After Jian Qiu was captured by the Millelith, another team was dispatched to Wanfu Inn to arrest his fiancée.
At first, she stubbornly denied everything. But once she learned that Jian Qiu had already confessed, she stopped resisting and admitted her crimes.
As she was dragged away, she turned back and screamed viciously at Lord Dean:
"Jian Qiu and I were supposed to have a happy future!
It was your daughter's fault—she seduced him! She ruined both of us!"
"You—! You—! Don't slander my daughter!"
Hearing his child smeared by her killer, Lord Dean clutched his chest, so furious he nearly collapsed from lack of breath.
At that moment, he hated himself more than anyone—
for not being harsher back then, for not stopping his daughter from getting involved with Jian Qiu at all costs.
As Severin and Yanfei prepared to leave, Lord Dean suddenly dropped to his knees, crying out:
"Your Highness, I wronged you! You were not the murderer!"
Blinded by grief, he had lost the ability to think clearly, placing all his hatred on Northland Bank and the Snezhnayan Prince.
Now that the case was solved, his reason gradually returned.
Moments earlier, hearing Hua Chu insulted by the culprit had torn his heart apart. It made him realize more deeply how unforgivable it was to falsely accuse others.
Thus, he hurried to admit his mistake.
"To know one's fault and correct it—there is no greater virtue,"
Severin said calmly, stopping and turning back with his hands behind his back.
Had Lord Dean remained stubborn, Severin would have walked away without another word.
But since the old man showed genuine remorse, he was worth explaining things to.
"Sir, what Jian Qiu's fiancée said just now was clearly meant to provoke you," Severin continued.
"She wanted to publicly display hatred toward your daughter, to solidify the impression that she was the mastermind."
"Normally, someone who killed your daughter wouldn't dare even meet your eyes," he added.
"But she did the opposite—openly provoking you."
"The performance was too deliberate."
Severin's gaze sharpened.
"Jian Qiu claimed earlier that his fiancée pushed Hua Chu into the river. That statement was a lie."
"The person who truly pushed her into the water and caused her death was Jian Qiu himself—not his fiancée."
Up to this point, everything people knew had come solely from Jian Qiu's confession.
But Severin had his own judgment.
Catching a culprit wasn't enough—
he wouldn't allow the true culprit to walk free.
Speaking now served two purposes:
to prevent Lord Dean from directing his hatred at the wrong person, and
to help the investigating officers refine their line of reasoning.
"Under Liyue law," Severin said evenly,
"the mastermind in a murder case is sentenced to death, while an accomplice might serve seven or eight years before release."
"Jian Qiu and his fiancée must have planned in advance—if the crime was exposed, she would take the blame to preserve his life."
"Of course, this is still an analysis. The final truth will depend on further interrogation by the Millelith."
The so-called Divine Detective General immediately understood Severin's modesty and declared firmly:
"Rest assured, Your Highness. We will give Miss Hua Chu justice and ensure the real murderer pays with his life."
At the side, Yanfei asked thoughtfully:
"Your Highness, people often say 'husband and wife are birds of the same forest—when disaster strikes, they fly apart.'
What could Jian Qiu possibly have promised to make his fiancée willing to die in his place?"
She truly couldn't understand it.
The woman looked clever—hardly someone who would sacrifice herself so easily.
"Miss Yanfei," Severin said,
"may I ask you a personal question?"
"Please, Your Highness."
"You're still single, aren't you?"
Yanfei's face flushed faintly, and she nodded.
Being asked such a private question in public made her embarrassed.
But… what did this have to do with the case?
Seeing the usually stern lawyer suddenly shy, Severin found it oddly endearing.
"That explains it," he said lightly.
"So you can't understand one simple truth."
"What truth?" Yanfei asked.
Severin gestured subtly.
Understanding the signal, Yanfei stepped closer.
A scent of musk mixed with mint drifted toward her—clean and faintly intoxicating.
Severin leaned down and whispered near her ear:
"A woman in the throes of passion has zero intelligence."
Neither the general nor the surrounding crowd heard what was said.
They only saw Yanfei's confusion vanish instantly, replaced by clarity and calm—as if she had received the answer she needed.
"Lawyer Yanfei," Lord Dean said hoarsely,
"I still wish to entrust my daughter's case to you. Jian Qiu must pay for her life!"
Now that the real culprit was identified, the original lawsuit against the Snezhnayan Prince naturally no longer applied.
"My poor daughter… she met the wrong man," he wailed again.
"Now I'm all alone. How am I supposed to go on living…"
It was the cry of a father who had lost everything.
Unable to bear it, Yanfei knelt down and embraced him.
"Thank you, Lawyer Yanfei," Lord Dean said weakly.
"After this case concludes and the murderer is punished, please help me draft a will."
"When I die, all my assets will go to you…"
It sounded less like a legal request and more like a final farewell.
Fearing he might do something drastic, Yanfei immediately refused:
"I can't accept that. I haven't earned it—and I don't even know how to manage a business."
"My family has only one line," Lord Dean said bitterly.
"My wife passed away early. Hua Chu was my only child."
"Now that she's gone, wealth means nothing. You can't take it with you when you die—so let me give it to you."
"When I look at you, I always think of Hua Chu. You're just like her—beautiful, kind… but why…"
Faced with such despair, Yanfei didn't know how to refuse anymore.
Suddenly, she remembered that the Snezhnayan Prince was right beside her and instinctively cast him a pleading look.
"Miss Yanfei shows compassion toward the victim," Severin said calmly.
"That is the virtue a lawyer should possess. For that, I'll give you face."
Then he raised his voice and addressed the old man:
"Sir, would Minghua Money House be willing to cooperate with Northland Bank?"
Lord Dean's future looked bleak and empty.
So Severin chose the one thing that could pull him back—
his lifelong事业.
At the same time, cooperation was also beneficial for Northland Bank.
Minghua Money House was an old-established institution with a loyal customer base.
Partnering with it would greatly accelerate Northland Bank's deposit absorption.
"Your Highness," Lord Dean said slowly,
"last time your people proposed cooperation, the terms were harsh."
"But the harshest condition was forcing me to dismiss dozens of old employees."
"They've followed me for most of my life. How could I fire them? Even if the money house collapsed, I wouldn't abandon them."
He spoke not for himself—but for his people.
"Then I'll decide it myself," Severin said decisively.
"That condition is cancelled."
"Any other terms you dislike—change them as you see fit."
It was a major concession.
"But I have one requirement," he added.
"Your money house must be connected to Northland Bank."
"Connected?" Lord Dean asked, confused.
"It means this," Severin explained.
"Northland Bank's clients can deposit and withdraw funds at Minghua Money House."
"And Minghua's clients can do the same at Northland Bank."
Lord Dean clasped his fists in salute.
The offer was impossible to refuse.
Yet his heart was still drained—
in his current state, he no longer felt capable of running the business.
He hesitated, still intending to leave everything to Yanfei.
But Severin saw through him and spoke one final sentence—
A sentence that shocked everyone and instantly reignited the old man's will to live:
"Sir…
don't you intend to leave something behind for your grandchild?"
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