Were you the one who killed them?
Ji Yunshu finished speaking.
Lang Po said angrily, "I don't think Zhang Daqi confessed to anything. It was clearly Prince Yi who cut off his tongue and forced him to sign. Now that he can't speak, he naturally can't tell us the details of the crime. We shouldn't have let Prince Yi go yesterday. I'd rather he really kill Zhang Daqi than let him mess up this case like this. What if we wrongly accused someone? "
If it were him, he would have ordered Prince Yi to be shot to death last night.
However, a boorish man would always be a boorish man.
Jing Rong said, "If I hadn't let him go last night, the person locked up in the Ministry of Justice's prison would be this prince."
"Why does Your Highness say so?"
"If I don't let Jing Yi go, Zhang Daqi will undoubtedly die. It would be no different from being mute now. At that time, Jing Yi will report this matter to His Majesty and accuse me of murdering my own brother. The consequences can be imagined."
Ugh!
Lang Po was enlightened.
After a while, Jing Rong turned to Ji Yunshu. "You must have been concerned about this. That's why you asked me to let him go."
She nodded. "Prince Yi has always been unscrupulous in achieving his goals. If we had pushed him too far last night, the situation would only have become more chaotic and worse."
That's right!
Jing Rong pondered. "The Emperor has already ordered Zhang Daqi to be executed tomorrow. If he really isn't the murderer, then we only have one day to find evidence."
There was no time to lose!
"I want to go to the Ministry of Justice's prison," Ji Yunshu suddenly said.
"Zhang Daqi is a felon, and the emperor has ordered him to be executed. At this time, the Ministry of Justice will not let him in."
"But if we don't get to the bottom of some things, if he really dies, this case will be even more difficult to solve."
Lang Po was puzzled. He scratched his head and said, "But Zhang Daqi's tongue is gone. Even if I ask him, he won't be able to speak."
Zhang Xuan shrugged.
"I have my ways." She looked at Jing Rong with pleading eyes.
However, this matter was indeed a little difficult!
Zhang Daqi was a serious criminal, and he was going to be executed the next day. The guards of the Ministry of Justice naturally would not be careless.
Jing Rong pondered …
An hour later.
A carriage stopped outside the prison of the Ministry of Justice.
In addition to Jing Rong and Ji Yunshu, Vice-Chancellor Yu was also in the carriage.
"Vice Chancellor Yu, after you bring Teacher Ji in, you must be careful. Go and return quickly."
"Don't worry, Your Highness. I know what to do."
"If you can't get anything out of him, don't linger inside. If you're discovered, the consequences will be unimaginable."
She nodded. "I understand."
At this moment, she was dressed like a servant of the Supreme Court. She wore a hat and had a moustache. If one did not look closely, one would not be able to tell who she was.
After getting off the carriage, she silently followed Vice-Chancellor Yu to the entrance of the Ministry of Justice's prison.
The two jailers outside stopped him.
He clasped his hands together.
"Official Yu."
Vice-Chancellor Yu glanced at the two of them. "I need to find the culprit for the Dried Well Case. Lead the way."
Huh?
The two prison guards looked at each other.
He hurriedly explained, "His Majesty has ordered for the criminal to be executed tomorrow. Right now, I'm afraid …"
Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted.
"Afraid of what?" Vice-Chancellor Yu emphasized, "His Majesty has issued the decree, but the Supreme Court has yet to close the case. If you stop this official from entering, you're obstructing the Supreme Court from handling the case. If something goes wrong, can you bear the consequences?"
"This …"
"Hurry up and move aside."
"But … we need to report to Lord Li."
"There's no need. The Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court are jointly handling this case. Now that the Supreme Court wants a thorough investigation, your Lord Li cannot stop them. I don't have time to wait for you to return. If I delay any longer and the higher-ups investigate, I'll lose my head." Vice-Chancellor Yu put on airs.
It was a strong deterrent.
The two prison guards thought about it, but ultimately, they were cowards.
Thereupon —
"Then, Official Yu can follow me in."
They led the way.
But when Ji Yunshu tried to follow, she was stopped by another prison guard. "Please wait. The prison is an important place. Official Yu can enter alone."
Ugh!
Ji Yunshu's head drooped even lower.
She was worried that he would see through her.
The next moment, Vice-Chancellor Yu smacked the prison guard's head. "He's this official's assistant, responsible for recording the details of the case. If the Supreme Court wants to open a case file, he can't be missing."
"Yes …" The prison guard clutched his head and retreated.
Make way!
Vice-Chancellor Yu pulled Ji Yunshu, and the two smoothly entered the Ministry of Justice's prison.
Although the Ministry of Justice's prison was huge, it wasn't much different from the various prefectures. A damp smell assailed their nostrils, and there was even the smell of rotten feet.
It was stuffy!
Extremely disgusting.
To put it bluntly, it was like a land of filth.
They arrived at Zhang Daqi's cell.
The prison guard said, "Milord, he's inside, but … he couldn't speak when he was escorted to the Ministry of Justice. I'm afraid you won't be able to get anything out of him."
"You don't have to worry about that. Just open the door."
"Ah?"
"What ah?"
"He's a serious criminal. It's better for Milord to interrogate him outside," the prison guard said gently.
Vice-Chancellor Yu glared at him fiercely. "You know he can't speak. How can this official interrogate him with a wooden stake between us?"
"This …"
"Open it."
The prison guard trembled, and could only take out the key to open the door.
Vice-Chancellor Yu said, "You may leave. Outsiders are not allowed to listen in on the Supreme Court's interrogation. If there's anything, I'll call you."
"Yes."
The prison guard retreated.
Ji Yunshu heaved a sigh of relief after he left.
Vice-Chancellor Yu hurriedly said, "Teacher Ji, go in and interrogate him. I'll stand guard outside."
"Mn." She hurriedly entered.
Inside the cell, Zhang Daqi lay paralyzed on the floor like a corpse. His clothes were bloodstained, and his blood stained the straw everywhere. His sunken eyes were slightly squinted, staring motionlessly at the ceiling of the cell. He opened his mouth, which was full of blood, but no words came out.
She squatted down and called out a few words.
"Zhang Daqi? Zhang Daqi? "
Zhang Daqi made a few "uhhh" sounds, and his brows furrowed.
He seemed to be afraid!
"Don't be afraid. I'm here to help you." His tone was gentle.
"Uh …"
After struggling for a while, he finally calmed down.
"If you want to live, then tell me everything honestly. I'll ask you a few questions. If it's true, nod. If it's not, shake your head."
Zhang Daqi opened his mouth and seemed to understand.
"Did you … kill him?"
"Ugh!"
He shook his head with difficulty.
"You didn't kill anyone, but at that time … you were at the scene, right?"
No response.
"Now that things have come to this, you don't need to worry anymore, and you don't need to protect anyone."
"Uh."
"You were at the scene and saw the murderer with your own eyes, right?"
Zhang Daqi's expression was one of discomfort and pain. The seven scars on his face seemed to have scrunched up together, as if there was really something that was difficult to say.
After a while, he nodded, and two streams of tears flowed down from the corners of his eyes.
Ji Yunshu continued, "Do you know that person? He's also from Zhang Family Village, isn't he? "
At this point, Zhang Daqi suddenly panted loudly, his hands tightly clutching the blood-stained straw on the ground.
His legs were also pushing forward with all his might!
"Uh …"
He lost control of his emotions.
It was as if he couldn't catch his breath.
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