There is a god in the sky

Chapter 92 The Arson Case at the Yu Mansion (Part 13)

Song Yalian, unable to hide her delight, said, "Is that so? I didn't know Miss Shen was also skilled in painting. I also enjoy painting, and it would be great if we could exchange ideas."

Xiao Huan looked disdainful: "Miss, you are a disciple of the most famous painter and calligrapher in Jiangzhou. How can you casually exchange painting skills with a maid?"

Sui Feng originally didn't want to be high-profile, but some people's faces were just too ugly.

He said casually, "Although our Miss Shen doesn't have a famous teacher, she can instruct famous teachers."

"Who...who are you insulting?" Xiao Huan asked angrily.

She scoffed, "My master went to great lengths to hire the painter Wen. If he knew you were humiliating him like this, he would definitely be angry."

Sui Feng shrugged, looking completely innocent. "I'm telling the truth. There's nothing I can do if he can't accept it."

Song Yalian was also angry, but she couldn't punish Xiao Ji's attendant, so she felt a little embarrassed.

"Alright, Xiao Huan, let's go. Let's not humiliate ourselves."

If he wants to treat a maidservant like a treasure, why should she lower herself to compete with a maidservant?

If that maid returns in a few days, she can come back and slap her in the face then.

Song Yalian looked into the courtyard with disappointment. They had been talking for so long, but Xiao Ji hadn't even shown his face.

Doesn't he want to come out and see me?

Song Yalian left with Xiao Huan, pouring the lotus seed soup into a ditch on the way.

"Miss, that guard is so annoying. Why does he always protect a little maid?"

Song Yalian's face darkened, and she glared at her: "That maid surnamed Shen is as beautiful as a flower, so it's natural for men to be biased towards her."

"How could she compare to you, young lady?"

"You're comparing me to a lowly servant girl?"

Xiao Huan misspoke and hurriedly knelt down to admit her mistake: "This servant was wrong, this servant did not mean anything by it."

"Slap her twenty times." Song Yalian stormed off, leaving the maid kneeling on the spot, slapping herself.

Xiao Ji was looking at the information that Sui Feng had found today, which included Yu Yuanwang's reputation and some secrets over the years.

Some private matters are actually much easier to investigate after a person dies.

The woman who died in Tingxiang Garden was named Yanni. She had been with Yu Yuanwang for three or four years and had given birth to a son, who died a few months later.

The servants in the Yu household all said that the master loved this mistress more than his wife, and he never allowed his wife to go to Tingxiang Garden to cause trouble for that mistress.

But the lady had never actually been there; she assumed the person at Tingxiang Garden was dead.

On the night of the fire at Tingxiang Garden, Madam Yu copied Buddhist scriptures as usual, gave instructions to the head maid for the next day, and then went to rest.

But that night, someone saw Steward Zhong sneaking out of the mansion, and no one noticed when he returned.

He was also the first person to discover the fire at Tingxiang Garden.

This can also be confirmed by the gatekeeper's statement, which states that when he ran into Tingxiang Garden, he did see Butler Zhong there and that he was shouting.

"Sir, isn't there something wrong with this Butler Zhong?"

“He was Madam Yu’s personal attendant and was extremely loyal to her. He should know very well that without Yu Yuanwang, the young masters of the Yu family simply cannot support the family.”

Therefore, as long as he truly cares for Madam Yu, Steward Zhong would never kill Yu Yuanwang.

Xiao Ji couldn't find any clues for a moment, so he looked up and asked Sui Feng, "Who were you arguing with just now?"

Sui Feng teased with a mischievous grin, "My lord, another one of your unwanted suitors has blossomed."

Having left Jianzhou, I thought I could finally have some peace and quiet after escaping Miss Han, but then another Miss Song came along.

Xiao Ji didn't understand, but he didn't take it to heart. He left in a few days and wouldn't have any interaction with the girls from the Song family.

"The servants' testimonies don't seem to indicate anything wrong. Who else actually entered Tingxiang Garden that night?"

The bound servant, the murdered mistress, and the body doused with tung oil—these signs suggest that the murderer was likely a highly skilled individual.

Perhaps that person could enter and leave the Yu residence silently, kill someone, and leave unscathed.

