Magistrate Liu felt the corner of his mouth twitch at the ridiculousness of the situation, but he didn't know what exactly to do about it.
"But… the culprit has already confessed, and I didn't even have to question or torture her. Not only did she confess, she even signed the report accusing her. Who would be dumb enough to confess to a crime they didn't commit?"
"That's because even she wasn't aware that someone else was the real culprit," said Ji Yunshu.
"What? What do you mean by that?" asked Magistrate Liu.
The thunderous declaration was enough to make Magistrate Liu jump out of his seat: he stood up, grabbed his robe and walked down the stairs towards Ji Yunshu.
As he walked, he grumbled, "Stand up first, I just feel uncomfortable talking to you when you are kneeling down on the ground like that."
"Then you agree to have the case reopened?" asked Ji Yunshu as she raised her head.
Magistrate Liu answered with a hand gesture, "Well, you need proof. According to procedures, if you want to reverse the decision on a case which has already been settled, I need irrefutable proof. If you don't have it, then I can't reopen the case. You should know that."
"Of course I have proof," said Ji Yunshu.
"Really?"
Ji Yunshu stood up, brushed the dust off her robe, and said, "Milord, please bring the old housekeeper from the Zhou Mansion over for questioning."
"The old housekeeper? Was there someone like that from the Zhou Mansion?" thought magistrate Liu.
Frustrated by his slowness, Ji Yunshu glared at Magistrate Liu and said, "Milord, would you like your humble servant to go and strike the drum again?"
"O-of course not. Also, drop that humble servant thing," said the Magistrate Liu with a hand gesture; he trusted her more than that. He turned around and said to one of the runners, "Grab a few people and fetch the housekeeper from the Zhou Mansion."
"Yes sir," answered a runner.
Ji Yunshu stopped a runner as he ran by her.
"What is it, Teacher Ji?" asked the runner.
Ji Yunshu moved closer to him and whispered into his ears. The runner nodded and left with a few others for the Zhou Mansion.
Magistrate Liu was puzzled. He approached Ji Yunshu, frowning, and puckered his lips before asking, "The real culprit is someone else… what does this have to do with the old housekeeper? Unless.. it's him?"
"Would you really like to know, milord?"
"Of course!" answered the magistrate with an expression overflowing with curiosity, as he leaned closer to hear Ji Yunshu, "Tell me, weren't you the one who caught the two we locked up? They also confessed, and if you want to reverse the verdict, you better explain yourself properly."
"Milord, have you ever hear of an old saying?" asked Ji Yunshu.
"What?" asked the magistrate
"Curiosity kills the cat."
The magistrate could not find a reply for that.
At that instant, another pair of eyes, this time ardent as a flame, was fixated upon the two. It was Jing Rong, who was peeking through a little slit from the back of the hall.
"What is that guy doing? What could they be saying to each other?" thought Jing Rong as he tried his best to make out what was happening. His ear was almost stuck to the door, but his injured arm became an obstacle preventing him from getting closer.
"Liu Qingping, you're quite the daring one aren't you?! You dare to lean this close to my scholar," thought Jing Rong with a hint of frustration and annoyance.
After a little while, around the time to brew a cup of tea, the runners came back with the old housekeeper.
The latter had his hands behind his back, and his back hunched as always. His body was so limp and devoid of force that as he was dragged into the hall by the runners, it looked like he was about to fall over forward.
The housekeeper was brought to the middle of the court hall and knelt down without resisting. The only thing which stood out was the scar which made his face rather terrifying. As usual, he lowered his head and stared at the ground.
Lord Zhou and Madame Zhou followed him into the hall.
After all, the old housekeeper had been working at the Zhou Mansion for many years already, and there was no way that the owners of the place would not be aware that he had been dragged to the yamen by the runners.
Magistrate Liu hurried back to his seat, since the people were finally there.
Bam!
This was the sound of the gavel hitting the top of the table.
Down from the platform where the magistrate sat, the housekeeper knelt on the ground, whilst Ji Yunshu, Lord Zhou and Madame Zhou stood beside him.
"Ji Yunshu, you've struck the drum to decry an injustice. Tell me, what's this all about?" asked the magistrate.
Ji Yunshu joined both of her hands in a gesture and answered, "Milord, I have wronged you for the murder of the daughter of Lord Zhou. The real culprit happens to be someone else. I request that you consider reopening the case."
