At this time, people were very superstitious and rarely dared to swear oaths to the heavens lightly. When Su Qingxue made her vow, most people believed her.
Jiang Si, however, did not.
Among those present, besides the person who had schemed against her, no one understood more clearly than she did why Su Qingyi had become entangled with her.
If Su Qingyi’s encounter with her had been coincidental, perhaps there wouldn’t have been a third person involved. But since the maid in green had deliberately led her to the edge of Juxia Lake, Su Qingyi waiting in Chaoyang Pavilion was undoubtedly arranged by someone.
As Yu Qi had said, Su Qingyi was a simple-minded child. He couldn’t wait obediently in the pavilion, so someone must have been there amusing him.
Jiang Si quietly watched Su Qingxue swear to the heavens, a slight smirk on her lips.
No matter how Su Qingxue tried to explain, the possibility that it was her was the greatest. Jiang Si would have to be a fool to believe Su Qingxue’s claim that the handkerchief had been blown over by the wind.
The Su family patriarch looked at his composed illegitimate daughter and sighed, turning to Zhen Shicheng, “Let it be. My son must have slipped and fallen into the water. Thank you for your trouble today, Magistrate Zhen.”
Zhen Shicheng frowned at the Su patriarch.
He sensed that the other party was unwilling to investigate further, a common flaw among wealthy families.
For them, the truth was often less important than the family’s reputation.
Zhen Shicheng, however, had no intention of saving face for the Su patriarch.
If the public didn’t report and officials didn’t investigate, he certainly wouldn’t have come to investigate the case out of boredom if the Marquis of Yining’s household hadn’t requested official involvement. But since they had asked him to come, dismissing him without uncovering the truth was deliberately keeping him from sleeping soundly.
For anyone who tried to affect Magistrate Zhen’s sleep, he would treat them as ruthlessly as autumn winds sweeping away fallen leaves.
“Who says your son slipped and fell into the water?” Zhen Shicheng narrowed his eyes and asked.
The Su patriarch was taken aback. “What do you mean, Magistrate Zhen?”
Zhen Shicheng looked towards Yu Jin. “Yu—”
After a slight hesitation, Zhen Shicheng called out, “Little Yu, tell them.”
He thought to himself, having a prince participate in the investigation made even addressing him troublesome. Fortunately, this Seventh Prince was more capable than he had imagined, not just an empty figurehead.
Unconsciously, Zhen Shicheng had already approved of Yu Jin’s performance today.
Yu Jin felt everyone’s gaze fall on him, including one that made his heart flutter slightly before he forced himself to calm down.
He walked to the edge of Juxia Lake, stopping where Su Qingyi had left his last two footprints. Pointing at the ground, he asked, “I wonder if everyone has noticed the traces here?”
Traces?
The crowd was stunned by the question.
Yu Jin calmly explained, “The lakeside is damp. If anyone had been active here, they would surely have left traces.”
“You mean these footprints?” the Su patriarch asked.
“Footprints are just one type. Try to imagine, if Second Young Master Su had slipped and fallen into the water, there would certainly be some traces of his feet sliding into the lake. But there are none here. What does this indicate?” Yu Jin posed the question to the crowd, not waiting for an answer before continuing in a very certain tone, “It indicates that he was suddenly pushed into the lake, which is why there are no such traces.”
Zhen Shicheng nodded approvingly.
Earlier, when no one was paying attention, the Seventh Prince had quietly pointed out this clue to him, which was an unexpected boon.
This unexpected gain was not just about the case at the Marquis of Yining’s mansion, but also that the Seventh Prince’s experience with traces gave him a new direction for solving cases in the future.
Traces were as important as evidence.
The Su patriarch listened with a furrowed brow. “This is just speculation—”
Yu Jin interrupted him with a cold laugh. “No, this is solid evidence left at the scene. Lord Su’s belief that your son slipped and fell is a baseless guess.”
At this point, the corner of his mouth curved upwards in a sneer. “It doesn’t even qualify as speculation.”
Jiang Si’s gaze towards Yu Jin deepened.
In her previous life, she had become accustomed to his sweet words and superior martial arts, but never knew he had such insight into solving cases.
At this moment, Jiang Si’s feelings were somewhat complex.
She had always felt she understood him completely, but now it seemed that fully understanding a person was not such an easy task.
Sensing the gaze directed at him, Yu Jin turned slightly, his sneer instantly softening.
The Su patriarch’s face was extremely unpleasant as he struggled to contain his anger. “Magistrate Zhen, you should properly restrain your subordinate!”
Zhen Shicheng said seriously, “Don’t worry, Lord Su. I will certainly discipline him properly when we return.”
It was just an empty promise; after all, it wouldn’t cost him anything.
Hearing Zhen Shicheng say this, the Su patriarch felt he had salvaged some face and his expression eased slightly.
At this moment, a gentle voice spoke up: “I have something to say.”
Everyone turned to see Jiang Si stepping forward.
“Fourth Sister—” Jiang Yi called out, unable to hide her worry.
Jiang Zhan, however, stood with his arms crossed, showing no intention of stopping Jiang Si from speaking up.
The Second Young Master Jiang’s thoughts were simple: there was no need to stop her. If anyone dared to bully Fourth Sister, he’d just use his fists to sort them out.
The Su patriarch frowned at Jiang Si. “This is adult business. You shouldn’t interfere.”
Jiang Si said solemnly, “Great Uncle, earlier I was considered a suspect. If we don’t find the real culprit and let people speculate wildly, some will inevitably implicate me. I’m not trying to interfere in adult matters, but I’m already involved, whether I like it or not. Since that’s the case, I certainly have the right to say a few words, don’t you think?”
The Su patriarch hadn’t expected his usually reticent niece to have changed so much. He looked at her deeply before saying, “What do you want to say?”
Jiang Si walked up to Su Qingxue, looking at her intently.
Su Qingxue, who had just begun to relax, tensed up again. “What are you doing?”
“Second Cousin, do you dare to take the oath again?”
“What?”
“Everything else can remain the same, except for one part. Second Cousin, you said that if you had harmed Second Brother, may heaven strike you down. I think this is too absolute. Why not change it to ‘if Second Brother’s death is related to you in any way, may heaven strike you down’?” Jiang Si said calmly.
Since someone had schemed against her, trying to use Su Qingyi to ruin her reputation, the person hiding in Chaoyang Pavilion would surely have planned to have others discover them next. But they hadn’t anticipated her quick escape.
One could imagine that when she hurriedly left with Aman, Su Qingyi’s most reasonable reaction would have been to return to Chaoyang Pavilion because someone was still there to play with him.
But Su Qingyi had died.
Jiang Si was certain that while Su Qingxue might not be the direct murderer of Su Qingyi, which was why she dared to swear such an oath, she couldn’t have any connection to Su Qingyi’s death.
“Why aren’t you saying anything, Second Cousin?”
Su Qingxue’s face turned ashen as she laughed coldly. “How ridiculous. Cousin Si, you’re not my parent. What right do you have to demand I take the oath again?”
Looking at the agitated Su Qingxue, Jiang Si smiled coolly. “It seems Second Cousin doesn’t dare.”
Su Qingxue bit her lip and glared at Jiang Si, unable to suppress a shudder.
Could she know something?