The next day.

Jingrong ordered his people to pack everything and set out.

The carriage was waiting right at the inn entrance!

Meanwhile, news about the white bones incident on the theater stage had already spread throughout all of Yiwu.

It was said that after interrogating through the night, Magistrate Zhuo had gotten Song Zhi to confess everything.

Ji Yunshu came down from the second floor of the inn and happened to hear people discussing this matter.

“I heard Magistrate Zhuo has already verified it. Turns out the script for ‘Ghost Lady Buries Her Husband’ was written by Song Zhi!”

“Is that true or false?”

“Of course it’s true.”

“But what does this have to do with Wang Jun?”

“They say Wang Jun specifically went that night to give Song Zhi gifts, hoping he would write the next script with Wang Jun as the prototype. But Song Zhi found it difficult and refused to accept the gifts, so he chased after Wang Jun all that way but didn’t catch up. The next day, he had no choice but to go to the Zhao Family Troupe’s theater house to find Wang Jun and return the gifts. When he saw Wang Jun wasn’t there, he left the bundle on Wang Jun’s table and left.”

“Song Zhi said this himself?”

“My cousin works at the yamen. He was there when Magistrate Zhuo interrogated Song Zhi through the night.”

“So what happens with this case?”

“Magistrate Zhuo has already sent people to investigate whether what Song Zhi said is true or false. And everyone related to Song Zhi has been brought to the yamen for questioning.”

“How unlucky to know Song Zhi!”

A whole table of people was discussing it.

Ji Yunshu heard it all.

She hadn’t expected that “Ghost Lady Buries Her Husband” was written by Song Zhi!

She couldn’t help but feel some admiration.

Only a scholar like Song Zhi could write such beautiful theatrical verses.

Seeing her lost in thought, Jingrong pulled her.

“Get in the carriage first.”

She came back to her senses and was just about to board the carriage—

A commotion came from the distance.

“Make way! Make way!”

A group of constables rushed through the crowd.

They surrounded them one by one!

“No one is allowed to leave.” The lead constable said.

At the same time, Jingrong’s men prepared to draw the long swords hidden in the base of the carriage.

Jingrong immediately stopped them: “Don’t act rashly.”

He gave them a look.

This place was, after all, not Dalin. If they drew the hidden long swords, they would be making enemies with the government.

Jingrong calmly looked at the constables before him, the corner of his mouth curving into a smile that made people’s hair stand on end. He asked: “Officers, what is the meaning of this display?”

The lead person said: “The magistrate has ordered that we bring you to the yamen for questioning.”

“The reason?”

“Everyone related to Song Zhi must be brought back to the yamen for interrogation.”

“We only had a chance encounter with that Young Master Song. We can’t be considered related.”

“Less talk, come back to the yamen with us.”

Several constables were already preparing to take them away.

Bai Yin walked to Jingrong’s side and asked: “Should we make a move?”

Jingrong quietly replied: “Unless absolutely necessary, we cannot make a move.”

“Are we really going to the yamen with them?”

“Don’t they want to get things clear? Then let’s go to the yamen and explain clearly to their county magistrate. We can then travel with peace of mind.” He smiled with a curl of his lips. “I’m rather interested in seeing just how capable this county magistrate of Huyi is.”

One incense stick’s time later, they arrived at the yamen.

Magistrate Zhuo slammed the table: “Why aren’t you kneeling?”

Jingrong and the others remained unmoved.

Two officials stepped forward to use force.

The guards beside Jingrong immediately assumed defensive postures.

The officials froze, rooted to the spot!

“How dare you not kneel upon seeing this official.”

Jingrong stepped forward, unhurried and composed: “May I ask, my lord, what crime have we committed?”

“No criminal offense has been confirmed yet. This official has only brought you back for questioning.”

“Since there’s no crime and we’re not suspects, why should we kneel?”

“Everyone who enters the court hall must kneel!”

“Oh? Then should the officials present also kneel? Should you, my lord, also kneel while hearing cases?”

“This official and these officers are all people of the court, so naturally we don’t need to kneel.”

Jingrong smiled strangely: “So you mean, my lord, that when you see the Prince of Huyi, you also don’t need to kneel?”

“This…” Magistrate Zhuo was confused by his words, like a fishbone stuck in the throat!

Playing verbal games with Jingrong, he was clearly too inexperienced.

Jingrong continued: “In front of the Prince of Huyi, everyone must kneel. But my lord’s words just now had the meaning of insubordination and treason.”

Magistrate Zhuo struck the gavel: “Stop spouting nonsense.”

“This humble one speaks only the truth.”

Magistrate Zhuo panicked, afraid of being labeled with the crime of treason. If his words just now reached Gaoding, reached the ears of the Prince of Huyi, even dying a thousand deaths wouldn’t be enough.

In the end, he helplessly waved his hand: “Forget it, forget it. If you won’t kneel, you won’t kneel!”

The officials in the court hall were all stunned. Magistrate Zhuo had sat in the high hall for over ten years, and no one had ever dared speak such words to a county magistrate. Yet Magistrate Zhuo was powerless to refute and actually exempted them from kneeling.

This was unprecedented in Yiwu!

Ji Yunshu felt Jingrong was ten meters tall in her eyes!

She admired him greatly.

But it wasn’t appropriate for her to speak up, so she silently hid behind Jingrong.

Magistrate Zhuo’s face was waxen yellow. He questioned: “This official asks you, who exactly are you people?”

Jingrong also gave him face and replied: “This humble one is merely a merchant who came to Yiwu to do silk business.”

“Then what is your relationship with Song Zhi? Why would he invite you to dinner on the day Wang Jun came looking for him?”

“That day, this humble one was passing through here and saw someone rob Young Master Song of his silver, so I took action to catch the thief and recover his silver for him. Young Master Song invited us to dinner to express his gratitude.”

“And where is this thief?”

“He ran away!”

“I think you’re talking nonsense. If you caught the thief, why didn’t you send him to the authorities? If he ran away, why didn’t you report it to the officials? In this official’s view, Song Zhi must have bribed you to kill Wang Jun.”

What kind of logic was this?

Jingrong was speechless, thinking: Has this official sat up there so long his brain has gone haywire?

He said: “My lord, without evidence you cannot randomly accuse people! When we caught the thief, many people on the street saw it. If you don’t believe it, you can certainly send someone to ask around.”

Magistrate Zhuo narrowed his eyes: “Fine, this official will naturally have people verify it. But until everything is cleared up, you cannot leave the yamen.”

“As you wish!”

Sitting in the yamen drinking tea was also fine!

At this moment, a constable came in from outside and whispered a few words in Magistrate Zhuo’s ear.

Magistrate Zhuo’s brow furrowed!

He ordered: “Go bring Song Zhi up.”

Very quickly, Song Zhi was brought up from the prison.

His hands were shackled with iron chains, his expression weary, slightly disheveled.

He knelt on the ground.

As soon as he looked up and saw Jingrong and the others, he immediately sighed and said guiltily: “Brave warriors, I must have implicated you all, haven’t I? This Song truly deserves death.”

Jingrong gave him a warm smile.

No intention of blame!

“Song Zhi!” Magistrate Zhuo spoke out. “This official has already sent people to inquire clearly. You said you went to the theater house to return the gifts Wang Jun gave you, but that bundle couldn’t be found anywhere in the theater house, and no one saw it!”