Cao Xuanxuan's Love Journey Recap, Plot, Synopsis

Cao Xuanxuan's Love Journey Synopsis

Zhou Na, a writer of modern mystery novels, comes to the ancient city of Yan by chance and becomes the bride of Guo Zijie, a county magistrate.

They work together to solve many strange cases. As they fall in love with each other, a conspiracy comes unexpectedly...

Cao Xuanxuan's Love Journey Recap

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Zhou Na was reading a book called Yan City Chronicles. Suddenly, she fainted, and when she woke up, she found a man sitting by her bedside. Mistaking him for a rogue, she hit him and fled the room. When she ran into the courtyard, she noticed that everything around her was completely different from her era. The people in the courtyard were all dressed in ancient clothing. Seeing Cao Xuanxuan, everyone quickly gathered around her.

Cao Xuanxuan had no time to think and assumed she had been kidnapped. She tried to escape but was eventually stopped. Unfamiliar with her surroundings, Cao Xuanxuan grabbed a yamen officer's sword and held it to a man's neck, forcing him to reveal the truth. However, she was knocked unconscious from behind. Cao Xuanxuan woke up in the room again. She tried to sneak out by climbing through the window.

During her escape, she began to realize that she might have traveled through time. Cao Xuanxuan’s sudden awakening disrupted many people’s plans. It turned out that Cao Xuanxuan’s spirit had been sabotaged, causing her to fall into a coma. The second wife of the Guo family wanted to marry off her distant relative to Cao Xuanxuan’s husband. However, the head of the Guo family, feeling guilty toward the Cao family and Cao Xuanxuan, decided not to harm her further.

Exhausted after running through the vast courtyard, Cao Xuanxuan returned to her room to eat something. Guo Zijie appeared suddenly, startling her. The two accidentally fell together, and Guo Zijie even kissed Cao Xuanxuan. At that moment, members of the Guo family rushed in. From their conversation, Cao Xuanxuan learned that she was a child bride. Disdainfully, she wanted to leave. However, as she reached the door, she overheard that her husband was Guo Zijie.

She realized that she had traveled into the book Yan City Chronicles. Determined to return to modern society, she began searching for the book everywhere. While searching for clues about Yan City Chronicles, Cao Xuanxuan decided to enjoy herself first. She went out but ended up being dragged into a brothel by two men who recognized her.

The next day, after waking up from drunkenness, Guo Zijie angrily scolded her for wandering around recklessly and decided to take her to the yamen. An imperial inspector arrived in Yan City to conduct an investigation. To prove his capability, Guo Zijie held a court session, attracting a large audience. However, the cases brought to him were all trivial matters, which he felt did not showcase his skills. Suddenly, a subordinate reported an unusual case.

A woman named Zhao Xiaolin claimed that her husband had been taken away by a fox spirit. She described the entire process of her husband’s disappearance and brought along two of his friends as witnesses. The case seemed bizarre to everyone. The imperial inspector found the story absurd, and Guo Zijie, noticing his reaction, ordered Zhao Xiaolin and the two friends to be detained before quickly leaving to consult books.

Guo Zijie’s hesitation in resolving the case caused public doubt about his abilities. Even Cao Xuanxuan scolded him for his incompetence. While searching through the books, Cao Xuanxuan found an untitled book. Guo Zijie treated it as a treasure, and during their conversation, Guo Zijie suddenly had an idea and named the book Yan City Chronicles. As Guo Zijie delayed the verdict, the audience grew restless, and the imperial inspector became impatient.

With no progress, Cao Xuanxuan stepped forward to analyze the case, claiming she could solve it within five days. She made a deal with Guo Zijie: if she succeeded, she would get Yan City Chronicles. The next day, when Guo Zijie was about to resume the case, Cao Xuanxuan stopped him, insisting they visit the crime scene together. As they walked through the streets, they arrived at a crime scene where a female coroner was conducting an autopsy.

The coroner identified the victim’s husband as the murderer, but the accused vehemently denied it. Just then, the coroner’s grandfather arrived and confirmed that the husband was the killer. Since Guo Zijie needed a coroner for the investigation, he wanted to bring the female coroner along. However, upon hearing Guo Zijie’s reputation, she walked away disdainfully. While on the street, Cao Xuanxuan noticed a Rubik’s Cube and suspected that there might be other time travelers.

She also saw a notice posted by the yamen recruiting people. To test for time travelers, she decided to use a Rubik’s Cube competition as a recruitment method.

Cao Xuanxuan suddenly woke up with a completely changed personality, as if she were a different person. Everyone found it strange, and the Guo family’s patriarch and steward suspected that Cao Xuanxuan wasn’t the real one but had been replaced by someone identical. These suspicions were overheard by Guo Zijie’s elder brother, who was eavesdropping outside the door. While using a Rubik’s Cube to identify other time travelers, a man appeared and effortlessly solved the puzzle.

Cao Xuanxuan was thrilled and eagerly asked him how he could solve it. The man claimed he had a natural talent for such things since childhood. Cao Xuanxuan assumed he was hiding his identity as a time traveler and decided to observe him further. She took him to the county yamen, hoping to recommend him to Guo Zijie as an assistant.

However, Guo Zijie, seeing Cao Xuanxuan being close to another man, became jealous and deliberately made things difficult to drive the man away. Despite this, the man responded skillfully to all questions. That evening, Guo Zijie brought his adviser home for tea. It turned out the two already knew each other—the man was Sun Weiyan, whom Guo Zijie had deliberately invited to mislead Cao Xuanxuan.

The Rubik’s Cube was something Guo Zijie had memorized after watching Cao Xuanxuan play with it. Guo Zijie then discussed the investigation with Elder He, but Elder He’s granddaughter, He Chun, thought Guo Zijie wasn’t a good official. However, seeing her grandfather’s advanced age, He Chun decided to assist him instead. Just then, an assassin broke into the yamen, and He Chun drove the assassin away.

Meanwhile, Guo Zijie’s elder brother, who had sent people to capture Cao Xuanxuan, was furious upon learning that the mission failed. It turned out there were two groups of intruders—one sent by Guo Zijie’s brother to retrieve Cao Xuanxuan and another group of genuine assassins intending to kill. Guo Zijie and Cao Xuanxuan led a group to the crime scene to investigate. As it grew late, they decided to stay at an inn.

Due to a shortage of rooms, one person had to sleep in the storage room. Everyone hesitated, but Zhao Qiang volunteered, as others were too timid or weak. Cao Xuanxuan and Guo Zijie ended up sharing a room. During the night, Cao Xuanxuan secretly took Yan City Chronicles from Guo Zijie, only to find that the book was blank. Frustrated, she woke Guo Zijie, demanding that he quickly write the book so she could find a way to return home.

Guo Zijie explained that since the events hadn’t unfolded, there was nothing to write. Suddenly, a scream broke the silence outside. Everyone rushed out to see Zhao Xiaolin sitting in the courtyard, panicked. The storage room where Zhao Qiang was staying had disappeared without a trace. Terrified, Zhao Xiaolin fled, prompting Guo Zijie to order the group to chase after her while he and Cao Xuanxuan stayed to examine the scene.

He Chun and Sun Weiyan secretly observed Zhao Xiaolin’s behavior but ended up falling asleep leaning against each other. The next morning, they were embarrassed when Guo Zijie and Cao Xuanxuan woke them up. As they analyzed the case, the strange events left them clueless. Cao Xuanxuan suggested investigating the victim’s social connections to find leads. Since they weren’t at the yamen, Cao Xuanxuan improvised by setting up an interrogation room using modern techniques, including spotlights, to uncover the truth.

The villagers were summoned for questioning. They all showed great fear and reverence for the fox spirit and hesitated to discuss anything that might anger it, even mentioning fire. When someone brought up discovering the victim’s headscarf, Zhao Xiaolin couldn’t hold back her tears and started crying again. However, the villagers blamed her, as her husband wasn’t from their village but from another.

They felt she should’ve married someone local instead of bringing trouble upon the village by offending the fox spirit. At that moment, someone discovered the victim’s body, and everyone rushed to the scene. He Chun put on a mask and began examining the body, hoping to find clues that could shed light on the case.

He Chun examined the body and discovered that the cause of death was neither burning nor drowning. The group began analyzing the case, discussing possible causes of death to uncover clues. As everyone was engrossed in their discussion, Li Ye suddenly fled, but He Chun noticed and gave chase. The group searched for Li Ye, and Sun Weiyan encountered Sun Yi, a classmate of Li Ye, by the river.

After capturing Li Ye, Sun Yi revealed that Li Ye had secretly reported the victim to the academy authorities. Sun Yi also disclosed that the victim had committed many misdeeds. Based on Sun Yi's account, Sun Weiyan concluded that Li Ye killed the victim out of jealousy related to the academy. However, He Chun and Cao Xuanxuan found the situation suspicious, as they couldn’t find any clues about Zhao Qiang’s mysterious disappearance. Li Ye insisted he had not harmed anyone.

At that moment, Zhao Qiang appeared, acting delirious, and accused Li Ye of being the murderer before running away again. The superstitious villagers of Zhao Family Village summoned a sorcerer to perform a ritual on Zhao Qiang, hoping it would restore his sanity. Meanwhile, Cao Xuanxuan pieced together clues from the case and decided to investigate Zhao Xiaolin’s home.

Guo Zijie and two others grew worried when Cao Xuanxuan didn’t return after a long time, so they went to Zhao Xiaolin’s house to search for her. However, they couldn’t find any trace of her. As everyone was puzzled, Cao Xuanxuan suddenly returned from outside. Through her investigation, Cao Xuanxuan discovered that the disappearing house was a mere illusion, similar to modern-day magic tricks.

Guo Zijie asked her to explain the case’s details, but Cao Xuanxuan proposed a condition: Guo Zijie must follow all her instructions. Though Guo Zijie, as a county magistrate, was reluctant to agree, Cao Xuanxuan promised to give him all the credit for solving the case. With this assurance, Guo Zijie agreed to her terms. Cao Xuanxuan explained to everyone that what Zhao Xiaolin saw that night was not her husband but a puppet.

Because it was late at night and visibility was poor, Zhao Xiaolin mistook the puppet for her husband. When she wasn’t paying attention, the puppet was pulled up to the roof, creating the illusion of a person disappearing. The group continued interrogating Li Ye, who adamantly denied committing murder, though he admitted to harboring the intention. He revealed that Fu Miao had defiled his childhood sweetheart, Zhang Qin. To gather evidence, He Chun and Sun Weiyan sought out Zhang Qin.

Initially, Zhang Qin denied knowing Li Ye, but when she heard about her defilement, she became emotional and refused to speak further with He Chun and Sun Weiyan. The next day, Li Ye escaped, and shortly after, Zhang Qin arrived, claiming her child was missing. She also shared her past experiences with Li Ye. The group searched for the child and eventually found them unconscious in a bush, with vine marks around their neck.

