If someone had told Sui Tan that her delicate, lily-like elder sister was involved in the death during the spring hunt, she would never have believed it.  

But Young Master Sun was relentless, and her sister had no alibi to prove her innocence.  

So when they hurried back to the camp, they saw the Chief of the Dali Temple “escorting” her sister away.  

“Sister!” Blocked by the imperial guards, Sui Tan couldn’t rush forward and could only stand outside, calling out anxiously.  

Her sister’s eyes were red. Hearing the voice, she turned back, her starry eyes glistening with tears, but she subtly shook her head, signaling Sui Tan not to act impulsively.  

The Chief of the Dali Temple beside her also stopped and turned to look. When his gaze fell on the two of them, it became inexplicably profound, his handsome brows furrowing conspicuously as he openly cupped his hands in a slight salute.  

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the eldest daughter of the Duke of Qin’s household was taken away just like that. Sui Tan was frantic but had no other recourse. Clutching Lin Qi’s sleeve, she begged him repeatedly to help her find evidence.  

“Young Miss,” Lin Qi hesitated, “this case has already been taken over by the Dali Temple. It would be inappropriate for me to overstep.”  

“Help me, Lin Qi.”  

It was as if Sui Tan hadn’t heard his words. Her eyes red, she pressed her forehead against his shoulder, murmuring as if to herself or as if struggling to demand justice from someone:  

“I already brought her out of the Duke’s residence… Why can’t we escape the fate of her being wrongfully accused to death?”  

“Can I really change nothing…?”  

The thin layer of black fabric on his shoulder grew damp with warmth. Her whisper was as light as a feather, but to the other person, it struck like thunder.  

Lin Qi’s eyes widened abruptly, the hand hidden in the shadows suddenly clenching into a fist.  

After a long silence, he finally found his voice again, his expression complicated as he looked down at the head buried against his chest. He closed his eyes tightly, as if making a resolute decision.  

“Alright. I’ll take you to find evidence.”  

The sudden murder case was shrouded in suspicion. The Dali Temple had immediately deployed heavy guards to seal off the crime scene, making it impenetrable.  

Under such tight security, entering the scene unnoticed was nearly impossible. The two of them also didn’t want to risk being accused as accomplices. After some deliberation, they decided to start with those who had come into contact with the corpse.  

The eunuch had been the first to discover the body, but he was now babbling incoherently, driven mad by the shock.  

So the two stealthily made their way to the imperial physician’s quarters, seeking the other person who had handled the corpse—the Head Physician of the Imperial Hospital, Hu, who had been forced to examine the body in the absence of a coroner in the royal hunting grounds.  

Under a moonlit night with sparse stars, a chilling wind blew. Sui Tan knocked on the door several times before finally hearing a drawn-out “Coming” from inside, followed by the creak of the door opening.  

Through the gap in the door peeked a pair of aged, drooping eyelids. Beneath the flickering candlelight, the pupils within appeared even murkier.  

His eyeballs rolled mechanically, and upon recognizing them, he rasped in a saw-like voice, “Ah, the Second Young Miss of the Qin household,” before stepping aside to let them in, swinging the door wide open.  

Sui Tan instinctively swallowed hard, first grabbing hold of Lin Qi’s sleeve and practically clinging to him as they stepped inside together.  

The interior of the room wasn’t as eerie as expected. Physician Hu set down the candlestick, the dim candlelight illuminating most of the space. As Lin Qi closed the door behind them, Sui Tan cut straight to the point:  

“Physician Hu, we came to ask you about the murder case—”  

“It was done by the Eldest Young Miss of the Qin household.”

Physician Hu suddenly interrupted her, lowering his eyes and cupping his hands in a salute, his voice devoid of any inflection.  

“In this old servant’s opinion, the Eldest Young Miss of the Qin household harbored resentment over the broken engagement and thus committed this murder.”  

At these words, both of them paled. Sui Tan strode up to the physician, her delicate brows furrowed as she stared intently at him.  

“Physician Hu, could you repeat that?”  

Her action was extremely rude, but Physician Hu seemed utterly unfazed. He merely saluted again, his tone still flat, each word delivered so matter-of-factly it sent chills down their spines.  

“The murder was committed by the Eldest Young Miss of the Qin household. The Eldest Young Miss killed the commoner girl out of dissatisfaction over the broken engagement.”  

Sui Tan’s frown deepened. Suddenly, she turned and pulled Lin Qi aside.  

Whispering in front of an elder was highly improper, but Physician Hu paid no heed, standing motionless with downcast eyes. The dim candlelight cast shadows beneath his eyelids.  

“Don’t you think,” Sui Tan murmured, her gaze still fixed on Physician Hu, covering her lips with her hand, “something’s off?”  

Lin Qi nodded, his tone hesitant. “Physician Hu does seem different from what I remember.”  

Their eyes met, and Lin Qi immediately grasped the gravity of the situation. His expression darkened, his voice turning grave.  

“But if even the Head Physician of the Imperial Hospital has been bribed to give false testimony, then the Eldest Young Miss…”  

“Not necessarily bribed,” Sui Tan raised two fingers. “I think he’s more likely under puppet control.”  

The candle wick crackled softly. Lin Qi watched in astonishment as a glimmer of golden light flashed from Sui Tan’s fingertip, pointing straight at Physician Hu.  

In the dim room, the white-haired old man remained in the same deferential posture, but Lin Qi’s sharp instincts told him something in the room had changed.  

“Who’s there?”  

The old man, who had moments ago behaved like a puppet, suddenly sprang to life, glaring warily in their direction.  

“Who’s in my room?!”  

Then, upon seeing them clearly, his eyes widened in outrage. “Second Young Miss Qin? What are you doing here?”  

“And with a man, no less, clinging to each other in my room—”  

His indignant scolding cut off abruptly the moment his eyes met Lin Qi’s. He clamped his mouth shut so suddenly he nearly bit off his own tongue.  

Seeing this, Lin Qi quickly shook his head slightly, signaling him to stop with his eyes.  

The poor physician, still shaken, trembled as he glanced between Lin Qi and Sui Tan. Swallowing his words, he merely cupped his hands in silent deference.  

“Physician Hu, we came today to ask about the murder case from earlier.”  

“This old servant knows what the Second Young Miss wishes to ask.”  

Returning to the main topic, Physician Hu composed himself, narrowing his eyes as he repeated his findings:  

“Unless the Eldest Young Miss of the Qin household has been practicing lifting a three-hundred-pound cauldron daily while walking briskly, this old servant truly cannot fathom how she could have single-handedly killed that commoner girl by knocking her over.”