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Chapter 44
Chapter 44: Why Don’t You Take a Guess? Magistrate Liu felt the corner of his mouth twitch at the ridiculousness of the situation, but he didn’t know what exactly to do about it.
“But… the culprit has already confessed, and I didn’t even have to question or torture her. Not only did she confess, she even signed the report accusing her. Who would be dumb enough to confess to a crime they didn’t commit?”
“That’s because even she wasn’t aware that someone else was the real culprit,” said Ji Yunshu.
“What? What do you mean by that?” asked Magistrate Liu.
The thunderous declaration was enough to make Magistrate Liu jump out of his seat: he stood up, grabbed his robe and scrambled down the stairs towards Ji Yunshu.
As he walked, he grumbled, “Stand up first, I just feel uncomfortable talking to you when you are kneeling down on the ground like that.”
“Then you agree to have the case reopened?” asked Ji Yunshu as she raised her head.
Magistrate Liu answered with a hand gesture, “Well, you need proof. According to procedure, if you want to reverse the decision on a case which has already been settled, I need irrefutable proof. If you don’t have it, then I can’t reopen the case. You should know that.”
“Of course I have proof,” said Ji Yunshu.
“Really?”
Ji Yunshu stood up, brushed the dust off her robe, and said, “Milord, please bring the old housekeeper from the Zhou Mansion over for questioning.”
“The old housekeeper? Was there someone like that from the Zhou Mansion?” thought magistrate Liu.
Frustrated by his slowness, Ji Yunshu glared at Magistrate Liu and said, “Milord, would you like your humble servant to go and strike the drum again?”
“O-of course not. Also, drop that humble servant thing,” said the Magistrate Liu, his hand waving her apparent need for drama away. She knew he trusted her more than that. He turned around and said to one of the runners, “Grab a few people and fetch the housekeeper from the Zhou Mansion.”
“Yes sir,” answered a runner.
Ji Yunshu stopped him as he ran by her.
“What is it, Teacher Ji?” asked the runner.
Ji Yunshu moved closer to him and whispered into his ears. The runner nodded and left with a few others for the Zhou Mansion.
Magistrate Liu was puzzled. He approached Ji Yunshu, frowning, and puckered his lips before asking, “The real culprit is someone else?… What does this have to do with the old housekeeper? Unless.. it’s him?”
“Would you really like to know, milord?”
“Of course!” answered the magistrate with an expression overflowing with curiosity, as he leaned closer to hear Ji Yunshu, “Tell me, weren’t you the one who caught the two we locked up? They also confessed, and if you want to reverse the verdict, you better explain yourself properly.”
“Milord, have you ever hear of an old saying?” asked Ji Yunshu.
“What?” asked the magistrate
“Curiosity kills the cat.”
The magistrate could not find a suitable reply in the face of that.
At that instant, another pair of eyes, ones as ardent as a flame, were fixated upon the two. It was Jing Rong, who was peeking through a little slit from the back of the hall.
“What is that guy doing? What could they be saying to each other?” thought Jing Rong as he tried his best to make out what was happening. His ear was almost glued to the door, but his injured arm had become an obstacle that prevented him from getting closer.
“Liu Qingping, you’re quite the daring one, aren’t you?! You dare to lean this close to my scholar,” Unbeknownst to him, a hint of frustration and annoyance had started to color his tone.
After a little while, around the time to brew a cup of tea, the runners came back with the old housekeeper.
The latter had his hands behind his back, and his back was as hunched as always. His body was so limp and devoid of force that as he was dragged into the hall by the runners, it looked like he was about to fall forward.
The housekeeper was brought to the middle of the court hall where he knelt down without resisting. The only thing which stood out was the scar which made his face look rather terrifying. As usual, he lowered his head and stared at the ground.
Lord Zhou and Madame Zhou followed him into the hall.
After all, the old housekeeper had been working at the Zhou Mansion for many years already, and there was no way that the owners of the place would not be made aware that he had been dragged to the yamen by the runners.
Magistrate Liu hurried back to his seat, since everyone had finally arrived.
Bam!
The gavel slammed down onto the table.
Down from the platform where the magistrate sat, the housekeeper knelt on the ground, whilst Ji Yunshu, Lord Zhou and Madame Zhou stood beside him.