Meanwhile, Guo Zijie’s father continued investigating Cao Xuanxuan’s background and discovered that she had a missing elder sister. He mistakenly believed that the Cao Xuanxuan in their household was the elder sister. Sun Weiyan and He Chun returned to Zhang Qin’s house, but Zhang Qin refused to let them in. They noticed a man’s footprints outside and speculated that they might belong to Li Ye. Li Ye was being chased by a group of masked men.

Just as they were about to capture him, He Chun appeared, but she was outmatched, and both were captured. After waking up, Li Ye became flustered and recounted the entire incident. It turned out that He Chun had intentionally allowed herself to be captured to hear Li Ye’s true account. Cao Xuanxuan uncovered the reason for Zhao Qiang’s "disappearing house. " What Zhao Qiang entered wasn’t actually a house but a wall that appeared invisible from the group’s seated position.

Based on this, she deduced that Zhao Qiang might be the true culprit. He Chun brought Li Ye back, and Li Ye detailed the entire incident. He revealed that Zhao Qiang had helped him escape and that Zhang Qin came forward to testify on his behalf. However, these were just theories and lacked concrete evidence to convict Zhao Qiang. The trial was set for the next day. During the court session, Zhao Qiang was brought in for questioning.

At first, he denied committing murder and even presented evidence to prove his innocence. However, one by one, his evidence was refuted.

Zhao Qiang still refused to admit to the method Cao Xuanxuan uncovered about the disappearing house. She brought in Zhang Qin as a witness. Faced with overwhelming evidence, Zhao Qiang finally confessed, though he denied harming Zhang Qin’s daughter, Xiaohua. Guo Zijie analyzed the events of the day, and with Xiaohua awake, she came to the county office and personally identified Zhao Qiang. Seeing no way out, Zhao Qiang admitted to his crimes in court. With the case resolved, everyone celebrated.

The imperial envoy was impressed with Guo Zijie. That evening, the four gathered for drinks. During the celebration, Cao Xuanxuan subtly probed to see if anyone else had experienced a similar time-travel situation. However, Guo Zijie couldn’t decipher her intention and found her odd questions irritating, dampening the mood. Cao Xuanxuan had no choice but to stop asking. Thanks to his success in solving the case, Guo Zijie’s elder brother became furious and even lashed out at his servants.

Early the next morning, news came that Zhao Qiang had died in custody. While Guo Zijie didn’t seem too affected, Cao Xuanxuan remarked on his strong composure, suspecting he wasn’t the kind of person to be easily rattled by such news. For her role in solving the case, Cao Xuanxuan obtained the Yancheng Log but discovered that only Guo Zijie could write in it.

She urged him to complete the log quickly, only to find that the original log didn’t include clues about the Fox Spirit case. She speculated that her arrival might have caused a butterfly effect, making her worry about returning to the modern era. Despite his anger, Guo Zijie’s elder brother brought him a generous gift to show support in front of their father. Guo Zijie feigned ignorance and credited Cao Xuanxuan for solving the case.

Suspecting Guo Zijie was “playing dumb,” Cao Xuanxuan admitted to solving it but claimed her methods were inspired by stories she had heard. Guo Zijie’s elder brother suggested a marriage between the two as a test, but Guo Zijie deflected by using their father as an excuse. Guo Zijie’s father summoned him and urged him to marry soon. Guo Zijie remained indifferent, prompting his father to drop the topic.

Instead, his father brought up Cao Xuanxuan, suspecting that she might actually be her missing elder sister. He mentioned that the elder sister had a crescent-shaped birthmark on her back, a detail he shared with Guo Zijie. Sun Weiyan and He Chun were strolling through the street when a cart suddenly collided with Sun Weiyan, knocking him down. Though his injuries weren’t serious, they still hindered his ability to travel.

Feeling guilty because the accident happened while they were joking around, He Chun offered to carry him. Initially embarrassed, Sun Weiyan eventually agreed. The two finally located the place where a Western painter had been selling his paintings, but the painter had already left, leaving an old man in charge. That evening, He Chun brought Sun Weiyan home to rest.

However, since there was only one bed, He Chun offered it to Sun Weiyan and sat in a chair to sleep. As he prepared to sleep, Sun Weiyan naturally blew out the candle. Terrified of the dark, He Chun cried out when the room went dark and ran to Sun Weiyan’s side. Sun Weiyan searched for a fire striker, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t relight the candle.

Left with no choice, he stayed by He Chun’s side, keeping her company throughout the night. Meanwhile, Guo Zijie was writing the Yancheng Log. To help him finish quickly and stay aligned with the original timeline, Cao Xuanxuan gave him notes based on her previous readings of the log. Though Guo Zijie copied them, he seemed unwilling. At this time, Sun Weiyan returned, and Cao Xuanxuan asked him about the painter.

They learned the painter’s stall location and that the original painter had gone to a wedding. Since Guo Zijie happened to know about the event, Cao Xuanxuan asked for his help. The four of them went to the wedding together, but due to the large number of guests, there weren’t enough rooms for everyone to have their own. Cao Xuanxuan proposed sharing a room with He Chun.

The next morning during breakfast, someone reported that Luo Ji hadn’t been seen since the previous night. When they knocked on his door that morning, there was no response. Out of concern, everyone decided to investigate. Upon entering the room, they found Luo Ji dead on the candlestick—a classic locked-room murder case. He Chun wanted to examine the body but was stopped, allowing the imperial envoy to inspect it instead.

After examining the scene, the envoy determined the time of Luo Ji’s death. Everyone gathered in the main hall, with suspicions hanging over the group. Master Zhao forbade anyone from leaving, but Eunuch Wang, who had come from the palace, was reluctant to stay. Cao Xuanxuan suggested that everyone provide alibis and identify witnesses. Each person shared their alibi. Suddenly, someone questioned Master Zhao about his whereabouts the previous night.

Master Zhao claimed that he had felt tipsy and returned to his room to sleep alone. At that moment, He Chun noticed bloodstains on Master Zhao’s clothes, raising suspicions that he was the murderer. Eunuch Wang, especially uneasy about Master Zhao investigating the case, expressed his doubts. To prove his innocence, Master Zhao voluntarily locked himself in his room, leaving Guo Zijie to take over the investigation.

Guo Zijie and the others examined the crime scene but found no evidence of the murderer entering the room. Everyone was perplexed, but Cao Xuanxuan speculated that the killer might not have entered the room at all and could have used the ceiling to lift the bed or the victim. Sun Weiyan and He Chun went outside to investigate, while Cao Xuanxuan and Guo Zijie stayed in the room. During their investigation, they accidentally ended up in each other’s arms.

The unexpected closeness stirred feelings between them, and they instinctively leaned in for a kiss, only to be interrupted by He Chun and Sun Weiyan returning. That night, Cao Xuanxuan couldn’t stop thinking about her impulsive moment with Guo Zijie. While lost in thought, she overheard He Chun talking. It turned out that a child named Xiaodouzi wanted to go home, but since everyone was under suspicion, the Lü Mansion had been sealed off, preventing anyone from leaving.

Hearing this, Cao Xuanxuan didn’t want to make things harder for the servants and decided not to let Xiaodouzi leave. Xiaodouzi later wandered into Guo Zijie’s room and saw a bracelet that Guo Zijie had prepared for his future bride. Guo Zijie became flustered when Xiaodouzi noticed it and, in his nervousness, ended up putting it on Cao Xuanxuan’s wrist. At that moment, two men arrived to discuss the case with Guo Zijie and took him away.

Afterward, Cao Xuanxuan noticed some writing on the table, which turned out to be Guo Zijie’s mother’s handwriting. He Chun explained that the bracelet was a family heirloom intended for the future daughter-in-law. Cao Xuanxuan was deeply moved and found it difficult to sleep that night. The next day, Xiaodouzi brought his mother to meet Cao Xuanxuan. She then discovered that Xiaodouzi was Zhao Xiaolin’s child.

Zhao Xiaolin, who was working in the Lü Mansion, mysteriously asked about the progress of Cao Xuanxuan and Guo Zijie’s relationship. Just as she was about to reveal something, Guo Zijie walked in and interrupted. Cao Xuanxuan tried to return the bracelet to Guo Zijie, but he put it back on her wrist. When Guo Zijie’s cousin learned that Cao Xuanxuan was wearing the bracelet, she became jealous and plotted to poison her.

However, her plan was discovered, and Cao Xuanxuan brought her in front of Guo Zijie to confront her. Upon questioning, it was revealed that the poison had come from Guo Zijie’s elder brother, though it wasn’t intended to be lethal. Guo Zijie refused to pursue the matter further, which angered Cao Xuanxuan. That night, the imperial envoy was found dead in his room, stabbed in the back without signs of a struggle.

It was concluded that the envoy likely knew the murderer. During the investigation, Sun Weiyan speculated that there was only one culprit, but Guo Zijie seemed distracted. Knowing his mood was tied to Cao Xuanxuan, He Chun and Sun Weiyan urged him to apologize. Guo Zijie approached Cao Xuanxuan, explaining why he didn’t want to continue investigating the poisoning. She forgave him. The next day, Guo Zijie was cooking in the kitchen alone.

Cao Xuanxuan wanted to help but instead encountered the second wife of the Lü family, who was acting hysterically. Cao Xuanxuan returned to her room to wait for Guo Zijie’s noodles. While waiting, Zhao Xiaolin came to warn her to stay away from Guo Zijie. She also revealed that Guo Zijie had ordered the fall from the cliff. This revelation devastated Cao Xuanxuan, leaving her unable to process the shock.

Guo Zijie happily brought a bowl of noodles for Cao Xuanxuan, but she angrily knocked it over and questioned him about her fall off the cliff in Zhao Village. It turned out that Sun Weiyan was the one who ordered Cao Xuanxuan to be pushed off the cliff. Sun Weiyan had suspected that Cao Xuanxuan was a spy sent by Guo Zijie’s elder brother and wanted to eliminate her.

Guo Zijie had arrived at the cliff and discussed the matter with Sun Weiyan, which was overheard by Zhao Xiaolin. This led to the misunderstanding that it was Sun Weiyan who gave the order. Cao Xuanxuan hadn’t actually fallen but had clung to a vine at the edge of the cliff. Guo Zijie pulled her up but didn’t mention Sun Weiyan’s involvement, instead blaming the villagers for the incident.

Cao Xuanxuan refused to give Guo Zijie a chance to explain, rejected his feelings, and stormed off angrily. Guo Zijie wanted to chase after her, but another case arose, forcing him to send He Chun to look after Cao Xuanxuan while he went to the crime scene. Guo Zijie’s elder brother, frustrated by repeated failed attempts to harm Cao Xuanxuan, decided to seize the opportunity when he learned of the quarrel between Cao Xuanxuan and Guo Zijie.