"Well, I'm listening to you. Speak, and I will listen. If the real culprit is indeed someone else, I'll reopen the case," said the magistrate.
Upon hearing that the culprit might be someone else, Lord Zhou and Madame Zhou trembled.
"Milord, what's happening exactly? Isn't Suyun the culprit?" asked Lord Zhou.
"This… please wait for Yunshu's explanation. I… I also don't know much about the details…" answered Magistrate Liu.
Both of them looked at Ji Yunshu for an answer.
Ji Yunshu trotted slowly around the hall. She lowered her eyes to look at the housekeeper and asked in a dispassionate voice, "Old mister, do you know why you were brought here?"
A silence answered her.
Ji Yunshu had a smile that looked a bit sinister and said, "Old mister, do you know that the prisons here are cold, humid and infested with rodents? With you current health condition, it would be terribly unfortunate if you'd have to spend some time in there wouldn't it?"
She was answered by silence once again.
Everyone else was baffled: why was she talking about that?
Jing Rong, who was also as curious as ever, moved his chair a little more forward, despite being already practically stuck against the wall.
After moving left and right for a bit, he realized that no matter what he did, the silhouette of the Magistrate, who was slightly overweight, would always obstruct his view. So he sneaked out of the back of the hall, and hid in a corner to the side.
"Finally, what a great view, perfect for the show," thought Jing Rong.
Ji Yunshu, who was still pacing around, did not see Jing Rong. She went behind the housekeeper and her lips curled upwards once again, "You can stay silent all you want, but the truth will be unveiled by the evidence you carry on you. How about you confess… that you murdered the young miss?"
"What!?"
That was but the first of many surprises for everyone present. It was indeed a show not to be missed.
The old housekeeper, who was still kneeling on the ground, quivered as he heard these words and clasped the corners of his robe tightly with both of his hands.
For Ji Yunshu, that little movement was an obvious hint of culpability.
The first person to react to her accusation was Madame Zhou. She said, in a feeble voice and with eyes swollen from fatigue, "That's impossible! Ahjing would never do something like that! He watched my daughter grow up." There was a lot of conviction in her voice.
Lord Zhou agreed with his wife, "The culprit has already been found. Teacher, how can you say that the culprit is Ahjing now? You must have made a mistake."
"Lord Zhou, Madame Zhou. Unfortunately, I made a mistake while solving the case. The punishment for that mistake is something else to be discussed, but now, it is my responsibility to find the real culprit," said Ji Yunshu.
"But…" said lord Zhou.
Ji Yunshu went back to the old housekeeper. This time, she accosted him in a very sharp tone, "I'll ask you again. Did you murder the young miss? Why did you murder her?"
It was a simple question, but the anger was audible in Ji Yunshu's voice.
The flurry of questions prompted the old housekeeper to raise his head and look at Ji Yunshu. His visage was still ruined by the horrible scar, but his expression strangely gentle. He chuckled and answered, "Teacher, you're smart, and you should know the answer already. Why don't you take a guess?"
"Huh?!"
Ji Yunshu was surprised: there was no fear in the housekeeper's answer, but rather relief.
The housekeeper's answer was enough to make one fact clear as the day for everyone present.
He did murder the young miss!
Grenn’s Rants Corner
Me: *sits next to Jing Rong* Your Highness, would you like some popcorn while you enjoy the show on the sidelines? Jing Rong: *throws popcorn in his mouth* Indeed, watching a good show with some snacks is the best. I’ll ask Lang Po to send you some silver later. Me: Oh, no need! (As long as you get more passionate interactions with Yunshu, I’m all good. Fufufufu~)
The ones who reacted the most fiercely to the housekeeper's confession were not Lord Zhou and Madame Zhou, but rather Magistrate Liu, who seemed appalled by such a development.
The magistrate grabbed his gavel, pointed it at the housekeeper and said in an indignant voice, "You, the young miss didn't do you any wrong! Why did you murder her? Why? Speak at once!" The magistrate sounded almost excited.
'Wait a second, he didn't even explain whether he had a grudge against the young miss. Why are you getting so excited?'
Seeing that the housekeeper did not answer his question, the magistrate added, "if you don't confess, I'll sentence you to 50 hits of cane first, and then we'll see if you can still hold your mouth still like that. Confess now and I'll spare you the pain."
