If the timing truly matched up, then that would mean Li Yuan wasn’t the murderer at all!

Fang Mingsan confirmed it over and over again.

He asked, “You two, did you truly see the person in the portrait?”

Faced with this interrogation, the night watchman and the beggar immediately knelt down.

Their bodies prostrated flat on the ground, their voices trembling as they said, “Honorable magistrate, everything we said is true, we dare not lie! If there’s even half a falsehood, may heaven strike us with lightning.”

“Think carefully now—this is the yamen. If you dare speak falsely, you’ll be thrown in prison and beaten with the rod.”

“This commoner dares not speak falsely,” the night watchman said.

The beggar had never been brought to the yamen before. For a moment, his legs went weak, and he kept crying out “Your Honor, spare my life” and “This lowly one has not lied.”

The junior constable at the side also quickly said, “Your Honor, Master Ji, I’ve asked around. Everyone says this night watchman is an honest man who would never lie.”

Only then did Fang Mingsan nod!

He turned to ask Ji Yunshu, “Master Ji, what’s your opinion? Since Li Yuan isn’t the murderer, haven’t we lost our lead again? What do you plan to do next?”

She pondered for a moment, first having the junior constable take the night watchman and beggar away.

Then she said to Fang Mingsan, “The time of Chang Shiliang’s death cannot be wrong—he definitely died during the hour of Zi. Since Li Mingzhou has Miss Chang as his witness, and Li Yuan has the night watchman and beggar as his witnesses, both have cleared their names. However, Li Yuan did enter the Chang residence that night, and the ink stain on his clothes can prove that during the hour of Chou, the murderer had not yet left the Chang residence. Moreover, since Li Yuan saw Chang Shiliang hanging from the tree, he must have encountered the murderer.”

“Then…”

“How is Li Yuan’s condition?” she asked.

Fang Mingsan didn’t know, so he looked toward Constable Zhang.

Constable Zhang answered, “I heard Li Mingzhou has already called for a physician, but in this kind of situation, he doesn’t know when Li Yuan will recover to normal, so… we’ll probably have to wait a bit longer.”

Wait a bit longer?

It had already been four days!

“We can’t wait any longer. Since Li Yuan has seen the murderer, we must get him to wake up before tomorrow so we can question him about that night’s events. Perhaps he saw what the murderer looked like.”

“But Li Mingzhou said that when Li Yuan has these episodes in the past, sometimes he recovers the next day, sometimes it takes ten days to half a month. Moreover, he may not necessarily remember what he did during his mad state.”

This was a difficult problem!

But tomorrow would be the fifth day. If Li Yuan still couldn’t recover to normal, once the five days were up, Jingrong would take her away from Yuzhou City. Wouldn’t that mean this case couldn’t be investigated further?

After thinking for a while, she slapped her forehead.

How could she have forgotten about Muruo?

He was a divine physician!

So she quickly asked, “Do you know where Scholar Wen took His Highness the Prince and Young Master Mo to soak in the hot springs?”

Constable Zhang thought for a moment. “It should be Water Moon Residence. Scholar Wen has been there many times.”

“Constable Zhang, I’ll trouble you to make a trip there, notify Young Master Mo, and have him go to the Li residence immediately. He must restore Li Yuan’s sanity before tomorrow morning.”

Constable Zhang nodded and was about to set off.

Unexpectedly, Ji Yunshu called him back again.

“Wait, you should lead the way. I’ll go with you.”

“Master Ji, it’s already dark outside. You haven’t rested properly these past few days. You should stay here. I’ll go myself and make sure Young Master Mo goes.”

“If you go to call him, he won’t go.”

“Why not?”

Constable Zhang was puzzled!

Ji Yunshu said helplessly, “Because he’s a divine physician.”

Huh?

So what?

So he’s arrogant!

It wasn’t as if he would treat just any patient.

Constable Zhang didn’t understand Muruo’s personality, so naturally he found it strange, but he didn’t ask further questions and took Ji Yunshu with him.

Just as they left the yamen, Zhang Xinlan, who had come running, stopped them right in their tracks.

“Brother, where’s Lingyang?” She was holding a scroll in her arms, standing on tiptoes to ask Constable Zhang.

Constable Zhang found it odd and asked, “Xinlan? What are you doing here so late?”

“I’m here to find Lingyang, of course! Seven or eight days ago, Lingyang promised me he would teach me to write characters. But that day when I went to find him with my scroll, I waited at his house until nearly the hour of Zi and he still hadn’t returned. I happened to have time today, so I originally wanted to wait at his house again, but I was afraid he’d be like last time and not show up, so I came directly to the yamen to find him.”

She raised the scroll in her hand!

Constable Zhang was speechless. “Stop making a fuss. The yamen is busy right now, and Scholar Wen is also very busy. He doesn’t have time to teach you writing. Wait until we’re done with this case.”

“No! I must see him today. I’ll go in and find him myself.”

With that, Zhang Xinlan twisted her body, trying to squeeze into the yamen.

The next moment, Constable Zhang pulled her back. “Xinlan, stop making trouble. Scholar Wen isn’t inside right now. He went to Water Moon Residence.”

Zhang Xinlan was surprised. “What’s he doing there?”

“What do you think?”

“Oh, I know—he went to soak in the hot springs. Why didn’t he call me? I’ll go find him right now.”

Just as she was about to leave, Constable Zhang pulled her back again. “Why won’t you listen? I already told you we’re handling official business. Stay home properly and don’t go making trouble. Don’t you see Master Ji is still here? Don’t embarrass me.”

Hmph?

Only then did Zhang Xinlan notice Ji Yunshu at the side.

Last time, she had been humiliated in front of Wen Lingyang because of her, and she still held a grudge.

So—

A pair of fiery eyes looked over, and she snorted, saying, “Those invited by Magistrate Fang are truly different—so much more arrogant than others. Just because you have a little ability, you act like you’re above everyone else.”

Are you confused?

“Above everyone else” describes you yourself, doesn’t it?

Ji Yunshu cast Zhang Xinlan’s words aside. She said, “Constable Zhang, let’s not waste any more time. Let’s go quickly.”

“Yes, Master Ji. Please board the carriage first. We’ll leave right away.”

She nodded!

Zhang Xinlan was so angry she stamped her feet, but she forcefully squeezed onto the carriage, insisting on going along.

On the journey there, Constable Zhang sat outside while Ji Yunshu and Zhang Xinlan sat inside.

Zhang Xinlan boldly looked her up and down, furrowing her brows from time to time, then letting out cold laughs at other times.

Ji Yunshu sat properly with composed dignity, completely ignoring her.

“I heard from my brother that you’re supposedly a very capable person who’s solved many unsolved cases. Is that right?”

No answer.

“But I think you just look like a scholar with no real ability. Those cases you solved were probably all just luck, right?”

No answer.

“I think you’re going to fail this time. Several days have passed and you don’t have a single clue. You keep suspecting this person or that person of being the murderer, but in the end, none of them are. It seems even Magistrate Fang misjudged you this time.”

Still no answer.

Ji Yunshu thought to herself that no matter how domineering and wild Jing Xuan was, at least she was tactful. But this little girl—who knew where she got her confidence from—had her eyes practically on top of her head, looking down on others with dog eyes.

In modern times, it would be like someone with little education but worth several million going to a government office to handle some business, only to be treated dismissively by the civil servants inside. Or like someone earning over ten thousand a month going to shop at a high-end clothing store, only to be looked down upon by sales clerks earning just three thousand a month.

Ji Yunshu sometimes felt that these kinds of people should be dragged out and shot.