The truth always makes people sigh endlessly!

At this moment, in Sister Yu’s eyes, Ji Yunshu could no longer see that guilt, but rather a hatred full of jealousy!

Jealous of her own daughter, jealous that she had received Master Jiang’s “favor” while she herself had been neglected.

That kind of twisted mentality was simply beyond words.

After hearing her words, Sister Yu burst into loud laughter, revealing teeth like those of a jackal.

Those hands that had been raised in the air grabbed the wooden stakes in front of her. Her long nails dug into the wood, pressing against her nail beds, instantly covered in blood!

“He actually loved me—he should have loved me! Everyone looked down on him for being intersex, but only I didn’t despise him. I was so good to him—why did he marry someone else? And why did he like my A’Yu instead of me? Why, why…”

Sister Yu was both agitated and laughed miserably!

At this moment, Ji Yunshu truly wished this woman would die—and moreover, even dying a hundred times, ten thousand times, her death wouldn’t be regrettable enough.

However…

Sister Yu continued: “Not only the master was like this, even my husband was the same. He clearly said he loved me, but secretly, he had affairs with other women. So he deserved to die too—he deserved to be torn apart by five horses.”

Ugh!

Ji Yunshu immediately thought of that dream she had. Her spine turned cold as she asked tremblingly: “So you killed your husband?”

“He deserved to die—he and A’Yu were the same, deserved to die! So I used a knife and, right in front of A’Yu, killed him stab by stab. I even gouged out his eyeballs and gave them to A’Yu to eat. A’Yu said they were delicious. I ate them too. Yes, they were really delicious!”

“You’re truly heartless.”

“Am I as heartless as those men?” she roared viciously: “I thought the master truly cared for me. He liked A’Yu, so I let him take A’Yu away. I watched my A’Yu crying endlessly beneath the master. Actually, I was very sad—sad about why the master didn’t want me. I was so good to him, why…”

After speaking, Sister Yu frantically beat on the wooden stakes!

This Sister Yu was no longer just twisted.

She was a shell without a soul, without thought, without feeling!

Ji Yunshu tried hard to keep herself calm. In her red, moist eyes, she forcibly suppressed her emotions.

She asked: “Do you truly have no regret at all?”

Sister Yu smiled, retreated several steps back to the cold wall, let out a few silly laughs, slowly crouched down, and with bloody nails carrying wood splinters, frantically scratched at her own face.

She said nothing more!

From her mouth, she began humming a tune!

Yes, she had no regrets!

Ji Yunshu retreated several steps. The hands in her sleeves clenched into fists, those sharp, slender nails also digging deep into her palms.

At this time, the magistrate and the others came out. Everyone’s faces were grave, their moods extremely depressed!

The magistrate glanced at Sister Yu, then turned his gaze to Ji Yunshu and sighed: “Yunshu, this official knows you’re in a bad mood right now. Leave the subsequent matters to this official to handle.”

She didn’t respond. She turned sideways and left that place. At the corner, she saw Jingrong still standing there, looking at her with a kind of heartbroken gaze.

But she said nothing, her expression silent, and walked past him.

Unexpectedly, he grabbed her wrist.

Jingrong said: “If your heart is troubled, you needn’t hide it. Speaking it out will make you feel better.”

“I’m fine.”

She spoke lightly, withdrew her hand, and returned to A’Yu’s corpse.

Jingrong silently followed behind her.

Looking at A’Yu’s body, Ji Yunshu smiled bitterly while feeling distressed: “Perhaps this is A’Yu’s best destination. Death—maybe it’s also liberation.”

Jingrong looked at her sideways. That face that originally seemed cold, often appearing to wear an icy mask, now carried the most fragile sentimentality of human nature, hidden in those clear, moist eyes, making people feel pity yet helpless!

Such a woman was kind!

When the wall built up in her heart was knocked down, what flowed out was a deep emotion like thousand-year-old wine!

Jingrong said: “The truth has been revealed. Let A’Yu go in peace.”

“Mm.”

She nodded and slowly covered A’Yu’s body with a white cloth nearby.

Then she furrowed her brow deeply and said to Jingrong: “There’s still one point that hasn’t been clarified.”

“You mean Madam Jiang’s matter.”

“Right. Why did she lie? And that Uncle Seven’s death—does it ultimately… have anything to do with Madam Jiang?”

Jingrong said solemnly: “Since you want to know, why not go ask her now?”

That made sense!

Ji Yunshu called over a jailer and had him take her and Jingrong to Madam Jiang’s cell.

The direction where Madam Jiang was detained was opposite to Sister Yu’s cell. Ji Yunshu found it strange, but when she arrived outside Madam Jiang’s cell, she understood.

Where was this a prison cell? It was clearly a renovated inner chamber!

Clean and tidy, with even a window opened!

There was a bed, blankets, a table and chairs, and even a teapot and teacups—everything complete.

Madam Jiang was leisurely making tea!

Seeing Ji Yunshu and Jingrong arrive, she merely smiled with pursed lips.

Without even raising her head, she said: “Your Highness, please forgive this humble woman for not being able to bow to you right now.”

