Keqing couldn't hide her disappointment.
"Right now, Flora insists that when she eloped, she only gave Lily her clothes because she pitied her. She claims Lily's death has nothing to do with her.
And Lord Dean has hired Liyue's best lawyer — Miss Yanfei. We won't get anything out of Flora."
Adrian chuckled softly.
"No wonder you came to me. Don't worry — Flora isn't closely tied to Lily's death.
At most, she's guilty of tampering with a corpse."
Keqing blinked in confusion.
"How can you tell? What evidence do you have?"
Adrian raised a finger, confident and calm.
"Simple. All Flora wanted was to stop Lord Dean from interfering with her and Jace.
There was no reason for her to commit a serious crime.
And think about it — she's a pampered noble girl. Jace is a bookish teacher.
Neither of them has the guts to kill someone."
Keqing pondered a moment, then offered another possibility.
"If that's the case… could it be Lillian and her lover Shawn?
Maybe they killed Lily to keep her from inheriting Grant's assets."
Adrian nodded slightly.
"It's possible. Let's talk to Lillian first."
Following Keqing's lead, the two arrived at Liyue's prison.
Adrian had imagined a place like the gloomy, oppressive jails from period dramas — but reality was surprisingly modern. Clean lines, organized layout, structured order.
Still cold, but not dark.
Using her authority as a member of the Qixing, Keqing ordered the guards to bring in Lillian, who was currently working a sewing machine.
She had grown visibly thinner. The seductive charm she once carried had vanished completely, leaving behind a strangely pitiable fragility.
When she saw Adrian — the man who sent her here — her eyes held no hatred, only genuine gratitude.
"Boss Song… if not for you sending me here, I would've spent the rest of my life living in fear."
Adrian waved gently.
"No need for thanks. I came today to tell you something: Lily is dead."
Lillian's eyes widened in shock.
"Dead? She… how did she die?"
Adrian carefully observed her expression.
Not a trace of panic.
Not even a flicker of guilt.
He silently confirmed she was not involved.
Calmly, he explained:
"A few days before Grant passed away, Lily was murdered.
Her body was thrown into a well.
It wasn't found until it had rotted and begun to smell."
Lillian quickly shook her head.
"Her death has nothing to do with me! She was a poor girl who couldn't inherit anything — why would I kill her?"
Adrian considered something, then asked:
"Grant was gravely ill — dying, in fact. Why did you poison him?"
A painful expression appeared on Lillian's face.
"Everyone thinks I married into wealth and lived in luxury… but no one knows what kind of monster he was.
Because I couldn't bear him as a child, he tortured me constantly.
That day, lying on his sickbed, he even tried to use a candle to—"
Adrian quickly cut her off.
"Thank you, Miss Lillian. That's enough."
She nodded faintly and left the interrogation room.
Next, Adrian and Keqing brought in Shawn — who, as prison rumors went, had dropped soap more times than he could count.
He firmly insisted Lily's death had nothing to do with him.
But from him, they learned one crucial detail:
Grant never liked Lily.
He barely interacted with her.
She lived in poverty for years.
Yet during Grant's illness, she somehow brought him a very expensive ginseng root.
Leaving the prison, Adrian and Keqing headed straight to Grant's estate.
Adrian nodded.
"Yes. If my guess is right, Lily's death is tied to that ginseng."
Keqing frowned.
"But Lily was poor. And Grant didn't treat her well.
Why would she go out of her way to buy something so expensive?"
Adrian sighed lightly.
"Master Keqing… a sheltered noble lady like you can't understand the mindset of someone at the bottom.
She bought it hoping Grant would leave her a bit of inheritance.
A naïve thought — foolish, even — but for someone like her, it was her only chance to change her fate."
Keqing fell silent.
A strange heaviness settled in her heart.
As they approached Grant's home, she suddenly stopped, expression solemn and resolute.
"From today on, I will learn the lives of the common people.
Understand them. Help them.
I won't allow tragedies like Lily's to happen again."
Adrian looked at her firm expression and couldn't help but admire her.
"Master Keqing, I believe in you."