Chu Zhiyi nodded and continued, "I don't know who told my grandfather this news, but my grandfather sent people to search the Ningguo Duke's mansion and actually found a dragon robe in my maternal grandfather's study."

Moreover, that dragon robe was custom-made to my maternal grandfather's measurements. My imperial grandfather was immediately enraged and imprisoned my maternal grandfather's entire family.

"Why would the Duke of Ningguo keep a dragon robe? That's a deadly thing!" Shen Man exclaimed in surprise.

“My maternal grandfather said that the dragon robe was not his at all; someone deliberately put it in his study to frame him.”

My imperial grandfather originally intended to execute the entire Ningguo Duke's family, but I pleaded with him, and in the end, their lives were spared, and their sentence was commuted to exile in Fengzhou.

"This is too tragic." Shen Man sighed, never expecting that Li Mufeng's family would encounter such a thing.

"And then what happened? How did your grandfather suddenly pass away?"

"My grandfather was old and passed away peacefully in his sleep," Chu Zhiyi said, her eyes red.

"After your father ascended the throne, did he not give Ningguo justice?"

Chu Zhiyi shook his head. "My father said that the evidence of the dragon robe being found in the Ningguo Duke's mansion is conclusive. If they are pardoned, it will be impossible to explain to the officials in the court. If I can find evidence that they were framed within six months, then he will consider exonerating my maternal grandfather's family."

"And what about your mother?"

“My mother was also implicated in this matter. Not only was she not made empress, but she was also banished to the cold palace.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Man thought to herself that the person behind the scenes had really played a good game. In this way, not only was the Ningguo Duke's family eliminated, but Li Muyun and the eldest prince Chu Zhiyi were also implicated.

"Do you know who your maternal grandfather's formidable enemies are in the court? This matter must be related to them." Shen Man looked at Chu Zhiyi and thought to herself that this young man was truly pitiful.

"The officials in the imperial court are very good at disguising themselves, so it's impossible to tell who my maternal grandfather had a grudge against. However, I think this matter must have something to do with the Duke of Xingguo's mansion."

"Oh, have you found any evidence?"

"Not yet." Chu Zhiyi clenched his fist. "I have difficulty moving around in the capital, and I am followed and monitored whenever I leave the palace. I heard my uncle mention before that you are very smart and have many ingenious ideas, so I wanted to ask you if you have any solutions."

“I do have some ideas,” Shen Man said after a moment of contemplation. “The key to this matter lies in that dragon robe. If it can be proven that the dragon robe was not hidden by your maternal grandfather himself, but was placed there by someone else, then we can clear their names.”

Chu Zhiyi's eyes lit up. "How can you prove it?"

Shen Man continued, "We can start by investigating the origin of the dragon robe, when and where it was made, what kind of silk fabric it was made of, and whether anyone else had come into contact with it. Also, the people in charge of the search at the time may have problems; perhaps we can find a breakthrough from them."

Chu Zhiyi nodded repeatedly, "As expected of someone even my uncle praises highly, you are indeed incredibly intelligent. However, this matter involves a wide range of issues, and it will not be easy to investigate."

Shen Man smiled. "Nothing is impossible for a willing heart. Do you have the fabric used for that dragon robe?"

“Yes!” Chu Zhiyi said, taking out a palm-sized piece of bright yellow cloth from the pouch at his waist. “I secretly cut this off from that dragon robe when no one was looking,”

Shen Man took the fabric and examined it carefully. The fabric was soft and brightly colored, clearly not an ordinary item.

However, the weaving method of this fabric was very special, a style she had never seen before.

“I heard my uncle mention before that the Gu family sent two weaving masters here. I wonder if they are still here? If this matter is related to the Duke of Xingguo’s mansion, perhaps they can see some clues…”

"You mean Grandpa Jiang and Grandma Song? They're still alive, they live at the east end of the village. Shall I take you to find them and ask them?"

“That’s excellent!” Chu Zhiyi replied.

Immediately afterwards, Shen Man led Chu Zhiyi to the residence of Jiang Qi and his wife at the east end of the village.

They no longer live in that dilapidated old house, but in a two-story building that the village has built for them.