On the way to the room where the incident occurred, Ji Yinshu questioned the boy.

“By the way, that day back then, did you see Du Mubai?”

“I did!”

“When?”

“Once in the morning, once in the evening.”

“What was the situation when you saw him?”

The boy said, “In the morning, Du Mubai went out. When he came back in the evening, he seemed utterly dispirited.”

“How dispirited?”

The boy recalled: “In the morning, Du Mubai seemed to be going somewhere. He appeared very anxious, but walked very slowly! When he returned in the evening, his head was lowered with a dejected appearance. I called out to him, but he didn’t respond to me—he just kept walking forward in a great hurry.”

Ji Yinshu made an “oh” sound.

The boy led them to the room where Du Mubai had committed suicide.

“Ever since the incident happened here, it’s been sealed off. No one has entered for six years.”

“Open it.”

“Ah?”

“The yamen is conducting business.”

“Yes.”

The boy took out a key and opened the door.

After six years without anyone entering, the moment the door opened, an unpleasant odor rushed out from inside.

Several people couldn’t help but cover their noses.

Only after the smell inside gradually dissipated did they enter.

The boy somehow procured an oil lamp and a lantern from somewhere.

He handed the oil lamp to Ji Yinshu.

Ji Yinshu took it and walked inside.

The room had been unoccupied for six years and was extremely dilapidated, with spider webs everywhere.

The furnishings inside were the same as those in Fang Tong’s room previously.

But one table was positioned in the middle.

The boy said, “This is the table Du Mubai stood on to hang himself back then.”

It remained exactly as it was.

The hanging rope from the beam had already been taken down.

Ji Yinshu brought the oil lamp close to that table, then circled around it.

From time to time she examined the ceiling overhead!

Yet she never spoke.

Her brows were just tightly knit!

Jingrong and Bai Yin stood to one side without disturbing her.

Just as the boy was about to speak and ask something, Jingrong stopped him in time.

Signaling him not to make a sound, to just wait quietly…

That night, Ji Yinshu examined the room for a long time. Her tightly knitted brow relaxed somewhat when she emerged.

She said one sentence: “The truth will be revealed tomorrow!”

The next day.

Ji Yinshu, Jingrong, and Bai Yin went to the Ministry of Justice. She returned the case file and said to Li Cheng, “Young Master Cheng, I trouble you to bring Fang Tong, Jiang Wen, and Bingzheng here.”

Hm?

Li Cheng didn’t understand.

“Didn’t we already question them yesterday?”

“Bring them here and you’ll know.”

So mysterious.

Li Cheng could only order someone to bring them.

Soon, the three were brought over again.

One by one they were brought into the ministry’s main hall.

Li Cheng sat in the seat of honor while those veteran officials and people like Jingrong sat on both sides.

They all stared at the three—Fang Tong and the others—who had been brought to the center.

Fang Tong and Jiang Wen still had that guilty appearance from yesterday. They asked, “We don’t know… why have you summoned us, my lord?”

Li Cheng looked toward Ji Yinshu, because he also didn’t know.

Ji Yinshu stood up and walked directly before Bingzheng.

At this moment, Bingzheng still kept his head lowered.

“Young Master Bing, do you remember what I asked you yesterday?”

Bingzheng made no sound!

“I asked you if you had eaten cun zhi. You said you didn’t know what that thing was, correct?” Ji Yinshu’s lips held a faint smile as she continued, “Then let me tell you—the cun zhi I spoke of is actually Jiangnan’s famous emerald flower cake. But the emerald flower cake is called lan zhu by the local people of Jiangnan—that is, the lan zhu written in your poem! And not the bamboo of lofty integrity you spoke of. Moreover, in the entire Jiangnan region, there has never been a bamboo called lan zhu! This shows that Young Master Bing, you’ve never been to Jiangnan at all. If you had been, you wouldn’t fail to know that lan zhi is emerald flower cake, emerald flower cake is lan zhu, and not the bamboo you spoke of.”

Uh!

Everyone was astonished.

They all stared at Bingzheng.

He remained very calm, his head lowered, his face buried deeply.

Ji Yinshu continued, “Also, you said the April catkins caused red rashes all over your body—that’s a complete lie! Because Jiangnan has no catkins at all. The catkins are near Jiangnan, in Nanshen—which is Du Mubai’s hometown.”

Bingzheng laughed.

As if a stone in his heart had finally fallen.

Six years—he had buried this knot in his heart for six years.

Every night, he felt overwhelmingly guilty.

He slowly raised his head and looked at the refined Master Ji before him. “You’re different from others.”

Hm?

“Back then when the Ministry of Rites thoroughly investigated Du Mubai’s theft of my poem, they couldn’t see anything wrong with the poem. But you’re different. You’re very clever—you see more clearly than anyone.”

The implication was clear.

He admitted he had wrongly accused Du Mubai.

Li Cheng immediately demanded, “So Du Mubai never stole your poem at all. That poem was written by him.”

“That’s right! Du Mubai was the most talented person I’ve ever met. I really liked the poems he wrote. ‘April catkins drift and fly, old friends meet by the lake, orchids and bamboo vie in spring rain, a small bridge holds the south of the Yangtze’—how wonderful it would be if I could write such poems.”

Having said this, he smiled!

Li Cheng said, “Bingzheng, why did you say he stole your poem?”

“Does it matter?”

“This official must know the truth.”

“He had talent. I was jealous.” He was brief and to the point.

Jealousy!

It simply drove one to madness.

Li Cheng glared at him furiously, his sleeve sweeping out: “Bingzheng! You slandered Du Mubai, saying he stole your poem, causing him to have his disciple qualification revoked and to commit suicide as a result. Do you know that you’re utterly unforgivable? This prince could have your head cut off.”

His fury blazed!

He then turned to demand of the trembling Fang Tong and Jiang Wen standing to the side: “And you two—you actually dared to give false testimony for Bingzheng, causing Du Mubai to bear such accusations. You two also deserve to die.”

Fang Tong and Jiang Wen were frightened into a cold sweat.

Then—

With a “thud” they both knelt down.

Both prostrated themselves on the ground.

No wonder the two had been so guilty yesterday.

Fang Tong was ultimately a clever person. He said, “My lord, spare our lives! We knew nothing. It was just that at the time, Bingzheng said that poem was written by him. We saw he was honest and surely wouldn’t lie, so we testified for him. My lord, please see clearly!”

“You still dare shirk responsibility!”

“We wouldn’t dare! It truly was Bingzheng who asked us to testify for him. At that time, Du Mubai was a disciple of the Marquis of Pingyang’s household with the marquis backing him. We saw Bingzheng was pitiful, so we agreed to testify for him.”

Li Cheng asked Bingzheng, “Is what they’re saying true?”

Bingzheng smiled slightly, completely unconcerned.

Having already reached this point today, he had no way back.

He said, “Yes, it was I who begged them to testify for me. If my lord wishes to punish me, then punish me. Even if it means death, I’m willing. If not for me, Du Mubai wouldn’t have had his disciple qualification revoked, and he wouldn’t have committed suicide. This life of mine belongs to him. Now, it should be returned.”

Suddenly—

Ji Yinshu spoke: “His death has nothing to do with you.”

What?

Bingzheng smiled bitterly: “Master Ji, at this point, why must you comfort me? Though I didn’t kill him with my own hands, I indirectly caused his death. I’m a criminal.”

“You don’t understand what I mean. What I’m saying is—actually, Du Mubai would never have chosen suicide out of shame because you slandered him for stealing your poem! Because… he was murdered!”

The entire ministry hall erupted in uproar. Everyone was utterly shocked.