Then Ji Yunshu scanned the crowd, looking at Fang Tong, “Young Master Fang, you go up.”

Fang Tong obediently went straight up.

“Try and see if you can get your head through.”

Fang Tong tried. Even standing on tiptoe and stretching his neck, it was very difficult to get his head into the rope, and it took great effort.

Seeing this, Ji Yunshu smiled slightly, “You may come down.”

Fang Tong silently came down.

After demonstrating so many times, everyone perhaps already had an answer in their hearts.

Ji Yunshu also began to explain: “Now I can explain it to you all. I first used Jiang Wen’s height to determine the height of the rope when Du Mubai hanged himself at the time. Du Mubai’s height was five feet three inches, the same as Fang Tong’s height. But just now Fang Tong already tried—wanting to put his head into the rope to hang himself is completely impossible! If Du Mubai truly committed suicide, why would he tie a rope that he fundamentally couldn’t reach? Moreover, the case file recorded that at the time there was no stool on this table to continue stepping on! So we can determine that he was standing on the table to hang himself, but his height wasn’t sufficient—clearly impossible.”

Everyone suddenly understood!

Finally they grasped it.

Li Cheng asked, “So he was hoisted up by someone?”

“I believe so! But the case file stated that all evidence indicated Du Mubai committed suicide, and there were no other wounds on his body. I think perhaps at the time he was drugged unconscious, then hoisted up.”

Someone immediately questioned, “But this kind of rope fundamentally cannot hoist a person up.”

Right! This kind of hanging rope was fixed to the beam—how could it hoist a person up?

Ji Yunshu continued, “Because the killer had another rope! He used that rope to tie around Du Mubai’s body, then pulled him to the position where the hanging rope was. With the killer’s height, he could very easily put Du Mubai’s head into the hanging rope!”

“Impossible. If it were really like this, there should be marks from another rope on his body.”

“I think the killer is a clever person. He thought of exactly this point, so at the time there must have been a quilt or some other soft material wrapped around Du Mubai’s body, with the rope tied around the outside, which is why no rope marks were left!”

“Then how do you prove all this?”

“Someone can go up to the beam and look. There’s a clear friction mark up there! It’s from a rope rubbing against the beam. The force of the mark leans to one side, which is enough to prove it wasn’t left by the hanging rope, but is a mark left when someone used a rope and the beam to pull Du Mubai up.”

And this evidence was quickly verified.

Above, there truly was a rope mark.

Even after six years, it was still clear.

Li Wenshu couldn’t stand steady, her eyes reddening, “He… was truly murdered.”

Li Cheng immediately supported his sister.

Then he asked Ji Yunshu, “Who is the killer?”

Ji Yunshu shook her head, “Not known yet, but you all saw—the person who tied that rope last was my brother. His height is five feet seven inches, so that’s approximately also the killer’s height.”

At least the range had narrowed.

Everyone was extremely shocked.

No one spoke.

Li Wenshu couldn’t go on.

Her maid quickly came in to support her.

Her eyes were red.

Her heart ached terribly!

Under Li Cheng’s insistence, she had to leave first.

Now the evidence was complete—Du Mubai was murdered!

Everyone’s expressions were grave.

Li Cheng said, “I think I must go to the Ministry of Justice immediately.”

To overturn the case!

But before that—

He looked toward Fang Tong and the other two, “You three, although we still don’t know who the killer who murdered Du Mubai is, the matter of you falsely accusing him must be strictly investigated. Men, take them to the Ministry of Justice first and interrogate them thoroughly.”

“Yes!” Guards came forward and seized the three men.

Before taking them away, Ji Yunshu called out, “Wait.”

Hmm?

“I have a few words I want to say privately to Young Master Bingzheng.”

Li Cheng waved his hand, signaling the guards to keep Bingzheng behind while the others left first.

In the room, only the two of them remained.

Bingzheng was very calm.

“I don’t know what else Master has to say to me?”

Ji Yunshu said, “I know you did it deliberately.”

“I don’t understand Master’s meaning.”

“Yesterday you recited that poem in front of me, and mentioned that Jiangnan willow catkins make you break out in a rash. Everything was to remind me, to let me see the flaws in it, to clear Du Mubai’s name regarding stealing your poem.”

Bingzheng didn’t speak.

“That you could tell me these things shows your heart isn’t bad. If so, back then you couldn’t possibly have falsely accused him of stealing your poem. Behind this, is there another reason?”

“Master is overthinking.” Bingzheng smiled, “It’s just that six years have passed, and I feel guilty.”

Ji Yunshu completely didn’t believe it: “If you felt guilty in your heart, you should have gone to the government office to confess yourself, rather than deliberately revealing flaws and waiting for me to expose you. It’s obvious you’re still concealing something. Or perhaps… you were forced to do it, compelled by someone to falsely accuse him. So if you confessed yourself, it would certainly bring unnecessary trouble. Better to deliberately reveal flaws—being exposed by others would be safer.”

At this, Bingzheng smiled again.

His deep-set eyes looked at Ji Yunshu as he said, “Master’s hypothesis is somewhat bold.”

“Bold hypothesis, careful verification—isn’t that the key to solving cases?”

“But this hypothesis may disappoint Master. What you said about being forced, being compelled by someone—there’s none of that.”

Ji Yunshu saw only calmness in his face and eyes, and thought: Could it be she really was overthinking?

Or perhaps Bingzheng was too clever!

After all, he could reveal flaws to her without leaving a trace.

Such a person must be very intelligent.

The two spoke privately for a while. Ji Yunshu didn’t want to delay any more time, so she said, “I hope I really am overthinking.”

Finally, Bingzheng, Fang Tong, and Jiang Wen were taken to the Ministry of Justice for further investigation.

However—

At this very moment.

The Marquis of Pingyang came out from the palace. Just as he reached the city gate, a servant from his residence came rushing up through the heavy snow.

“Master.”

Very urgently.

The Marquis of Pingyang’s expression darkened, “What is it?”

“The eldest miss has gone to the Literary Office.”

“What?” The Marquis of Pingyang was confused, “What is the eldest miss doing at the Literary Office?”

The servant explained the entire sequence of events clearly.

The Marquis of Pingyang’s face couldn’t conceal his shock.

Without another word, he boarded his carriage and instructed the driver, “Go to the Literary Office immediately.”

“Yes!”

A moment later, the Marquis of Pingyang spoke again, “Wait, let’s go home and wait instead.”

“Yes.”

The carriage slowly moved forward, heading to the Li residence.

Now the case was clear—Du Mubai was murdered.

This was an irrefutable fact!

What Li Cheng needed to do now was immediately go to the Ministry of Justice.

To overturn the case! With conclusive evidence, the people at the Ministry of Justice couldn’t refuse!