Chief Judge Zhao’s question was barely out of his mouth before he stood directly in front of Ming Yi, his imposing presence instantly freezing the atmosphere around them. Ji Bozai was visibly displeased, his fingers twitching slightly.
“Bozai,” Prince Gong quickly intervened, sensing the tension and pressing down on Ji Bozai’s hand. “It’s just a few questions, no need for punishment.”
To others, it might be just a few questions, but his little girl was timid and would likely be frightened to tears. He was still alive and present; how could he let her be bullied into tears by someone else? He was about to throw the man out when Ming Yi spoke up.
“The esteemed judge is fair in his investigations; I will naturally cooperate,” she said, her voice steady as she knelt, meeting Chief Judge Zhao’s gaze without fear or submission. “Please, have a seat, my lord.”
Standing to interrogate would be a blatant disrespect to Ji Bozai, but sitting down to drink would make it seem like a casual chat. Her thoughtful and appropriate response surprised Ji Bozai, who glanced at her with newfound appreciation.
Ming Yi gently pressed his hand, which was clenched on his lap, then turned to face Chief Judge Zhao, who had taken a seat. “What questions do you have, my lord?”
“May I ask, young lady, if you saw Wei Hongfei and Zou Wancheng at the inner court banquet that day?”
“Of course, I saw them. Those two officials were seated in the second row on the left side of the main hall.”
“Oh?” Chief Judge Zhao scrutinized her closely. “Did you offer them a toast?”
Ming Yi smiled wryly. “Does the lord not know the role of a dancer? Naturally, all the officials present were toasted.”
“What time did you go to offer the toast?”
“There was no water clock in the hall, so I do not know the exact time. But when I went over, the two officials were still chatting and looked well.”
Chief Judge Zhao fell silent, his sharp gaze sweeping over Ming Yi’s face inch by inch. Ming Yi met his gaze calmly, without a hint of panic.
After a moment, Chief Judge Zhao said, “You are the most suspicious.”
Yet her eyes showed no guilt or fear, clearly indicating she was neither hiding anything nor lying.
Prince Gong studied Ming Yi for a long time before speaking. “It’s only suspicion. Miss Ming’s background is clean and verifiable, and she has never been in contact with the Wuyou grass. She cannot be convicted.”
“There were over seventy dancers that night, but only Miss Ming is from Yuan County, had toasted the deceased before their deaths, and left the inner court without being questioned,” Chief Judge Zhao said, frustrated. “Half a month is enough time for her to concoct a flawless lie. Even if she can’t be convicted, she’s not entirely without suspicion.”
Ming Yi’s expression turned serious, a hint of anger on her face. “What do you mean, my lord? If you can’t find the murderer, are you going to pin the suspect label on me?”
Chief Judge Zhao glared at her, unfazed. If not for Ji Bozai’s backing, he would have already used force on this mere dancer.
“I thought Lord Zhao was a just official, solving every case without fail. I didn’t expect you to care more about your reputation than the truth,” she said, standing with her brows furrowed. “If it weren’t for the presence of these officials today, would you have forced a confession from me and declared me the murderer?”
Chief Judge Zhao was furious. He was a dignified judge, yet here he was, being scolded by a dancer. But glancing at Ji Bozai, he swallowed his anger and coldly replied, “Mind your words, young lady. Slandering an official is punishable by the bone-scraping penalty.”
Ming Yi laughed. “Slander? If speaking the truth is slander, then your actions today are entrapment. I am grateful for Lord Ji’s kindness and would not want to tarnish his reputation over baseless accusations. Please investigate thoroughly before speaking.”
As the saying goes, “Look at the owner before hitting the dog.” She was, after all, Ji Bozai’s person now. If she were deemed the murderer, Ji Bozai would bear some responsibility.
Having said her piece, she sat back beside Ji Bozai, seething with anger.
Ji Bozai had been somewhat annoyed, but seeing the little girl sharply rebuke the judge, he suddenly found it amusing. Gently stroking her hair, he said, “If you are the murderer, I won’t protect you. But if you’re not, as long as I’m here, no one will wrong you.”
Though his words seemed directed at her, they were meant for Chief Judge Zhao.
Chief Judge Zhao was irritated, wanting to stand, but Prince Gong pressed him back down.
“This case is indeed complex and unsolvable, not through any fault of Lord Zhao,” he said with a smile. “Let’s leave it at that. Today is a celebration for my son’s hundredth day; let’s not discuss such matters.”
“Indeed, the wine at Prince Gong’s mansion is so fine. How can you still have the heart to talk about other things? Come, drink up.”
“Lord Zhao, have some food.”
“Lord Ji, I toast to you.”
The crowd quickly changed the subject, urging Chief Judge Zhao and Ji Bozai to sit with their backs to each other.
Ming Yi, still fuming, muttered into her wine, “I didn’t know there were only seventy dancers at the banquet that day and no one else. Why only interrogate the dancers? Is it because they think dancers are easy to bully?”
Yan Xiao, sitting nearby, chuckled. “Miss Ming, calm down. The poison used by the murderer was Wuyou grass, only found in the inner court. Besides you dancers, no one else could approach the officials, which is why the judge suspects the dancers.”
“Then I don’t understand,” Ming Yi said, setting down her cup. “If Wuyou grass is only in the inner court, how could outsiders not obtain it? If none of the officials here could get it, how could we mere dancers?”
“And speaking of proximity, while dancers can approach them, have you considered that the two deceased officials might have gotten up to toast someone themselves? Who did they interact with? Did the judge interrogate them all?”
Yan Xiao was taken aback, and even the still-angry Chief Judge Zhao stiffened, quickly turning to look at her.
Unaware, Ming Yi continued to mutter, “How can you exclude suspects based on a few pieces of evidence? Who knows how much of it is true or false? Until the evidence is conclusive, anyone could be the murderer.”
She was speaking out of frustration, but to Chief Judge Zhao, her words were a revelation. He stood up excitedly.
“What are you doing?” she instinctively shrank into Ji Bozai’s embrace.
“Your words are insightful,” Chief Judge Zhao said, his previous hostility gone. He raised his cup to her. “I apologize for my oversight.”
Ming Yi wrinkled her nose, finding him unpredictable, but he was a high-ranking official, so she reluctantly accepted the drink.
Everyone was puzzled. “What’s gotten into Lord Zhao?”
“After discovering the poison was Wuyou grass, I ruled out many outsiders based on the inner court pharmacy’s records from the past two years,” Chief Judge Zhao explained to Prince Gong. “Miss Ming’s words have pointed me in a new direction.”
Prince Gong looked at Ming Yi with admiration. “In that case, Miss Ming has contributed.”
He turned to his servants. “Bring two boxes of the new rouge from the mansion for Miss Ming.”
Ming Yi’s eyes lit up, eager to express her gratitude, but she hesitated, glancing at Ji Bozai.
He had been silent since earlier, and while others praised her, his expression remained indifferent, revealing no emotion.
Had she overstepped somewhere?