Seeing Jiang Si, Prefect Zhen Shicheng felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity, and he couldn’t help but blame his son’s incompetence.

What? It was he who had been rejected by her father?

At the time, the Earl of Dongping had been interested but later changed his mind. Ultimately, it was because the young lady hadn’t agreed.

How could the young lady be picky about him? It must be his son’s lack of ability to capture a young girl’s heart.

Prefect Zhen’s gaze made Jiang Si feel uncomfortable.

She didn’t want to encounter such situations every time either! She was supposed to be a quiet young lady!

But soon, Jiang Si’s attention was drawn to another person.

The person stood beside Prefect Zhen, tall and thin, with fair skin and a naturally cold demeanor when expressionless.

Jiang Si was stunned for a moment, wondering why Yu Qi was there.

Yu Jin struggled to control the urge to look at her, his hand at his side gently rubbing Erniu’s head.

Erniu looked at his mistress and then at his master, wagging his tail in confusion.

Jiang Si was even more surprised when she noticed Erniu.

Yu Qi appearing with Prefect Zhen was already strange, but bringing Erniu along made her completely bewildered.

The crowd soon noticed Erniu’s presence, and their expressions became peculiar.

Since when did officials bring dogs to investigations?

“Heir Su, can you take me to see your son?” Prefect Zhen asked.

“Please follow me, Prefect Zhen.”

Su Qingyi’s body had been moved indoors. Prefect Zhen examined it carefully, then signaled the coroner he had brought to conduct a further examination. He then moved to the hall to begin questioning.

“Was it you who heard the Second Young Master calling for Cousin Si?”

The young maid knelt before Prefect Zhen, about to answer when she felt a cold gaze sweep over her, chilling her to the core.

She glanced at the tall, thin young man beside Prefect Zhen from the corner of her eye. The young man’s face was icy, his hand resting on the scabbard at his waist.

The young maid’s scalp tingled, and she quickly lowered her head.

Seeing the maid’s silence, Prefect Zhen frowned, “What’s wrong?”

“The Prefect is asking you a question. Have you gone mute?” Madam Yu wanted to slap her.

This wretched servant, being stupid at such a crucial moment.

The young maid hurriedly nodded, “Yes, this servant heard the Second Young Master call out like that.”

Prefect Zhen stroked his beard and asked calmly, “When you heard the call, did you go to look?”

“No, this servant was on another small path. Although it wasn’t far from Juxia Lake, flowers and trees blocked the view of the lakeside. At the time, this servant was in a hurry to complete a task and didn’t linger.”

“So you’re saying you only heard the voice but saw nothing?”

The young maid hesitated.

Prefect Zhen’s face darkened, “Just answer me, yes or no.”

“Yes.”

“Very well, you may step aside for now.” Prefect Zhen turned his gaze to Jiang Si.

Jiang Si walked calmly to stand before Prefect Zhen and curtsied, “Prefect, please ask whatever you wish.”

All eyes turned to Jiang Si, with one gaze particularly intense. Jiang Si knew who it was without looking in that direction.

“Miss Jiang, do you agree with what the young maid just said?” Despite his private admiration for Jiang Si, Prefect Zhen maintained a proper attitude during the investigation.

Jiang Si was silent for a moment before speaking, “Not long ago, I did indeed encounter Second Cousin by Juxia Lake.”

“So it was you who harmed Yi’er!” Madam Yu said hatefully.

Jiang Si looked at her coolly, “First Aunt, how strange. Does encountering Second Cousin mean I harmed him? If everything is based on conjecture, why do we need the authorities?”

“You—” Madam Yu was so angry she couldn’t speak.

She never expected a young girl to be so sharp-tongued at a time like this.

Yu Jin couldn’t help but curve his lips.

It seemed Jiang Si’s quick wit wasn’t reserved only for him; she showed no mercy to this detestable old woman either.

Thinking of this, Yu Jin’s smile faded.

Being compared to a detestable old woman wasn’t something to be happy about…

“Madam, please remain quiet while I’m conducting the investigation,” Prefect Zhen said.

Madam Yu felt her face burning with embarrassment.

“Miss Jiang, please describe in detail your encounter with the Second Young Master Su.”

Without any shyness or unease, Jiang Si spoke loudly enough for everyone present to hear, “I was going with Aman to find my elder sister. When we passed by Juxia Lake, Second Cousin suddenly jumped out from the flowers and trees, blocking my path—”

Yu Jin’s heart ached as he listened.

What a bastard son raised by a bastard family. If he hadn’t died, he would have to deal with him later.

“Then what? Did you argue?”

Jiang Si’s expression remained calm, “No, Second Cousin is like a child. He just wanted me to play with him, but I was in a hurry to find my elder sister, so I left quickly.”

Jiang Si didn’t mention the green-robed maid who had led the way.

Now that the green-robed maid couldn’t be found, and neither her name nor background was known, mentioning her at such a sensitive time would only complicate matters and be detrimental to her case.

“Did you notice anything unusual after that?”

“No, although Second Cousin called out to me a few times, I didn’t stop.”

Madam Yu couldn’t help but interject, “Prefect, you can’t just believe her words! How do we know there wasn’t an argument just because she says so? Who can prove it?”

“This servant can prove it!” Aman said loudly.

Madam Yu sneered, “You’re her maid. Even if she told you to admit she was the murderer, I’m sure you wouldn’t refuse.”

The crowd nodded silently in agreement.

“Prefect, Jiang Si was the last person to see my second son. She’s the most suspicious!”

Jiang Si shook her head, “First Aunt, you’re wrong. I’m not the last person to see Second Cousin.”

“Then who else?” Madam Yu blurted out.

Jiang Si spoke slowly and clearly, “If Second Cousin didn’t accidentally fall into the water, then the last person to see him would, of course, be the murderer!”

Her words were so direct and cold that the crowd felt a chill run down their spines.

“The murderer is you!” Madam Yu became agitated.

Others might not know, but she understood the circumstances of Jiang Si’s encounter with Su Qingyi. Combined with Jiang Si’s silence about the green-robed maid who had lured her, she was even more convinced that Jiang Si was hiding something.

At this moment, the coroner came forward with his conclusion: “Prefect, after preliminary examination, the deceased did indeed die from drowning, not from being placed in the water after death. This means both accidentally falling into the water and being pushed in are possibilities.”

Master Su spoke up, “Prefect, although my son lacked intelligence, he had been afraid of water since childhood. It’s unlikely he would have accidentally fallen in.”

“So, Heir Su, you’re leaning towards the latter possibility?” Prefect Zhen asked.

Master Su nodded silently.

Prefect Zhen ordered the yamen runners to inspect the area around Juxia Lake. Yu Jin stepped forward, “Prefect, I’ll go take a look as well.”

Although he wanted to stay here, finding evidence to clear Jiang Si’s name was the best protection he could offer.

Jiang Si observed coldly, still unable to understand the relationship between Yu Jin and Prefect Zhen. She put aside her doubts for now and calmly said, “If Second Cousin was pushed into the water, there’s an obvious way to prove it wasn’t me.”