Ji Yunshu couldn't bear to see this any more, she raised her hand towards the magistrate and made a downward gesture.
'Sit down, will you?'
The message seemed to have reached the magistrate, and, although he seemed terribly embarrassed, he followed Ji Yunshu's order and sat down with a grumpy look.
The next to come to their senses were Lord Zhou and Madame Zhou, who were stumped for a fair while.
"You murdered my daughter? Ahjing, is that true? But why did you do that? Why?" asked Madame Zhou.
Madame Zhou was not nearly as agitated as when she learnt that Suyun was the murderer. But, if one looked hard enough for it, the pain and hate stemming from her despair were obvious in her eyes.
'This was definitely not normal. Her reaction is too unusual.'
As for Lord Zhou, surprisingly, he merely sighed, and nothing more came out of him!
Ji Yunshu was bemused by the way things had unfolded. She felt like something was amiss from their reactions, but could not tell what it was exactly.
The old housekeeper ignored Madame Zhou's question and looked at Ji Yunshu once again, he laughed and said, "Teacher, didn't you say that the evidence will speak for itself? If you think that you already know the answer, why do you keep interrogating me?"
"Are you testing me?" asked Ji Yunshu.
"I don't understand how you figured out it was me. It was the perfect murder; there was no way you could have found out about it."
'How confident!'
"Perfect?" This time, it was Ji Yunshu who laughed.
She stood straight and looked at the scar which ran through the face of the housekeeper.
"If I'm not mistaken, that scar of yours, it was the young miss who did it?" said Ji Yunshu without any circumlocution.
The housekeeper was not startled either, "How did you know?"
"You told me to guess, so I took a guess. Based on your answer, it seems that I'm right, am I not?"
The housekeeper stayed silent, but he was visibly puzzled.
Ji Yunshu cracked a smile and said, "Don't you want to ask me how I figured out how you were the culprit based on that alone?"
As she finished speaking, she brought out a pile of folded yellow paper from her pocket. As she unfolded the paper, a thin piece of white wax, which was stuck to the paper, appeared in front of everyone.
"Is it poison? Don't tell me that little one's going to use poison in such a public place?" Jing Rong felt a nerve on his face twitch.
Ji Yunshu brought the folded paper right to the housekeeper face and asked, "Do you recognize this?"
The housekeeper seemed perplexed: clearly he did not recognize what it was.
Ji Yunshu brought the paper back in front of her, and started her long explanation: "What I am holding is a piece a wax that fell off from the old mister's clothing"
As funny as it seemed, the housekeeper was still wearing the same set of clothes without knowing that the wax was stuck to it. This was only natural, since in ancient times, people only changed their clothes once per month.
By the time the housekeeper realized what was going on and threw a look at his sleeves, it was already too late.
Ji Yunshu continued, "Normally, wax oil would only possess the smell of plant resin. But this piece of wax, it smells like lotus flowers. That's something you wouldn't even find in the imperial palace. Coincidentally, lotus flower extract happens to be used in the Zhou Mansion.
As she finished her sentence, she threw a look at the runner next to her. He nodded and gave Ji Yunshu an object wrapped in white cloth.
Ji Yunshu unwrapped the cloth, and what appeared was a crystal chandelier, the one found in the young miss' room.
For everyone present, the chandelier did not help at all in explaining the situation.
Magistrate Liu was no exception; he pointed at the chandelier with curiosity and said, "What does this have to do with the young miss' death?"
"Oh, it is very relevant to her death," answered Ji Yunshu.
Ji Yunshu took the table chandelier, turned around to face the housekeeper, and explained slowly with a frown.
"Let me guess. That night, the young miss, as usual, lit the chandelier as she was about to drink her medicine and go to sleep. She was about to drink the poisoned soup when you appeared in her quarters. She was very unhappy about that; she didn't allow anyone to disturb her at that time and everyone knew about it, including Suyun and Qiaoxin. She lost her composure as you broke her routine, and as someone who has a severe case of obsessive compulsive disorder, she fell into a passionate rage and stop upholding her usual generous young miss' appearance."
"So, in her anger, she must have insulted and hit you. As she did so, you remembered that it was her who scarred you many years ago, and you couldn't bear it anymore. You took her pillow and choked her to death."
Once again, the effect of the surprise caused by the revelation was audible.