Cao Xuanxuan, upset, ran into a bamboo forest, where she was ambushed and knocked out by two masked men. He Chun, who had followed her, couldn’t find her but discovered her earring. Realizing something had happened to Cao Xuanxuan, He Chun hurried to inform Guo Zijie. Panicked, Guo Zijie searched everywhere for her. In an abandoned temple, a group of masked men brought out an unconscious Cao Xuanxuan and threatened Guo Zijie, forcing him to drink poison to save her life.

If he refused, they would kill her. Just as Guo Zijie was about to drink the poison, He Chun appeared and knocked the poison to the ground, engaging in a fight with the masked men. Guo Zijie rushed to Cao Xuanxuan’s side to check on her but was attacked from behind. Guo Zijie’s elder brother, believing that he had successfully eliminated Guo Zijie, celebrated with his mistress, Du Juan, boasting that he would divorce his wife and marry her.

Cao Xuanxuan woke up but still didn’t forgive Guo Zijie. Heartbroken, Guo Zijie left, entrusting Cao Xuanxuan to He Chun’s care. He Chun informed Cao Xuanxuan that Luo Ji’s body was missing, which Cao Xuanxuan found suspicious. She began analyzing the case but felt unwell. He Chun volunteered to investigate in her place.

He Chun and Sun Weiyan went to question Master Zhao’s subordinates and learned that Master Zhao was highly skilled in martial arts, making it nearly impossible for anyone to attack him without resistance. On their way out, they encountered the deranged second wife of the Lü family. Showing her Luo Ji’s portrait, they observed her strange reaction. He Chun and Sun Weiyan returned to report their findings to Cao Xuanxuan.

After hearing their conclusions, Cao Xuanxuan claimed to have figured out the true culprit. The next day, she gathered everyone in the main hall. Cao Xuanxuan revealed that the true murderer was Luo Ji. The blood seen earlier was sheep’s blood, not human blood. Although some people were skeptical, especially since Master Zhao had examined the scene and found nothing unusual, Cao Xuanxuan explained that Master Zhao and Luo Ji were accomplices.

However, Luo Ji’s real target had been Master Zhao, which allowed him to attack so easily. The group questioned how Luo Ji had entered Master Zhao’s locked room. Initially, they suspected that Master Lü had given Luo Ji the key. At this point, Sun Weiyan presented a letter, revealing that the second wife of the Lü family had been having an affair with Luo Ji.

Upon discovering Luo Ji’s death, she had sought revenge but instead witnessed Luo Ji killing Master Zhao. Believing Luo Ji was a ghost, she had been scared into madness. The group also questioned how Luo Ji had seemingly died on the candlestick, as they had all seen. Cao Xuanxuan asked Guo Zijie to bring out the candlestick from that day. It was revealed that the base of the candlestick was hollow and lacked spikes.

Everyone praised Cao Xuanxuan’s intelligence as the truth of the case came to light. With the case resolved, the group was free to leave the Lü Mansion. As they were departing, Guo Zijie helped Cao Xuanxuan express her wish to meet a Western painter.

Sun Weiyan secretly went to meet the mysterious person who had been giving him orders. He angrily questioned whether the incidents at Zhao Village and the Lü Mansion were orchestrated by this person. The mysterious figure, however, threatened Sun Weiyan with his father’s life. Back at the Guo Mansion, Guo Zijie angrily confronted his elder brother, Guo Zilu, demanding to know why he had harmed Cao Xuanxuan. Overcome with rage, Guo Zijie even struck Guo Zilu.

Concerned for his safety, Mr. Tao advised Guo Zijie to avoid clashing with such a petty and malicious person. Coincidentally, it was their father’s birthday banquet that day. Hearing about the brothers’ fight, their father scolded Guo Zijie. Guo Zijie admitted his mistake and promised to resolve the conflict with his brother. Their father forgave him and assigned him the task of picking up an old friend, Mr. Ning. After being beaten, Guo Zilu was furious.

He realized that Guo Zijie had been pretending to be naive while actually being quite capable. Guo Zilu grew anxious that their father might announce at the banquet that Guo Zijie would take over the family affairs. Upon learning that Guo Zijie would go to pick up Mr. Ning that evening, Guo Zilu once again harbored murderous intentions. Guo Zijie was about to apologize to Cao Xuanxuan when their cousin, Sun Ying, burst in.

She had unknowingly provided the poison earlier and, feeling jealous of how close Guo Zijie and Cao Xuanxuan were, expressed her frustration. Guo Zijie publicly admitted that he only had feelings for Cao Xuanxuan. Hearing this, Sun Ying left heartbroken. Cao Xuanxuan was secretly pleased but maintained a calm exterior. Guo Zijie, Cao Xuanxuan, and He Chun originally planned to pick up Mr. Ning together.

However, since it was their father’s 60th birthday and Guo Zijie hadn’t bought a gift yet, he asked He Chun to take care of it. On the way to Mr. Ning’s residence, they encountered Sun Weiyan and two companions, who were also heading to see Mr. Ning. Mr. Ning explained that he wasn’t in good health and asked them to wait two hours until the doctor, Dr. Shi Zhen, arrived. The group was directed to rest in the backyard.

Cao Xuanxuan noticed something suspicious. Despite the large size of Mr. Ning’s estate, there was only one servant present. She suspected that Mr. Ning was hiding something and trying to buy time. Guo Zijie, informed of the situation, went to confront Mr. Ning and found his servant packing gold and silver into boxes. When questioned, Mr. Ning claimed the valuables were gifts for Guo Zijie’s father.

Guo Zijie was taken aback by the amount of wealth but became even more suspicious when a servant mentioned that 100 taels of silver were still missing. Cao Xuanxuan, sensing something was amiss, asked Guo Zijie for a 100-tael silver note and handed it to Mr. Ning. She deduced that the money was a ransom. Mr. Ning confessed that his youngest son had been kidnapped. Although he initially wanted the group to leave, Guo Zijie insisted on helping.

Suddenly, the kidnappers appeared at Mr. Ning’s estate. However, when the group rushed into the room to apprehend them, the kidnappers had mysteriously vanished. Fearful for his son’s safety, Mr. Ning decided to comply with the kidnappers’ demands and deliver the ransom to the designated location. Guo Zijie and Cao Xuanxuan accompanied Mr. Ning to the meeting spot.

On the way, Guo Zijie suggested that after resolving the ransom situation, they should return to celebrate his father’s birthday and that he would formally discuss their marriage with his father after the banquet. Meanwhile, Guo Zijie’s father intended to pass the family leadership to Guo Zilu. The butler was shocked, as Guo Zilu was not his biological son. Despite this, the father had treated Guo Zilu as his own due to years of care and loyalty.

Holding the father’s written will in disbelief, the butler left the room, only to encounter Guo Zilu outside. At the ransom location, Guo Zijie and Cao Xuanxuan found it odd that the kidnappers had chosen this place instead of taking the money directly from the estate. However, driven by concern for his son, Mr. Ning ignored the strangeness of the situation and focused solely on rescuing his child. Despite his urgency, he had made some preparations just in case.

While delivering the ransom, Guo Zijie asked Mr. Ning if he had any enemies. Mr. Ning replied that he followed the principle of “If others don’t offend me, I won’t offend them,” so he had no known adversaries. However, Cao Xuanxuan questioned the servants and learned that Mr. Ning had two sons, with a clear preference for the younger one. She also inquired about some strange markings on the younger son’s body.

At the Guo household, Guo Zijie’s father fell ill and couldn’t entertain the guests outside. He instructed Ah Fu to inform the butler to start the banquet on his behalf. On the way, Ah Fu encountered the Second Madam, who, eager to assert her authority, volunteered to host the guests in the front hall, hoping to establish her position as the matriarch. Meanwhile, Guo Zilu and a few servants spotted a woman in the courtyard cursing their father.

They attempted to capture her, but she escaped. In the front hall, the Second Madam was entertaining the guests who had come to celebrate the elder Guo’s birthday. She urged the servants to serve wine quickly. However, after only one drink, the Second Madam suddenly clutched her stomach in pain and collapsed. Hearing the commotion, the elder Guo summoned Ah Fu and asked what was happening. Upon learning of the incident, he immediately went to the front hall.

By the time he arrived, the Second Madam had already passed out. Everyone was baffled. Ah Fu, recalling the woman in the courtyard, suspected her curse had taken effect. An attending guest, Lord Song, declared that the Second Madam had died from poisoning, causing panic among the guests, who feared the food was tainted. However, Lord Song reassured them that the poison was an acute type that acted immediately; since no one else showed symptoms, the food was safe.

He speculated that the poison might have been in the wine, but since others drinking from the same jug were unharmed, it must have been placed in the Second Madam’s cup. Lord Song noted that the poison was not of Central Plains origin. Guo Zilu arrived and, citing their father’s poor health, persuaded him to leave. Guo Zilu then took charge of the situation. Meanwhile, Mr. Ning arrived at the designated ransom spot with the silver.

The kidnappers, masked and armed, held a knife to the throat of someone they claimed was Mr. Ning’s son. The supposed son’s face was obscured by his disheveled hair, making him unrecognizable. Cao Xuanxuan quickly saw through the ruse and charged forward, grabbing the “hostage” and tossing him into the air, revealing it to be a straw dummy. Enraged, Mr. Ning demanded the whereabouts of his real son. Cao Xuanxuan then exposed the kidnapper’s identity—it was none other than Mr.

Ning’s younger son. Upon returning home, Mr. Ning furiously scolded his younger son. Cao Xuanxuan deduced that the younger son’s actions were motivated by his elder brother’s gambling addiction. The elder brother had accrued significant debts and was nearly beaten to death by creditors. Unable to bear it, the younger son devised the kidnapping scheme to extort money and help his brother repay the debts.

Cao Xuanxuan noted that the younger son used modern techniques and began investigating who had taught him these methods. After helping Mr. Ning resolve the situation, Guo Zijie and Cao Xuanxuan returned home late. While passing through a forest, they were ambushed by a group of masked assailants. Guo Zijie shielded Cao Xuanxuan, taking a knife wound in the process. At the critical moment, He Chun and Sun Weiyan arrived and rescued the pair.

The next morning, Ah Fu went to check on the elder Guo but discovered he had died in his room. At the same time, Guo Zijie, still unconscious, was brought back to the Guo household by Cao Xuanxuan and the others. The family was in turmoil: in a single night, both the Second Madam and the elder Guo had died, and Guo Zijie remained unresponsive.

