Others being stubborn might make people annoyed, but Shen Qiyuan, with his handsome profile, deep black pupils, and that faint teardrop mole at the corner of his eye, made everything he said pleasing to the eye. Ruyi would at most tease him a couple of times, but couldn’t bear to hold it against him too much.

So when he changed the subject to say they should re-interrogate Liu the Butcher, the group laughingly followed him.

Liu the Butcher looked somewhat impatient. Facing the purple-hatted guards’ sword sheaths without fear, he just shouted: “I’m innocent to begin with – what’s this about blocking people’s doors repeatedly?”

Ruyi entered with a smile: “Your wife has already confessed – why do you still pretend to be innocent?”

This was the most common deceptive confession technique. Liu the Butcher didn’t even raise his head, saying dismissively: “If she said I was guilty, why would you all come here so politely? You’d have sent people to arrest me and throw me in prison long ago.”

“Arrest you and throw you in prison?” Ruyi shook her head. “With Grand Preceptor Liu’s methods, you’d probably die mysteriously inside.”

At the mention of Grand Preceptor Liu, Liu the Butcher startled and finally looked up at her.

It would have been better if he hadn’t looked – once he did, his face went pale and he hastily lowered his head again.

Such a change in expression naturally couldn’t escape Ruyi’s eyes.

He recognized her?

After a moment’s thought, Ruyi looked back toward Shen Qiyuan outside the door.

Shen Qiyuan understood and entered, speaking first: “Your wife has indeed confessed, saying you killed the Liu Manor’s wet nurse – that you tied her up with rope, used a red-hot iron nail to pierce through her skull, then dumped her body in the pond, pretending she drowned.”

As he spoke, Fuman and Yanning began searching the room, quickly finding some iron nails used for piercing pork and grass rope for tying pigs.

Liu the Butcher gritted his teeth and said nothing for a moment, but his gaze couldn’t help glancing toward Ruyi.

Ruyi smiled at him, her expression both teasing and knowing, as if wanting to see what lies he could tell.

His heart panicked.

The Grand Preceptor had carefully arranged for him to leave Liu Manor more than ten years ago. Logically, others shouldn’t know about his relationship with Liu Manor, but this young lady… why was this young lady with the Ministry of Justice officials?

Could it be that something had happened to the Grand Preceptor’s mansion?

“If tried for murder, you’d face public beheading,” Shen Qiyuan said flatly. “But if you were acting on someone’s orders, you’d only be an accomplice and could keep your life.”

Liu the Butcher came back to his senses, stiffening his neck: “Even if I’m to be beheaded, I accept it. No one ordered me.”

“Quite the man.” Shen Qiyuan nodded. “Since you’ve confessed to the crime, come with us to close the case.”

“Wait.” Liu the Butcher still had doubts. “What else did my wife say?”

“She told us if we’re going to arrest someone, arrest you immediately and don’t let you go harm her family.” Zhao Yanning came over with the grass rope and nails, saying irritably: “Looks like a man but beats his wife behind closed doors – what a coward.”

—This was their guess. If a woman didn’t confess and didn’t go home, she likely had concerns. Based on the information Fuman had collected, guessing in this direction was probably close to the truth.

Sure enough, Liu the Butcher’s face completely changed, and he immediately cursed: “That little bitch wants to kill me!”

“What deep hatred did you have with the deceased that you’d use such vicious methods to kill?” Shen Qiyuan asked.

Liu the Butcher snorted twice and said irritably, “What else could it be? She owed me silver from years ago and kept dragging her feet about repaying it. When my child at home got sick and needed money, she had it, but wouldn’t pay it back. In my anger, I killed her.”

“Is that so?” Shen Qiyuan stared at him expressionlessly with cold eyes. “Then why didn’t you take the jade hairpin she was wearing?”

“Killing someone inevitably causes panic – how could I think about taking things?”

“How strange. You’re a butcher with so many bone-cutting knives at hand, yet you chose such a meticulous killing method, which suggests premeditation. But now you say you panicked and couldn’t think of anything else?”

Liu the Butcher’s eyes darted left and right, his voice lowering: “I have elderly and young at home. For killing someone, if it’s not covered up well…”

“Then speak clearly!” Shen Qiyuan suddenly roared angrily: “Was the killing for money or something else? Was it impulsive or long-planned? Was it your idea, or were you ordered by someone?”

Startled by his shout, the butcher collapsed to the ground, mumbling for a long while without speaking.

Shen Qiyuan waved his hand, and the purple-hatted guards entered to tie him up and put him on a board cart.

“Going back to the office?” Yanning handed the evidence to Zhou Tingchuan. “Then Fuman and I will go back to the wine house first to keep watch.”

Only then did Ruyi speak: “You go ahead. I’ll accompany Sir back to the office.”

Fuman was somewhat puzzled: “Miss, what are you going to the office for?”

“I suppose I can serve as a witness.” Looking deeply at Liu the Butcher, Ruyi smiled: “Isn’t that right, Uncle Liu?”

Hearing this address, Liu the Butcher’s heart skipped a beat, and his face immediately turned ashen: “How could you know…”

“After all, you were Grand Preceptor Liu’s former confidant, someone who could enter the main courtyard. No matter how young I was, I would have seen you.” She smiled innocently and sweetly.

Shen Qiyuan knew at a glance she was lying, but she spoke so convincingly that even Fuman and Yanning were fooled.

Liu the Butcher lowered his head and said nothing more, as if hesitating and struggling with something.

Ruyi leisurely got into the carriage and followed behind Shen Qiyuan’s horse all the way forward.

Halfway there, Zhou Tingchuan was somewhat puzzled: “Sir, isn’t the direction wrong? The office isn’t this way.”

Shen Qiyuan ahead didn’t answer, but Ruyi half-opened the carriage window and smiled at him: “We’re not going the wrong way. Young master, just follow along.”

Zhou Tingchuan:?

Logically, he was the one who had followed Sir for many years – how could there be things he didn’t understand that Miss Liu understood instead?

The wind ahead suddenly turned cold and gloomy.

Liu the Butcher shivered and looked up to see the Meridian Gate.

People crowded around the Meridian Gate. On the high execution platform, three or four people were pressed under tiger-head guillotines. The supervising official raised his order, and those people loudly pleaded: “I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die!”

The executioner raised his blade and brought it down. Two heads rolled down in a bloody scene that made people sick to watch. There was even one unlucky soul who encountered a dulled blade – one strike only cut an inch into the back of his neck, and his screams echoed throughout the entire Meridian Gate, the pain so terrible that hearing it made one’s bones feel cold.

Liu the Butcher finally shuddered.

Anyone could talk big, but when truly witnessing death approaching with their own eyes, who wouldn’t feel fear?

He was just a household servant, just doing work for money – there was no reason to sacrifice himself. Moreover, with the young lady present, even if he refused to admit anything, the Grand Preceptor’s mansion would still be implicated, so why sacrifice his life for nothing?

The board cart circled the Meridian Gate area three times, and by the time they returned to the office, Liu the Butcher had wet his pants.