Qin Yunyun was summoned, and Magistrate Cao asked: “Sixth Miss Qin, whose child is in your maid’s belly?”

Qin Yunyun shook her head, gently wiping away tears: “Cai Luan was very sensible. Without my orders, she never went out. I never heard her mention anything either. I truly don’t know.”

“Then summon all the maids by your side. Someone is bound to know.”

Qin Yunyun was somewhat panicked, forcibly restraining herself from looking at Qin Kaiyu’s expression.

Qin Kaiyu sat upright there, his complexion very poor.

The maids by Qin Yunyun’s side were called in for questioning one by one, but only Caiying was nowhere to be found. None of them knew whose child was in Cai Luan’s belly, nor had they noticed any unusual signs from Cai Luan.

In the end, only the missing Caiying had not come.

Magistrate Cao ordered an extensive search for Caiying. Suddenly, Cai Luan’s mother stumbled in, “My lord, my lord! I beg you to seek justice for Cai Luan. Cai Luan’s child is…”

Suddenly, she saw Qin Kaiyu, stepped back two paces, then rushed forward like a madwoman: “Second Young Master, Cai Luan’s child is yours! How, how can you be so heartless? For your own future, you actually wanted to kill Cai Luan! The child in her belly is your own flesh and blood! How can you be so heartless…”

Qin Kaiyu sprang up, stepped back two paces, then immediately felt this was inappropriate. He put on a face full of grief, smoothly caught Cai Luan’s mother’s arm, pulled her to a round chair, pressed her down, and said: “Aunt Zhou, I know you love your daughter dearly and are heartbroken. But you can’t randomly accuse others either. Come, sit down, have some water. Magistrate Cao is here—he will give you the truth.”

Cai Luan’s mother cried “wuu wuu wuu,” struggling to stand up: “Second Young Master, you’re so heartless, so heartless! You didn’t want that child, we wouldn’t have forced you, but why did you have to cause two deaths with one corpse?”

Qin Kaiyu looked at Magistrate Cao with an embarrassed expression and said: “Aunt Zhou… you, you… ai!”

His face was full of helplessness, yet he wasn’t angry.

Magistrate Cao drank his tea, watching everything before him expressionlessly.

Cai Luan’s mother wiped her tears: “Second Young Master, my second daughter just came and told me everything. She also brought the things you gave to Cai Luan. The child in Cai Luan’s belly is yours!”

Qin Kaiyu’s hand loosened, and he was stunned for a moment. Then he regained his composure. Anyway, he hadn’t pushed Cai Luan into the water. Even if they discovered his relationship with Cai Luan, so what?

“Aunt Zhou, since you keep insisting I killed Cai Luan, I won’t say much more. Magistrate Cao is here—he will definitely give us an explanation. Since Cai Luan had a child in her belly, she was a woman of poor character. Who knows who gave her those things? Just because you say they’re mine makes them mine? Who knows if it’s some bastard child she got from fooling around with some man!”

Having said this, Qin Kaiyu sat there, looking at Cai Luan’s mother with disdain.

“You, you…” Cai Luan’s mother pointed at Qin Kaiyu, both angry and anxious, then knelt down before Magistrate Cao: “Magistrate Cao, you must seek justice for my daughter!”

The official runner beside Magistrate Cao had gone out earlier and now returned, saying: “Magistrate Cao will naturally get to the bottom of this matter! Summon… Caiying!”

Caiying walked in timidly. Seeing Qin Kaiyu there, her gaze shrank, and she fearfully lowered her head quickly, then looked left and right before kneeling down.

The official runner asked: “You are Sixth Miss Qin’s personal maid?”

“…Yes.”

“What happened to the injuries on your neck?”

Caiying instinctively pulled her neck in, not letting everyone see.

The official runner impatiently shouted: “What are you pulling your neck in for? Physician Cao, come in and examine her!”

A physician carrying a medical kit walked in from outside. He took several steps to Caiying’s side, set his box on the ground, squatted down and was about to reach out.

Caiying startled, quickly knee-walked several steps away from the physician, covering her neck: “No, no…”

Physician Cao rolled his eyes: “Why are there so many injuries on your hands?”

Caiying quickly pulled both hands back, but since everyone wore tight-sleeved clothing in summer, she could only curl her fists but couldn’t retract them into her sleeves. Physician Cao could still see everything clearly.

Physician Cao asked: “Your hands—were they pinched with bamboo strips or smashed with heavy objects? Who was so vicious? If this continues, your hands will be ruined. Do you know that or not?”

Caiying helplessly put both hands behind her back, not letting Physician Cao see, tears already welling up in her eyes.

Who would have known that Physician Cao’s eyes swept over: “There are bruises on your neck. Did someone pinch or twist them with their fingers?”

Caiying quickly pulled her neck in again, exactly like a turtle pulling its head in, making Magistrate Cao laugh unkindly.

Magistrate Cao said: “Alright, we’ve all seen clearly. No matter how you hide, you can’t escape. Speak up—who treated you this way?”

Caiying lowered her head without making a sound, tears dripping onto the ground drop by drop. Her neck was exposed, and her hands were resting on her knees.

Everyone watched with amazement—bruise after bruise, wound after wound. Some places had scabbed over, some places still had scratches, and some of her fingers had already become deformed. What kind of hatred would cause someone to treat Caiying this way?

Even Cai Luan’s mother forgot about seeking justice for her daughter and stared at Caiying in shock.

Magistrate Cao said: “You’re said to be a personal maid to a legitimate young miss, but if I hadn’t seen you with my own eyes, I would never believe it. Which legitimate young miss has such unseemly maids by her side?”

Caiying still lowered her head without saying a word.

The official runner shouted: “Before you is Magistrate Cao of Shuntian Prefecture! When Magistrate Cao asks questions, answer truthfully!”

Caiying responded like a mosquito with an “mm” sound and was just about to speak when Qin Yunyun rushed in and embraced Caiying: “Caiying! You’ve finally returned! You worried me to death…”

But Caiying retreated in terror: “Miss, Miss…”

“Insolent!” The official runner roared so loudly that Qin Yunyun’s ears went numb: “Magistrate Cao is conducting an interrogation—no interference allowed!”

As he spoke, he tripped her with his foot. Qin Yunyun was unprepared and fell face-first into the dirt, the pain twisting her mouth. Her hairstyle was disheveled, and her clothes were stained with dust.

Seeing this, Qin Kaiyu “whooshed” to his feet, glaring angrily: “Does Magistrate Cao allow his subordinates to act so outrageously?”

Magistrate Cao glanced at him and said leisurely: “This official is conducting an interrogation—no one may interfere! The moment Sixth Miss Qin entered, your maid acted as if she’d seen a ghost. Could it be that the injuries on her neck and hands are all connected to Sixth Miss… Bah! Tell me, whose child is in Caiying’s belly?”

Hearing Magistrate Cao’s speculation, Caiying was already trembling with fear. Caught off guard by Magistrate Cao’s rapid topic change and his thunderous “Bah!” her psychological defenses instantly crumbled.

The moment Magistrate Cao finished speaking, Caiying’s eyes involuntarily “whooshed” toward Qin Kaiyu, and her finger also unconsciously pointed at Qin Kaiyu.

Qin Kaiyu’s eyes widened, veins bulging on his neck.