Guo Zilu, confident that his position was now secure, dismissed his trusted aides, believing no one could threaten his status. The loyal butler, heartbroken by the family’s tragic state, lamented the downfall of the Guo household. In the midst of this chaos, Cao Xuanxuan stepped forward and vowed to avenge the elder Guo and find the murderer. Meanwhile, Guo Zilu, now asserting himself as the family’s head, arrogantly commanded the servants, flaunting his newfound authority.

Guo Zilu was drinking when Cao Xuanxuan arrived with He Chun to see him. Guo Zilu, who disliked Cao Xuanxuan, maintained a cold expression, but Cao Xuanxuan was unfazed. She sent He Chun and Guo Zilu's servants away, intending to discuss how to investigate clues with him. However, Guo Zilu claimed he had already caught the woman who cursed his father that day.

Cao Xuanxuan did not believe a curse could cause someone's death, but since Guo Zilu was insistent and clearly uninterested in finding the real culprit, Cao Xuanxuan decided to investigate on her own. She planned to visit the woodshed with He Chun to question the girl who had cast the curse, Ruo Hui, only to find that Ruo Hui had already escaped.

He Chun examined the elder Guo's body and found that the fatal wound was a stab in the waist caused by a dagger. This puzzled Cao Xuanxuan because the Second Madam had died from poisoning, while the elder Guo was stabbed. The differing causes of death made the case more complex. Cao Xuanxuan decided to search for clues in the elder Guo's room and summoned Sun Weiyan for assistance.

She suspected the elder Guo’s death might be connected to earlier cases involving locked-room assassinations. Meanwhile, Du Juan and Zhang Yuan secretly met at a designated location, where Du Juan urged Zhang Yuan to leave quickly because Cao Xuanxuan had started investigating the case. Zhang Yuan reassured Du Juan that everything would be fine and sent her away. Surprisingly, Zhang Yuan went to Cao Xuanxuan himself and took full responsibility for the crimes.

However, his reasoning was unconvincing, and he couldn’t explain the source of the poison. Cao Xuanxuan realized Zhang Yuan was taking the blame for someone else but refused to reveal who. Cao Xuanxuan questioned the butler about who had conflicts with the Second Madam. She learned that Du Juan and Guo Zilu’s servant had been caught by the Second Madam in the past, leading to grudges. Cao Xuanxuan concluded that Zhang Yuan was covering for Du Juan.

However, to avoid alerting anyone, she advised the butler not to expose this suspicion. Du Juan, filled with anxiety after the Second Madam’s death, rushed to find Guo Zilu, only to be caught by Cao Xuanxuan, who also discovered poison in Du Juan’s room. Guo Zilu, seeing that Du Juan’s involvement had been exposed, immediately distanced himself and left. Du Juan, however, insisted to Cao Xuanxuan that Zhang Yuan had nothing to do with the case.

She admitted that she had asked Zhang Yuan to buy the poison but claimed she never used it and didn’t know why the Second Madam was poisoned. At that moment, Guo Zilu entered and, without giving Du Juan a chance to explain, demanded she be imprisoned and executed immediately. Finding the situation suspicious, Cao Xuanxuan decided not to act hastily. She detained Du Juan and took the poison to the shop where it was purchased.

The shopkeeper confirmed that the poison Du Juan bought had not been used. Ruo Hui, while eating, heard that the elder Guo had really died. Believing that the magic taught by Zhang Daxian had worked, she went to find him. However, upon learning that two people had died in the Guo household, Ruo Hui suspected a mistake had been made. Zhang Daxian used this opportunity to extort money from her.

Sun Weiyan and He Chun located Ruo Hui and brought her back to the Guo household, along with the poison Cao Xuanxuan had been looking for. Through analyzing the events of that night, Cao Xuanxuan deduced the true cause of the Second Madam’s death. The poison had been placed in the well. Due to its density, it sank to the bottom. As the host, the Second Madam was served last, so she drank the poisoned water.

Du Juan and Zhang Yuan were expelled from the Guo household. Ruo Hui was brought before Cao Xuanxuan, who uncovered the root of Ruo Hui’s hatred for the elder Guo. Years ago, Ruo Hui’s father and the elder Guo had been friends. When they encountered bandits, Ruo Hui’s father, who had difficulty walking, gave up his chance to escape so that the elder Guo and the butler could flee.

Despite explanations, Ruo Hui continued to blame the elder Guo for her father’s death. Cao Xuanxuan learned that Zhang Daxian, a con artist, was behind Ruo Hui’s actions. Suspecting a deeper connection between Zhang Daxian and the elder Guo, she devised a plan. Using a tactic of “releasing to catch,” she let Ruo Hui go, giving her a significant amount of money to lure out Zhang Daxian.

Cao Xuanxuan wanted to find the con artist, so she deliberately let Ruo Hui go and secretly followed her to locate Zhang Daxian. At the time, Zhang Daxian was performing a show, and the audience was completely convinced of his supernatural abilities. However, Cao Xuanxuan, He Chun, and Sun Weiyan were skeptical and searched for the truth behind his tricks. Zhang Daxian claimed to have divine protection, which made him immune to harm even under heavy objects.

Cao Xuanxuan noticed the mechanism behind his act and exposed it in front of everyone. Zhang Daxian tried to continue his deception, but all his tricks were debunked. Realizing his failure, Zhang Daxian attempted to escape. The crowd gave chase, leaving Ruo Hui standing frozen in confusion. At this moment, Ruo Hui’s uncle arrived.

He explained to Ruo Hui that the elder Guo had intended to take her in, and upon learning the truth of past events, he forgave the elder Guo and no longer bore a grudge. He reminded Ruo Hui that, at the time, everyone prioritized survival. He also revealed that over the years, her comfortable lifestyle was thanks to the financial support of the Guo family. Hearing this, Ruo Hui finally let go of her hatred.

Her uncle, upon learning of the elder Guo’s death, was deeply saddened. Seeing Guo Zijie unconscious, Cao Xuanxuan felt heartbroken. She personally tended to him, wiping his body and ensuring he was cared for. Before leaving, she instructed Ah Fu to take good care of Guo Zijie. Later that night, Cao Xuanxuan and He Chun discussed the case. They speculated that the culprit might still be hiding in the mansion and planned to search every corner.

Sun Weiyan overheard their conversation and, fearing discovery, rushed back to pack his belongings and prepare to leave. However, Cao Xuanxuan and He Chun appeared behind him—it turned out they had intentionally let Sun Weiyan overhear their discussion. Cao Xuanxuan believed Sun Weiyan had his own reasons and wouldn’t harm Guo Zijie. She encouraged him to reveal the truth. Sun Weiyan explained that his father was ill, and someone had approached him claiming to be able to cure his father.

That person also claimed to be from the future. Hearing this, Cao Xuanxuan was shocked to learn of another time traveler like herself and urgently asked for more information. Cao Xuanxuan and He Chun both recognized that this person was deceiving Sun Weiyan. However, Sun Weiyan, desperate to save his father, refused to believe them.

Examining the letters that the "future person" gave Sun Weiyan, Cao Xuanxuan realized they used methods described in novels, proving that this was all part of a scheme. Cao Xuanxuan demonstrated to Ah Fu and He Chun how the illusion of a locked-room murder could be staged and deduced that the elder Guo’s “locked-room murder” was self-inflicted.

After discovering that Guo Zilu was the one targeting him, the elder Guo chose to protect his son from being branded a criminal by staging his own death. With this reasoning, Cao Xuanxuan began to search for evidence. She uncovered that the original target of the plan had been the butler, but due to a twist of fate, it was the Second Madam who fell victim. Upon learning this, the butler realized he had narrowly escaped death.

Feeling guilty for betraying his friend, Sun Weiyan decided to leave. He Chun, who harbored feelings for Sun Weiyan, chased after him and confessed her love. When Guo Zijie suddenly regained consciousness, Cao Xuanxuan was overjoyed and rushed to see him. Upon meeting, neither could suppress their emotions, and Cao Xuanxuan embraced Guo Zijie, crying with relief. Hearing that Guo Zijie had awakened, Sun Ying also rushed over, only to see Cao Xuanxuan and Guo Zijie in an embrace.

Heartbroken, Sun Ying realized she would never hold a place in Guo Zijie’s heart. Meanwhile, Guo Zilu, terrified upon learning of Guo Zijie’s recovery, immediately went to see him. Guo Zilu tried to comfort Guo Zijie, but Guo Zijie’s unyielding attitude left him uneasy. Unlike before, Guo Zijie no longer held back and confronted Guo Zilu head-on.

Guo Zijie presented evidence showing that the elder Guo intended to leave the family business to Guo Zilu. Guo Zijie himself had no intention of fighting for the inheritance. When Guo Zilu saw this, he felt immense guilt and couldn’t believe it was true. Guo Zijie reminded Guo Zilu of how their father had always treated him as his own son when they were children. After learning everything, Guo Zilu deeply regretted his actions.

It turned out that the elder Guo had discovered Guo Zilu was responsible for poisoning the Second Madam. He knew Guo Zilu’s real target had been the butler. The elder Guo had confronted Guo Zilu privately, scolding him and threatening to take him to the authorities. In a moment of panic, Guo Zilu stabbed his father to stop him. When the elder Guo regained consciousness, he found himself in the courtyard.

To prevent his son from being labeled a criminal, he returned to his room alone to stage the locked-room scenario. Upon realizing the sacrifices his father had made for him, Guo Zilu was overwhelmed with remorse. He confessed his crimes and was taken away by the authorities. The butler handed the family’s account books to Guo Zijie. While reviewing them, Guo Zijie recalled the scene when his older brother had fought for control of the account books.

Meanwhile, Sun Weiyan ventured into the bamboo forest to search for the masked "future person. " Cao Xuanxuan went to find Guo Zijie and handed him the day’s accounts and documents. However, Guo Zijie couldn’t focus on them. Cao Xuanxuan, noticing his mood, comforted him and suggested they take a walk to clear his mind. She continued to encourage him. While Guo Zijie was at home, officers from the county court came to inform him that Sun Weiyan had been captured.

Despite outwardly appearing indifferent and not forgiving Sun Weiyan, Guo Zijie was secretly very concerned. Learning that Sun Weiyan was in danger, he decided to help. Cao Xuanxuan and He Chun joined him, and the three of them planned their search in the bamboo forest. They eventually found Sun Weiyan unconscious by a tree near a campfire, his face dirty. Sun Weiyan, feeling guilty for betraying everyone, had tried to capture the mastermind alone, but the plan failed.

Searching the area where Sun Weiyan had fainted, Cao Xuanxuan found a doll, which reminded her of something she had seen in modern society. Cao Xuanxuan made an excuse to take He Chun away, leaving Guo Zijie and Sun Weiyan alone. Sun Weiyan apologized to Guo Zijie, who criticized him for seeking help from an outsider rather than trusting him as a brother. Although Guo Zijie appeared angry, he was clearly worried and went to check on Sun Weiyan.

