Chapter 11: The Disruption at the Funeral Ceremony

The carriage slowly entered the Yan residence, which was draped in white curtains, casting a solemn atmosphere as Yan Qingxiu’s funeral was underway.

Shen He, Yan Qingyi, and Xiao Jingchi walked side by side, drawing the attention and murmurs of the gathered crowd.

“Yan Qingyi, how dare you show your face here!” Yan Qingyu’s face turned ashen the moment he saw Yan Qingyi. He gave a signal to the guards beside him, and instantly, dozens of armored guards surrounded Yan Qingyi, swords drawn and tension thick in the air.

Seeing this, Shen He remained still but stepped in front of Yan Qingyi, her gaze icy as she looked at Yan Qingyu. “Second Young Master Yan, what do you mean by this? Third Young Master Yan has come to mourn his elder brother. Could it be that you want to take this last remaining bloodline of the Yan family by force?”

Yan Qingyu’s expression hardened upon hearing this, clearly offended by the implication that he was not truly of Yan blood.

“Miss Shen, today is my elder brother’s funeral. Please mind your words. After all, you should at least address my elder brother as ‘sir’!” Yan Qingyu said sternly. “Yan Qingyi’s arrival must have ill intentions. Since he is an accomplice of the murderer, he naturally cannot be allowed to stay!”

Yan Qingyi took a step forward to stand before Shen He, confronting Yan Qingyu. “Yan Qingyu! Since childhood, our elder brother treated both of us like a father would, never treating you any differently because you were an adopted son of the Yan family! Now, his body is barely cold, how can you twist the truth so blatantly?”

A cold sneer flashed across Yan Qingyu’s stern face. “Because my brother treated me as a true elder brother, I cannot allow him to die in vain! The murderer is right before me. Guards! Seize him!”

“Who dares! His Highness the Sixth Prince is here. Who dares act recklessly!” Shen He commanded loudly. Only then did the crowd notice the childlike expression on Xiao Jingchi’s face as he cautiously followed behind Shen He.

Those who came to pay respects quickly bowed. “Greetings, Your Highness the Sixth Prince!”

“Get up quickly, get up,” Xiao Jingchi urged hurriedly.

“Miss Shen, what do you mean by invoking the Sixth Prince? Even the Sixth Prince cannot protect a murderer, right?” Yan Qingyu sneered as he approached Shen He after the others finished their disdainful greetings.

“Where is the evidence? What proof do you have to accuse the Third Young Master of murder?” Shen He smiled faintly, her tone resolute and unwavering. “Without solid evidence, do you intend to convict someone based solely on your word?”

Yan Qingyu laughed coldly. “What evidence is needed? Yan Qingyi and our elder brother left disguised. Our elder brother was gravely injured and never recovered, yet Yan Qingyi was untouched. Isn’t that the greatest suspicion?”

“Second Young Master Yan, is this your usual approach—acting without any order?” Shen He remained composed. “Though Qingyi was unscathed, that does not prove he killed sir. If he truly did it, wouldn’t he have been on guard? If it was him, why go to such lengths? The Third Young Master and sir have always been close. Sir had no reason to suspect the Third Young Master. Wouldn’t it have been easier to strike at any time instead of involving himself so deeply?”

The mourners stirred uneasily at these words. Previously, they had heard whispers of suspicious circumstances surrounding Yan Qingxiu’s death but had not pursued it further. Now, doubts began to grow.

As the dispute escalated, Xiao Jingchi suddenly stepped forward, his gaze unfocused, glancing fleetingly at Shen He before pointing at Yi An in the crowd with a dazed expression. “It’s him… it’s really him who killed Brother Yan…”

The crowd gasped in shock.

Chen Ru, standing beside Yi An, blinked red eyes, staring at Yi An in disbelief.

Since Xiao Jingchi entered, Yi An had been tense. He had heard the Sixth Prince was frightened and bedridden, so how could he attend the funeral today?

Yi An maintained a calm facade and bowed. “Your Highness the Sixth Prince, I am Sir Yan’s personal bodyguard. I was also present on the day of the incident, but I was protecting Sir Yan. Your Highness must be mistaken.”

“It’s not that I am unreasonable, but how can we trust His Highness’s words?” Yan Qingyu sneered, curling his lips.

“Sister! He doesn’t believe me! Jingchi never lies!” Xiao Jingchi tugged at Shen He’s sleeve, looking aggrieved.

Yan Qingyu mocked, “Miss Shen, I think you should take the Sixth Prince away quickly. What if he’s too shocked to recover?”

Suddenly, Xiao Jingchi’s face turned pale, his body trembling as if chilled by a cold wind. He clutched Shen He’s hand tightly, panic and helplessness flashing in his eyes. “Sister, my head… it hurts so much…” He staggered, nearly falling, but Shen He caught him, her heart filled with anxiety.

Yan Qingyu snorted coldly and waved for the attendants to remove Xiao Jingchi.

“Who dares touch him!” Shen He shouted angrily.

Just as Xiao Jingchi was about to be taken away, he broke free with force and rushed to Yan Qingxiu’s coffin. Everyone was stunned as Xiao Jingchi suddenly opened the coffin lid and stared at Yan Qingxiu’s body, seemingly searching for some answer.

Shen He hurried after him, watching as Xiao Jingchi pointed at a peculiar wound on Yan Qingxiu’s body. “Brother, does it hurt? Brother, does it hurt a lot?”

Xiao Jingchi’s hands shook as he gripped the coffin’s edge. Yan Qingyi rushed behind him, shouting angrily, grabbing Yan Qingyu’s collar. “Can’t you see the whip marks on our brother’s body?”

Those were the unique marks made by the whip Yi An was most skilled with!

The crowd surged forward to examine.

Chen Ru’s eyes flashed with grief and fury as she stared at Yan Qingxiu’s wounds. Drawing her long sword, she pointed it at Yi An. “Yi An! Did you kill sir or not?!”

Yi An’s face turned pale as he faced the sword’s tip. He trembled, seemingly wanting to defend himself but unable to utter a word.

At that moment, Yan Qingyu suddenly ordered, “Guards! Take the Sixth Prince away to rest!”

Several guards moved forward to seize Xiao Jingchi, but he clung tightly to Yan Qingxiu’s hand, murmuring, “Brother, I can’t bear to let you go…”

Suddenly, with Xiao Jingchi’s grip, Yan Qingxiu’s hand opened, dropping a willow tassel—the ornament from Yi An’s whip.

Chen Ru’s eyes instantly filled with tears, and she swung her sword fiercely, “I’ll kill you!”

Yi An reacted swiftly, stepping aside and pulling out his whip. With a powerful flick, he entangled Chen Ru’s sword, wrenching it from her hands and sending it clattering to the ground.

Chen Ru picked up her sword again, pointing it at Yi An once more.

At that moment, Chen Chuchuan, an official from the Ministry of Justice, shouted, “Everyone, stop!”

Chen Ru halted but did not lower her sword.

“Your Highness the Sixth Prince, Lord Yan, Miss Shen, there are indeed many doubts surrounding Sir Yan’s death. If you trust me, allow the Ministry of Justice to take over the investigation. We will thoroughly uncover the truth behind Lord Yan’s murder. What do you say, Lord Yan?”

Yan Qingyu wanted to argue but saw the murmurs growing louder among the mourners. Glancing back at Yi An, he realized it was best to cut his losses. “Very well, Lord Chen, I leave it to you.”

Hearing this, Shen He felt a slight relief.

She looked at Chen Chuchuan, who gave a slight nod in return, a firm look in his eyes.

At least, Yan Qingyi was safe for now.