I was chased by my sickly junior brother who had two lives

As autumn deepens in the capital, the maple leaves in the Duke's Mansion have been dyed with layers of red, and the chrysanthemums in the courtyard are in full bloom, with golden and white colors interweaving, exuding bursts of elegant fragrance.

Chen Jue returned to the mansion with a tired look on his face. He was wearing a blue-gray robe, his steps were a little heavy, and his brows were furrowed. It was obvious that he had been troubled for a long time by the case of King Zhao's men embezzling people's land.

Chen Jia was arranging a few pots of newly arrived autumn chrysanthemums in the living room. When she saw Chen Jue returning, she hurried to greet him, her eyes full of concern.

"Xiao Jue, you're back. You look serious, but is the case not going well?"

Chen Jia asked softly. She was wearing a moon-white silk dress with a light blue ribbon tied around her waist, which made her figure look more graceful.

Chen Jue sighed slightly, "Sister, I have collected a lot of evidence, but it is disorganized and difficult to sort out a clear thread. It really gives me a headache." After saying that, he rubbed his temples gently.

Chen Jia pulled Chen Jue to sit on a chair in the hall and ordered the maid to bring some fragrant tea.

"Xiao Jue, drink some tea first and relax. Don't be anxious, let's think of a solution together."

Chen Jia handed a cup of tea to Chen Jue, her eyes revealing firmness and tenderness.

After Chen Jue took a short break, Chen Jia said, "Xiao Jue, show me all the existing evidence. Maybe we can find some clues from it."

Chen Jue nodded, stood up and took Chen Jia to the study. Inside the study, the desk was piled with various documents, letters and account books.

Chen Jue pointed at the evidence and said helplessly, "Sister, look, there are witness statements, suspected forged land deeds, letters with some wealthy businessmen, and lists of stolen goods and account records seized in various places, but I just can't figure out the connection between them."

Chen Jia walked over to the table and carefully examined the evidence. She first picked up a witness statement and read it carefully. The paper was a little rough and the handwriting was a little sloppy, as if one could see the grief and helplessness of the witness when he wrote it.

"Xiao Jue, take a look at this testimony. This villager mentioned that King Zhao's men forcibly occupied the fields during the spring plowing season. This time point is very critical and may echo the time clues in other evidence."

Chen Jia said, her eyes focused and bright.

Chen Jue came over and looked at the testimony. "Sister, you are right. Why didn't I notice this detail before?"

A hint of joy appeared on his face.

Chen Jia picked up another stack of letters and examined them carefully. The textures of the letters were different, and some were stained, as if telling of their experiences. She suddenly found a faint seal mark on the corner of one of the letters.

"Xiao Jue, do you remember the seal on this letter? It may be the seal of a key person or organization. If we can find out, we may be able to uncover the hidden power behind it." Chen Jia's voice was filled with excitement.

Chen Jue took the letter and carefully examined the seal. "Sister, I didn't notice it before. I'll check it out now." After that, he hurried out of the study.

Chen Jia continued to sort out the evidence. She arranged the land deeds in chronological order and found that the signing dates of several of them were very close and the handwriting was similar.

"Could it be that these land deeds were written by the same person?" Chen Jia thought to himself.

After a while, Chen Jue returned to the study with a happy face.

"Sister, I found out. This seal belongs to a well-known bookstore in Beijing. I guess someone may have used the bookstore's letter paper to pass on the message to conceal it from others."

Chen Jia nodded, "Xiao Jue, this is an important discovery. We can start from this bookstore and see if we can find more clues."

While sorting out the accounts, Chen Jia found that the income and expenditure records of several accounts were very suspicious. The quantities of some materials in and out mentioned in the accounts did not match common sense, and the flow of funds was also unclear.

"Xiao Jue, look at these accounts. I think there is something fishy here. Maybe these are the traces they left behind when they were transferring the embezzled property." Chen Jia pointed at the accounts, her brows slightly furrowed.

After a careful inspection, Chen Jue said, "Sister, you really have sharp eyes. We have to follow these clues."

After some sorting and analysis, Chen Jia and Chen Jue finally sorted out some clues from the evidence. They found a key figure named Zhao Si, who seemed to be the core executor of the King of Zhao's embezzlement of civilian land, and many clues were inextricably linked to him.