Later, Cao Xuanxuan showed He Chun the doll she had found, explaining that the mastermind was deliberately showing off to her. She didn’t want to burden Guo Zijie, who was already dealing with too much, so she decided to face the challenge alone. When Sun Weiyan woke up, he found himself in Guo Zijie’s home. Feeling ashamed, he tried to sneak away. Meanwhile, Guo Zijie returned home and realized Cao Xuanxuan hadn’t come back yet.

He waited in the courtyard until she returned, pretending he hadn’t been waiting. Cao Xuanxuan found him there and made an excuse, but Guo Zijie had already learned the truth. He also discovered that the mastermind and Cao Xuanxuan came from the same place and misunderstood that Cao Xuanxuan wanted to find that person to leave with them. Afraid of losing her, Guo Zijie confessed his feelings, subtly admitting he liked the current version of Cao Xuanxuan.

He assured her he would support her no matter what decision she made. Cao Xuanxuan, worried that Guo Zijie would be concerned about her leaving, admitted that she was willing to stay for him and no longer wanted to return to her time. Hearing this, Guo Zijie kissed her, and Cao Xuanxuan didn’t resist; instead, she responded warmly. The two embraced each other deeply.

Cao Xuanxuan and Guo Zijie were enjoying a sweet moment together in the courtyard when He Chun arrived. Noticing that the courtyard hadn’t been decorated for a wedding, she asked the couple about it. Cao Xuanxuan explained that they didn’t plan to hold a grand wedding and instead preferred to elope and travel together, enjoying the beauty of nature, which she found more meaningful.

Guo Zijie, however, felt guilty for not giving Cao Xuanxuan a proper and grand wedding, but she reassured him that it didn’t matter to her. He Chun listened enviously. Initially, He Chun had come to visit Sun Weiyan, but upon learning that he had left, she felt disappointed. A month later, Prince Su arrived in Yanzhou on behalf of the Emperor to pay respects to the ancestors.

The Grand Tutor and other officials greeted him, but Prince Su treated the Grand Tutor coldly. Although the Grand Tutor wasn’t a local official of Yancheng, he seemed to know too much about Prince Su’s movements, which made the prince wary. While everyone was drinking, a subordinate reported that there was yet another case in Yanzhou. Since Yanzhou was the Emperor’s birthplace, it was troubling to hear about frequent significant cases.

Prince Su grew angry and ordered Guo Zijie, who had traveled to the provincial city with his wife for official duties but hadn’t sent any updates, to return to Yancheng immediately to investigate. The Grand Tutor took this opportunity to criticize Guo Zijie and even recommended his own student to replace him. However, Prince Su didn’t trust the student and instead proposed a competition: whoever solved the case first would get the position.

After traveling for a while, Guo Zijie and Cao Xuanxuan returned home. The household staff welcomed them back warmly. Cao Xuanxuan encouraged Guo Zijie to regain his focus and enthusiasm. Although Guo Zijie hadn’t gone to the county office, officials from the yamen kept coming to ask him to investigate cases. While Guo Zijie was resting at home, they reported a major case and urged him to check it out. However, he still refused to go.

Cao Xuanxuan entered the room, and Guo Zijie was delighted to see her. Upon hearing about the yamen’s request, Guo Zijie hesitated but was eventually dragged there by Cao Xuanxuan. At the county office, Zhou Shaoliang was conducting an interrogation when Cao Xuanxuan and Guo Zijie arrived. Cao Xuanxuan objected to Zhou Shaoliang’s use of torture on a suspect before the case had been properly investigated, but Zhou Shaoliang dismissed her concerns.

Guo Zijie chose not to argue, which angered Cao Xuanxuan. Guo Zijie, preoccupied with spending happy moments with Cao Xuanxuan, was less interested in the case, while Cao Xuanxuan remained concerned and upset about it. In the courtyard, Cao Xuanxuan encountered Sun Weiyan. It turned out that Sun Weiyan had never left Yancheng and had been teaching in Wangjia Village nearby.

He explained that Ma Jiulang, a relative of one of his students, had been arrested by the yamen, so he came to investigate. Seeing that Cao Xuanxuan was in charge, Sun Weiyan felt reassured that justice would be served. Guo Zijie, burdened with guilt over his father’s death, believed that if he had stayed by his father’s side, it wouldn’t have happened. Because of this, he had no motivation to deal with yamen affairs.

Cao Xuanxuan, however, suspected there was a deeper story behind the recent surge of cases in Yancheng, as the area had been peaceful for the past three years. She decided to investigate the severed arm case herself. Guo Zijie’s reputation for solving cases had already spread, which made Zhou Shaoliang jealous. Zhou sent his guard, Long He, to deliver the severed arm case files to Guo Zijie, hoping to provoke him into competition.

One of Guo Zijie’s servants recognized Long He. Based on clues, Cao Xuanxuan deduced that Zhou Shaoliang was connected to the female criminal from modern times and likely held a high position within the conspiracy. Cao Xuanxuan went to the county office to look for more clues and noticed the new coroner chatting with a newly arrived wealthy merchant. Finding nothing suspicious, she moved on.

Unbeknownst to her, the merchant had bribed the coroner to take out the most critical evidence—a severed arm. Meanwhile, Guo Zijie visited his father’s grave and tearfully lamented his regrets. Zhou Shaoming suddenly appeared and revealed that Guo Zijie’s father had been a principal officer in the Ministry of Justice and a legendary investigator. He had solved an earth-shattering case that became famous nationwide.

Guo Zijie had never known that his father had once held an official position. Hearing Zhou Shaoliang's words, he was incredulous. Zhou Shaoliang greatly admired Guo Zijie’s father and had come specifically to encourage Guo Zijie with stories of his father’s past, hoping to lift his spirits and compete with him fairly. After learning about his father’s achievements, Guo Zijie returned home and began reminiscing about their past moments together while looking through his father’s belongings.

By chance, he found his father’s old books and an official token. This discovery reignited his motivation, and he headed to the county office. Upon arriving, he saw his former subordinates kneeling in the main hall. After some inquiry, he learned that the new coroner had escaped with the severed arm evidence. Guo Zijie decided to personally take on the severed arm case and compete head-on with Zhou Shaoliang. Since He Chun had suddenly disappeared, Guo Zijie felt understaffed.

Cao Xuanxuan seized the opportunity to suggest bringing Sun Weiyan back to assist with the investigation. Guo Zijie, who didn’t actually harbor resentment toward Sun Weiyan, agreed, and the two went together to invite him. When Sun Weiyan learned that Guo Zijie had forgiven him, he was overjoyed and eager to help capture the criminal from modern times.

Meanwhile, Xiao De, the son of Wang Er, a wine seller who had been arrested, admired Guo Zijie and pleaded for his father’s innocence, insisting that his father was not a killer. The group shared a lively conversation, though Sun Weiyan remained concerned about He Chun. Cao Xuanxuan, intentionally withholding information, didn’t tell him anything. When it was time to leave, Sun Weiyan’s students were reluctant to see him go.

Seeing their reaction reminded Sun Weiyan of how he used to be bullied as a child. He realized that these students, much like himself, came from ordinary farming families and saw education as their only path to changing their fate. Upon returning home, Afu reported that Zhou Shaoliang had arrived and requested a meeting. Meanwhile, the wealthy merchant, believing he was safe after acquiring the severed arm evidence, indulged in drinking with several women.

However, he soon received word from a servant that the county office had discovered a severed leg. Guo Zijie and Sun Weiyan went together to meet Zhou Shaoliang, who informed them of the discovery. The severed hand and leg were found far apart, making it difficult to determine if they belonged to the same person. The merchant, desperate to cover up his crimes, intentionally created distractions to mislead the investigation.

Guo Zijie suspected that the mastermind behind the scenes might be Zhou Qin, but as it was only a suspicion, he chose not to inform Cao Xuanxuan. That night, Cao Xuanxuan sat alone in the courtyard. Guo Zijie noticed and approached her. She revealed that she had overheard the conversation between him and Sun Weiyan.

Concerned about the high status and influence of their opponent, she worried about Guo Zijie’s ability to contend with them as a mere county magistrate and feared for his safety. The next day, a villager named Li Jiu came to report a case. His daughter, Xiao Lian, had gone to work at the home of the newly arrived merchant Chang Zheng but had lost contact with her family.

When Li Jiu went to look for her, he was told she had quit and gone home, leading him to suspect foul play. Guo Zijie and Zhou Shaoliang speculated that the dismembered victim could be Xiao Lian, based on the severed hand and arm found earlier. Hearing that his daughter might have been dismembered, Li Jiu was devastated. At that moment, He Chun arrived with the severed arm, Chang Zheng, and his subordinates in tow.

She revealed that the severed hand was not that of a woman but a man. Seven days earlier, Chang Zheng had taken a liking to Xiao Lian’s beauty. When she refused his advances, he accidentally killed her in a fit of rage. Initially denying the crime, Chang Zheng only confessed under torture and revealed where Xiao Lian’s body was buried.

Chang Zheng had believed that the dismembered remains of another victim would lead back to him, so he tampered with the investigation and paid a large sum to acquire the severed arm evidence. Since the severed arm did not belong to Xiao Lian, a new mystery emerged: whose arm and leg were they? This question left everyone puzzled as another layer of intrigue unfolded.

Cao Xuanxuan entrusted He Chun to investigate the whereabouts of the Sunset Painter. He Chun discovered that the painter, Sun Yi, was no longer in Yan City and could not be found anywhere. The information she received suggested that Sun Yi had already left the city. Sensing the urgency of the matter, He Chun quickly rode back to report her findings to Cao Xuanxuan.

Cao Xuanxuan had already suspected that Sun Yi, the Sunset Painter, and Zhang Daxian were connected to the person behind the scenes. However, there were no concrete leads. To avoid burdening Guo Zijie with additional troubles, she decided to keep this matter to herself for the time being and wait until Guo Zijie was less busy to bring it up. Sun Weiyan arranged to meet He Chun and secretly bought food to give her.

Initially, he was embarrassed and made excuses to bring up unrelated topics, but in the end, he mustered the courage to present the food. Meanwhile, at Xiao Lian's grave, a man knelt, crying and burning paper offerings. It turned out he had been in love with Xiao Lian. The two had planned to elope, but due to his father's opposition, they could not leave together. He had even witnessed Xiao Lian’s murder and had been secretly avenging her ever since.

Early the next morning, Guo Zijie and his team arrived at the county office. Suddenly, the butler from the Zhai residence came to file a report. At the same time, Zhou Shaoliang arrived, eager to compete with Guo Zijie. Zhou Shaoliang positioned himself in the center and proactively inquired about the case, expressing his intent to take it on. However, given Guo Zijie’s renowned reputation for solving cases, the Zhai residence butler insisted on having Guo Zijie handle the matter.