Ji Yunshu continued, "While you choked her, you accidentally knocked over the chandelier, and in doing so, it burned your sleeve, creating a dark spot. As the chandelier fell to the ground, the liquid wax splashed onto your clothing. What's more, you didn't expect the bowl of medicine to be spilled over onto the ground as the young miss struggled for her life. Some of the poisonous concoction got into her mouth, and some splashed onto your sleeve exactly where the piece of wax was. Therefore, the piece of wax not only contains the smell of lotus flowers, but also has the smell of Roxburg rose flowers from the soup."
"After the deed, you put the chandelier back to where it was originally and cleaned the room. As you were cleaning up, you saw Suyun sneak into the room. You panicked and fled the scene before you could dispose of the cadaver properly. To your surprise, not only did Suyun not tell anyone about the corpse, but she actually put it onto the bed and started cleaning up the scene for you. You were shocked, but relieved that someone helped you finish what you started"
"So, that was convenient for you. You could continue to be a good housekeeper while Suyun would be a scapegoat for your crime."
The complexity of the case surprised everyone, once again.
Above all, the fact that a single drop of oil wax became the key to elucidating the entire case seemed surreal.
Was the morale of the story to bathe and change clothes everyday if one wanted to murder someone?
The housekeeper looked calm and docile as ever, but now, his darkest secret was fully exposed.
He still looked fearless.
Ji Yunshu asked again, "Now, do you admit it, or not?"
"Teacher… what extraordinary intelligence!"
'Yes, he did confess.'
The housekeeper finally raised his head and stared directly into Ji Yunshu's eyes. The flesh around his scar, which was dark red in color, looked like it was dipped in blood.
At that moment…
"Milord! A disaster! The prisoner… the prisoner died!" a jailor yelled in panicked voice as he broke into the hall.
Magistrate Liu frowned and asked, "Who?"
"That prisoner… Suyun from the Zhou Mansion. She committed suicide! She cut her wrist with the edge of a plate used to hold an oil lamp!"
Oil lamp?
This was the oil lamp Ji Yunshu left to her in the hopes that it would warm her up!
Grenn’s Rants Corner
Oh no! Another unforeseen situation. This novel is truly keeping people at the edge. Looks like the promised happy ending for the tragic Suyun is now void. *cries for Suyun*
Magistrate Liu felt the corner of his mouth twitch at the ridiculousness of the situation, but he didn't know what exactly to do about it.
"But… the culprit has already confessed, and I didn't even have to question or torture her. Not only did she confess, she even signed the report accusing her. Who would be dumb enough to confess to a crime they didn't commit?"
"That's because even she wasn't aware that someone else was the real culprit," said Ji Yunshu.
"What? What do you mean by that?" asked Magistrate Liu.
The thunderous declaration was enough to make Magistrate Liu jump out of his seat: he stood up, grabbed his robe and walked down the stairs towards Ji Yunshu.
As he walked, he grumbled, "Stand up first, I just feel uncomfortable talking to you when you are kneeling down on the ground like that."
"Then you agree to have the case reopened?" asked Ji Yunshu as she raised her head.
Magistrate Liu answered with a hand gesture, "Well, you need proof. According to procedures, if you want to reverse the decision on a case which has already been settled, I need irrefutable proof. If you don't have it, then I can't reopen the case. You should know that."
"Of course I have proof," said Ji Yunshu.
"Really?"
Ji Yunshu stood up, brushed the dust off her robe, and said, "Milord, please bring the old housekeeper from the Zhou Mansion over for questioning."
"The old housekeeper? Was there someone like that from the Zhou Mansion?" thought magistrate Liu.
Frustrated by his slowness, Ji Yunshu glared at Magistrate Liu and said, "Milord, would you like your humble servant to go and strike the drum again?"
"O-of course not. Also, drop that humble servant thing," said the Magistrate Liu with a hand gesture; he trusted her more than that. He turned around and said to one of the runners, "Grab a few people and fetch the housekeeper from the Zhou Mansion."
"Yes sir," answered a runner.
Ji Yunshu stopped a runner as he ran by her.
"What is it, Teacher Ji?" asked the runner.
Ji Yunshu moved closer to him and whispered into his ears. The runner nodded and left with a few others for the Zhou Mansion.
Magistrate Liu was puzzled. He approached Ji Yunshu, frowning, and puckered his lips before asking, "The real culprit is someone else… what does this have to do with the old housekeeper? Unless.. it's him?"
