What a bastard son raised by a bastard family. If he hadn’t died, he would have to deal with him later.
“Then what? Did you argue?”
Jiang Si’s expression remained calm, “No, Second Cousin is like a child. He just wanted me to play with him, but I was in a hurry to find my elder sister, so I left quickly.”
Jiang Si didn’t mention the green-robed maid who had led the way.
Now that the green-robed maid couldn’t be found, and neither her name nor background was known, mentioning her at such a sensitive time would only complicate matters and be detrimental to her case.
“Did you notice anything unusual after that?”
“No, although Second Cousin called out to me a few times, I didn’t stop.”
Madam Yu couldn’t help but interject, “Prefect, you can’t just believe her words! How do we know there wasn’t an argument just because she says so? Who can prove it?”
“This servant can prove it!” Aman said loudly.
Madam Yu sneered, “You’re her maid. Even if she told you to admit she was the murderer, I’m sure you wouldn’t refuse.”
The crowd nodded silently in agreement.
“Prefect, Jiang Si was the last person to see my second son. She’s the most suspicious!”
Jiang Si shook her head, “First Aunt, you’re wrong. I’m not the last person to see Second Cousin.”
“Then who else?” Madam Yu blurted out.
Jiang Si spoke slowly and clearly, “If Second Cousin didn’t accidentally fall into the water, then the last person to see him would, of course, be the murderer!”
Her words were so direct and cold that the crowd felt a chill run down their spines.
“The murderer is you!” Madam Yu became agitated.
Others might not know, but she understood the circumstances of Jiang Si’s encounter with Su Qingyi. Combined with Jiang Si’s silence about the green-robed maid who had lured her, she was even more convinced that Jiang Si was hiding something.
At this moment, the coroner came forward with his conclusion: “Prefect, after preliminary examination, the deceased did indeed die from drowning, not from being placed in the water after death. This means both accidentally falling into the water and being pushed in are possibilities.”
Master Su spoke up, “Prefect, although my son lacked intelligence, he had been afraid of water since childhood. It’s unlikely he would have accidentally fallen in.”
“So, Heir Su, you’re leaning towards the latter possibility?” Prefect Zhen asked.
Master Su nodded silently.
Prefect Zhen ordered the yamen runners to inspect the area around Juxia Lake. Yu Jin stepped forward, “Prefect, I’ll go take a look as well.”
Although he wanted to stay here, finding evidence to clear Jiang Si’s name was the best protection he could offer.
Jiang Si observed coldly, still unable to understand the relationship between Yu Jin and Prefect Zhen. She put aside her doubts for now and calmly said, “If Second Cousin was pushed into the water, there’s an obvious way to prove it wasn’t me.”