Taking advantage of the situation, Zheng Yuan also pushed Guo Zijie forward to take charge. The butler explained that Master Zhai had disappeared a few days earlier. Although Master Zhai had instructed them not to panic or report anything unusual during his meditation sessions, the butler grew concerned after hearing about the dismemberment case. Fearing the victim might be his master, he came to report the matter.

He mentioned that Master Zhai had a mark on his left arm, but the severed arm found earlier was a right arm, so it was uncertain whether it belonged to Master Zhai. Additionally, Master Zhai’s carriage drivers had been drugged and rendered unconscious, and they remembered nothing upon waking. Cao Xuanxuan speculated that if the arm did belong to Master Zhai, the perpetrator must have harbored a deep grudge against him to resort to such a cruel act.

He Chun reexamined the arm and found that its bone structure matched Master Zhai’s general characteristics. Based on the clues, Zhou Shaoliang hypothesized that the culprit might be someone from the Zhai family itself. However, Sun Weiyan found the situation suspicious. Cao Xuanxuan suggested that if the mastermind was Zhou Qin, the Zhai family’s statements could not be trusted.

Guo Zijie, on the other hand, questioned why Zhou Qin would send Zhou Shaoliang to investigate if he was truly behind it. Cao Xuanxuan observed that Zhou Shaoliang genuinely wanted to solve the case, but she remained uncertain about his character. Guo Zijie gave her a dossier, which revealed that Zhou Shaoliang’s motive for solving the case was to gain a promotion. Su Wang, ignoring Zhou Qin’s orders, shifted focus to investigate the case himself.

He discovered anomalies and heard rumors about the Zhai family. To confirm whether the murderer was an insider, Cao Xuanxuan questioned the Zhai family butler about everyone’s whereabouts on the day of Master Zhai’s disappearance. The butler confirmed that all family members were at home that day. Just as the group found themselves at a standstill, another severed arm was discovered. This time, the butler identified it as Master Zhai’s arm.

Sun Weiyan noticed that the arm’s location corresponded to the White Tiger position in feng shui, suggesting that the placement of the arms followed the patterns of divination. He Chun and Sun Weiyan decided to seek out someone proficient in the I Ching (Book of Changes) for further insights. While the two were alone, Sun Weiyan attempted to gift flowers to He Chun but was too shy. Just as He Chun turned around, he quickly threw the flowers away.

Seeing through his intentions, He Chun picked up the flowers and wore them. Later, when Sun Weiyan grew tired and could no longer walk, He Chun offered to carry him on her back.

Sun Weiyan and He Chun brought back an elderly man who was knowledgeable in the I Ching. They took him to the site where the leg was found. Following the elderly man’s calculations, they managed to locate Master Zhai’s head. Using the clues he provided, they finally gathered all the parts of the body. Just as they were about to examine the remains, members of the Zhai family arrived, visibly upset.

However, one young woman remained standing without any expression, which caught the attention of Guo Zijie and the others. After the woman called the diviner away, they secretly followed to hear what she was saying. The woman introduced herself as Ouyang Mingyue, the granddaughter of their maternal grandfather. She claimed that her family was experiencing bad luck, and she wanted to improve her fortune through gambling.

She intended to visit a gambling house that night and asked the diviner to check her luck for the day. After the diviner examined her, he told her that her fortune was good, but he also foresaw bloodshed in the family. Master Zhai wasn’t the only one who would die in the house—others would follow. That night, Guo Zijie and Sun Weiyan went to the gambling house to investigate and found that Ouyang Mingyue had indeed won money.

Meanwhile, Cao Xuanxuan and He Chun visited the Zhai residence to look into the case. The Zhai family’s young miss accused Cao Xuanxuan of stealing her belongings, but the butler arrived to defuse the awkward situation. Guo Zijie and Sun Weiyan confirmed that Ouyang Mingyue had won money, and they believed the diviner’s predictions were accurate. The diviner had also warned that something bad might happen at the Zhai residence that night, so they rushed to inform Cao Xuanxuan.

At first, Cao Xuanxuan didn’t believe in such things, but suddenly, they heard a loud scream. The group rushed to the scene and found that it was Ouyang Mingyue, who had been injured. They also discovered hidden weapons on the ground. Ouyang Mingyue couldn’t identify the assassin, only noticing a Tai Chi symbol on the clothing. Upon hearing about the Tai Chi symbol, the butler speculated that it might be the work of Master Zhai’s sworn brother, Long Hu Jushi.

However, Cao Xuanxuan felt it didn’t make sense for Long Hu Jushi to still be involved in a crime if he were indeed behind it. The next morning, while everyone was having breakfast, a servant arrived happily, bringing news that the young miss’s jade pendant had been found. Sun Weiyan and He Chun went to the Taoist temple in search of Long Hu Jushi, but they found the temple empty.

However, in Long Hu Jushi’s room, they discovered dismemberment drawings and a Tai Chi bagua diagram related to the case. Sun Weiyan deduced that the killer was likely hiding in the temple. Just as they were investigating, Long Hu Jushi appeared and locked them in the room. While they were looking for a way out, Long Hu Jushi suddenly released poison gas into the room, causing them both to faint. Long Hu Jushi then entered and took Sun Weiyan’s fan.

Guo Zijie and Zhou Shaoliang discussed the case and began to disagree. Cao Xuanxuan, still worried about Sun Weiyan and He Chun, who had not returned from their search for Long Hu Jushi, was relieved when Zhou Shaoliang’s guard, Long He, returned with Sun Weiyan’s fan. Upon seeing the fan, Guo Zijie and Cao Xuanxuan grew anxious and wanted to go after them. However, since it was a dark and windy night, it was not ideal for searching.

Zhou Shaoliang, skilled in locating people, volunteered to take the task. Zhou Shaoliang, with his guards, arrived at the Taoist temple. At the same time, He Chun and Sun Weiyan had regained consciousness. Sun Weiyan was running a fever and felt weak. To keep him warm, He Chun took off her own clothes and draped them over him. When that didn’t work, she held him in her arms.

Just as they were beginning to develop feelings for each other, Zhou Shaoliang barged in. The group immediately captured Long Hu Jushi. He didn’t try to hide anything and admitted to committing the murders. His quick confession made Cao Xuanxuan and Guo Zijie feel something was off, and Zhou Shaoliang also doubted Long Hu Jushi was the real killer.

Cao Xuanxuan asked He Chun to continue the investigation and also came up with a plan to have someone keep watch over the Zhai residence. She took the opportunity to share her painful childhood with He Chun. Long Hu Jushi was locked in the county prison’s death cell. Ouyang Mingyue and the Zhai family’s young miss both died, and their deaths led to the discovery of Long Hu Jushi’s involvement.

Long Hu Jushi suddenly committed suicide in prison, which left everyone shocked. When He Chun went to examine the body, Long He told her that the deceased had bitten his tongue to end his life, most likely due to guilt. However, He Chun didn’t believe this. Upon closer inspection, she found a jade pendant on Long Hu Jushi’s body. When Zhou Shaoliang saw the pendant, he concluded that the killer was Zhai Keqin.

He explained that Master Zhai had once taken in a child who was the son of a Taoist priest, and that child must be Zhai Keqin, while the Taoist priest was Long Hu Jushi. Zhai Keqin killed Master Zhai, and Long Hu Jushi, in order to protect his daughter, took the blame for the murders, even going so far as to commit suicide in prison to create the illusion of a guilt-ridden death.

Zhou Shaoliang felt confident in his deduction, finally claiming victory over Guo Zijie. He also managed to capture the fleeing Zhai Keqin and bring him back to the county prison. Sun Weiyan and He Chun hurriedly found Guo Zijie and Cao Xuanxuan and explained the entire case to them. After Zhai Keqin was brought back to the county prison, Zhou Shaoliang immediately began his interrogation. At this time, Sun Weiyan and He Chun arrived to observe the hearing.

Zhai Keqin admitted that he had planned to avenge his mother, but he hadn’t gone through with it and denied being the murderer. Zhou Shaoliang, convinced by the evidence, ordered that Zhai Keqin be thrown into the prison. As he was being dragged away, Zhai Keqin, upon hearing that Long Hu Jushi was his father, requested to see him. However, since Long Hu Jushi had already committed suicide in prison, this request couldn’t be granted, which left everyone feeling guilty.

He Chun then carefully examined the poetry left by Long Hu Jushi and noticed that the degree of decomposition in the limbs and head was different. Guo Zijie and Cao Xuanxuan deduced that the killer must have been trying to create an alibi for himself. Guo Zijie also remembered that Zhai Keqin had fainted at the sight of blood. All the evidence pointed to the fact that Zhai Keqin was not the murderer.

The next day, Zhou Shaoliang was planning to take the case file to the capital, and once the charges were finalized, Zhai Keqin would be officially declared the murderer. The group quickly sprang into action, and He Chun also found something strange in Long Hu Jushi's mouth. Zhou Shaoliang continued interrogating Zhai Keqin, but he still refused to admit his guilt. Zhou Shaoliang, believing the evidence was irrefutable, wanted to execute Zhai Keqin immediately.

At that moment, Guo Zijie arrived and stopped him. Guo Zijie explained the case in detail to Zhou Shaoliang. He revealed that the murderer didn’t kill Master Zhai directly but first dismembered his body and scattered the parts in different locations, giving Master Zhai’s family time to escape, which explained why the head and limbs had decomposed at different rates. The various dark arts previously discovered were also part of the killer’s effort to cover up his tracks.

Guo Zijie suggested bringing all the members of the Zhai family in for another round of questioning, and Zhou Shaoliang agreed. After the second round of questioning, Ouyang Mingyue confessed to the murders. She had pretended to be Zhai Keqin in order to meet Long Hu Jushi, and the Taoist mistakenly believed that Ouyang Mingyue was his daughter.

When he found out that his “daughter” had committed murder, he willingly took the blame for her, directing all the evidence toward himself. However, Cao Xuanxuan still found some doubts in Ouyang Mingyue’s story. Ouyang Mingyue had claimed to have seen Master Zhai murder her parents, but Cao Xuanxuan didn’t believe this to be true. Everyone thought that now the truth had been revealed, there was no need to pursue it any further, and they decided to celebrate with drinks.

But Cao Xuanxuan couldn’t stop thinking about the case. The next day, Guo Zijie called everyone together again. Ouyang Mingyue recounted how she had seen Master Zhai kill her father and claimed that she had been hiding outside the window at the time. She said that neither Master Zhai nor Long Hu Jushi had noticed her, allowing her to narrowly escape. However, all the evidence indicated that Ouyang Mingyue had not been at the scene.

It turned out that she had only partial memories, which had been manipulated by others using memory techniques to implant false memories in her mind.

