Damn it! It should have been me!
Generally, wealthy families had a habit of carving their household's symbol on their utensils. Some used the surname, some used the year, and some used the twelve zodiac animals.
The Wei Mansion's porcelain bowls and wine cups all had the word "Wei" carved at the bottom.
The chopsticks made of precious wood were relatively brittle. If the word was carved on them, it would easily break. Thus, they simply cut off a corner from the top of the chopsticks, which could be considered as a mark.
The poisoned pair of chopsticks was not cut off.
"Are you sure that no one came into the kitchen that night?" Ji Yunshu asked everyone.
Everyone looked at each other in dismay and unanimously shook their heads.
"Are you sure?"
Suddenly, one of the maidservants spoke up. "No one came into the kitchen. However, when this servant carried the utensils out, I happened to bump into Third Young Master Ji."
'Third Young Master Ji?
Ji Yuanzhi? '
"Why was he outside the kitchen?"
"This servant doesn't know. At that time, Third Young Master Ji …"
"How was he?" Ji Yunshu asked.
The maidservant's face turned slightly red. She bit her lip and lowered her head. Then, she reached out and took a hairpin from her hair.
She trembled and said, "This was given to this servant by Third Young Master Ji. This servant saw that the hairpin looked good, so I accepted it."
'What a shameless bastard!
He wouldn't even let off a maidservant! '
Ji Yunshu's expression sank. "Then, at that time, who did you give the utensils to?"
"It was given to you, Miss Ji."
An affirmative answer!
In other words, Ji Yuanzhi didn't touch Lord Wei and Madame Wei's utensils.
The clues seemed to have come to a dead end!
Ji Yunshu looked at Jing Rong with a helpless expression.
Jing Rong immediately comforted her. "Since we know that the chopsticks were poisoned, we will definitely find out."
He believed in her.
She nodded. "Mhm."
Inadvertently, she waved her sleeve and swept the poisoned chopsticks to the ground.
She took out her handkerchief and bent down to pick it up. Just then, she saw that the tip of the chopsticks had turned dark red. It was so small that it was hard to notice if one didn't look carefully.
Her expression immediately tensed up. She looked at the wet ground and wrinkled her nose.
She asked, "Is this vinegar on the ground?"
"Yes, we usually use vinegar mixed with water to clean the floor," the maid replied.
"I see!"
Yes, the fog in her heart seemed to be gradually peeling away!
She turned to Jing Rong and said, "Your Highness, I might need your help!"
Jing Rong frowned.
"Speak."
Ji Yunshu wrapped the chopsticks in her handkerchief and pulled Jing Rong out of the kitchen.
With a serious expression, she whispered into his ear, "I need Your Highness to send someone to the prison …"
…
After he finished speaking, Jing Rong left to instruct his subordinates.
Meanwhile, in the prison.
Ji Yuanzhi shouted with all his might. He had never suffered like this since he was young.
In the dark and damp cell, he felt like he was going to have an allergic reaction after staying there for the time it took for an incense stick to burn.
"Guards, let me out. Do you know who my big brother is? He's the Left Secretary of the Yi Lin Army. Offending me is the same as offending him. Hurry up and let me out. "
Both of his hands slapped the wooden stakes, and his throat became a little hoarse from all the shouting.
Finally, it worked!
Several people hurried over, but they weren't prison guards.
Each of them was expressionless, but there was a hint of coldness in their eyes.
They opened the cell door and took out a bowl and a knife.
"What are you doing?" Ji Yuanzhi cried out in alarm.
Those people didn't care and grabbed him. They pushed him to the ground and forced his hand open.
"Who are you? What are you doing? Let me go! "
"Ah!"
A blood-curdling scream rang out.
His palm was cut open by the knife, and blood flowed into the bowl.
Ji Yuanzhi screamed in pain.
His face turned pale.
Only after half a bowl of blood had flowed out did they release him. They threw him a bottle of ointment and a roll of bandage.
Then they left!
From beginning to end, it was clean and efficient, without the slightest word or phrase.
Ji Yuanzhi sat up from the ground and looked at his palm that had been cut for no reason. He couldn't cry for help, and neither could he cry for help.
He could only bandage the wound himself and tightly clench his teeth.
In less than half an incense stick's time, the bowl of blood was delivered to Jing Rong, who then passed it to Ji Yunshu.
She didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"I didn't tell you to get so much blood from him."
"The more the better!" Ji Yuanzhi carelessly replied.
The more the better?
Hey, hey, hey! This is blood, not water! '
Ji Yunshu rolled her eyes at him and no longer paid attention to him.
Then, she added some camphor juice and white vinegar to the blood. She cut off a small piece of the chopstick, which had turned dark red, and put it into the bowl.
After a while, she scooped up that small piece of chopstick. The dark red color had already faded, and it had merged with the fresh blood in the bowl.
Well, the answer was clear.
"This pair of poisoned chopsticks was brought by Ji Yuanzhi. The blood on the chopsticks is his. It seems that the scab on his thumb was caused by the chopsticks."
Even Ji Yunshu herself was shocked by her conclusion.
Jing Rong was always a good questioner.
He threw out a question, "Then why did he poison the two elders of the Wei family? Also, he didn't get close to their utensils. How did he steal the dragon and switch the phoenix?"
"That's right. How did he switch the pair of poisoned chopsticks? And why did he poison Uncle Wei and Aunt Wei? "
His heart was full of doubts.
And also very shocked.
…
Ji Yunshu returned to the mourning hall.
Wei Yi had already finished his meal. He put down his chopsticks and sat upright, waiting for Ji Yunshu's return.
She walked to his side and sat down.
"Shu 'er, why were you gone for so long?"
"Aren't I back now?"
He nodded heavily and tilted his head. Then, he seemed to remember something. He searched his clothes and took out a tassel.
"Shu 'er, this is Brother Yuanzhi's. Can you help me give it to him?"
Ji Yunshu took it and looked at it. It really was Ji Yuanzhi's.
"How did you get this?"
"That night, I accidentally bumped into him and two older sisters who were holding plates. After that, he scolded me a few times and left, leaving this thing on the floor."
He said it in a serious manner.
Yet, he didn't notice it.
After Ji Yunshu heard his words, her face completely sank.
It was as if a machine had reached into her skin and stirred her internal organs into a pulp!
Wei Yi saw it and swallowed the tears in her eyes.
He smiled faintly. "Okay, I'll help you give it to him."
"Thank you, Shu 'er!"
Wei Yi stood up and lifted his mourning robe. He knelt in front of the coffin and kowtowed several times.
His mouth kept muttering something to his parents.
Ji Yunshu was in no mood to listen.
She stood behind him and lowered her head to look at the tassel in her hand. She tightened her neck and couldn't hold back her tears.
'Wei Yi, I'm sorry!
I'm really sorry! '
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