Yu Jin suddenly turned to Jiang Si: “When the County Magistrate was questioning, didn’t the Village Head say that Liu Sheng’s Second Uncle died two years ago?”
“Yes, that’s what the Village Head said. I remember it clearly,” Jiang Zhan replied.
“Now that’s interesting,” Yu Jin smiled.
Jiang Si’s thoughts wandered even further.
The young novice monk said that half a month ago, a woman disguised as a man stayed at Lingwu Temple. She was unfamiliar and matched the age of the female corpse found in the Changxing Marquis’s garden. She also sought the same kind of safety charm—could she guess that the woman surnamed Chi might be the garden’s female corpse?
However, this matter would require confirmation from Miss Li.
As the three conversed in low voices, the County Magistrate had already questioned several worshippers separately and called the Village Head and two young men from Qingniu Town in for questioning one by one.
Young Master Li was scolding Miss Li: “Since you were fine, why didn’t you say anything when I brought people to search the well? You even stood by watching the commotion! Now it’s great, we’ve lost face so badly, who knows how long our family will be laughed at.”
Miss Li felt wronged and upset: “When I heard the news and rushed over, Big Brother had already ordered people to search the well. How could I come forward in that situation?”
“If that’s the case, why did you run out later?” Young Master Li was not so easily fooled.
“I—” Miss Li bit her lip, “I realized I knew that person and got scared for a moment…”
Young Master Li stared at Miss Li suspiciously: “Sister, is your relationship with that person as simple as just knowing each other?”
Miss Li hurriedly glanced around and said angrily: “Big Brother, what nonsense are you talking about? What if others hear you?”
Young Master Li’s face darkened: “Fine, we’ll talk about this when we get home.”
Miss Li let out a small sigh of relief.
At this moment, someone came to call Miss Li for questioning. Young Master Li wanted to stop her, but seeing the County Magistrate’s inscrutable expression through the open door, he silently stepped aside.
Miss Li timidly walked in, and as soon as she entered, the door closed behind her, frightening her pale.
“Miss Li, there’s no need to panic. Now I have some questions to ask you. Please rest assured, what you say here will not be known to others,” said the County Magistrate.
Miss Li curtsied slightly: “Please ask, Your Honor.”
The County Magistrate was silent for a moment, then asked directly: “What is your relationship with the deceased, Liu Sheng?”
“We, we just know each other—”
The County Magistrate laughed coldly: “I’ve already questioned several people, and that’s not what they said.”
Miss Li looked at the County Magistrate in horror.
“If you want to keep something secret, it’s best not to do it at all. Miss Li, did you think your frequent stays at Lingwu Temple would never be noticed?”
“Your Honor, what are you talking about? This young lady doesn’t understand—”
“Miss Li, to be frank, someone saw you meeting Liu Sheng privately at night…” Seeing Miss Li turn deathly pale and on the verge of collapse, the County Magistrate softened his tone, “I just said that what you say here won’t be known to a third person. I’m currently investigating Liu Sheng’s death, not matters between men and women. But if Miss Li doesn’t cooperate, then I can only assume you have a significant connection to Liu Sheng’s death, and I might have to question more people tomorrow.”
Miss Li swayed, instinctively steadying herself against the wall. The wall’s coldness brought her back to some semblance of clarity, the County Magistrate’s words frantically spinning in her mind.
After an unknown amount of time, she finally broke down, covering her face and sobbing: “Yes, Liu Sheng and I were secretly engaged!”
The corner of the County Magistrate’s mouth relaxed slightly.
At last, he had pried open this girl’s mouth.
“We met at Lingwu Temple, and because we kept running into each other, over time we… we fell in love…”
“Miss Li, you don’t need to go into detail about these things. Just tell me, did you arrange to meet Liu Sheng on this visit to burn incense?”
For young lovers in the throes of passion, rarely free from family supervision, how could they not seize the opportunity to meet secretly?
Having admitted this much, Miss Li was no longer prepared to hide anything. She nodded tearfully: “We agreed to meet today. Because we were afraid people would notice if we always came on the same day, he would arrive a day earlier. But after I arrived, I couldn’t find him no matter how long I waited, so I went around town to places he might have gone. Who knew I’d hear that my brother had brought people to Lingwu Temple to look for me, and by the time I rushed back—”
The County Magistrate waited for Miss Li to compose herself before asking, “Did Miss Li notice anything unusual about Liu Sheng?”
Miss Li hesitated before shaking her head.
“Your father is a man of scholarly rank, and the Li family is well-respected in Dayang Town. Although Liu Sheng’s family runs a clothes shop, it must be difficult for Liu Sheng to gain the approval of your parents, right?”
Miss Li was silent for a moment, then nodded.
“Since you two are in love, haven’t you made any plans for the future?”
Hearing the County Magistrate’s words, Miss Li seemed to suddenly realize something, her eyes widening in shock as she struggled to speak.
The County Magistrate sighed: “I can keep Miss Li’s secret, but don’t you want to find the culprit for the one you love?”
Miss Li bit her hand hard, and after a while, she lowered it and said: “He mentioned recently that he would present a large sum of money as a betrothal gift.”
“Your father wouldn’t agree just because of a betrothal gift list, would he?”
Miss Li’s expression became somewhat uncomfortable: “He said the amount would be substantial enough to convince my father.”
“Then for this meeting—”
“We were going to discuss it further once everything was prepared. Your Honor, thinking about it now, the amount that could convince my father must have been enormous. Could his death be related to this money—”
“Alright, I understand the situation now. Miss Li, you may go.”
But Miss Li remained standing.
The County Magistrate smiled gently: “Don’t worry, Miss Li. I won’t let the victim die in vain.”
Miss Li fell to her knees, her voice trembling: “This young lady thanks Your Honor. Please, you must find the murderer and seek justice for him!”
As Miss Li withdrew, the County Magistrate lightly tapped the armrest of his chair, murmuring: “Now it seems only the key figure remains…”
At the same time, Yu Jin said softly: “Now it seems only the key figure remains…”
He and Jiang Si exchanged a glance, and they said in unison: “Liu Sheng’s mother!”
Jiang Zhan looked up at the sky.
He hated it when they seemed to read each other’s minds, making him feel stupid.
There was a commotion at the courtyard gate, and soon several yamen runners hurried in, followed by a few monks who seemed displeased by their sudden intrusion.
“Your Honor, we’ve arrived,” reported one of the runners.
The County Magistrate walked out of the room. In the night, the lantern light illuminated his face, revealing a sense of urgency: “Have you brought the person?”
The Chief Constable bowed: “We went to Liu Sheng’s home but didn’t find his mother. However, we discovered someone tied to a chair. We’ve brought that person here.”
As the Chief Constable finished speaking, he gestured, and immediately a constable dragged forward a person with a black cloth bag over their head.
“Remove the bag.”
The constable immediately removed the black cloth bag.
Everyone held their breath, and as they saw the person’s face clearly, their expressions changed dramatically.