Ouyang Mingyue, upon learning that her memories had been altered, couldn’t believe it. She insisted that she remembered everything clearly and that no one could deceive her. In a fit of rage, she started acting irrationally in front of everyone. Her emotional breakdown made it impossible for her to stay calm. At that moment, Zhai Keqin showed great concern for Ouyang Mingyue.

Ouyang Mingyue had always led Zhai Keqin to believe that Long Hu Jushi was her father, so Guo Zijie wanted to ask Zhai Keqin about what Ouyang Mingyue had said to him, hoping to understand more about her. In her unstable emotional state, Ouyang Mingyue began recalling her childhood memories of witnessing her parents' deaths. Her father died in an explosion at a local saltpeter mine, while her mother, heartbroken, hanged herself.

Her second uncle, Zhai Lao Ye, brought Ouyang Mingyue back to his home. Cao Xuanxuan asked Ouyang Mingyue who had altered her memories and pointed out that she hadn’t known any fortune-telling skills before. Cao Xuanxuan suspected that the person behind all of this might be someone who knew how to perform such tricks. She tried to question Ouyang Mingyue, but Ouyang Mingyue was still emotionally out of control. That night, Cao Xuanxuan and Guo Zijie discussed the case.

Cao Xuanxuan was certain that Zhou Qin was behind everything, as others didn’t know how to implant memories. She decided to go investigate the clues alone. Guo Zijie recalled that when Master Zhai’s limbs were severed, he also had to swallow a piece of tree bark, which had to mean something important, though he couldn’t immediately figure out what it was that Master Zhai wanted to suggest.

Just then, the housekeeper from the Zhai family arrived to burn incense for Master Zhai. Cao Xuanxuan showed him the tree bark that Master Zhai had mentioned, and the housekeeper immediately recognized it. He said it was a personal belonging of Master Zhai, which he had great respect for, though he wasn’t sure where the bark had come from. The housekeeper did, however, mention that Master Zhai had once attended the birthday banquet of Zhou Taifu.

Zhou Shaoliang was worried that questioning Ouyang Mingyue publicly might lead to a wrongful conviction, considering the life-and-death consequences of the case. Meanwhile, Sun Weiyan and He Chun suddenly discovered that Master Zhai’s body was missing and quickly went to find Cao Xuanxuan and Guo Zijie. Since Cao Xuanxuan had just fallen asleep, Guo Zijie didn’t want to disturb her and left alone with his loved one.

Zhou Qin met with Zhou Shaoliang in Yancheng and told him that the true mastermind behind the case was Guo Zijie’s wife, Cao Xuanxuan. Zhou Qin further explained that Guo Zijie had bought his position as county magistrate and would be dismissed if he didn’t achieve results within three years. Zhou Shaoliang, following Zhou Qin’s hints, guessed that this might be a case fabricated by Guo Zijie himself to make a name for himself.

On the way back, Zhou Qin deliberately spoke aloud in front of Zhou Shaoliang’s guard, Long He, as though giving him pointers, but Zhou Shaoliang, upon hearing this, thought his teacher was quite an unusual person. Guo Zijie, upon learning that Master Zhai’s body was missing, wanted to go to the prison to question Ouyang Mingyue, but was stopped. Just then, Zhou Shaoliang arrived and eventually allowed Guo Zijie to meet Ouyang Mingyue.

When Guo Zijie saw Ouyang Mingyue, she had already lost her sanity and didn’t even respond to him. Watching her lose control and not being able to get a word from her, Guo Zijie’s emotions became a bit unstable. Sun Weiyan had to pull him out of the room. The next day, Zhou Shaoliang began the formal hearing, with the townspeople gathered to watch.

Cao Xuanxuan, feeling uneasy about the disappearance of Master Zhai’s body, was reassured by Sun Weiyan that, with all the evidence in place, not even Zhou Qin could change things. The interrogation began, but no matter what Guo Zijie asked, Ouyang Mingyue wouldn’t say a word. Left with no choice, Guo Zijie ordered the death sentence for Ouyang Mingyue based on her previous confession.

Just as they were about to drag her to prison, Ouyang Mingyue suddenly declared that she was innocent and recanted her confession in front of everyone. She pointed the finger at Cao Xuanxuan, accusing her of altering her memories and teaching her the methods used in the murders, since only Cao Xuanxuan knew these details. Upon hearing this, Cao Xuanxuan didn’t panic, but Guo Zijie was visibly nervous, seeing his wife being wrongfully accused.

Ouyang Mingyue publicly recanted her confession and pointed the finger at Cao Xuanxuan, claiming that everything she knew, Cao Xuanxuan also knew. Guo Zijie, upon hearing this, was both worried and shocked. He immediately stood up to oppose it. At this point, Zhou Shaoliang, who was nearby, advised Guo Zijie. He said that the case now involved Cao Xuanxuan, and since Guo Zijie was connected to her, he should recuse himself from the investigation.

Guo Zijie lost his chance to handle the case, and neither he nor Cao Xuanxuan could determine how to proceed. Cao Xuanxuan, too, was puzzled. She couldn’t understand why Ouyang Mingyue was so certain that it was her. They had never met before, and there was no enmity between them. Guo Zijie suspected that Ouyang Mingyue, realizing she was facing an inevitable death sentence, was trying to drag someone else down with her.

Even the common people who had come to watch the trial didn’t believe that Cao Xuanxuan was involved. Ouyang Mingyue then presented a note, which contained the method of committing the crime. The note was written in simplified Chinese characters, and she claimed that only Cao Xuanxuan could write in this style. She said that in the entire Yan City, only Cao Xuanxuan knew how to write in simplified Chinese, so she accused Cao Xuanxuan of framing her.

Guo Zijie, upon seeing this, became extremely worried for Cao Xuanxuan, as this evidence seemed to directly point to her. Cao Xuanxuan admitted that she could write simplified Chinese, but she argued that she was not the only one who could. She also pointed out that if she had wanted to teach someone how to kill, why would she leave evidence in simplified Chinese? She wanted to buy some time to investigate the real culprit.

However, Ouyang Mingyue insisted on a trial right there and then. Cao Xuanxuan feared that Cao Xuan might destroy the evidence, and at that moment, Zhou Qin arrived. Zhou Qin walked right up to Ouyang Mingyue, declaring that she would advocate for her. When Cao Xuanxuan saw Zhou Qin’s true face, she suddenly remembered that all the people she had previously encountered were actually disguised by Zhou Qin.

It turned out that Zhou Qin had been right beside her all along. That night, Guo Zijie was extremely worried about Cao Xuanxuan’s safety and wanted to rush out to rescue her. No one could stop him, except for Sun Weiyan, who stood firm and threatened to die if necessary, preventing Guo Zijie from acting impulsively.

Sun Weiyan, Guo Zijie, and He Chun gathered at home to analyze the case and see if there was anything they could do to help Cao Xuanxuan. Sun Weiyan speculated that Zhou Qin had personally killed Master Zhai, likely because Master Zhai had something on Zhou Qin. Guo Zijie also recalled that Cao Xuanxuan had once mentioned that Zhou Qin might not be only targeting him; she might have other goals as well.

Zhou Qin had also used torture on Cao Xuanxuan in prison. It turned out that the night Cao Xuanxuan traveled to this world was the night of her new book launch. On that night, she had found an old book on solving cases from Yan City. While she was at the launch, an accident happened, and Cao Xuanxuan was knocked unconscious. When she woke up, she had arrived in this world.

Now, Cao Xuanxuan finally understood that it was all Zhou Qin’s doing. Zhou Shaoliang suddenly remembered that he had once seen his teacher, Zhou Qin, write in simplified Chinese. He realized that Cao Xuanxuan wasn’t the only person in the world who could write it. Just as Zhou Shaoliang was thinking about this, Zhou Qin came in and told him that in two days, Cao Xuanxuan would be executed.

Zhou Shaoliang became anxious, thinking that there were still many aspects of the case that hadn’t been thoroughly investigated. He felt that rushing to execute someone would be unjust. Zhou Qin then told Zhou Shaoliang that Prince Su would soon arrive with only 500 attendants. Zhou Shaoliang found this strange because Prince Su, as a representative of the emperor, had a variable route. He didn’t understand how Zhou Qin knew so much about Prince Su’s movements.

Realizing he had misspoken, Zhou Qin quickly made up an excuse, using high office and great rewards to tempt Zhou Shaoliang into agreeing to Cao Xuanxuan’s execution. Zhou Shaoliang went to find Prince Su but was turned away. As he left, one of Prince Su’s subordinates told Zhou Shaoliang not to let wealth and power cloud his judgment and to be cautious about trusting others easily.

Guo Zijie suddenly realized that his father might also be connected to Zhou Qin. In order to investigate further, Guo Zijie sent Sun Weiyan and A Fu to inquire about the messenger. At first, the messenger was reluctant to speak because delivering messages was supposed to be confidential. However, when he heard that it was Guo Zijie's messenger, he immediately agreed to help search. Guo Zijie was well-respected, as he was a good official, and everyone admired him.

The messenger found the information about the day the letter was delivered and also recalled that A Fu was the one who delivered it, as the letter was decorated beautifully. The messenger clearly remembered that the letter had been sent to the capital, and a high-ranking official was there to receive it. Although they had uncovered a lead, Sun Weiyan was still troubled because Guo Zijie's father had once been a high-ranking official, and he likely had acquaintances in the capital.

Given the distance and the time needed, it would be difficult to investigate in the short term. After leaving the messenger, A Fu pleaded with Sun Weiyan to help rescue Cao Xuanxuan, as both of them were good people. Sun Weiyan promised to do everything he could to help. He Chun went to find Cao Xuanxuan's sister, Cao Yiyi, but despite being sisters, they looked nothing alike. This posed another challenge for everyone.

Suddenly, Sun Weiyan came up with an idea. Since Cao Xuanxuan had once mentioned that she could disguise herself, perhaps she could fool everyone. Although Guo Zijie was doubtful about the plan, he agreed to try it for Cao Xuanxuan's sake. Inside the prison, Cao Xuanxuan had been tortured and was extremely weak, lying limply on the ground. He Chun brought Cao Yiyi to the prison to see her sister. When Cao Xuanxuan saw her sister, she was surprised.

Seeing how much her younger sister had suffered made Cao Yiyi very upset. He Chun planned to help Cao Xuanxuan escape, with Cao Yiyi taking her place in the hall, as only Cao Xuanxuan could find the clues. At first, Cao Xuanxuan disagreed, but in order to clear her name, she decided to go along with the plan. However, just as they were about to leave, they ran into Zhou Shaoliang.