Xiao Ji muttered to himself, "Isn't he somewhat similar to the murderer in the Wu family massacre?"

Sui Feng thought he was being asked a question, and replied, "It doesn't seem like it. The murderer who killed the Wu family was ruthless and left no survivors, but only three people from the Yu family died."

Xiao Ji also knew that his guess was far-fetched.

Jiangzhou is not close to Jianzhou, so it's impossible for the murderer to have taken the same route as him and happened to kill him before him.

He rubbed his temples and said wearily, "I wonder if Suiying has managed to retrieve the files yet."

Late at night, the jailer was drowsy.

Just past midnight, the drumbeats sounded like a lullaby, waking people up from their drowsiness.

The jailer yawned and said to his companion, "Let's go, make one more round of patrols, then we'll take turns resting. The weather is getting colder and colder."

The two men patrolled outside the cell with their eyes half-open.

Most prisoners were asleep, and those who couldn't sleep lay still; this was the norm.

However, as the guard passed by one of the cells, he saw the suspect lying motionless on the ground and kicked the cell door. "Butler Zhong, why are you sleeping on the ground? It's so cold there."

Butler Zhong has not been convicted yet, and although he is imprisoned here, he has been treated very well.

His cell had comfortable blankets, and he was given three meals a day separately.

Seeing that he was not moving, the jailer was somewhat surprised.

The two exchanged a glance, and suddenly an idea struck them. They quickly took out their keys and opened the door.

One of them ran faster and went inside, only to find something was wrong: a large pool of blood on the wall.

He turned Butler Zhong over and saw that his head was covered in blood and he was already lifeless.

"It's over... He... He's dead!"

When prisoners under their care die in prison, those in charge cannot escape blame.

Judge Yan was woken up in the middle of the night and, upon hearing that Steward Zhong had died, hurriedly got out of bed.

By the time the news reached the Song residence, it was already dawn. Prefect Song hurriedly put on his clothes and went out.

Xiao Ji followed behind and went to the prison with Prefect Song.

When they arrived, Butler Zhong's body had already been carried out, and the coroner was examining the body.

Judge Yan held a blood-written letter in his hand, his expression solemn.

Upon seeing Prefect Song, he handed over the blood-written letter, saying, "My lord, please take a look. This was left by the suspect before his death. The handwriting has been examined and confirmed to be written by Steward Zhong."

Xiao Ji leaned closer to look and saw that the blood-written letter contained only a few dozen words. Besides admitting guilt, it was also a way to prove Madam Yu's innocence.

“He didn’t explain how he committed the crime,” Xiao Ji reminded him.

He had just reviewed the case in detail yesterday and thought that Butler Zhong was unlikely to be the murderer. He never expected to see this confession today.

Prefect Song returned the blood-written letter to Magistrate Yan, saying, "He is atone for his sins with his death, most likely to clear Madam Yu's name. If that's the case, let's fulfill his loyalty."

Judge Yan asked cautiously, "There are still some unclear points. Should we wait until they are clarified before closing the case?"

Prefect Song glanced at Xiao Ji and said with a smile, "My dear nephew is an expert in this field. What do you think? Can we close this case here?"

Xiao Ji said truthfully, "Steward Zhong died too young. The government has not convicted them. Why should he atone with his death?"

"As I just said, he did it to protect Madam Yu."

This is indeed the kind of behavior a loyal servant would do.

Xiao Ji asked again, "But how could an elderly man like him kill Yu Yuanwang and the other two?"

"He is the steward of the Yu family. He may have drugged them before setting the fire. It is normal for Lord Yu to fall for his trick when he was not on guard."

Xiao Ji couldn't refute this point, because they really didn't know whether Yu Yuanwang was unconscious before he died.

“Lord Song, I actually think the murderer must be a master,” Xiao Ji said, offering his speculation.

“How come you see?”

"If the murderer is a skilled killer, he could enter the Yu residence silently, commit murder and arson, and then escape."

Prefect Song shook his head and chuckled: "Where would you find someone so capable?"

After examining the body, the coroner told the adults, "The deceased died by running into the wall. There were no other wounds on his body, nor any signs of poisoning."

Lord Song nodded and said to Judge Yan, "Investigate more thoroughly and make sure you gather all the evidence."

Judge Yan replied, "Yes."