Afterward, Jingrong and the others stayed at the county yamen residence. Fang Mingsan arranged several clean rooms and had people prepare meals, taking care of everything very thoroughly.

To avoid wasting time, Ji Yunshu had Fang Mingsan bring over the case files for those three cases.

When Zhang, the constable, handed them to her, he asked puzzledly, “Has Master Ji been to Yuzhou before?”

Ji Yunshu flipped through the case files without raising her head.

“Once.”

“When was that?”

“A few months ago.”

“Then… did you go to an inn?”

“I did.”

“At that inn, did a murder case happen?”

Looking persistent in his questioning!

Ji Yunshu lifted her eyelids to glance at him, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly as she said, “One did occur.”

“Was that case perhaps…”

Before he could finish, Ji Yunshu said, “Constable Zhang seems to have something to say.”

“No, no, it’s just that your build and the way you walk seem very similar to a certain person.”

“A certain person? Which certain person?”

Interesting!

Constable Zhang said, “A young lady who shares your surname. A few months ago, at an inn outside Yuzhou City, she swiftly solved a murder case. At that time, Prince Rong was also there.”

The meaning of his words was very clear.

He was clearly suggesting that the current Master Ji was that veiled woman from a few months ago.

He just still had a trace of doubt and didn’t dare make a direct assertion.

Ji Yunshu let out a light laugh and closed the case file in her hand.

She said, “Constable Zhang is indeed someone who doesn’t like to play dumb.”

“What does Master mean by that?”

“When I met Constable Zhang a few months ago, your speech and conduct weren’t much different from now. Since you already know my identity, I won’t hide it anymore. However, Constable Zhang, I’m currently dressed as a man for the convenience of handling matters. Please keep this secret and do me this favor.”

She admitted it!

Constable Zhang’s eyes suddenly widened, and he said excitedly, “It really is you, Miss Ji! I knew it—you must be her! I never would have thought that the Miss Ji from back then has now become the famous Master Ji of the capital. Truly admirable, truly admirable.”

As he spoke, he clasped his hands and bowed deeply!

It was as if he’d seen some living Bodhisattva.

Ji Yunshu: “…”

“Back then, watching Miss Ji solve that case was simply divine—it really opened my eyes. Shortly after Master entered the capital, you solved a disappearance case that both the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice couldn’t solve for months, and then took on the ‘Linjing Case’ from fourteen years ago. Truly admirable. Moreover, I heard that before Master entered the capital, you also solved many cases in Jinjiang City—every single one a major case! I never thought that today I would actually get to see Miss Ji again and investigate a case together with you. It’s my honor.”

He puffed out his chest!

Unable to conceal his excited emotions.

Ji Yunshu smiled modestly and said, “Constable Zhang, you should still call me Master Ji. Your repeated ‘Miss Ji’ truly makes me shiver.”

If people found out about her female identity, trouble would come.

Constable Zhang quickly said, “Yes, Master Ji.”

Ji Yunshu didn’t continue chatting with him and reopened the other case files, carefully reading through them.

The general content was similar to what the old man at the ruined temple and Fang Mingsan had said before.

The night before their deaths, all three deceased claimed to have seen ghosts. The next night at the hour of the rat, they were discovered hanged from large trees in their own courtyards—feet stretched straight, fingers stiffly curled, eyes wide open, faces full of ferocity.

As if… they’d been frightened to death!

But why would the murderer frighten the three deceased to death and then hang them from trees?

Ji Yunshu still had no leads for the moment.

She flipped through the case file again and suddenly raised it to ask Constable Zhang, “Was this case file written by your county yamen’s coroner?”

“No, it was recorded by our legal secretary.”

“Your county yamen’s legal secretary is quite a meticulous person. The recorded content is very detailed.”

“Of course—our yamen’s legal secretary is a xiucai scholar, young and promising.”

Oh?

Constable Zhang continued, “His name is Wen Lingyang, a famous great talent of Yuzhou City. After passing the xiucai examination, he entered the yamen to work. He writes an excellent hand, and many people seek him out to write family letters.”

“I didn’t see him earlier.”

“Lingyang went to the deceased’s home, wanting to continue investigating the situation. At this time… he should be back.” He craned his neck to look outside, saw something, and called out joyfully, “Lingyang!”

Outside, a tall man walked in.

In a plain robe, clean and neat, his fair and clean face revealed even more of a scholarly air. In his deep eyes, a spiritual light was tempered, making it impossible for people to quickly look away from his gaze.

This person called Wen Lingyang looked very much like Ji Pei!

For a moment, Ji Yunshu was actually in a trance, thinking he was Ji Pei.

Seeing her staring at him, Wen Lingyang was puzzled. He clasped his hands toward her and said, “You must be Master Ji? My apologies—I just went to the Chang family and wasn’t able to welcome Master Ji. I’ve been somewhat discourteous. Please forgive me.”

His voice pulled Ji Yunshu’s thoughts back.

She immediately stood up, walked around the desk in front of her, and clasped her hands in return. “Legal Secretary Wen, you’re too kind. You’ve been rushing about for the case—how is that discourteous?”

Wen Lingyang smiled and glanced at the case files she had spread open on the desk.

“I wonder if Master has finished reading these case files?”

“I have.”

“If there’s anything unclear, Master may freely ask me.”

Ji Yunshu picked up that case file and said, “The case files recorded by Legal Secretary Wen are the most detailed I’ve seen over these years. Even the court historians who record documents aren’t as detailed as you.”

“Master Ji is too kind.”

“Earlier I heard Constable Zhang say that Legal Secretary Wen went to the deceased’s home again. I wonder if there were any other discoveries?”

Wen Lingyang shook his head and sighed. “Very few clues, and there are no traces left by the murderer. I went to examine the large tree where the deceased was hanged, but there were no clues either.”

“Have those three deceased already been buried?”

“Two have been buried. The deceased who died a few days ago will be buried tomorrow, which is why I went over to see if there were any other discoveries.”

Ji Yunshu thought for a moment and continued asking, “Did the yamen’s coroner conduct a detailed examination? Were the strangulation marks on the neck and the direction the tongue curled correct? Were there any other wounds on the body? And the degree of curling in the deceased’s hands, and so on—did the coroner verify all these clearly?”

A series of rapid questions!

Constable Zhang, upon hearing this, hadn’t yet reacted.

Wen Lingyang, however, answered each of her questions one by one, saying, “The coroner examined them and said the deceased died by hanging. There were no other strangulation marks on the neck, no other wounds on the body. The deceased’s hands curled toward the palm direction, probably from struggling before hanging, because small thin threads from the hanging rope were found under the fingernails. No clues about the murderer were found.”

“What about the ghost and spirit claims?”

“According to what the deceased’s family members said, the deceased all encountered ghosts at night when returning home, and the location was the same place—in a guest room at Chang’an House.”

“Mm?”

“Supposedly, several years ago, a traveling merchant died in a room on the second floor of Chang’an House. Coincidentally, all three deceased encountered ghosts in that same room, which is why there are claims of vengeful spirits seeking their lives.”

His answer was well-reasoned and methodical!

Being just a legal secretary in a county yamen was quite a waste!

Ji Yunshu’s brow furrowed. “What kind of place is Chang’an House?”

“It’s… a pleasure-seeking establishment.”

A brothel!