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 made aware that he had been dragged to the yamen by the runners.
Magistrate Liu hurried back to his seat, since everyone had finally arrived.
Bam!
The gavel slammed down onto 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 respectful 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?”
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 your 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 prison conditions?
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 snuck 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 the old housekeeper, 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 when he heard those accusatory 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. Her feeble voice matched her eyes that were swollen from fatigue, “That’s impossible! Ah Jing 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 Ah Jing 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 was 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 day for everyone present.
He did murder the young miss!