"Would you really like to know, milord?"
"Of course!" answered the magistrate with an expression overflowing with curiosity, as he leaned closer to hear Ji Yunshu, "Tell me, weren't you the one who caught the two we locked up? They also confessed, and if you want to reverse the verdict, you better explain yourself properly."
"Milord, have you ever hear of an old saying?" asked Ji Yunshu.
"What?" asked the magistrate
"Curiosity kills the cat."
The magistrate could not find a reply for that.
At that instant, another pair of eyes, this time ardent as a flame, was fixated upon the two. It was Jing Rong, who was peeking through a little slit from the back of the hall.
"What is that guy doing? What could they be saying to each other?" thought Jing Rong as he tried his best to make out what was happening. His ear was almost stuck to the door, but his injured arm became an obstacle preventing him from getting closer.
"Liu Qingping, you're quite the daring one aren't you?! You dare to lean this close to my scholar," thought Jing Rong with a hint of frustration and annoyance.
After a little while, around the time to brew a cup of tea, the runners came back with the old housekeeper.
The latter had his hands behind his back, and his back hunched as always. His body was so limp and devoid of force that as he was dragged into the hall by the runners, it looked like he was about to fall over forward.
The housekeeper was brought to the middle of the court hall and knelt down without resisting. The only thing which stood out was the scar which made his face rather terrifying. As usual, he lowered his head and stared at the ground.
Lord Zhou and Madame Zhou followed him into the hall.
After all, the old housekeeper had been working at the Zhou Mansion for many years already, and there was no way that the owners of the place would not be aware that he had been dragged to the yamen by the runners.
Magistrate Liu hurried back to his seat, since the people were finally there.
Bam!
This was the sound of the gavel hitting the top of the table.
Down from the platform where the magistrate sat, the housekeeper knelt on the ground, whilst Ji Yunshu, Lord Zhou and Madame Zhou stood beside him.
"Ji Yunshu, you've struck the drum to decry an injustice. Tell me, what's this all about?" asked the magistrate.
Ji Yunshu joined both of her hands in a gesture and answered, "Milord, I have wronged you for the murder of the daughter of Lord Zhou. The real culprit happens to be someone else. I request that you consider reopening the case."
"Well, I'm listening to you. Speak, and I will listen. If the real culprit is indeed someone else, I'll reopen the case," said the magistrate.
Upon hearing that the culprit might be someone else, Lord Zhou and Madame Zhou trembled.
"Milord, what's happening exactly? Isn't Suyun the culprit?" asked Lord Zhou.
"This… please wait for Yunshu's explanation. I… I also don't know much about the details…" answered Magistrate Liu.
Both of them looked at Ji Yunshu for an answer.
Ji Yunshu trotted slowly around the hall. She lowered her eyes to look at the housekeeper and asked in a dispassionate voice, "Old mister, do you know why you were brought here?"
A silence answered her.
Ji Yunshu had a smile that looked a bit sinister and said, "Old mister, do you know that the prisons here are cold, humid and infested with rodents? With you current health condition, it would be terribly unfortunate if you'd have to spend some time in there wouldn't it?"
She was answered by silence once again.
Everyone else was baffled: why was she talking about that?
Jing Rong, who was also as curious as ever, moved his chair a little more forward, despite being already practically stuck against the wall.
After moving left and right for a bit, he realized that no matter what he did, the silhouette of the Magistrate, who was slightly overweight, would always obstruct his view. So he sneaked out of the back of the hall, and hid in a corner to the side.
"Finally, what a great view, perfect for the show," thought Jing Rong.
Ji Yunshu, who was still pacing around, did not see Jing Rong. She went behind the housekeeper and her lips curled upwards once again, "You can stay silent all you want, but the truth will be unveiled by the evidence you carry on you. How about you confess… that you murdered the young miss?"
"What!?"
That was but the first of many surprises for everyone present. It was indeed a show not to be missed.
The old housekeeper, who was still kneeling on the ground, quivered as he heard these words and clasped the corners of his robe tightly with both of his hands.
For Ji Yunshu, that little movement was an obvious hint of culpability.
The first person to react to her accusation was Madame Zhou. She said, in a feeble voice and with eyes swollen from fatigue, "That's impossible! Ahjing would never do something like that! He watched my daughter grow up." There was a lot of conviction in her voice.