Jingrong’s cold lips curved: “Madam Jiang is quite leisurely—still in the mood to drink tea.”

“Your Highness is mistaken. I’m not drinking tea. This cell emits a foul stench, so I can only use the tea fragrance to mask it. After all, in a place like this, one has no mood for drinking tea.”

“Unless one is extremely vicious and utterly wicked, how would one be confined in such a place? Madam Jiang, you buried a corpse without reporting it and even concealed the true murderer. For such offenses, you truly deserve to be locked up here for several years.”

Though Jingrong’s words carried a hint of laughter, they were clearly cold to the bone.

After hearing these words, Madam Jiang seemed to understand what he meant.

She looked at Ji Yunshu: “It seems Master Ji already knows the truth.”

Ji Yunshu put away her earlier distress and asked her coldly:

“Yesterday, why didn’t you tell the truth?”

“Why?” Madam Jiang picked up the teapot and while pouring tea into the cup, answered: “Actually, before yesterday, the reason I didn’t want to reveal the truth was indeed because of my Li family’s reputation. But yesterday, when I saw Sister Yu and heard you say Sister Yu was the murderer, do you know? I was actually very happy.”

Ji Yunshu continued her words: “You were happy because you pitied A’Yu. She’s already dead—you didn’t want her to become a murderer. Moreover, you wanted Sister Yu to die. Both conditions were met, so you didn’t want to clarify the truth for her, right?”

Having said that, she walked forward two steps and stood before the wooden stakes, no more than two fists’ distance away.

Madam Jiang wasn’t moved by her words. She picked up the teacup filled with tea and poured it onto the ground.

Her gaze also fell to the ground as she said: “That night, I ran into A’Yu. I asked her where she was going. She told me—she said she was going to kill that beast just as her mother had killed her father. She was only six years old, but in her eyes, I saw unprecedented despair and murderous intent. And I—I didn’t stop her. I watched with open eyes as she stabbed that beast again and again with her knife. After she left, I walked to that beast. His eyes were still wide open, staring at me. I didn’t feel the slightest sympathy for him—I felt he deserved to die!”

Speaking to this point, she smiled.

Ji Yunshu asked again: “Then what about Uncle Seven?”

Madam Jiang put down the teacup and finally turned her gaze to Ji Yunshu, saying: “Master Ji, I know what you want to say. I can tell you that there truly are coincidences in this world. Uncle Seven really did die of illness. I didn’t kill him.”

“Can I still believe what you say now?”

“Your suspicion is warranted, but I have no need to lie anymore.” Having said this, Madam Jiang stood up and walked over. That elegant, noble face bore a smile of appreciation: “Master Ji, you are the cleverest person I’ve ever met.”

Ji Yunshu’s expression remained unchanged as she asked: “What do you want to say?”

“I hope that one day, I can meet Master Ji in the capital. At that time, I hope to share a drink with you.”

Ji Yunshu was startled!

The capital—the capital again!

She wasn’t interested in the capital!

Jingrong suddenly interjected: “Madam Jiang, although you didn’t kill anyone, the crimes of burying a corpse and deception are not small. Whether you can return to the capital is still uncertain.”

But she didn’t think so. Her natal family was still there—at most she’d be detained for two days and then released.

She changed the subject and said to Jingrong: “Your Highness, someone as clever as Master Ji is absolutely unsuited to staying in this small Jinjiang City. If Your Highness values talent, you should keep her by your side, employ her, and take her to the capital.”

And these words were quite useful to Jingrong.

Jingrong glanced at Ji Yunshu, the corners of his mouth curving: “You needn’t remind me. This prince will also exert effort to persuade Master Ji, hoping she will condescend to stay by this prince’s side and return to the capital with me.”

Ji Yunshu was speechless. She stepped back, creating distance from Madam Jiang.

She said: “Since Madam Jiang has told me without omission everything I wanted to know, I won’t stay longer or delay you from continuing to make tea to mask the foul smell in the cell.”

Having said this, Ji Yunshu had already turned around, preparing to leave. She had taken no more than three steps when Madam Jiang called out to her again.

“Master Ji, though Jinjiang is a clean lotus pond with lotus flowers as companions, leisurely and carefree, with snow in winter and mist in summer, you are not a creature of the pond.”

“…”

Hey, hey, hey, Madam Jiang—just how many benefits did Jingrong give you to make you constantly urge me to go to the capital!

Too lazy to respond, Ji Yunshu strode away.

Jingrong glanced at Madam Jiang once, then turned and left.

When the two exited the prison, outside, it had actually started snowing.

Wei Yi, who had been waiting outside the whole time, was huddled in a corner against the wall, with Lang Bo standing in front of him watching over him.

Seeing Ji Yunshu come out, Wei Yi sprang up and ran over.

“Shu’er!”

Extremely happy!

But then his nose wrinkled. Looking at Jingrong beside her, with slight distaste: “Big brother, you smell really bad!”

Jingrong’s face instantly became extremely ugly!

He had been in the prison cells and had even held A’Yu’s corpse—how could he not smell?

Child, you’re far too honest!