At the yamen!

Fang Mingsan sat in the high hall, with Zhang the Constable and Wen Lingyang on either side, along with some junior constables.

Yu Yin knelt in the hall below, wearing a veil over her face, her gaze lowered, utterly quiet.

She showed not the slightest trace of fear!

Bang—

The gavel struck.

Fang Mingsan interrogated her, “Yu Yin, this official asks you, did you or did you not kill those people?”

She did not answer.

Fang Mingsan waited for a while, and receiving no response, he signaled to Constable Zhang with a glance.

Thus, Constable Zhang threw the evidence they had brought from Chang’an Institute before Yu Yin.

It was a realistic human skin mask, densely covered in fresh blood and hideously terrifying!

Everyone who saw it felt their stomachs turn with nausea.

To wear such a thing on one’s face—that person must be quite skilled!

Yet Yu Yin didn’t even glance at it, maintaining her indifferent demeanor.

Fang Mingsan interrogated her again, “This official found a type of mind-confusing drug in the bathing pool in your room. This drug causes people to become disoriented and physically weak. All those deceased had visited Shangyue House before their deaths. You first had them enter the bathing pool, and after they inhaled the drug, you took advantage of the opportunity to put on the human skin mask, making them believe they had seen a ghost. The next day, you would sneak into their homes and kill them. Isn’t that right?”

Still no answer!

Fang Mingsan’s face remained coldly stern. “Yu Yin, this official will give you one last chance. Did you or did you not kill those people?”

From beginning to end, Yu Yin refused to say a single word.

How could such a delicate woman kneeling on the ground possibly be connected to a murderous demon?

No one would believe it if told.

But at this moment, the human skin mask lay on the ground, evidence that she had deliberately frightened people. Therefore, if one said the murderer was her, it would be reasonable. However, she kept her mouth shut and refused to admit anything. Without concrete evidence, the only charge that could be brought against her was pretending to be a ghost to scare people.

At most, she would receive ten strikes with the rod!

Wen Lingyang, serving as the legal secretary, had held his brush for a long time but hadn’t managed to write a single word on paper. Seeing Magistrate Fang at a loss, he stood up, walked to the center of the hall, crouched down to pick up the human skin mask from the ground.

He urged Yu Yin, “Miss Yu Yin, if you didn’t kill those people, you can certainly defend yourself. But if you say nothing, it only points more strongly to you being the murderer. Eventually, you’ll be imprisoned. Why put yourself through this?”

Wen Lingyang’s voice was exceedingly gentle!

Only then did Yu Yin slowly raise her head, meeting his gaze, and removed the veil from her face, revealing her exquisite features.

People said that Miss Yu Yin of Chang’an Institute was as beautiful as a celestial fairy. Seeing her today, it was truly so.

The constables on both sides stared straight at that face, yet felt it was such a pity in their hearts.

How could this young lady have done such things?

What a shame!

Yu Yin pressed her lips together, her beautiful eyes lifting slightly, and she parted her lips, “Secretary Wen, I did not kill those people.”

Finally, she spoke!

“If you didn’t kill them, then why did you pretend to be a ghost to scare people?”

She smiled slightly, then stopped speaking again.

Everyone grew anxious.

Wen Lingyang said, “Miss Yu Yin, at this point, if you still don’t tell the truth, you should know what the consequences will be.”

“…”

She still refused to speak.

This interrogation reached a stalemate.

They couldn’t extract a single clue from her.

At that moment, outside the door!

Ji Yunshu and Jingrong had been standing there for quite a while, taking in everything happening inside.

Jingrong lightly nudged her with his elbow. “Do you think the murderer is her?”

She shook her head!

“It’s not her?”

She shook her head again!

This confused Jingrong, who narrowed his eyes. “Is it her or not?”

Ji Yunshu’s expression darkened as she looked at Yu Yin inside, then said, “Looking at her build, she doesn’t seem like someone who practices martial arts. If she needed to carry the deceased bodies under the trees, logically speaking, it doesn’t make sense. But regardless of whether she killed them or not, in any case, she’s definitely hiding some secret. And that secret must be related to the case, or perhaps related to someone. She’s merely an accomplice.”

“You mean she’s covering for the murderer?”

“It’s possible.”

“Who could it be?”

“Someone for whom she would willingly take on everything, even go to her death.”

Jingrong pondered for a moment and said, “A lover?”

Ji Yunshu didn’t respond.

But she noticed a jade bracelet on Yu Yin’s wrist. The bracelet was very exquisite—not like an ordinary bracelet at all. Moreover, it was made of high-quality Hetian jade, extraordinarily valuable, a superior piece. What was even more strange was that from beginning to end, Yu Yin had been carefully protecting that bracelet with her other hand, afraid of damaging it.

She was extremely nervous about it!

Logically speaking, given Yu Yin’s income, it seemed she couldn’t afford such a bracelet. And even if Bao Niang loved her dearly, she wouldn’t be willing to buy her such an expensive item. If it were a gift from one of her clients, she wouldn’t protect it so carefully.

The only explanation was that the bracelet must have been given by someone extremely important to her.

Ji Yunshu carefully calculated something in her mind and didn’t go inside.

Afterward, Fang Mingsan ordered that Yu Yin be temporarily imprisoned while they made further determinations.

He also gave instructions, “Take people to seal off Chang’an Institute and search it thoroughly to see if you can find any evidence.”

“Yes!”

“Also, everyone at Chang’an Institute must be interrogated again to see if you can get any clues from them.”

Constable Zhang accepted the command and immediately led people to Chang’an Institute.

By now, it was already late at night!

Fang Mingsan, at his wit’s end, sat in the high hall racking his brains, sighing several times.

When Jingrong and Ji Yunshu entered, he immediately stood up and came forward.

“Your Highness, Mr. Ji.”

Jingrong asked, “How are things?”

“She refuses to say anything. This matter…”

It’s killing me!

Ji Yunshu took over the conversation, “Now that the ghost has been caught, we’re not far from the truth.”

Fang Mingsan expressed his gratitude, “Thanks to Mr. Ji for capturing that frightening ghost alive. But what comes next? How can we track down the real murderer? Please enlighten us, Mr. Ji.”

With kind words!

Ji Yunshu glanced at the human skin mask in Wen Lingyang’s hand, reached out to take it, and weighed it a few times.

She said nothing.

In the prison cell!

Yu Yin sat on the ground, her slender body leaning against the icy wall, staring blankly at the damp floor before her, her eyes showing not the slightest trace of fear.

The jailer guarding the cell worried she might fall ill from the cold in the frigid prison, so he found two clean quilts and brought them in.

“Miss Yu Yin, it’s quite cold in here. These two quilts are very clean. Make do with them.”

She didn’t even raise her head.

The two jailers exchanged glances, shrugged their shoulders, and had no choice but to leave.

Just as they exited the cell, Ji Yunshu arrived.

She held a food box in her hands, her expression cool as she walked to the cell where Yu Yin was held.

She said to the jailers, “Open the door.”

The jailers complied, opened the door, and obediently stood to the side.

After Ji Yunshu entered, she first draped a quilt over Yu Yin, then opened the food box, took out a covered cup of hot tea, and handed it to her.

“The night is cold. Drink some hot tea to warm yourself.”

“…”

“You don’t need to be on guard against me. This isn’t the high hall of the yamen, and I won’t interrogate you.”

After quite a while, Yu Yin finally raised her eyes to look at her, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly.

She said, “Should I call you Young Master Liang? Or Mr. Ji?”

Ji Yunshu smiled faintly, “Young Master Liang or Mr. Ji—either is fine.”