Wealthy households generally had a habit of carving marks on their utensils—some used surnames, some used years, and others used the twelve zodiac animals.

The Wei estate’s porcelain bowls and wine cups all had the character “Wei” carved on the bottom.

These chopsticks made of precious wood were relatively brittle. If characters were carved on them, they could easily break entirely. So instead, a corner was carved away at the upper end of the chopsticks, which also served as a mark!

But that pair of poisonous chopsticks had no carved corner.

“That evening, are you all certain no one entered the kitchen?” Ji Yinshu asked everyone.

Everyone looked at each other and shook their heads in unison.

“Certain?”

Suddenly, one young maid spoke up. “Indeed, no one entered the kitchen. However, when this servant was carrying utensils out, I happened to run into Third Young Master Ji.”

Third Young Master Ji?

Ji Yuanzhi?

“Why would he be outside the kitchen?”

“This servant doesn’t know. At that time, Third Young Master Ji, he…”

“What about him?” Ji Yinshu pressed.

The young maid’s face turned slightly red. Biting her lip, she lowered her head, then reached up and removed a hairpin from her hair.

Trembling slightly, she said, “This was what Third Young Master Ji gave this servant at the time. Seeing the hairpin was pretty, this servant accepted it.”

Truly a contemptibly amorous seed!

Not even sparing a maid.

Ji Yinshu’s expression darkened. “At that time, whose utensils were you carrying?”

“They were being sent to you, Miss Ji.”

A definite answer!

That meant Ji Yuanzhi hadn’t touched Lord Wei and Lady Wei’s utensils.

The lead seemed to have ended here!

Ji Yinshu looked at Jingrong heavily, seemingly somewhat helpless.

Jingrong immediately comforted her. “Since we know the chopsticks are poisonous, we’ll definitely be able to investigate it.”

He believed in her.

She nodded and made a sound of acknowledgment!

Inadvertently, her sleeve swept, just knocking that poisonous chopstick to the ground.

She took out a handkerchief and bent down to pick it up, but just happened to see the black color at the top of the chopstick fade away, instead turning dark red—a small patch that was hard to see without careful examination.

Her expression immediately tensed. Looking at the wet floor, her nose twitched.

She asked, “Is this strong vinegar on the floor?”

“Yes, normally we mix strong vinegar with water to clean the floor.” The maid answered.

“I see!”

Yes, the fog in her mind seemed to gradually lift!

Turning her head, she said to Jingrong, “Your Highness, I may need your help!”

Jingrong frowned…

“Speak.”

Ji Yinshu wrapped the chopstick in her hand with the handkerchief and pulled Jingrong out of the kitchen.

Her expression grave, she leaned close to his ear and said softly, “I need Your Highness to send someone to the prison…”

…

After speaking, Jingrong went to instruct his subordinates to handle the matter!

At this time in the prison.

Ji Yuanzhi was shouting desperately. Since childhood, how had he ever suffered such treatment?

In the dark and damp cell, even staying for the time of one incense stick felt like he might develop allergies.

“Someone come! Let me out! Do you know who my elder brother is? He’s the Left Commander of the Yilin Army. Offending me means offending him. Quickly let me out.”

His hands repeatedly pounding the wooden posts, his throat already somewhat hoarse from shouting.

Finally it had an effect!

Several people hurried over, but they weren’t jailers.

Each expressionless, yet carrying a cold severity.

Opening the cell door, they took out a bowl and a knife.

“What are you doing?” Ji Yuanzhi cried out in alarm.

Those people paid no mind. Coming forward, they seized him, pressed him to the ground, and forcibly pried open his palm.

“Who are you? What are you doing? Let me go.”

Ah—

A miserable cry.

His palm was sliced open by the knife, blood flowing into the bowl.

The pain made Ji Yuanzhi howl loudly!

His face deathly pale!

Only after half a bowl of blood had been collected did they release him, tossing over a jar of medicinal salve and a roll of bandages.

Then they left!

From start to finish, clean and efficient, not a single word spoken.

Ji Yuanzhi sat up from the ground, looking at his palm that had been cut for no reason. He could cry to heaven but heaven wouldn’t respond, cry to earth but earth wouldn’t answer.

He could only bandage and apply medicine himself, biting his teeth hard!

And that half bowl of blood, in less than half an incense stick’s time, was delivered before Jingrong, then handed over to Ji Yinshu.

She truly didn’t know whether to laugh or cry!

“I didn’t tell you to take this much blood from him.”

“The more the better!” He said casually.

The more the better?

Hey, hey, hey, this was blood, not water!

Ji Yinshu rolled her eyes at him and paid no more attention.

Instead, she dripped camphor juice and white vinegar into that bowl of blood, then cut off the small piece of the chopstick that had turned dark red and placed it in the bowl.

After a while, she fished out that small piece. The dark red color on it had faded, dissolving into that bowl of fresh blood.

Yes, the answer was now clear.

“These poisonous chopsticks were brought by Ji Yuanzhi. The blood on these chopsticks is his. It seems the scab on his thumb must have been left from being cut by the chopsticks.”

With this conclusion, Ji Yinshu herself was actually frightened.

And Jingrong was always a good questioner.

He raised doubts. “Then why did he poison the Wei family elders? Also, he didn’t approach their utensils—how did he switch them?”

“Yes, how did he swap in these poisonous chopsticks? And why did he want to poison Uncle Wei and Aunt Wei to death?”

Suspicious in her heart!

And very shocked!

…

Ji Yinshu returned to the mourning hall.

Wei Yi had already finished eating, set down his chopsticks, and sat properly, waiting for Ji Yinshu to return.

She walked to his side and sat down.

“Shu’er, why were you gone so long?”

“Haven’t I come back now?”

He nodded heavily, tilted his head, seeming to remember something. He rummaged around on himself and pulled out a tassel.

Handing it to her: “Shu’er, this belongs to Brother Yuanzhi. Can you give it to him for me?”

Taking it for a look, it truly was Ji Yuanzhi’s.

“How do you have this?”

“That evening, I accidentally bumped into him and also bumped into two sisters holding plates. Then he scolded me a few times and left. This thing fell on the ground.”

Speaking very earnestly!

And he didn’t notice at all—

After hearing these words, Ji Yinshu’s entire face completely sank.

As if a machine had reached into her skin, stirring her internal organs into a mangled mess!

To prevent Wei Yi from seeing, she swallowed back the tears circling in her eyes.

She smiled slightly. “Alright, I’ll give it to him for you.”

“Thank you, Shu’er!”

Wei Yi stood up, lifting the robe under his mourning clothes. He knelt before the coffin again and kowtowed heavily several times.

His mouth continuously murmuring something to his parents!

But Ji Yinshu had no heart to listen.

She stood behind him, looking down at the tassel gripped tightly in her hand, tensing her neck, ultimately unable to hold back her tears.

Wei Yi, I’m sorry!

Truly sorry!

The one who should have died—it should have been me!