Unexpectedly, he had been hiding in the crowd all along.

The moment he removed his conical hat, the Ministry of Justice officials surrounded him almost instantaneously.

The murderer!

Where could he flee!

Everyone held their breath.

Some looked at him as if viewing a monster.

Others watched him with eyes full of fear.

Still others gazed at him in utter astonishment.

…

Old Man Zhang surveyed the crowd, smiled bleakly, then—

Bowed to Magistrate Li on the high platform and directly stated, “My lord, those eight people in the dried-up well… I killed them. I also killed Silly Four. My crimes are exactly as Prince Rong and Master Ji just described, without any omissions.”

Eh!

He admitted it quite readily.

Magistrate Li asked, “So you confess your guilt?”

“Yes, this humble one confesses.” His voice was deep, carrying a chill. Then, he bowed deeply to Jingrong and Ji Yunshu. “You saved my son. Now it’s time for me to repay this life of mine.”

As if releasing a long-held breath, the stone weighing on his heart finally settled.

He walked with difficulty to his son’s side and reached out his hands—covered in sin, stained with blood—to stroke Zhang Daqi’s disheveled hair.

Slowly squatting down.

Old tears streaming down, “Father has wronged you.”

Repentance!

Zhang Daqi opened his ulcerated mouth, making “Eh, eh, eh” sounds several times.

Unable to speak.

Father and son embraced, weeping bitterly.

No one in the hall interrupted them.

Though the scene before them was heart-wrenching, Old Man Zhang had indeed killed people.

As the saying goes, those deserving pity must have hateful aspects!

Magistrate Li broke the silence: “Zhang Yicheng, this official asks you once more—do you confess your guilt?”

“I confess!”

Extremely forthright.

Then, a civil official recording nearby handed a quickly written confession document before Zhang Yicheng.

Spreading it on the ground.

“Make your mark.”

Old Man Zhang looked at the listed crimes, smiled with relief, and almost without hesitation pressed his handprint onto it.

Thus, Magistrate Li ordered, “Someone come! The criminal Zhang Yicheng has confessed and submitted to the law. Immediately imprison him in the dungeon. This official will deliberate and report upward before making a final decision. As for Zhang Daqi, though he didn’t kill anyone, he deliberately concealed the truth. First imprison him in the dungeon for later disposition.”

Several officials came forward and dragged the two men away.

The case was finally solved.

Magistrate Li descended from the high platform and bowed with cupped hands to Jingrong and Ji Yunshu, saying, “If not for Your Highness and Master Ji, the case would never have come to light.”

Jingrong’s expression was solemn. “Magistrate Li, handle the case as it should be handled. Never be…” He paused slightly, glancing at Jing Yi whose face looked terrible, “overly eager for success.”

These four words—”overly eager for success”—were clearly directed at Jing Yi.

Jing Yi felt as if he’d been harshly slapped several times, his face burning with pain.

He had lost utterly and completely.

Losing was bad enough, but he’d also been betrayed by Wen Shisan.

He ground his teeth, his entire body radiating hostility, and glared at Jingrong. “Don’t be so smug.”

Jingrong replied, “You should worry about yourself instead.”

“What do you mean?”

“To solve the case and gain merit quickly, you didn’t even investigate the case details. You even had Zhang Daqi’s tongue cut off just to make your case report appear flawless. Now that the truth is revealed, you’d better think of good words to explain to Father Emperor.”

“I need no explanation at all.” He snorted coldly. “Even though the case is now solved, you have no evidence proving I sent someone to cut Zhang Daqi’s tongue. Moreover, he personally made his mark himself. I merely reported truthfully. Why would I need to explain? Even if Father Emperor were here right now, I would say the same thing.”

Just as he finished speaking—

“Is that so? Then say it again to my face.”

Eh?

My face?

A deep yet slightly weak voice came from within the crowd.

Everyone saw Zhang Quan supporting Emperor Qizhen, dressed in plain clothes, as he emerged from the crowd, followed by two imperial bodyguards.

Jing Yi was dumbstruck!

Immediately—

Everyone in the Ministry of Justice hall knelt down.

“Greetings to the Emperor / Father Emperor.”

Following this, the onlooking commoners outside also knelt one after another.

“Greetings to the Emperor.”

Their voices trembled.

Where would they have ever seen the Son of Heaven before!

Emperor Qizhen swept his gaze around. “Everyone rise. This is not the Council Hall.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Magistrate Li quickly dispersed the common people outside and ordered someone to bring a pear wood chair. After spreading a soft cushion on it, he helped Emperor Qizhen sit down.

Emperor Qizhen, being unwell, was exhausted from the ordeal of leaving the palace.

He glanced at Jing Yi and sternly said, “Explain yourself. Why did you submit a case report when it was clearly full of errors and missing all critical details, yet you wrote it so beautifully?”

“Father Emperor…”

“Fortunately, Jingrong found new evidence and overturned this case. Otherwise, how would I answer to the people of the realm?”

“Father Emperor, please see clearly—it was only because Zhang Daqi himself confessed that your son organized and submitted the case report. Please believe your son, Father Emperor.”

Hmph!

Emperor Qizhen burned with fury. “It’s precisely because I believed you that I nearly concluded a wrongful case. As a prince, you should handle cases fairly and resolve troubles for the people. Instead, you acted carelessly and disregarded human life.”

“Father Emperor, your son did not…”

“You need say no more.” Emperor Qizhen raised his hand to interrupt, angry. “I don’t need your explanations. Just now, I heard what needed to be heard and saw what needed to be seen.”

Jing Yi had no way to defend himself.

Then, Emperor Qizhen asked Wen Shisan beside him, raising an eyebrow, “You’re called Wen Shisan?”

Wen Shisan stepped forward and cupped his hands. “This commoner is.”

“Tell me truthfully—how exactly was that case report written?” He demanded.

Jing Yi glanced at him, signaling him to speak properly and not betray him again.

Who would have known that Wen Shisan would say, “In response to Your Majesty, actually… this commoner always had deep doubts about this case. The case details were never clear. I originally wanted to continue investigating, but after Prince Yi learned about that stone, he determined the killer was Zhang Daqi. Not long after, Zhang Daqi confessed himself and attempted to bite off his tongue to commit suicide. Therefore, this commoner, following Prince Yi’s orders, wrote that case report.”

His tone was calm, his words well-organized. One could say he sold out Jing Yi quite thoroughly.

Jing Yi’s face flushed red with shame. Head lowered, he was determined to slice Wen Shisan to pieces.

Emperor Qizhen’s expression was extremely grim. He had thought Jing Yi might use tricks, but never imagined he would be so cunning.

“Bang!”

He slapped his hand heavily on the pear wood chair and looked at Jing Yi. “It seems you truly were overly eager for success.”

One could hear the deep disappointment in his voice.

Jing Yi remained silent.

He accepted his defeat.

Emperor Qizhen looked at Jingrong. “For solving this case, you deserve great merit.”

Jingrong said, “Father Emperor, this matter was not your son’s achievement alone. If not for Master Ji’s assistance, it would have been difficult to investigate clearly.”

Ji Yunshu quickly added, “This case was also not this commoner’s achievement alone.”

Emperor Qizhen scrutinized Ji Yunshu and simply said, “At tomorrow’s court session, those with merit will certainly be rewarded, and those with faults will certainly be punished.” He coughed once and slowly stood up. Supported by Zhang Quan, he sighed. “Enough. Help me return to the palace.”