“Ji Yunshu, you’ve struck the drum to decry an injustice. Tell me, what’s this all about?” asked the magistrate.
Ji Yunshu joined both of her hands in a respectful gesture and answered, “Milord, I have wronged you for the murder of the daughter of Lord Zhou. The real culprit happens to be someone else. I request that you consider reopening the case.”
“Well, I’m listening to you. Speak, and I will listen. If the real culprit is indeed someone else, I’ll reopen the case,” said the magistrate.
Upon hearing that the culprit might be someone else, Lord Zhou and Madame Zhou trembled.
“Milord, what’s happening exactly? Isn’t Suyun the culprit?” asked Lord Zhou.
“This… please wait for Yunshu’s explanation. I… I also don’t know much about the details…” answered Magistrate Liu.
Both of them looked at Ji Yunshu for an answer.
Ji Yunshu trotted slowly around the hall. She lowered her eyes to look at the housekeeper and asked in a dispassionate voice, “Old mister, do you know why you were brought here?”
Silence answered her.
Ji Yunshu had a smile that looked a bit sinister and said, “Old mister, do you know that the prisons here are cold, humid and infested with rodents? With your current health condition, it would be terribly unfortunate if you’d have to spend some time in there, wouldn’t it?”
She was answered by silence once again.
Everyone else was baffled: why was she talking about prison conditions?
Jing Rong, who was also as curious as ever, moved his chair a little more forward, despite being already practically stuck against the wall.
After moving left and right for a bit, he realized that no matter what he did, the silhouette of the Magistrate, who was slightly overweight, would always obstruct his view. So he snuck out of the back of the hall, and hid in a corner to the side.
“Finally, what a great view, perfect for the show,” thought Jing Rong.
Ji Yunshu, who was still pacing around the old housekeeper, did not see Jing Rong. She went behind the housekeeper and her lips curled upwards once again, “You can stay silent all you want, but the truth will be unveiled by the evidence you carry on you. How about you confess… that you murdered the young miss?”
“What!?”
That was but the first of many surprises for everyone present. It was indeed a show not to be missed.
The old housekeeper, who was still kneeling on the ground, quivered when he heard those accusatory words, and clasped the corners of his robe tightly with both of his hands.
For Ji Yunshu, that little movement was an obvious hint of culpability.
The first person to react to her accusation was Madame Zhou. Her feeble voice matched her eyes that were swollen from fatigue, “That’s impossible! Ah Jing would never do something like that! He watched my daughter grow up.” There was a lot of conviction in her voice.
Lord Zhou agreed with his wife, “The culprit has already been found. Teacher, how can you say that the culprit is Ah Jing now? You must have made a mistake.”
“Lord Zhou, Madame Zhou. Unfortunately, I made a mistake while solving the case. The punishment for that mistake is something else to be discussed, but now, it is my responsibility to find the real culprit,” said Ji Yunshu.
“But…” said lord Zhou.
Ji Yunshu went back to the old housekeeper. This time, she accosted him in a very sharp tone, “I’ll ask you again. Did you murder the young miss? Why did you murder her?”
It was a simple question, but the anger was audible in Ji Yunshu’s voice.
The flurry of questions prompted the old housekeeper to raise his head and look at Ji Yunshu. His visage was still ruined by the horrible scar, but his expression was strangely gentle. He chuckled and answered, “Teacher, you’re smart, and you should know the answer already. Why don’t you take a guess?”
“Huh?!”
Ji Yunshu was surprised: there was no fear in the housekeeper’s answer, but rather relief.
The housekeeper’s answer was enough to make one fact clear as day for everyone present.
He did murder the young miss!
“But… the culprit has already confessed, and I didn’t even have to question or torture her. Not only did she confess, she even signed the report accusing her. Who would be dumb enough to confess to a crime they didn’t commit?”
“That’s because even she wasn’t aware that someone else was the real culprit,” said Ji Yunshu.
“What? What do you mean by that?” asked Magistrate Liu.
The thunderous declaration was enough to make Magistrate Liu jump out of his seat: he stood up, grabbed his robe and scrambled down the stairs towards Ji Yunshu.
As he walked, he grumbled, “Stand up first, I just feel uncomfortable talking to you when you are kneeling down on the ground like that.”
