Jian Qiu, of course, had not confessed.
A confession meant the death penalty—there was no way he would admit to anything, no matter what.
Yanfei's words earlier had merely been bait.
"Heh. I don't know what you're talking about,"
Jian Qiu's fiancée replied coldly, still playing dumb.
But the flicker of panic in her eyes betrayed her.
"Jian Qiu has already confessed," Yanfei said calmly.
"He admitted that Miss Hua Chu bore him a son, and that the child was later entrusted to a fisherman's family for foster care."
"We've already found the boy. The Snezhnayan Prince personally gave him a name—Hua Yan."
The moment Yanfei mentioned the child, the woman's mental defenses shattered completely.
"Jian Qiu—! You betrayed me! You lied to me!"
With just a small push, Yanfei had completely destroyed her trust in him.
Back then, Jian Qiu had sworn on his life that he would never confess—even if it meant death.
Yet he hadn't lasted long at all inside the prison before breaking that oath.
"Why didn't you trust me…? Why?!"
She clutched her head and broke down in sobs.
Yanfei waited until her emotions calmed slightly before asking,
"He confessed. You won't be sentenced to death anymore.
Shouldn't you be happy?"
"He doesn't believe in me anymore. He doesn't love me anymore,"
she cried.
"What meaning is there in living now?"
Yanfei let out a soft sigh.
Reality had once again proven the truth.
Love could easily cloud judgment—
strip people of reason, clarity, and self-preservation.
Perhaps saying "a woman in love has zero intelligence" was too blunt.
A more accurate statement might be: love makes people blind and reckless.
Yet Yanfei still couldn't understand one thing.
Why did humans rush headlong toward something so irrational?
Why did they chase love so fervently?
Was it necessary to experience love firsthand to truly understand it?
The Snezhnayan Prince had told her to find the answer herself.
Now she understood why.
But she had never felt her heart stir for any man.
Romance, to her, felt like an impossibility.
"Hmph. A lawyer needs calm judgment and rigorous logic," Yanfei muttered inwardly.
"Love only interferes with professionalism. No dating, no romance—honestly, that suits me just fine."
Outside the interrogation room, the Divine Detective General had been waiting, having listened in on the entire process.
"Miss Yanfei," he said sincerely,
"your interrogation skills are no worse than His Highness's."
"You flatter me, General," Yanfei replied modestly.
"How could I compare to His Highness? What about Jian Qiu?"
"Don't even mention him," the general sighed.
"That man's stubborn to the bone. No matter what we ask, he just repeats that the fiancée is the murderer."
"But with the breakthrough you achieved here, things will be much easier."
After thanking her, he hesitated for a moment, then gathered his courage.
"Miss Yanfei, you've helped the Millelith greatly today.
After work… would you like to have dinner with me?"
"What cuisine do you like? I'll make reservations in advance."
Yanfei smiled apologetically and declined.
"Tonight won't work. I already have plans to treat someone else."
A trace of disappointment flashed across the general's eyes, though he forced a smile.
"May I ask who is fortunate enough to dine with you?"
"The Snezhnayan Prince," Yanfei answered.
The general's expression instantly changed.
"Oh—! I just remembered, the Millelith has an emergency meeting tonight," he said hastily.
"Miss Yanfei, let's take a rain check."
Watching him hurry away, Yanfei couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh softly.
Midday.
Snezhnayan diplomatic residence.
Severin sat by the window, reading a book titled Records of Unsolved Cases in Liyue.
The book had been delivered by a local citizen, who claimed the Prince would surely enjoy it. The Mirror Maiden had accepted it and brought it inside.
"The binding is exquisite, and the case records are detailed," Severin said lightly as he opened it.
"This is an official compilation."
"Your Highness, could it be a gift from Ningguang?" the Mirror Maiden asked.
"Unlikely," Severin replied.
"During the commercial war, the Qixing are being extremely cautious. As the Tianquan, Ningguang wouldn't give gifts at such a sensitive time."
"This is most likely from the Millelith's 'Divine Detective General.'"
The Mirror Maiden nodded in understanding.
"After witnessing Your Highness solve the Feiyun Slope case this morning, he probably sent over Liyue's accumulated cold cases and strange incidents—hoping to spark your interest and seek your help."
She frowned slightly.
"But Your Highness is already so busy. For him to pile more work onto you…"
"I'll return the files at once."
"I'm actually interested in a few of these cases," Severin said, smiling faintly.
The Mirror Maiden hesitated.
"But Your Highness, you need proper rest and should focus on the commercial war. I'm worried this might be Ningguang's ploy to distract you."
The Fatui had suffered many losses in Liyue over the years due to the Qixing's endless schemes.
Severin shook his head gently.
"Under Rex Lapis's rule, Liyue should have been peaceful. Yet so many unresolved cases exist, with killers still at large."
"These should be stains on Liyue's record—things they'd want hidden."
"For the Millelith to hand them over openly means they truly have no solution left."
"If it concerns the safety of the people, spending some effort is worthwhile."
"As long as it's not Ningguang's scheme," the Mirror Maiden murmured.
Severin continued reading.
Steam curled gently from the teacup on the table before him.
Without realizing it, the entire afternoon passed.
Only when the room dimmed did Severin notice the sun had already set.
"Your Highness,"
the Mirror Maiden said softly as she replaced his tea with a fresh pot.
"Speak."
She knew his rule well—
when he was absorbed in reading, only important matters warranted interruption.
"Lord Dean has sent over the cooperation agreement," she reported.
"I informed him that Lord Pantalone would handle further coordination, so he personally delivered the contract to Northland Bank."
"Good," Severin nodded.
The cooperation was now just a matter of formalities.
Though it had only been hours since Lord Dean lost his daughter, Severin understood—
the old man was channeling his grief into action.
"Your Highness," the Mirror Maiden continued,
"Miss Yanfei visited earlier."
"Oh? Why wasn't she shown in?" Severin asked, setting down his book.
"She said that she represents both Lady Yelan and the Hua Chu case," the Mirror Maiden explained,
"and that her earlier visit seeking reconciliation was rather abrupt."
"So tonight, she's prepared a modest dinner and hopes to apologize in person."
"She also asked me to pass along that a highly respected elder of hers will attend, and hopes you'll honor them with your presence."
The Mirror Maiden paused, recalling carefully.
"When I asked who this elder was, Miss Yanfei referred to her as Granny Ping."
She added thoughtfully,
"Our Snezhnayan intelligence has very little information on this Granny Ping. She seems to have little public presence in Liyue, but there are many rumors—some say she may be connected to the adepti."
Severin stood up at once.
"Prepare the carriage. We're going now."
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