The next day.

News came from the prison that Wang Zhe had already confessed! He was also willing to tell everything about that year’s events in full detail, but requested not to be tried in the main hall of the Ministry of Justice, wanting to preserve his last shred of dignity. Minister Li considered that after all, he was a person from the Ministry of Works. What was implicated wasn’t just the Ministry of Works, but the entire Six Ministries. Moreover, this was ultimately a court matter. It couldn’t very well be put out in the open to discuss and judge. So Minister Li agreed to Wang Zhe’s request.

In the end, the interrogation location was arranged directly in the prison.

Jiang Lan went along to take notes on the side.

However, Ji Yunshu didn’t go.

She stood in her “office,” looking out through the window. Not far away on the stone slabs sat a pot of camellia flowers. Since it wasn’t yet the blooming season, there were only buds.

She just kept looking like this. Who knows how long she waited before Jiang Lan came.

“Minister Ji, Wang Zhe’s testimony is all here!”

She took it and flipped through it.

All the details were written above.

According to Wang Zhe’s oral account, the process of the case was as follows:

Wang Zhe and Hualing indeed met at Linglong Embroidery Shop and fell in love at first sight. They would arrange times to meet every time. Wang Zhe’s parents had died when he was young, and he was raised single-handedly by his uncle Wang Ye. Therefore, in order to marry Hualing, Wang Zhe went to petition Wang Ye. But Wang Ye scolded him thoroughly and resolutely refused to agree. Not long after, Hualing became pregnant. Wang Zhe went to petition Wang Ye again, but Wang Ye still refused to agree. Setting aside that Hualing was a maid in Minister Yu’s residence, at that time Wang Zhe was only a Vice Director in the Ministry of Works, right in the period of promotion. If such shameful matters were to spread, his prospects of being promoted to Director of the Ministry of Works would likely be ruined.

Under Wang Ye’s extreme persuasion, Wang Zhe was temporarily blinded by reputation and actually listened to Wang Ye’s words to abort the child in Hualing’s womb that was less than a month old. He gave her a packet of abortion medicine.

But Hualing didn’t drink it. Instead, she was determined to give birth to the child. But to give birth, there had to be some justification. So that night, Hualing went to seduce Minister Yu, trying to make Minister Yu be a ready-made father, but she didn’t succeed!

At that time, Wang Zhe had been at the Prince’s mansion celebrating the birthday of Wang Ye’s wife. Thinking it over again and again, he still felt he couldn’t be so heartless. After all, it was his own child. So he secretly infiltrated the Yu residence, planning to stop Hualing from drinking the abortion medicine. Unexpectedly, he witnessed the scene of Hualing “seducing” Minister Yu. Rage surged to his head. After Hualing was sent to Yu Wang’s room by Mumu, he went in, knocked out Yu Wang, took Hualing away, and cruelly murdered her.

Then he sealed the corpse into that wall in Minister Yu’s master bedroom study. The reason was actually—since Hualing wanted to seduce Minister Yu, then let her forever accompany him and watch him.

That terrifying, twisted thought made one’s hair stand on end!

Ji Yunshu didn’t know whether to call him devoted or cruel.

This was probably what people often say—if you can’t have it, destroy it!

And this story couldn’t be called moving or not.

Jiang Lan said, “When Wang Zhe confessed his crimes, he cried until he was choked with sobs. He must have regretted it.”

Regret?

Ji Yunshu didn’t dare draw such a conclusion.

If Wang Zhe truly regretted it, how could he have infiltrated the Ministry of Justice autopsy room and destroyed Hualing’s only remaining pile of white bones like that?

Fortunately, that was a fake skeleton she had temporarily made!

She sighed and said, “Perhaps.”

Jiang Lan asked again, “Also, that night back then, Wang Zhe didn’t drink at the Prince’s mansion at all, much less get drunk. But his uncle Minister Wang gave false testimony. He must have known the inside story, which is why he deliberately concealed it and exonerated Wang Zhe. Minister Li has already sent people to the Prince’s mansion to question Minister Wang, but I don’t know how to handle this charge…”

“Wang Ye’s charges should be set aside for now. Let the Censorate handle it first. In any case, he can’t escape.”

“…The Censorate? Minister, do you mean?” Jiang Lan didn’t understand.

Before she could speak—

A guard suddenly came running from outside, saying, “Minister Ji, people from the Censorate have come, saying they want to take the criminal Wang Zhe for a trip. Minister Li told me to come ask you.”

Ji Yunshu nodded lightly.

She allowed it.

The guard then left.

Jiang Lan moved closer, continuing to ask, “What exactly is going on? How did the Censorate also get involved in this case?”

“It’s unrelated to this case.”

“Then what is it?”

Ji Yunshu sat down behind the desk, spread a clean blank sheet of paper on the table, lifted her brush to dip it in ink, preparing to write something. Without lifting her head, she said to Jiang Lan, “Didn’t you mention before that the uncle and nephew Wang Ye were lining their pockets in the Ministry of Works?”

As if awakening someone from a dream with one statement, Jiang Lan suddenly realized, “Is it about the embezzlement by the uncle and nephew Wang Ye?”

“Yes.”

“Oh my!” Jiang Lan slapped the back of her hand heavily against her palm. “It seems retribution has finally come. But… Minister Ji found evidence?”

Ji Yunshu still didn’t lift her head as she said, “If there were no evidence, the Censorate wouldn’t dare bring people in for questioning.”

So the evidence was conclusive then!

…

In no time at all.

The Prince’s mansion.

After Wang Ye learned that Wang Zhe had been captured by the Ministry of Justice, he had been restless and uneasy. He sat in the main hall all night, hoping to think of some way to save his nephew.

Madam Wang was also anxiously frantic at his side.

“Master, was it really Zhe’er who killed the person?”

“I… how would I know?”

“How could you not know? If you didn’t know, you wouldn’t have told everyone in the residence to say that Zhe’er drank too much at the residence that night back then. You must know.”

“Enough, stop nagging.”

The nagging was giving him a headache!

Wang Liu Shi closed her mouth.

“Mas… Master, people from the Ministry of Justice have come.” A servant shouted loudly.

They saw people from the Ministry of Justice had already entered in great force.

The man leading them had a dark expression and said, “Minister Wang, Wang Zhe has already confessed. He admits that back then it was he who killed Hualing, and you gave false testimony. Now, by order of Minister Li, we’re bringing you to the Ministry of Justice for questioning.”

His tone left no room for refutation!

Wang Ye’s face turned pale, but he still maintained his dignity and said, “Tell your Minister Li to come personally. This official would like to personally ask whether telling the truth also counts as false testimony?”

Hehe!

The leading man laughed once, full of contempt, and said, “Minister Wang, our Minister Li is very busy. You should personally make a trip to the Ministry of Justice yourself. Moreover, Wang Zhe has already personally admitted that back then, because he had broken out in red rashes on his body, he didn’t drink alcohol at all. But you said he not only drank alcohol but got drunk. If this isn’t false testimony, what is it? However, whether Minister Wang was aware or unaware of Wang Zhe’s murder, that will have to be discussed at the Ministry of Justice. Minister Wang, please.”

He made a gesture of invitation.

Madam Wang Liu Shi at the side was about to cry anxiously, clutching at Wang Ye’s sleeves.

“Master?” Her voice trembled terribly, a pair of eyes brimming with tears, frightened to the extreme.