Lord Zhou agreed with his wife, "The culprit has already been found. Teacher, how can you say that the culprit is Ahjing now? You must have made a mistake."
"Lord Zhou, Madame Zhou. Unfortunately, I made a mistake while solving the case. The punishment for that mistake is something else to be discussed, but now, it is my responsibility to find the real culprit," said Ji Yunshu.
"But…" said lord Zhou.
Ji Yunshu went back to the old housekeeper. This time, she accosted him in a very sharp tone, "I'll ask you again. Did you murder the young miss? Why did you murder her?"
It was a simple question, but the anger was audible in Ji Yunshu's voice.
The flurry of questions prompted the old housekeeper to raise his head and look at Ji Yunshu. His visage was still ruined by the horrible scar, but his expression strangely gentle. He chuckled and answered, "Teacher, you're smart, and you should know the answer already. Why don't you take a guess?"
"Huh?!"
Ji Yunshu was surprised: there was no fear in the housekeeper's answer, but rather relief.
The housekeeper's answer was enough to make one fact clear as the day for everyone present.
He did murder the young miss!
Grenn’s Rants Corner
Me: *sits next to Jing Rong* Your Highness, would you like some popcorn while you enjoy the show on the sidelines? Jing Rong: *throws popcorn in his mouth* Indeed, watching a good show with some snacks is the best. I’ll ask Lang Po to send you some silver later. Me: Oh, no need! (As long as you get more passionate interactions with Yunshu, I’m all good. Fufufufu~)
The ones who reacted the most fiercely to the housekeeper's confession were not Lord Zhou and Madame Zhou, but rather Magistrate Liu, who seemed appalled by such a development.
The magistrate grabbed his gavel, pointed it at the housekeeper and said in an indignant voice, "You, the young miss didn't do you any wrong! Why did you murder her? Why? Speak at once!" The magistrate sounded almost excited.
'Wait a second, he didn't even explain whether he had a grudge against the young miss. Why are you getting so excited?'
Seeing that the housekeeper did not answer his question, the magistrate added, "if you don't confess, I'll sentence you to 50 hits of cane first, and then we'll see if you can still hold your mouth still like that. Confess now and I'll spare you the pain."
Ji Yunshu couldn't bear to see this any more, she raised her hand towards the magistrate and made a downward gesture.
'Sit down, will you?'
The message seemed to have reached the magistrate, and, although he seemed terribly embarrassed, he followed Ji Yunshu's order and sat down with a grumpy look.
The next to come to their senses were Lord Zhou and Madame Zhou, who were stumped for a fair while.
"You murdered my daughter? Ahjing, is that true? But why did you do that? Why?" asked Madame Zhou.
Madame Zhou was not nearly as agitated as when she learnt that Suyun was the murderer. But, if one looked hard enough for it, the pain and hate stemming from her despair were obvious in her eyes.
'This was definitely not normal. Her reaction is too unusual.'
As for Lord Zhou, surprisingly, he merely sighed, and nothing more came out of him!
Ji Yunshu was bemused by the way things had unfolded. She felt like something was amiss from their reactions, but could not tell what it was exactly.
The old housekeeper ignored Madame Zhou's question and looked at Ji Yunshu once again, he laughed and said, "Teacher, didn't you say that the evidence will speak for itself? If you think that you already know the answer, why do you keep interrogating me?"
"Are you testing me?" asked Ji Yunshu.
"I don't understand how you figured out it was me. It was the perfect murder; there was no way you could have found out about it."
'How confident!'
"Perfect?" This time, it was Ji Yunshu who laughed.
She stood straight and looked at the scar which ran through the face of the housekeeper.
"If I'm not mistaken, that scar of yours, it was the young miss who did it?" said Ji Yunshu without any circumlocution.
The housekeeper was not startled either, "How did you know?"
"You told me to guess, so I took a guess. Based on your answer, it seems that I'm right, am I not?"
The housekeeper stayed silent, but he was visibly puzzled.
Ji Yunshu cracked a smile and said, "Don't you want to ask me how I figured out how you were the culprit based on that alone?"
As she finished speaking, she brought out a pile of folded yellow paper from her pocket. As she unfolded the paper, a thin piece of white wax, which was stuck to the paper, appeared in front of everyone.
"Is it poison? Don't tell me that little one's going to use poison in such a public place?" Jing Rong felt a nerve on his face twitch.
