The cold light in Ji Yunshu’s eyes made Ji Shuhan shudder involuntarily several times.

She was wrong?

Wrong about what?

Ji Yunshu curved her lips. “Even though I yielded repeatedly, it could not reduce your cruelty by even a fraction. It is precisely because of this that you raised such a bloodthirsty son.”

“What are you saying?” Ji Shuhan furrowed his brow.

Ji Yunshu faced him with a cold expression, glancing at Ji Yuanzhi who was still pinned to the door, then turned her gaze toward the county magistrate.

“Magistrate Liu, please open the court to try a case… the Wei household murder case.”

The Wei household murder case?

Wasn’t it the case of Luan’er being forced to her death?

**Yamen Court Hall**

Ji Yuanzhi knelt in the center of the hall, both hands shackled in iron chains. One hand was roughly bandaged, his clothing hung loose, a large hole torn at the shoulder, his hair disheveled and messy.

His entire appearance seemed quite wretched.

Jingrong stood to one side, his hawklike eyes slightly narrowed.

Ji Shuhan stood confused on the other side, his heart pounding. How had the Wei family murder case suddenly been brought up? In his heart, vaguely, uneasiness began to rise.

As for Ji Yunshu, she stood to Ji Yuanzhi’s left, standing upright.

Gone were some of the gentle breeze and proud, handsome bearing from when she wore men’s clothing, replaced by more of the resilient yet tender qualities a woman should possess.

Only the coldness in her eyes swept away her originally melancholic demeanor.

One degree more would be too cold, one degree less would be too warm!

The county magistrate raised his hand to wipe his eyes, habitually reaching for the gavel at his side.

He lifted it preparing to strike when he heard Jingrong cough twice.

As if awakened from a dream, he immediately set the gavel down, cleared his throat, glanced at Ji Yuanzhi, then looked gently toward Ji Yunshu.

“Yunshu, is the Wei household murder case related to the case of Luan’er being forced to death?”

Ji Yunshu did not respond to the county magistrate’s words. Her lowered brow gazed at Ji Yuanzhi.

That young man’s eyes clearly showed some evasiveness, his shackled hands tightly clenched into fists.

She asked him, “Do you truly hate me that much?”

How is this not following normal procedure?

Ji Yuanzhi was stunned for a moment, then gave a contemptuous laugh and raised his head. “Yes.”

“Hate me enough that you could even kill me?”

“…”

Ji Yuanzhi raised both eyebrows, seeming to understand her intention, and no longer answered.

“Why?” Ji Yunshu continued to question him.

He still did not answer.

The listeners seemed to half-understand.

The county magistrate was very curious, so he asked, “Yunshu, do these words relate to this case?”

“Of course they’re related.”

“How are they related?”

Ji Yunshu’s cold eyes still watched Ji Yuanzhi. Her feet moved as she circled behind him, her gaze gradually growing more somber.

She said, “That night, you only took your seat when the banquet began, correct?”

Not giving Ji Yuanzhi a chance, she continued, “Because before that, you made a trip to the kitchen in the back courtyard. You lingered outside for a long time, thinking about how to get in. But in the end, you still had no opportunity to enter.”

“What nonsense are you spouting? I… why would I need to go in? I never went to the kitchen either.” Ji Yuanzhi refuted.

“You need not rush to deny it. Perhaps there are some things that even you yourself are confused about—confused about why… it was Master Wei and Madam Wei who died, even confused about why I was unharmed.”

“Ugh!”

Hearing that calm tone, yet unintentionally, it struck at Ji Yuanzhi’s core.

His eyes widened, his expression terrified, his breathing becoming increasingly rapid.

That guilty conscience and panic were truly laid bare for all to see!

And just as everyone remained unclear, Ji Yunshu removed a hanging tassel ornament from her waist, hooking the cord with her index finger, gently swaying it.

“You should recognize this thing. Wei Yi said you dropped it. Yesterday, he still remembered to ask me to return this to you.”

That Wei Yi was indeed very kind!

Ji Yunshu hooked her finger, and the tassel on her knuckle fell onto Ji Yuanzhi’s filthy robes.

It made a muffled sound!

And that tassel, like a scalding hot potato, made Ji Yuanzhi shake violently, throwing the tassel far away.

“This isn’t mine.”

“Oh? Have I gone blind and can no longer recognize even the characters on it?”

Characters? There are characters?

The county magistrate curiously straightened his body and looked at the tassel, then pointed at Ji Yuanzhi. “It’s yours, this is definitely yours. On it, your name is even embroidered.”

“I…” Ji Yuanzhi choked, his eyes losing focus.

Ji Shuhan finally could not restrain himself. Facing Ji Yunshu, he snorted, “Yunshu, what exactly are you trying to do? First you say Yuanzhi forced Luan’er to death, and now with just a few casual words and a broken tassel, you’re connecting Yuanzhi to the Wei household murder case. He’s your third brother—must you harm him to death?”

Third brother?

When has he ever treated me as a sister?

Ji Yunshu’s calm expression suddenly surged with fierce energy. “It’s not that I want to harm him to death, but that he wanted to harm me to death.”

“What nonsense are you spouting?” Ji Shuhan roared angrily.

Her red lips curved up as she turned her eyes to look at Ji Yuanzhi, who was now collapsed weakly on the ground.

“I’ll tell you about the confusion in your heart.”

She took a deep breath, holding back the tears in her eyes, and said, “On the very day of the banquet, you made a pair of chopsticks identical to the master’s chopsticks in the Wei household. You soaked them in poison for no less than an hour. That night, you took the opportunity to go to the Wei household kitchen. After waiting quite a while, you saw a servant girl come out. You knew the tableware in her hands was prepared for me, so you took the opportunity to give the girl a hairpin. While inserting the hairpin into her hair, you switched in a pair of poisoned chopsticks for me.”

Speaking to this point, the surroundings became exceptionally quiet, as if everyone was stunned, shocked.

Some found it inconceivable!

Even Ji Yuanzhi did not refute.

She continued, “But what you never expected was that just as you were preparing to leave, Wei Yi accidentally bumped into you hard. It was precisely at this moment that another servant girl came carrying the tableware for Uncle Wei and Aunt Wei. This collision caused the tableware in the two girls’ hands to press together, and the three pairs of chopsticks rolled together. Because the chopsticks looked the same, the two girls couldn’t tell them apart and could only hurriedly separate them randomly.”

“And the pair of chopsticks you originally switched for me—one went to Uncle Wei, one went to Aunt Wei.”

“No… it’s not like that! Don’t say anymore!”

Ji Yuanzhi suddenly showed a ferocious expression on his face. He raised both hands, preparing to lunge at Ji Yunshu.

The next moment, Jingrong moved like a gust of wind, swiftly pulling Ji Yunshu behind himself. He raised his foot and kicked hard at Ji Yuanzhi’s chest, sending him flying a meter away.

This kick caused Ji Yuanzhi’s mouth to stain with blood.

Ji Shuhan anxiously tried to help his son, but was blocked by Lang Bo and a guard.

“If you dare harm her in the slightest, this prince will take your life right now!” Jingrong roared at Ji Yuanzhi.

Ji Yuanzhi lay prostrate on the ground, a pair of resentful eyes staring at Ji Yunshu behind Jingrong.

He struggled desperately, “You’re framing me. I didn’t, I didn’t.”

“You may not know, but actually, the evidence was left by you for me.”

“…”

Ji Yunshu threw the poisoned chopstick wrapped in a handkerchief from her sleeve, hurling it hard onto the ground.

She added, “Now look at your own thumb.”