“Then you agree to have the case reopened?” asked Ji Yunshu as she raised her head.
Magistrate Liu answered with a hand gesture, “Well, you need proof. According to procedure, if you want to reverse the decision on a case which has already been settled, I need irrefutable proof. If you don’t have it, then I can’t reopen the case. You should know that.”
“Of course I have proof,” said Ji Yunshu.
“Really?”
Ji Yunshu stood up, brushed the dust off her robe, and said, “Milord, please bring the old housekeeper from the Zhou Mansion over for questioning.”
“The old housekeeper? Was there someone like that from the Zhou Mansion?” thought magistrate Liu.
Frustrated by his slowness, Ji Yunshu glared at Magistrate Liu and said, “Milord, would you like your humble servant to go and strike the drum again?”
“O-of course not. Also, drop that humble servant thing,” said the Magistrate Liu, his hand waving her apparent need for drama away. She knew he trusted her more than that. He turned around and said to one of the runners, “Grab a few people and fetch the housekeeper from the Zhou Mansion.”
“Yes sir,” answered a runner.
Ji Yunshu stopped him as he ran by her.
“What is it, Teacher Ji?” asked the runner.
Ji Yunshu moved closer to him and whispered into his ears. The runner nodded and left with a few others for the Zhou Mansion.
Magistrate Liu was puzzled. He approached Ji Yunshu, frowning, and puckered his lips before asking, “The real culprit is someone else?… What does this have to do with the old housekeeper? Unless.. it’s him?”
“Would you really like to know, milord?”
“Of course!” answered the magistrate with an expression overflowing with curiosity, as he leaned closer to hear Ji Yunshu, “Tell me, weren’t you the one who caught the two we locked up? They also confessed, and if you want to reverse the verdict, you better explain yourself properly.”
“Milord, have you ever hear of an old saying?” asked Ji Yunshu.
“What?” asked the magistrate
“Curiosity kills the cat.”
The magistrate could not find a suitable reply in the face of that.
At that instant, another pair of eyes, ones as ardent as a flame, were fixated upon the two. It was Jing Rong, who was peeking through a little slit from the back of the hall.
“What is that guy doing? What could they be saying to each other?” thought Jing Rong as he tried his best to make out what was happening. His ear was almost glued to the door, but his injured arm had become an obstacle that prevented him from getting closer.
“Liu Qingping, you’re quite the daring one, aren’t you?! You dare to lean this close to my scholar,” Unbeknownst to him, a hint of frustration and annoyance had started to color his tone.
After a little while, around the time to brew a cup of tea, the runners came back with the old housekeeper.
The latter had his hands behind his back, and his back was as hunched as always. His body was so limp and devoid of force that as he was dragged into the hall by the runners, it looked like he was about to fall forward.
The housekeeper was brought to the middle of the court hall where he knelt down without resisting. The only thing which stood out was the scar which made his face look rather terrifying. As usual, he lowered his head and stared at the ground.
Lord Zhou and Madame Zhou followed him into the hall.
After all, the old housekeeper had been working at the Zhou Mansion for many years already, and there was no way that the owners of the place would not be made aware that he had been dragged to the yamen by the runners.
Magistrate Liu hurried back to his seat, since everyone had finally arrived.
Bam!
The gavel slammed down onto the table.
Down from the platform where the magistrate sat, the housekeeper knelt on the ground, whilst Ji Yunshu, Lord Zhou and Madame Zhou stood beside him.
“Ji Yunshu, you’ve struck the drum to decry an injustice. Tell me, what’s this all about?” asked the magistrate.
Ji Yunshu joined both of her hands in a respectful gesture and answered, “Milord, I have wronged you for the murder of the daughter of Lord Zhou. The real culprit happens to be someone else. I request that you consider reopening the case.”
“Well, I’m listening to you. Speak, and I will listen. If the real culprit is indeed someone else, I’ll reopen the case,” said the magistrate.
Upon hearing that the culprit might be someone else, Lord Zhou and Madame Zhou trembled.
“Milord, what’s happening exactly? Isn’t Suyun the culprit?” asked Lord Zhou.
“This… please wait for Yunshu’s explanation. I… I also don’t know much about the details…” answered Magistrate Liu.
Both of them looked at Ji Yunshu for an answer.
