What?

“You’re saying… the Guanyin Seal was stolen by Du Sanniang from the Lin’an Inn?” Liu Zhiliang choked slightly. “Do you have evidence?”

“I have no evidence. Du Sanniang told me herself. She knows very well that throughout the entire pacification office, if I want to investigate something, there’s nothing I can’t find out. Before the banquet began, Du Sanniang saw with her own eyes as I applied tea poison to the cat’s claws and then handed it to Steward Zhang. She blackmailed me, telling me not to investigate the whereabouts of the Guanyin Seal anymore, and she wouldn’t report to the authorities. But the Guanyin Seal is my Zhang family’s heirloom treasure—I cannot remain silent.”

Then First Madam looked at Third Madam and said, “After I die, the Zhang Manor will be yours.”

“Elder Sister…”

“Remember, you must retrieve the Guanyin Seal, no matter what. It cannot fall into someone else’s hands.”

Third Madam nodded heavily, tears in her eyes. “Elder Sister, rest assured.”

She smiled with relief.

Then willingly followed the bailiffs away.

Third Madam and Zhang Yimo stayed behind and told Liu Zhiliang, “Magistrate Liu, my Zhang Manor’s Guanyin Seal must be retrieved.”

“Third Madam, don’t worry. This official will investigate. If it truly was stolen by Du Sanniang of the Lin’an Inn, this official will certainly help you recover it. This official will shortly order someone to bring Du Sanniang here for questioning. You should return home first. As soon as there’s news, I’ll notify you immediately.”

“Good.”

Nodding, the mother and son prepared to leave.

Ji Yunshu called out, “Wait.”

The mother and son stopped and looked at her questioningly.

“Does Master Ji have other business?” Liu Zhiliang asked.

“Having finished the Zhang Manor murder case, now let’s examine the theft cases from recent years that have never been solved.” Ji Yunshu’s expression was cool, and her words were very light.

Precisely because of this, Liu Zhiliang’s heart lurched.

He asked weakly, “Theft cases? Does Master Ji mean this Zhang Manor theft case?”

“Why must Magistrate Liu play dumb with me?” She smiled. “When you played chess, you placed each piece just right, all to let Prince Rong win and please him. So astute—how is it you’re confused now?”

Her tone was pointed!

These words were inscrutable!

Liu Zhiliang seemed to sense something and lowered his head, pretending to think.

Ji Yunshu directly pulled out the case report book from her sleeve.

“Does Magistrate Liu recognize this?”

He glanced at it and hurriedly looked away, nodding. “I recognize it, I recognize it. This is the government office’s case report book.”

“So you do recognize it. Then Magistrate Liu, guess where I found this case report book?”

“It was in… the study?”

“Correct. I found it in the study, and moreover, it had fallen on the floor, covered in dust. Magistrate Liu, you really are something—how is it you don’t even have money to hire someone to clean? The study is also full of dust. Probably because the government office hasn’t received cases for so long, Magistrate Liu doesn’t go to the study often anymore, right?”

He quickly responded, “Master Ji is right. For quite some time, the government office hasn’t received any cases. It’s also because the pacification office has been very peaceful, so I haven’t gone to the study much.”

Ji Yunshu threw him an inscrutable smile, then began turning through the case report book in her hands page by page.

Right in front of him.

Liu Zhiliang stared. When she flipped slowly, his heart tightened. When she flipped quickly, his heart relaxed.

He was completely led along by Ji Yunshu’s rhythm!

It also made him break out in sweat, constantly raising his sleeve to wipe it.

Ji Yunshu said as she went, “Over these years, many theft cases have occurred in the pacification office—every single one unsolved. Moreover, every single one was reported by guests from the Lin’an Inn. Back and forth, dozens of cases, not one solved. Why is this? How is it that so many things were lost at the Lin’an Inn, yet over all these years, not a single case has been solved? And the Lin’an Inn continues to thrive. Also, if I’m not mistaken, the Lin’an Inn is that inn opened by that Du Sanniang, right? How strange. The Prince and I also stayed at that inn for one night. Coincidentally, someone also had things stolen. Fortunately, they were recovered in the end. Could that inn be haunted? How is it things are always being lost? Just now First Madam also said the Zhang Manor’s Guanyin Seal was stolen by Du Sanniang. Is there some connection here?”

She narrowed her eyes and began flipping through the case report book in her hands again.

Liu Zhiliang’s mental endurance couldn’t hold up anymore!

His palms were sweating!

Jingrong watched Ji Yunshu’s convincing, earnest manner of flipping through the case report book and couldn’t help but laugh.

Little one, not bad—learned how to toy with people so quickly.

Toying with Liu Zhiliang until his whole body trembled.

Having finally finished eating the last melon seed he’d been cracking, he wiped his hands, stood up, brushed off his robe, and strolled over with swaying steps.

Then he gently patted Liu Zhiliang’s shoulder and said, “Liu Zhiliang, how much silver did you spend to buy that official position back then?”

His tone carried laughter, full of teasing flavor.

Liu Zhiliang had already been stirred into panic by Ji Yunshu’s earlier vague words, and now Jingrong was stirring him up too, making him even more panicked.

“Your Highness means…”

“Don’t be nervous. The money spent to purchase the office—you should have earned it all back by now, right?”

Liu Zhiliang’s face turned pale.

Jingrong began to calculate carefully, saying as he went, “How about this—this Prince will calculate an account for you. The money to purchase the office was ten thousand taels of silver. Your salary, Magistrate Liu, is only forty-five taels per month from the court. Calculate it—that would take eighteen or nineteen years to earn back, right? Really a huge loss. Magistrate Liu, you don’t look like someone who would take a loss, do you? You’ve only been an official for a few years. Presumably, what you’ve earned back is more than ten thousand taels, right?”

“This official doesn’t understand Your Highness’s meaning.”

“Liu Zhiliang, oh Liu Zhiliang, you wear official robes, the courtyard behind the government office is also very crude, and the tea kept at the government office isn’t fine tea either. Looking at your appearance, you seem like an upright official. Yet you’re just a canary wearing crow feathers—quite wealthy indeed.”

Jingrong spoke in a teasing tone, even using his hand to pat Liu Zhiliang’s protruding belly once.

Very mischievous!

Even Ji Yunshu couldn’t help but laugh, simply closing the case report book in her hands.

From last night until now, the two had been teaming up to tease Liu Zhiliang, wanting him to confess on his own, but this old fox just loved to play dumb.

Liu Zhiliang’s heart trembled as he bent at the waist. “Your Highness jests. This official is no canary and has no silver to speak of.”

Jingrong glared at him angrily. “Still hiding, as if this Prince would demand silver from you. Look at your stingy manner.”

“This official…”

“Alright, alright. You old fox—if I don’t throw evidence at you, you won’t shed those crow feathers.”