A Jade Pendant
"The thing in that doll … Whose is it?"
Aunty Xie was taken aback. She subconsciously hid the doll behind her back.
Her weathered eyes revealed a trace of guilt. Her voice trembled as she asked, "Teacher, what did you say? How could there be … something in this doll? "
Ji Yunshu only smiled and did not expose her immediately. She slowly pondered and narrowed her eyes. "That thing should be a piece of jade. It's not big, but it's not small either. It's neither round nor square. It's smooth to the touch. It has a flat oval body, a triangular fan-shaped tail, and a slightly raised head. Eh? What does it look like? It looks like … a fish. "
Ji Yunshu's eyes brightened.
Ah!
Aunty Xie's hand trembled when she heard this. She lost her grip on the doll and it fell to the ground.
The wet cloth was stained with the dust on the ground, making it look dusty and dusty.
Aunty Xie hurriedly picked it up from the ground and used her patched sleeves to wipe away the dust.
Her actions showed that she was panicking!
She muttered softly, "There's nothing in here. There's no fish …"
Ji Yunshu's expression darkened. Her pretty brows furrowed. She got up and walked over. She held Aunty Xie's hand that kept wiping the doll and slowly squatted in front of her.
"Aunty Xie, why did you come all the way from Yufu to the capital for the past three years? Wasn't it to find the murderer and bring justice to Ye 'er? Now, anything related to Ye 'er, no matter what it is, could be a clue. If you know something, you shouldn't hide it from me. I don't know why the thing in this doll is making you so panicky. But if you trust me, tell me. "
"I …"
"I won't force you, but I hope that my decision to help you was the right one."
Aunty Xie was grateful for Ji Yunshu's help. If not for her, her daughter's case would not have been reopened.
And so …
After hesitating for a while, she finally said, "That's Ye 'er's most precious thing."
"What is it?"
"A jade pendant."
"May I have a look?"
Aunty Xie pursed her dry and cracked lips and nodded. She turned the doll to one side and found a very inconspicuous thread. As she unraveled it, she said, "After Ye 'er died, I sewed the jade pendant into this doll. I was waiting for the day the murderer was brought to justice so that I could bury this doll and the jade pendant together in the coffin."
This meant that the jade pendant was very important!
The thread was slowly pulled out. Aunty Xie carefully dug around in the cotton for a while before finally pulling it out.
As expected!
It was a jade pendant shaped like a fish.
"In the past, Ye 'er would always hold this jade pendant and stare at it for a long time. Every time, she would sob uncontrollably. I asked her for a long time before she finally told me that this jade pendant was given to her by the person who made her pregnant. She kept it by her side and couldn't bear to throw it away. She protected it with all her heart and didn't allow anyone to touch it. What did my Ye 'er do wrong? How could he be so defiled by a thousand blades? "
Back then, the mother-daughter pair had suffered a lot of gossip about Ye 'er's pregnancy before she got married.
Whenever they talked about it, they would tear up.
Ji Yunshu carefully examined the jade pendant in her hand. It was a small red fish with no engravings on the front. It was clean and smooth, but the craftsmanship was exquisite. Although it was made of blue jade and couldn't be considered a high grade material, it felt very comfortable in her hand. It was polished very meticulously.
She turned it over and saw that the back of the fish was flat, as if it had been cut in half, leaving this smooth cut mark.
It seemed that the other half was with Ye 'er's lover, the person with the flute that Qiao Zihua saw.
After examining it carefully, she returned the jade pendant to Aunty Xie.
Not long after, the rain outside stopped. Ji Yunshu instructed Qiao 'er to send Aunty Xie back to her own courtyard.
Ji Yunshu drew the shape of the jade pendant on a piece of paper. She pondered whether she should find someone to ask and see if anyone knew who the owner of the other half was.
The next day!
Early in the morning, she brought Shi Zijin to Zhichun Lou.
Unlike before, when she went in with Jing Rong, she went straight to Zhichun Lou to find the proprietress.
As soon as the lady boss arrived, she looked her up and down several times. Judging by the material of her clothes and her temperament, she did not look like a rich person or a high-ranking official. She gave her a sidelong glance and walked over while fanning herself with her fan.
She said impatiently, "Where did this young master come from? Looking for me, Yanniang, as soon as you arrived. Although I am indeed a peerless beauty, you … "
She chuckled contemptuously.
'I won't take it!'
Ji Yunshu wasn't annoyed. She lightly said, "I'm here to handle a case."
"Handle a case?" Yanniang was puzzled. "You really like to joke. My Zhichun Lou is a place for the ladies to handle affairs, not for a poor brat like you. If you want to handle a case, go to the yamen! What are you doing here? "
She waved her fan.
Ji Yunshu said, "Three years ago, Miss Ye 'er died here, right?"
'Ah!'
Yanniang's expression suddenly stiffened. She immediately looked around vigilantly and worriedly before glaring at Ji Yunshu. She lightly pressed the fan against her red lips and said fiercely, "What nonsense are you talking about? Are you deliberately here to cause trouble? "
"Then let's see if you're worthy."
"What do you mean?"
Ji Yunshu took out a token from her sleeve. It was a yamen token given by Magistrate Zuo to help her investigate cases.
She casually showed it to Yanniang. "Do you recognize it?"
"Yes … I do!"
As soon as she saw that it was a yamen token, Mother Yan immediately put away her angry and fierce look.
Ji Yunshu leaned towards her and put her mouth next to her ear. "This concerns a human life and the business of your Zhichun Lou. Are we going to discuss it here? Or should we go upstairs? "
The corner of Yanniang's mouth twitched. She quickly welcomed them. "Young master, please go upstairs."
She put on a flattering expression.
She led Ji Yunshu and Shi Zijin to the third floor and found a spacious and clean room to sit down.
Tea and pastries were served to them.
"Lord Magistrate, why didn't you inform me in advance that you were coming? I almost neglected you. "Yanniang continued to smile.
Ji Yunshu's gaze swept around the room, but she didn't respond.
"Lord Magistrate …"
"My surname is Ji."
"Lord Ji." Yanniang called him intimately. She swallowed and licked her lips. She probed, "Lord Ji, what happened to Ye 'er three years ago … isn't it in the past? Why are you investigating again today? "
"Which room did Ye 'er have the accident in?"
She went straight to the point.
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