Qi Menglin was unaware that Luo Shu was disguising herself as a man. He thought she had met Jin Miaocui while indulging in the pleasures of Mingkefang and, unable to afford her redemption, he could only watch helplessly as his beloved returned to Mingkefang. Qi Menglin took out money to help Luo Shu, but not only did she not accept it graciously, she also retorted sarcastically at him. Enraged, Qi Menglin ground his teeth and vowed to take revenge on Luo Shu.
Han Muzhi, a respectable official, exerted great effort to help Luo Shu renounce her citizenship early on. He also had disputes with Yu Mama. Chen Meiqing noticed that Han Muzhi had feelings for Luo Shu, but Luo Shu did not offer any explanations. Qi Menglin secretly concocted a pill and had Lian Shu prepare a gong, intending to publicly disgrace Luo Shu. He placed the pill in Luo Shu’s teapot. After drinking the tea, Luo Shu felt intense heat throughout her body. She discovered the drug in the tea and suspected Qi Menglin’s involvement. Luo Shu tried to calm herself with cold water, but it was futile. She ran to the riverbank, hoping to alleviate the heat with the icy river water.
Qi Menglin followed Luo Shu to the riverbank. Luo Shu took off her shoes, revealing a pair of fair and delicate feet. It was then that Qi Menglin realized Luo Shu was a woman. Frightened, he hurried to confirm, but Luo Shu, enraged, kicked Qi Menglin into the river. Qi Menglin desperately swam toward the shore when he suddenly discovered a naked male corpse. Terrified, he screamed loudly and then fainted on the spot. Without hesitation, Luo Shu jumped into the river and rescued Qi Menglin.
Following Qi Menglin’s instructions, Lian Shu gathered many villagers to witness Luo Shu’s disgrace. When Lian Shu saw Luo Shu rescuing Qi Menglin, he panicked. Luo Shu instructed Lian Shu to find a cart to transport Qi Menglin and the naked corpse back to the county office. Luo Shu was shivering from the cold, and Han Muzhi took care of her by having Cai Baozi prepare hot water for her feet. Luo Shu accidentally saw the official media lady carrying a bundle and leaving. She approached Cai Baozi to inquire about the matter and learned that the official media lady had accepted a bribe from Yu Mama to betray Luo Shu. In anger, Han Muzhi had driven her away. Luo Shu felt grateful towards Han Muzhi.
The next morning, Luo Shu woke up and couldn’t find Cai Baozi. She searched everywhere and finally found her at the mortuary’s entrance. Luo Shu wanted to watch Xu Wuzuo perform the autopsy. The captains had surrounded the mortuary, making it impossible to enter. Cai Baozi had Cai Captian lift her up to watch the spectacle. Seeing the naked corpse’s face being gnawed beyond recognition, Luo Shu was stunned. Luo Shu happened to come looking for Cai Baozi, who was trembling in her arms. Han Muzhi soon arrived, dismissed the constables, and took Luo Shu to the mortuary. Xu Wuzuo determined that the deceased had drowned three days ago. Luo Shu analyzed that this was a premeditated murder case.
Qi Menglin harbored lingering resentment. He thought Luo Shu was effeminate and was shocked to discover she was a woman. Still, he refused to believe it and inquired with Cai Baozi. Cai Baozi confirmed that Luo Shu was a woman and that everyone in the county office knew, except Qi Menglin, who had been kept in the dark. When Luo Shu came to see Qi Menglin, he was too embarrassed to face her and pretended to faint. Luo Shu had no choice but to leave first.
After much consideration, Qi Menglin decided to investigate the case with Luo Shu. They went to the dock and learned that Feng Erlang had rented a boat three days ago. Cai Captian was also at the dock investigating the case. Luo Shu found a hairpin on the boat, so Qi Menglin had Cai Captian take them to Feng Erlang’s home for further investigation. Luo Shu, Qi Menglin, and Cai Captian arrived at Feng Erlang’s house. Feng Erlang was not home as he had gone to work at the dock; only his elderly mother was present. Luo Shu found a purse in a cabinet, which Feng’s mother recognized as belonging to a former neighbor, Mei Hongying. She did not recognize the hairpin.
Luo Shu conducted interviews at the dock and learned that Feng Erlang had not been working for several days. She spoke with neighbors and discovered that Mei Hongying and Feng Erlang were mutually affectionate, but Mei Hongying’s brother, Mei Changxiong, disallowed their relationship and forced Mei Hongying to marry Zhang Juren. Meng Qiaosheng was the teacher Mei Changxiong had hired for Mei Hongying. Luo Shu, Qi Menglin, and Cai Captian visited Meng Qiaosheng’s residence. From the landlord, they learned that Meng Qiaosheng was handsome and charming but came from a poor family. The landlord recognized the hairpin as Meng Qiaosheng’s.
Under Meng Qiaosheng’s pillow, Qi Menglin found a purse identical in style to Feng Erlang’s but with significantly different embroidery. Qi Menglin deduced that Feng Erlang and Meng Qiaosheng had developed murderous intent due to jealousy over Mei Hongying. Feng Erlang had killed Meng Qiaosheng. Luo Shu found this unlikely. Qi Menglin invited Luo Shu and Cai Captian to dinner, but Luo Shu, eager to solve the case, politely declined.
Luo Shu returned to the county office to report to Han Muzhi, who had been waiting for her. He took her to the kitchen for a meal. Cai Baozi had prepared a sumptuous meal, but it was burnt due to overheating multiple times. Qi Menglin had packed food from a restaurant and brought it to Luo Shu. Not wanting to waste it, Luo Shu asked Cai Baozi to invite the constables to join them for a meal.
Luo Shu personally served Han Muzhi a bowl of chicken soup, and Han Muzhi did the same for her. Luo Shu recalled that Feng’s mother had steamed many steamed buns and suspected she had delivered food to Feng Erlang. Qi Menglin asked Lian Shu to follow Luo Shu to Feng’s home to have Feng’s mother persuade Feng Erlang to go to the county office and explain the situation, or else he would flee to avoid punishment. Luo Shu, Qi Menglin, and Lian Shu hid outside Feng’s house. Feng’s mother hurriedly left with a bundle, and they followed her to a dilapidated house where Feng Erlang was indeed hiding.