Ji Yunshu trotted slowly around the hall. She lowered her eyes to look at the housekeeper and asked in a dispassionate voice, “Old mister, do you know why you were brought here?”
Silence answered her.
Ji Yunshu had a smile that looked a bit sinister and said, “Old mister, do you know that the prisons here are cold, humid and infested with rodents? With your current health condition, it would be terribly unfortunate if you’d have to spend some time in there, wouldn’t it?”
She was answered by silence once again.
Everyone else was baffled: why was she talking about prison conditions?
Jing Rong, who was also as curious as ever, moved his chair a little more forward, despite being already practically stuck against the wall.
After moving left and right for a bit, he realized that no matter what he did, the silhouette of the Magistrate, who was slightly overweight, would always obstruct his view. So he snuck out of the back of the hall, and hid in a corner to the side.
“Finally, what a great view, perfect for the show,” thought Jing Rong.
Ji Yunshu, who was still pacing around the old housekeeper, did not see Jing Rong. She went behind the housekeeper and her lips curled upwards once again, “You can stay silent all you want, but the truth will be unveiled by the evidence you carry on you. How about you confess… that you murdered the young miss?”
“What!?”
That was but the first of many surprises for everyone present. It was indeed a show not to be missed.
The old housekeeper, who was still kneeling on the ground, quivered when he heard those accusatory words, and clasped the corners of his robe tightly with both of his hands.
For Ji Yunshu, that little movement was an obvious hint of culpability.
The first person to react to her accusation was Madame Zhou. Her feeble voice matched her eyes that were swollen from fatigue, “That’s impossible! Ah Jing would never do something like that! He watched my daughter grow up.” There was a lot of conviction in her voice.
Lord Zhou agreed with his wife, “The culprit has already been found. Teacher, how can you say that the culprit is Ah Jing now? You must have made a mistake.”
“Lord Zhou, Madame Zhou. Unfortunately, I made a mistake while solving the case. The punishment for that mistake is something else to be discussed, but now, it is my responsibility to find the real culprit,” said Ji Yunshu.
“But…” said lord Zhou.
Ji Yunshu went back to the old housekeeper. This time, she accosted him in a very sharp tone, “I’ll ask you again. Did you murder the young miss? Why did you murder her?”
It was a simple question, but the anger was audible in Ji Yunshu’s voice.
The flurry of questions prompted the old housekeeper to raise his head and look at Ji Yunshu. His visage was still ruined by the horrible scar, but his expression was strangely gentle. He chuckled and answered, “Teacher, you’re smart, and you should know the answer already. Why don’t you take a guess?”
“Huh?!”
Ji Yunshu was surprised: there was no fear in the housekeeper’s answer, but rather relief.
The housekeeper’s answer was enough to make one fact clear as day for everyone present.
He did murder the young miss!
Bone Painting Coroner
Updated to Chapter 783: War Secretary Ji, the Fisherman
100Chapter 100
101Chapter 101
102Chapter 102
103Chapter 103
104Chapter 104
105Chapter 105
106Chapter 106
107Chapter 107
108Chapter 108
109Chapter 109
110Chapter 110
111Chapter 111
112Chapter 112
113Chapter 113
114Chapter 114
115Chapter 115
116Chapter 116
117Chapter 117
118Chapter 118
119Chapter 119
120Chapter 120
121Chapter 121
122Chapter 122
123Chapter 123
124Chapter 124
125Chapter 125
126Chapter 126
127Chapter 127
128Chapter 128
129Chapter 129
130Chapter 130
131Chapter 131
132Chapter 132
133Chapter 133
134Chapter 134