"Xiao Jue, we now have a direction. We should look for witnesses related to Zhao Si and further verify the evidence." Chen Jia said, with determination in her eyes.

Chen Jue looked at Chen Jia, his heart full of gratitude, "Sister, with you by my side, I feel there is hope for this case. But visiting and investigating may be dangerous, you..."

Chen Jia interrupted him, "Xiao Jue, I'm not afraid. I want to work with you to seek justice for those victims."

So they began to visit and investigate. The streets and alleys of the capital were bustling with people. They first came to a dilapidated residential area in the south of the city, where many poor people lived.

Most of the houses are built with mud and stones, with mottled walls and incomplete tiles on the roofs.

They found an old man who used to be a servant in Zhao Si's house.

The old man was hunched over, his face was covered with wrinkles, and there was a trace of fear in his eyes. "My two nobles, what do you want from me? I am just a poor old man who knows nothing." The old man said in a trembling voice.

Chen Jue stepped forward and said gently: "Old man, don't be afraid. We are investigating Zhao Si's evil deeds. If you know anything, tell us the truth. We will keep it confidential and give you corresponding rewards."

The old man hesitated for a moment and looked at Chen Jue and Chen Jia. "When I was a servant in his house, I often saw some strangers coming to him. They were all fierce and ferocious. Once, I heard them discussing how to occupy a piece of good land and even mentioned forging a land deed. I was so scared that I hid secretly."

Chen Jia asked, "Old man, do you still remember what those strangers looked like or what they said?"

The old man tried to recall, "I remember one person had a long scar on his face. He said that the owner of the field refused to surrender and wanted to teach them a lesson. Another person said that they had a backer and were not afraid of the people filing a complaint."

Chen Jue and Chen Jia looked at each other and understood what was going on. They thanked the old man and continued to look for other witnesses.

At a market in the west of the city, they found a small vendor who had done business with Zhao Si before. The vendor's stall was full of various groceries, and when he saw Chen Jue and Chen Jia coming, he looked a little wary.

"Who are you? I haven't done anything bad."

After Chen Jue revealed his identity, he said, "We just want to understand the business dealings between you and Zhao Si. If you tell the truth, you will not be implicated."

The vendor hesitated for a moment. "I have done business with Zhao Si several times, but later I found that the source of his goods was not legitimate. It seemed that he got them from the occupied fields. I dared not cooperate with him anymore. One time, I saw him hiding a lot of looted grain and farm tools in a warehouse."

"Do you know where the warehouse is?" Chen Jia asked anxiously.

"It's in an abandoned village on the northern outskirts of the city. It's very hidden there." The peddler replied.

Chen Jue and Chen Jia immediately headed to the northern outskirts of the city. Along the way, the autumn wind was bleak, and the fallen leaves of the trees on the roadside seemed to be guiding them in the direction.

Arriving at the abandoned manor, the manor was surrounded by weeds and the walls were dilapidated. They walked into the manor cautiously and found that it was indeed filled with all kinds of stolen goods.

In a corner, Chen Jia found a secret compartment. She opened it and found an account book and some letters inside. "Xiao Jue, come quickly, there is important evidence here." Chen Jia shouted excitedly.

Chen Jue came over and took the account book and the letter to check. The account book recorded in detail the income and expenditure of their embezzlement of civilian land, as well as the details of their collusion with various parties. The letter was the correspondence between Zhao Si and other people under the King of Zhao, and the content involved more conspiracies and evil deeds.

"Sister, these pieces of evidence are too crucial. With them, King Zhao's men will no longer be able to make excuses." Chen Jue said excitedly.

They returned to the city with the newly found evidence. The sky had gradually darkened, and the afterglow of the setting sun dyed the capital city golden.

Chen Jue looked at Chen Jia, his heart full of admiration and love, "Sister, I am here today thanks to you. Your intelligence and courage are my greatest help."

Chen Jia smiled and said, "Xiao Jue, this is our joint effort. I believe that justice will be served in the end, and those people will be able to live a peaceful life sooner rather than later."

With the assistance of Chen Jia, Chen Jue made a major breakthrough in collecting and organizing evidence on the case of Zhao Wang's subordinates embezzling civilian land.