Zhou Shaoliang brought up the simplified Chinese characters that he had once seen his teacher write and questioned Cao Xuanxuan about them. Cao Xuanxuan immediately recognized the characters and learned that her teacher could also write simplified Chinese. Zhou Shaoliang began to suspect his teacher’s true identity but couldn’t shake off his doubts. Cao Xuanxuan continued to persuade Zhou Shaoliang, telling him that Zhou Qin was not someone to follow.

With time running out, Zhou Shaoliang gave Cao Xuanxuan one day to find the clues and prove her innocence. After that, he would personally escort her to the capital. After leaving the prison, Cao Xuanxuan met with everyone to discuss the case. Through their discussion, Cao Xuanxuan realized that Guo Zijie’s father seemed to have some connection with Zhou Qin. She even suspected that Zhou Qin’s motives were not as simple as just monitoring her.

It was possible that he was also watching Guo Zijie’s father, meaning that even if Guo Zijie hadn’t directly killed his father, Zhou Qin might have done it himself. Suddenly, everyone remembered that they had overlooked one person: the former victim, Fu Miao. Cao Xuanxuan and He Chun decided to go back to Zhao Family Village to search for more clues. They went to find Zhao Xiaolin, and when they arrived, Zhao Xiaolin was very happy to see them.

They started asking about Fu Miao and discovered that he had a Beijing accent. They also found clues related to trees. Guo Zijie, drunk, came to the county office and caused a scene, demanding Cao Xuanxuan’s release. His goal was to cover up her secret escape from prison and make Zhou Qin believe that they were all grieving. After returning, Cao Xuanxuan and He Chun continued their search for clues.

They discovered that Zhao Xiaolin’s husband, Fu Miao, was likely a victim of the Yan family’s silencing tactics. With so many leads to follow, they didn’t finish their investigation until late at night. Sun Weiyan also arrived to help, and finally, they found a note hidden between two pages of a book. The note contained a rebellious poem. To confirm her suspicions, Cao Xuanxuan took everyone to meet someone—Zhou Shaoliang. They all gathered their clues and analyzed them together.

Cao Xuanxuan guessed that Lord Zhai had sent the letter to inquire about the Yan family, and it was overheard by Fu Miao. Upon learning the serious consequences of the matter, Fu Miao quickly fled and assumed a new identity in Zhao Family Village to escape the danger. However, he ultimately could not escape his fate.

Cao Xuanxuan asked Guo Zijie if similar cases had occurred in other provinces in recent years because she suspected that Zhou Qin was not only acting in Yan City. Zhou Shaoliang recalled that most of the people who attended Zhou Qin's banquet had mysteriously died, and many cases remained unsolved. Even when cases were solved, they were often related to vendettas. Zhou Shaoliang also found this strange but initially thought it was just a coincidence.

He felt deeply saddened, not expecting his teacher to have become this way. Cao Xuanxuan told Zhou Shaoliang that the teacher he saw now was not the same respected person from before. On the outside, he looked the same, but inside, he had already become someone else. With the truth revealed, He Chun suggested that they should directly kill Zhou Qin. However, Zhou Qin must have strong allies by his side.

Guo Zijie learned that Prince Su would be arriving soon, but Zhou Qin would certainly be on high alert, making it difficult to approach Prince Su. Zhou Shaoliang volunteered to help and brought a few people to meet with Prince Su. However, Zhou Shaoliang’s actions were quickly noticed by Zhou Qin. As soon as he returned home, Zhou Qin discovered the truth and had Zhou Shaoliang arrested, preparing to execute both him and Cao Xuanxuan.

Meanwhile, Cao Xuanxuan and the others had already arrived at the sacrificial ceremony, ready to hide. However, Cao Xuanxuan had sent Sun Weiyan to handle another task and was not with the others. Guo Zijie explained the entire case to Prince Su, who became furious upon hearing it. He immediately ordered people to arrest Zhou Qin and bring him back to the capital after the sacrificial ceremony.

Cao Xuanxuan had already figured out that Zhou Qin’s plan had been disrupted, so Zhou Qin had no choice but to take preemptive action with those who had been prepared in advance. Prince Su was having a meal with the group when he shared that the Emperor had become increasingly wary of Zhou Qin in recent years. If not for Prince Su's efforts to oppose him, Zhou Qin would have controlled the entire court by now.

Moreover, Prince Su revealed that he knew Guo Zijie’s father, and that Guo Zijie’s position as county official had been arranged by Prince Su in secret, not purchased with money. This visit to Yan City had also been arranged by Guo Zijie’s father. In the prison, Zhou Shaoliang heard the soldiers outside shouting slogans, realizing that his teacher was about to take action. Suddenly, He Chun felt very unwell. At this moment, Zhou Qin appeared with his men.

Prince Su intended to arrest Zhou Qin, but all of his men were subdued. Zhou Qin felt confident of victory. Following Cao Xuanxuan’s instructions, Sun Weiyan and a group of officials who supported Guo Zijie rescued Zhou Shaoliang from the prison. After escaping through a secret passage, they used Cao Xuanxuan’s plan to create a loudspeaker.

Zhou Qin, thinking victory was assured, arrogantly declared that the current Emperor was not worthy of his responsibility and that he would take the throne himself. Just as he was boasting, he suddenly felt a strange sense of discomfort and heard the noise outside. Zhou Qin thought that many people had arrived. To protect himself, Zhou Qin took Guo Zijie hostage and fled. It turned out that it was Sun Weiyan who had caused the commotion outside.

At this point, Sun Weiyan also realized that Zhou Qin had been the one who had targeted his father. Everyone was captured and thrown into the prison. Inside, Guo Zijie felt that he had dragged Cao Xuanxuan into this situation and had failed to anticipate Zhou Qin’s scheme. Prince Su had already set up spies and planted them in case he couldn’t get information from them. The spies would immediately report back to the capital, exposing Zhou Qin’s rebellious intentions.

Despite the risks, Prince Su put his own safety aside for the sake of the people, and everyone admired his selflessness. Zhou Qin ordered the soldiers to collect iron tools and various knives from the townspeople, creating panic throughout Yan City. The citizens, fearing for their safety, went to find Guo Zijie to seek justice, but they were all controlled by Zhou Qin’s men.

At the sacrificial ceremony, soldiers in full armor stood in formation, surrounding the entire event with elite guards. Zhou Qin walked alone on the red carpet towards the already prepared stage. When she reached the stage and turned around, the common people began to curse her, calling her a corrupt official. Zhou Qin was furious and ordered the already bound Prince and Cao Xuanxuan, along with several others, to be dragged out.

She intended to use the Prince’s head as a flag offering. Just as the executioner raised his axe to strike Zhou Shaoliang, his bodyguard, Long He, sacrificed himself to protect him, but was killed in the process. Zhou Qin arrogantly shouted, and Cao Xuanxuan declared that someone like Zhou Qin, who was utterly evil, had no followers. To insult everyone, Zhou Qin decided to execute one person at a time. She first chose He Chun.

Upon hearing this, Sun Weiyan became very anxious. Guo Zijie took responsibility, claiming it was all caused by him and that he would replace He Chun. Zhou Qin decided to deal with Guo Zijie first, but when the executioners hesitated to carry out the sentence, it was because Guo Zijie had been kind to their families. At this moment, the crowd of common people below also rose up in resistance, unwilling to let Zhou Qin execute Guo Zijie.

They clashed with the guards, and at that moment, people hidden among the crowd, who had come to rescue them, seized the opportunity to charge forward. However, Zhou Qin began indiscriminately killing innocent people, regardless of their age. She ordered the soldiers to kill all the citizens. Watching the people being killed one by one, Guo Zijie and the others were heartbroken. Just as Zhou Qin was celebrating her apparent victory, suddenly a barrage of arrows rained down.

It was the rescue forces from Prince Su. Upon seeing reinforcements, Zhou Qin ordered her men to capture Prince Su. Guo Zijie and the others went to find Prince Su and discovered the large amount of gunpowder that Zhou Qin had hidden. The group wondered why they hadn't fallen into danger. Guo Zijie and Cao Xuanxuan suggested that the others return, leaving only the four of them—Guo Zijie, Cao Xuanxuan, Sun Weiyan, and He Chun—to continue.

After walking for a while, Cao Xuanxuan urged the others to go back since Zhou Qin was targeting her. Cao Xuanxuan wanted to face him alone, but the other three refused to let her face danger alone and insisted on accompanying her. The group found the place where Prince Su was imprisoned, but at that moment, Prince Su was sitting on a chair, unconscious.

Behind him, a large amount of explosives was hidden, and the group dared not make a move. Prince Su was chained with iron chains, and there were triggers linked to gunpowder. Zhou Qin told them that to save Prince Su, they would need to find three keys hidden in a cave. Only when all three keys were used together could they open the lock on Prince Su.

The four of them searched for the keys, and Sun Weiyan found one, followed by He Chun, who found another. They opened two of the locks. Cao Xuanxuan guessed that the third key might be inside Prince Su's mouth. After searching, they found that it was indeed there. Upon unlocking the mechanism, Guo Zijie extinguished the fuse, and the group unshackled the iron chains around Prince Su and helped him up.

At this moment, Zhou Qin shouted that they had been tricked. Suddenly, a circle of scarecrows appeared around them, and each scarecrow was not only filled with explosives but also linked in a chain. Cao Xuanxuan guessed that if they triggered the wrong sequence, the explosives would detonate. Zhou Qin confirmed her suspicion, explaining that these explosives were not only meant to kill the four of them but also to destroy the entire Yan City.

The explosives had been set up many years ago by Zhou Qin. Guo Zijie, recalling previous events, deduced the correct sequence for the scarecrows. As the group was about to deactivate the scarecrows, Zhou Qin retracted them and asked Cao Xuanxuan to explain why she had found the sequence.

After hearing the reason, Cao Xuanxuan tried to persuade Zhou Qin to stop, but Zhou Qin revealed that her hatred for Cao Xuanxuan stemmed from an incident where Cao Xuanxuan had replaced her book and taken all the rewards, leaving Zhou Qin without money to treat her grandmother. The group wanted to capture Zhou Qin, but she was surrounded by explosives. If they approached her, she would detonate the explosives, taking them all with her.

In the end, Cao Xuanxuan attempted to rush forward, but Guo Zijie, seeing this, blocked her path and ran out instead. Zhou Qin detonated the explosives, knocking everyone unconscious. When Cao Xuanxuan woke up again, she found Guo Zijie seriously injured. Despite his injuries, Guo Zijie handed her a prepared Yan City journal. After reading it and recalling past events, Cao Xuanxuan broke down in tears.

When Cao Xuanxuan woke up again, she found herself back in the modern world, lying in bed. She asked about the whereabouts of the Yan City journal, hugged it to her chest, and fell back asleep. When she woke again, she saw Guo Zijie wiping her face. Upon seeing him, Cao Xuanxuan was overwhelmed with emotion and tears filled her eyes.

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