Pan Chi sneered with disdain, “Don’t forget, I’m also a detective. I’m not your subordinate. Why should I report everything to you?”
“You!” Shen Du clenched his fist angrily, glaring at him fiercely.
Well played, pulling a trick behind his back. It seemed his methods of dealing with Pan Chi weren’t harsh enough.
Seeing Shen Du’s anger, Pan Chi’s face lit up with joy.
Bullying him was no feat; outmaneuvering him in front of Zhu Yan was true skill.
As the atmosphere threatened to become tense again, Zhu Yan’s eye twitched.
What was wrong with these two? They always seemed to be at odds.
To ease the awkwardness, Zhu Yan glanced at their clothes and quickly said, “Alright, alright. You should go change first. I’ll wait for you in the side room of the main hall.”
Both men nodded, and Zhu Yan turned to leave.
Pan Chi, like a proud rooster, walked past Shen Du with his back straight, as if gloating about outmaneuvering him in front of Zhu Yan.
Shen Du clenched his fists. He would even score sooner or later.
Zhu Yan arrived at the main hall, where Magistrate Mo Qianzhi was still interrogating Xu Jize.
Xu Jize appeared righteously indignant. If not for the sack Pan Chi provided, Zhu Yan might have believed in his innocence.
What surprised Zhu Yan even more was Pan Chi’s lightning-fast change of clothes.
She had barely arrived when Pan Chi appeared beside her, looking towards the hall and asking, “How far has the interrogation progressed?”
Zhu Yan shook her head slightly, “I missed some earlier, so I can’t tell now.”
Xu Jize knelt in the main hall, addressing Magistrate Mo Qianzhi righteously with clasped hands, “Your Honor, arresting me without evidence is improper. Moreover, I risked my life to save Miss Du. Now that she’s been found unharmed, save for a sprained ankle, shouldn’t Your Honor adopt a different attitude towards me?”
Magistrate Mo Qianzhi didn’t immediately grasp Xu Jize’s meaning, but Zhu Yan, listening to all this, let out a cold snort.
“This man knows how to flatter himself. Before the evidence is presented, he not only absolves himself of all blame but also wants the Magistrate to regard him differently. I’ve never seen such an arrogant person.”
Pan Chi chuckled with interest, “A tree without bark will surely die; a shameless person is unrivaled under heaven. Doctor Zhu, some people won’t shed tears until they see the coffin. Let’s see what he has to say when I present the evidence.”
Without waiting for Zhu Yan’s surprised reaction, Pan Chi threw the sack in front of Xu Jize.
“Xu Jize, does this look familiar?”
Pan Chi’s sudden intervention surprised everyone present. Magistrate Mo Qianzhi remained silent, observing the scene.
Xu Jize’s expression noticeably changed upon seeing the sack. His eyes blinked rapidly before he declared righteously, “It’s just a sack. Of course, I recognize it.”
Pan Chi’s lips curled into a smile, “I know it’s a sack. But when I present it to you in the dead of night, aren’t you the least bit surprised?”
“Of course I’m surprised.” Xu Jize blinked again and wrinkled his nose, “But this has nothing to do with me. It must belong to the real culprit. The deceased harmed Miss Du, and I didn’t kill anyone. I don’t know how that person died. I was just trying to save someone. Don’t wrongly accuse an innocent man.”
“Then tell us in detail what you witnessed,” Pan Chi stood up, stroking his chin and looking at Xu Jize meaningfully.
“I…” Xu Jize blinked rapidly again, “I had just gone to the privy. When I came out, I saw the thief abducting Miss Du. It happened so suddenly that I didn’t have time to notify others. Concerned for Miss Du’s safety, I went to rescue her alone. I chased them outside, and then…”
Xu Jize’s gaze kept shifting, and Zhu Yan immediately spotted the inconsistency.
Pan Chi also knew he was lying and, having no patience for these falsehoods, interrupted him, “These claims have no proof. How can anyone believe you?”
“Every word I say is true. I beg the officials to see clearly,” Xu Jize hurriedly said.
“Hmph…” Pan Chi snorted coldly, clearly unconvinced, “Without evidence, not just us, even a three-year-old child on the street wouldn’t believe you. In my opinion, the deceased was your accomplice. You two abducted Miss Du together. Later, due to some disagreement, you killed your accomplice. To cover up the truth, you’re putting on this good-guy act, trying to absolve yourself of all responsibility. Isn’t that right?”
“Your Honor, I’ve been wronged,” Xu Jize’s gaze was unusually firm. Seeing Pan Chi’s relentless questioning, he quickly looked to Magistrate Mo Qianzhi for help, “I really didn’t kill anyone, and I don’t even know the deceased. Why would I kill him?”
Zhu Yan furrowed her brow. Xu Jize blinked rapidly and wrinkled his nose when lying, but when he said he didn’t kill anyone, his expression was unusually determined. It seemed he wasn’t lying about that.
Pan Chi also glanced at Zhu Yan nearby. They shared the same thought: even if he wasn’t the murderer, without anyone to vouch for his innocence, he couldn’t escape suspicion.
Pan Chi continued, “If you didn’t know the deceased, how did you see him being killed?”
“I didn’t see the deceased being killed. When I arrived, he was already dead. I don’t know who killed him or how the murderer did it,” Xu Jize explained.
“You said you saw someone abduct Miss Du. Did that person have any distinguishing features?”
“The light wasn’t very good, so I couldn’t see clearly. But judging from the deceased’s height and demeanor, it was the person who abducted Miss Du.”
“You judged only by height and demeanor? Didn’t you notice any other features?” Pan Chi pressed.
Xu Jize shook his head repeatedly, “It happened so suddenly, that I didn’t pay close attention. I didn’t notice any other features.”
Hearing Xu Jize’s words, Pan Chi made up his mind.
It seemed this man wasn’t the murderer. The deceased was missing an eye; if Xu Jize had truly been his accomplice, he shouldn’t have been unaware of this fact.
Seeing that Pan Chi had no more questions, Xu Jize became even more brazen in insisting on his innocence. He clasped his hands and addressed Magistrate Mo Qianzhi righteously, “Your Honor, I truly am innocent. Now that the matter has been clarified, you should reward me, for I am the hero who saved Miss Du.”
Upon hearing this, Pan Chi and Zhu Yan nearly dropped their jaws to the floor.
They had never encountered someone so shamelessly brazen. Even if he wasn’t the murderer, he couldn’t be completely uninvolved in this matter. Moreover, the case was far from solved, yet he was already asking for rewards. He had truly taken shamelessness to new depths.
Magistrate Mo Qianzhi said nothing, his expression dark as he stared at the man before him.