The fine, drizzling raindrops fell upon Liangda’s terrifying face.

As if determined to wash away the purple-red, wrinkled burn scars on his face.

Ji Yunshu held an oil-paper umbrella, her grip on the handle tightening somewhat. She lowered her eyes, looking at Liangda on the ground, firmly pinned down by Shi Zijin’s foot.

Her eyes suddenly reflected a cold gleam. Her red lips parted slightly. “In this world, no one ever deserves to die.”

Hearing this, Liangda’s bottomless black eyes lifted, and he laughed loudly at her several times, revealing teeth as black as a jackal’s—sharp and terrifying.

Meeting those black eyes, Ji Yunshu actually felt a chill creeping up the back of her head.

Her chest also inexplicably… tightened for a moment.

Before long, the person was taken to the Yu Prefecture yamen.

Jingrong, hearing the news, quickly rushed over.

How could he not come and join in on such excitement?

County Magistrate Zuo Yao also immediately ordered court to convene, sitting majestically in the high seat wearing his official robes.

These past few days, he had not left the yamen gates. His palms had been beaten to a pulp by Jingrong. He had recuperated for many days, consulted many physicians, and even taken much medicine.

Only today had he improved somewhat!

However, on the thick gauze wrapped around his palms, one could still faintly see bloodstains seeping through from within. He first glanced at Jingrong. Once bitten by a snake, one fears the rope for ten years—he only felt his palms ache as the scene of that day’s beating vividly replayed before his eyes.

Suddenly, his eyes couldn’t help but tremble. He quickly withdrew his gaze and reached out to grab the gavel beside him. But just as he touched that cold, rectangular, hard gavel, he remembered his hands were still injured and immediately withdrew his hand.

This comical scene was completely captured by Jingrong.

He had wanted to laugh, but considering they were in the court and about to try a case, he immediately straightened his expression and ordered someone to bring a chair. He sat down leisurely to the side, planning to properly listen to this three-year-old case.

Unfortunately, he lacked some snacks and melon seeds at hand.

Zuo Yao gave up on striking the gavel and looked at Liangda kneeling in the center of the court, questioning, “Liangda, was it you who killed the person?”

Because Shi Zijin had viciously kicked him in the chest, Liangda was still in pain. He knelt there, head lowered, his entire face hidden beneath disheveled, soaked hair.

His eyes coldly looked at the ground before him. He smiled darkly and said, “The person—I killed her.”

He admitted it too quickly!

This was the first time Zuo Yao had encountered such an obedient murderer.

However, this way, it saved trouble.

“Since you’ve already admitted it, then tell us—why did you kill Ye’er? And how did you kill her? Confess everything without concealment.”

Liangda suddenly raised his head, turning to look at Ji Yunshu standing beside him. Similarly, he smiled darkly at her, revealing those terrifying, savage eyes and half a disgusting face.

He said, “Aren’t you very clever? If so, you should know how Miss Ye died, right? Since you already know, I won’t say it. You speak for me.”

Ji Yunshu met his gaze. “Actually, I don’t know why you killed her.”

She wasn’t lying!

“Don’t know?” Liangda seemed somewhat surprised. “If you don’t know, how did you come to arrest me? How did you know I was in that alley? I thought you had guessed something, which is why you came.”

Ji Yunshu’s brow furrowed slightly, doubt showing in her eyes. She spoke slowly, “I truly don’t know why you killed Ye’er. I only know that when you entered that room, you were actually going to kill a cat!”

Huh?

Her tone was slow and leisurely!

But listening to it, one felt there was still some hidden story within.

Did Liangda kill someone or not? When he entered that room, was he going to kill a cat or Miss Ye’er? And did he actually rape anyone?

Liangda chuckled with some contempt, his left hand lightly patting his thigh. “So you’re just this much after all. I thought you were formidable, thought you had guessed everything.”

Ji Yunshu wasn’t annoyed. After all, she had never claimed to be better or smarter than anyone.

She smiled faintly and said nothing.

However, Zuo Yao said, “Master Ji, you say he killed the person. Then explain the process, or produce evidence to prove without error that he killed the person. That way, this official can decide the case!”

Everyone in the court wanted to see just how formidable this Master Ji, famous throughout the capital, truly was—to see whether her title was undeserved reputation or genuine ability.

“Very well! Then I’ll speak of what I know. But where should I begin?” Ji Yunshu’s eyes lowered as she thought for a moment. “Mm, let’s start with Liangda’s wife. Actually, this is a domestic matter—not appropriate to bring to court. On the surface, it seems unrelated to the case, but I’ll still speak of it.”

She looked at Liangda kneeling properly on the ground. “Your wife ran off with another man. As a man, losing your dignity would be one thing, but you were also beaten until one of your legs was broken. In your heart, you probably had thoughts of murder and arson, didn’t you? The proprietress of Zhichun Tower took pity on you, sympathized with you, and arranged for you to work as an odd-job worker in the back courtyard. That day, you were busy in the kitchen. A cat knocked over a candlestick. The fire burned the kitchen, destroying your hand and your face. From then on, your heart became increasingly twisted—no, better to say extreme. You began continuously killing cats to vent your hatred. Of course, everything has cause and effect. If I’m not mistaken, your wife also kept a cat, didn’t she? That cat probably ran off with that man too, so you hate cats extremely.

One day, Miss Shuilian left her cat in the back courtyard, calling several servants to help watch it. You had murderous intent at that time and poured a cup of water with rat poison in it, intending to bring it for the cat to drink. But the cat suddenly ran up to the third floor. You chased it to the end of the corridor and caught it, but because there were many eyes around and several young ladies were coming upstairs, you worried about being discovered. So you grabbed the cat and burst through the door into Ye’er’s room. You didn’t expect that Ye’er would actually be inside, and moreover, her clothes were disheveled, her hair in disarray, and on the floor lay Qiao Zihua, knocked unconscious.

You were somewhat stunned at the time. Ye’er was also frightened. She said she had no relationship with Qiao Zihua, that he had fallen and knocked himself out, forbidding you to speak nonsense. She even questioned why you burst into her room. You stammered, unable to say a word. So she harshly scolded you with fierce words—probably somewhat similar to those words your wife often used to scold you, right? You became enraged at that moment. Without regard for anything else, you pressed her onto the bed, poured the rat poison in your hand into her mouth, and poisoned her to death. However… this reason for killing is my guess, but the poison—you truly did pour it into her mouth, and the person—you truly did kill her.”

Certain!