Ji Yunshu brought the folded paper right to the housekeeper face and asked, "Do you recognize this?"
The housekeeper seemed perplexed: clearly he did not recognize what it was.
Ji Yunshu brought the paper back in front of her, and started her long explanation: "What I am holding is a piece a wax that fell off from the old mister's clothing"
As funny as it seemed, the housekeeper was still wearing the same set of clothes without knowing that the wax was stuck to it. This was only natural, since in ancient times, people only changed their clothes once per month.
By the time the housekeeper realized what was going on and threw a look at his sleeves, it was already too late.
Ji Yunshu continued, "Normally, wax oil would only possess the smell of plant resin. But this piece of wax, it smells like lotus flowers. That's something you wouldn't even find in the imperial palace. Coincidentally, lotus flower extract happens to be used in the Zhou Mansion.
As she finished her sentence, she threw a look at the runner next to her. He nodded and gave Ji Yunshu an object wrapped in white cloth.
Ji Yunshu unwrapped the cloth, and what appeared was a crystal chandelier, the one found in the young miss' room.
For everyone present, the chandelier did not help at all in explaining the situation.
Magistrate Liu was no exception; he pointed at the chandelier with curiosity and said, "What does this have to do with the young miss' death?"
"Oh, it is very relevant to her death," answered Ji Yunshu.
Ji Yunshu took the table chandelier, turned around to face the housekeeper, and explained slowly with a frown.
"Let me guess. That night, the young miss, as usual, lit the chandelier as she was about to drink her medicine and go to sleep. She was about to drink the poisoned soup when you appeared in her quarters. She was very unhappy about that; she didn't allow anyone to disturb her at that time and everyone knew about it, including Suyun and Qiaoxin. She lost her composure as you broke her routine, and as someone who has a severe case of obsessive compulsive disorder, she fell into a passionate rage and stop upholding her usual generous young miss' appearance."
"So, in her anger, she must have insulted and hit you. As she did so, you remembered that it was her who scarred you many years ago, and you couldn't bear it anymore. You took her pillow and choked her to death."
Once again, the effect of the surprise caused by the revelation was audible.
Ji Yunshu continued, "While you choked her, you accidentally knocked over the chandelier, and in doing so, it burned your sleeve, creating a dark spot. As the chandelier fell to the ground, the liquid wax splashed onto your clothing. What's more, you didn't expect the bowl of medicine to be spilled over onto the ground as the young miss struggled for her life. Some of the poisonous concoction got into her mouth, and some splashed onto your sleeve exactly where the piece of wax was. Therefore, the piece of wax not only contains the smell of lotus flowers, but also has the smell of Roxburg rose flowers from the soup."
"After the deed, you put the chandelier back to where it was originally and cleaned the room. As you were cleaning up, you saw Suyun sneak into the room. You panicked and fled the scene before you could dispose of the cadaver properly. To your surprise, not only did Suyun not tell anyone about the corpse, but she actually put it onto the bed and started cleaning up the scene for you. You were shocked, but relieved that someone helped you finish what you started"
"So, that was convenient for you. You could continue to be a good housekeeper while Suyun would be a scapegoat for your crime."
The complexity of the case surprised everyone, once again.
Above all, the fact that a single drop of oil wax became the key to elucidating the entire case seemed surreal.
Was the morale of the story to bathe and change clothes everyday if one wanted to murder someone?
The housekeeper looked calm and docile as ever, but now, his darkest secret was fully exposed.
He still looked fearless.
Ji Yunshu asked again, "Now, do you admit it, or not?"
"Teacher… what extraordinary intelligence!"
'Yes, he did confess.'
The housekeeper finally raised his head and stared directly into Ji Yunshu's eyes. The flesh around his scar, which was dark red in color, looked like it was dipped in blood.
At that moment…
"Milord! A disaster! The prisoner… the prisoner died!" a jailor yelled in panicked voice as he broke into the hall.
Magistrate Liu frowned and asked, "Who?"
"That prisoner… Suyun from the Zhou Mansion. She committed suicide! She cut her wrist with the edge of a plate used to hold an oil lamp!"
Oil lamp?
This was the oil lamp Ji Yunshu left to her in the hopes that it would warm her up!
Grenn’s Rants Corner
Oh no! Another unforeseen situation. This novel is truly keeping people at the edge. Looks like the promised happy ending for the tragic Suyun is now void. *cries for Suyun*
