Chapter 44 – Why Don’t You Take a Guess? (1/2)

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 scrambled 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 procedure, 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, his hand waving her apparent need for drama away. She knew 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 him 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 suitable reply in the face of that.

At that instant, another pair of eyes, ones as ardent as a flame, were 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 glued to the door, but his injured arm had become an obstacle that prevented him from getting closer.

“Liu Qingping, you’re quite the daring one, aren’t you?! You dare to lean this close to my scholar,” Unbeknownst to him, a hint of frustration and annoyance had started to color his tone.

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 was as 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 forward.

The housekeeper was brought to the middle of the court hall where he knelt down without resisting. The only thing which stood out was the scar which made his face look 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 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.