He had waited five years and finally waited for this opportunity.

“It was such a coincidence that the opening scenes of ‘The Ghost Wife Buries Her Husband’ were essentially about Wang Jun and Yan’er’s story! Perhaps Heaven was helping me, allowing me to use this to tell everyone about how Wang Jun and Zhao Zhuang’er murdered Yan’er! So that night, I followed Wang Jun all the way to Song Zhi’s house. I waited outside for a while and saw Song Zhi chasing after Wang Jun. I quietly followed behind Wang Jun and killed him on his way back. I chopped off his fingers, peeled away his flesh and skin, and watched as he was reduced to nothing but a pile of bloody white bones. I also dug up Zhao Zhuang’er’s skeletal remains and assembled them together into one body, then when no one was paying attention, I secretly buried the bones in that pile of yellow earth. I wanted to tell all of you that they were the ones who killed Yan’er—they deserved to die!”

At this moment, Gao Dali’s face was ferocious!

He had completely transformed into a different person.

Where was that honest and simple man now!

Indeed, this was a play within a play!

A play where fiction and reality intertwined.

In the play, Liang Sheng, for the sake of his future and to be with Xiang Xin, ruthlessly murdered his own wife Furong.

Outside the play, Wang Jun killed his wife Shui Yan, who had shared his hardships, in order to be with Zhao Zhuang’er.

In the play, Furong’s ghost sought revenge against Liang Sheng and Xiang Xin.

Outside the play, Gao Dali disguised himself as Shui Yan to kill Wang Jun and Zhao Zhuang’er.

Everything was utterly ironic!

And filled with tragedy.

Ji Yunshu couldn’t say she felt sympathy, nor could she say she felt regret.

Before this, she had witnessed countless separations of life and death, love and hate.

She had also experienced even more sorrowful events!

To the point that the heart beneath her skin had long become incomparably hard.

Now, Gao Dali had avenged his great grievance, and the heavy knot in his heart had finally been released.

He raised his head with tears, feeling incomparably unburdened: “I’ve finally avenged Yan’er. Now… I should go keep her company too.”

After speaking, he pulled out a dagger he had prepared long ago from his water sleeve.

He drew it out and aimed it at his own neck.

Life held no meaning for him.

“Yan’er, I’m coming!”

His wrist tightened, the sharp blade about to slash across his neck—

“Ah!”

The people in the theater troupe became agitated upon seeing this scene.

Simultaneously, there came a chorus of terrified screams.

However, in the next moment, Jingrong grabbed the cup in his hand and threw it accurately at Gao Dali’s wrist.

Gao Dali’s wrist hurt, his fingers loosened, and along with the sound of the cup falling to the ground, the dagger also dropped to the floor.

This prevented his successful suicide.

But Gao Dali already had a heart set on death. He clenched his teeth and prepared to bend down to pick it up.

But Jingrong was one step faster. With a flick of his toe, he kicked away the dagger on the ground, then seized both of Gao Dali’s hands and twisted them behind him.

Gao Dali was firmly restrained by him!

“Let me go, let me die!”

Even though Gao Dali was a large man with fierce strength.

He still couldn’t break free from Jingrong’s restraint.

“Even if you want to die, don’t die in front of us! Getting covered in blood would be inauspicious.” Jingrong said coldly.

Good grief!

So that was this fellow’s concern.

Gao Dali struggled to no avail, his face ashen with despair.

He cried out: “Why, why won’t you let me die? I want to go be with Yan’er…”

It was utterly tragic!

Suddenly—

A group of constables rushed in from outside.

“Seize him!” The lead constable shouted loudly.

Jingrong then released Gao Dali and pushed him toward the constables.

Several constables held him firmly!

He couldn’t move.

And he had no intention of resisting whatsoever.

There was no desire to live in his face or eyes.

His whole body was powerless!

Magistrate Zhuo followed closely behind and entered.

His official robes billowed with wind.

From when the play began, he had been quietly watching from outside.

Only after Gao Dali had already confessed to his crimes did he come in to make the arrest.

Magistrate Zhuo raised his voice and said: “Gao Dali, since you have already confessed to your crimes, this official will now take you into custody.”

Gao Dali raised his crimson eyes, desperately seeking death.

“Kill me, kill me right now!”

“Rest assured, you have two lives on your hands, enough for you to die several times over.” Magistrate Zhuo raised his hand and ordered, “Take him away!”

The constables prepared to take him away—

Suddenly.

“Wait.” Ji Yunshu’s voice rang out.

She walked in front of Gao Dali, her eyes cold and clear, and asked him: “Do you really think that Shui Yan said she wasn’t worthy of you because of that disgraceful past?”

Eh?

“…” Gao Dali stared at her with wide eyes.

“And have you ever considered why, after you bought out her contract, she left you behind and came alone to Yiwu?”

Gao Dali was stunned: “You… what do you mean?”

Ji Yunshu took a deep breath and said seriously: “If she had even the slightest bit of affection or gratitude for you in her heart, she definitely wouldn’t have acted so decisively.”

Ugh!

One sentence awakened the dreamer!

So Shui Yan had been using him, using him to buy out her contract.

Gao Dali’s eyes contracted, and he laughed coldly: “Impossible, impossible. Yan’er wasn’t that kind of person.”

He didn’t believe it!

Ji Yunshu: “Actually, you’ve always known this deep in your heart.”

“That’s not true…”

“Things have already come to this point. Why do you need to keep deceiving yourself?”

Deceiving himself!

Gao Dali smiled very bitterly.

In a flash, it was as if he had fallen from heaven into purgatory.

“No… impossible, impossible…” He rejected it over and over in his words.

But in his heart, he had subconsciously accepted this fact that he had always been very clear about all along.

Finally, the constables escorted him away.

The case had finally been brought to light.

Magistrate Zhuo actually breathed a sigh of relief.

However, he also felt his face burning painfully, because the murderer was neither Song Zhi nor Zhang Xiaobai.

This was equivalent to slapping himself in the face.

He had almost truly judged a wrongful case.

He walked in front of Ji Yunshu, very respectfully: “Young Master Ji, it’s all thanks to you.”

And with admiration.

Ji Yunshu said lightly: “There’s nothing to thank. I only hope that in the future, Magistrate Zhuo can be more patient when handling cases and not casually close cases without sufficient evidence.”

She used the word “casually.”

Magistrate Zhuo immediately said: “Yes, Young Master Ji is right.”

At this time, Li Cheng walked over, tapped Magistrate Zhuo with the folding fan in his hand, and said: “Magistrate Zhuo, you’ve been too careless in your position as an official. If not for this young master, this case would have become a wrongful conviction.”

“Young Lord Cheng…”

“When this young lord returns to Gaoding, I must have a good talk with my father about this.”

“Ugh!”

Magistrate Zhuo was so frightened his face turned green. He quickly said: “Young Lord Cheng, this official knows I have some shortcomings. In the future, I will work extremely hard to make amends. Please, Young Lord, show mercy!”

He bowed deeply.

Li Cheng glanced at him: “The way you judge cases, who knows how many wrongful convictions you’ve handed down before! When the time comes, every single one will be dug up and examined, and we’ll see if you’ll behave yourself then.”

Magistrate Zhuo’s heart and liver were trembling.