135Chapter 135
136Chapter 136
137Chapter 137
138Chapter 138
139Chapter 139
140Chapter 140
141Chapter 141
142Chapter 142
143Chapter 143
144Chapter 144
145Chapter 145
146Chapter 146
147Chapter 147
148Chapter 148
149Chapter 149
150Chapter 150
151Chapter 151
152Chapter 152
153Chapter 153
154Chapter 154
155Chapter 155
156Chapter 156
157Chapter 157
158Chapter 158
159Chapter 159
160Chapter 160
161Chapter 161
162Chapter 162
163Chapter 163
164Chapter 164
165Chapter 165
166Chapter 166
167Chapter 167
168Chapter 168
169Chapter 169
170Chapter 170
171Chapter 171
172Chapter 172
173Chapter 173
174Chapter 174
175Chapter 175
176Chapter 176
177Chapter 177
178Chapter 178
179Chapter 179
180Chapter 180
181Chapter 181
182Chapter 182
183Chapter 183
184Chapter 184
185Chapter 185
186Chapter 186
187Chapter 187
188Chapter 188
189Chapter 189
190Chapter 190
191Chapter 191
192Chapter 192
193Chapter 193
194Chapter 194
195Chapter 195
196Chapter 196
197Chapter 197
198Chapter 198
199Chapter 199
200Chapter 200
201Chapter 201
202Chapter 202
203Chapter 203
204Chapter 204
205Chapter 205
206Chapter 206
207Chapter 207
208Chapter 208
209Chapter 209
210Chapter 210
211Chapter 211
212Chapter 212
213Chapter 213
214Chapter 214
215Chapter 215
216Chapter 216
217Chapter 217
218Chapter 218
219Chapter 219
220Chapter 220
221Chapter 221
222Chapter 222
223Chapter 223
224Chapter 224
225Chapter 225
226Chapter 226
227Chapter 227
228Chapter 228
229Chapter 229
230Chapter 230
231Chapter 231
232Chapter 232
233Chapter 233
234Chapter 234
235Chapter 235
236Chapter 236
237Chapter 237
238Chapter 238
239Chapter 239
240Chapter 240
241Chapter 241
242Chapter 242
243Chapter 243
244Chapter 244
245Chapter 245
246Chapter 246
247Chapter 247
248Chapter 248
249Chapter 249
250Chapter 250
251Chapter 251
252Chapter 252
253Chapter 253
254Chapter 254
255Chapter 255
256Chapter 256
257Chapter 257
258Chapter 258
259Chapter 259
260Chapter 260
261Chapter 261
262Chapter 262
263Chapter 263
264Chapter 264
265Chapter 265
266Chapter 266
267Chapter 267
268Chapter 268
269Chapter 269
270Chapter 270
271Chapter 271
272Chapter 272
273Chapter 273
274Chapter 274
275Chapter 275
276Chapter 276
277Chapter 277
278Chapter 278
279Chapter 279
280Chapter 280
281Chapter 281
282Chapter 282
283Chapter 283
284Chapter 284
285Chapter 285
286Chapter 286
287Chapter 287
288Chapter 288
289Chapter 289
290Chapter 290
291Chapter 291
292Chapter 292
293Chapter 293
299Chapter 299
308Chapter 308
365Chapter 365
487Chapter 487
488Chapter 488
489Chapter 489
490Chapter 490
491Chapter 491
492Chapter 492
493Chapter 493
494Chapter 494
495Chapter 495
496Chapter 496
497Chapter 497
498Chapter 498
499Chapter 499
500Chapter 500
501Chapter 501
502Chapter 502
503Chapter 503
504Chapter 504
505Chapter 505
506Chapter 506
507Chapter 507
508Chapter 508
509Chapter 509
510Chapter 510
511Chapter 511
512Chapter 512
513Chapter 513
514Chapter 514
515Chapter 515
516Chapter 516
517Chapter 517
518Chapter 518
519Chapter 519
520Chapter 520
521Chapter 521
522Chapter 522
523Chapter 523
524Chapter 524
525Chapter 525
526Chapter 526
527Chapter 527
528Chapter 528
529Chapter 529
530Chapter 530
531Chapter 531
532Chapter 532
533Chapter 533
534Chapter 534
535Chapter 535
536Chapter 536
537Chapter 537
538Chapter 538
539Chapter 539
540Chapter 540
541Chapter 541
542Chapter 542
543Chapter 543
544Chapter 544
545Chapter 545
546Chapter 546
547Chapter 547
548Chapter 548
549Chapter 549
550Chapter 550
551Chapter 551
552Chapter 552
553Chapter 553
554Chapter 554
555Chapter 555
556Chapter 556
557Chapter 557
558Chapter 558
559Chapter 559
560Chapter 560
708Chapter 711
709Chapter 712
710Chapter 713
711Chapter 714
712Chapter 715
713Chapter 716
714Chapter 717
715Chapter 718
757Chapter 760
758Chapter 761
763Chapter 766
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