Mrs. Zhou's eyes widened involuntarily, and she said in horror, "How could it be him? He's already crippled."
Wu Caiwei stood up and smiled, "Believe it or not, the fact is so. Also, Xu Yijie is now in Mingshan Village outside the city. I've said all I need to say."
Without waiting for their reaction, she walked straight towards the door. She believed that even though Mrs. Zhou was verbally disbelieving, she would still send someone to capture him and interrogate him severely.
Wu Caiwei's guess was not wrong. As soon as she left, Mr. Zhou ordered people to find him, and soon he was brought before the couple.
The moment he was captured, Xu Yijie knew he was finished. He didn't know how his whereabouts were leaked. He suspected that even without evidence, Mrs. Zhou's ruthlessness would ensure he would suffer a fate worse than death.
As soon as he saw them, he pleaded innocently, "You've already ruined me like this, and now you've captured me. Do you want my life? Don't forget, murder is punishable by death. Even with protection, you can't escape justice."
Mr. Zhou, too lazy to engage in a lengthy conversation, said sternly, "Doctor Leng told us that she saw you entering the ruined temple and then leaving in a hurry. Do you have anything to say?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Yijie panicked. He hadn't expected his covert actions to be discovered, especially by Leng Shuixiang. He quickly denied, "Anything said or done requires evidence. Leng Shuixiang's words are even less credible. You know how much she resents me and how desperately she wants to slander me. She's gone to great lengths."
In fact, while sending people to find Xu Yijie, they also summoned the guards who protected their son and the servants who attended him, asking them to describe any recent unusual behavior of their young master.
Everyone knew the seriousness of the matter. Apart from daily necessities like eating, drinking, and relieving themselves, they reported anything slightly out of the ordinary. For instance, when their young master was happy and why, when he was sad and why. Naturally, they also mentioned the day he went out with friends and bumped into someone. The maid said a piece of paper fell from his body that night. Listening to these seemingly mundane details, Mr. Zhou quickly grasped the key points.
"You said that day it was clearly someone else who bumped into that old man, but he looked at the young master and asked him to help him up."
The guard immediately nodded, "Yes, I was a bit puzzled at the time why that person insisted on finding the young master. And he was dirty, but the young master, being kind-hearted, didn't mind."
"Do you remember what he looked like?" Mr. Zhou pressed further.
"His hair covered his face, and he was covered in dirt. I didn't look closely, but one of his legs was unusable, and he was holding a crutch. One of his arms was also weak, and the young master exerted all his strength to help him up. He even refused our help when we wanted to step forward," the guard recalled with effort.
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhou's face turned ashen. Mr. Zhou saw this and knew there was a hidden story. He quickly inquired, "What have you thought of?"
Mrs. Zhou's lips trembled for a long time, unable to utter a sound. Then, she broke down and cried. After crying for an unknown duration, she finally said with deep regret, "Months ago, I hired someone to cripple Xu Yijie's leg and arm."
Mr. Zhou's body stiffened upon hearing this. Looking at his wife, who was weeping like a drowned rat, he didn't know what to say for a long time, remaining in silence.
By the time Xu Yijie was brought back, Mrs. Zhou's emotions had somewhat calmed down. Seeing his denial, she quickly called her guard over, "See if the person who fell that day was him?"
The guard immediately nodded, "It was him, absolutely him. I'd recognize him even if he turned to ash."
Mrs. Zhou waved her hand weakly, dismissing them, and no longer listening to his excuses. She said hatefully, "What exactly did you say to my son for him to willingly go to the ruined temple?"
Seeing that she was convinced it was him, Xu Yijie's heart sank. He continued to defend himself, "So it was your son who was bumped into that day? If I had known, I would have spent more time with him. After all, it was our first meeting since we knew each other."
At this moment, Mrs. Zhou wished she could cut him into a thousand pieces. However, she hadn't completely lost her sanity and knew that killing was punishable by death. Handing him over to the county magistrate would not quell the anger in her heart.
So, she took out a pre-prepared knife and slowly approached him. Xu Yijie remained silent, but Mr. Zhou spoke first, "Don't be impulsive. It's not worth it to sacrifice yourself for such a wretch. If you want revenge, there will be time."
Mrs. Zhou felt a warmth in her heart seeing that he still cared for her at this moment. She replied seriously, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Mr. Zhou breathed a sigh of relief, only for his heart to leap into his throat again. She had used the knife, while Xu Yijie was caught off guard, to ruthlessly chop off two of his fingers, followed by pig-like screams.
Witnessing the gruesome scene, Mr. Zhou felt his heart racing like a roller coaster. He instructed the guards to restrain his wife and prevent her from acting rashly, at least to keep him alive, and then hurried away.
Seeing his tear-streaked face, Mrs. Zhou cried while smiling, choking out, "I only chopped off two of your fingers, and you're in so much pain. You stabbed my son several times in the stomach and once in the heart. How much must he have suffered? Every time I think of it, I want you to taste it too, but wouldn't that be letting you off too easily?"
Afterward, she ordered him to be taken to the woodshed, tied to a pillar, and his wounds were simply bandaged. She was afraid he would bleed to death and that she wouldn't have had her fun before he passed away.
When she felt uncomfortable, Mrs. Zhou would find a whip and lash him fiercely a few times to vent her anger, or use a knife to lightly slash his body, just to see his pained expression. Afterward, she would summon a doctor to carefully bandage his wounds.
Although he had only been in the Zhou manor for a few days, Xu Yijie felt as if he had lived a century. He originally thought his life as a beggar was hard, but now he knew how truly happy he had been then. Every time he saw that madwoman, his body would involuntarily tremble. If he could, he would have liked to end it all with a single blow.
Upon hearing that the county magistrate had arrived, Mrs. Zhou frowned involuntarily, wondering why he was there. She actually looked down on the yamen. She had tormented Xu Yijie for nearly ten days, and they still hadn't found the murderer. If her own people hadn't acted quickly, and Xu Yijie had gone elsewhere, where would they have found him? Wouldn't her son have died in vain?
Upon seeing Mrs. Zhou, the county magistrate sighed, "I assume Madam already knows that the murderer of your son is Xu Yijie, otherwise, you wouldn't have kept him imprisoned for so many days. Has the rage in your heart subsided somewhat? Could you hand him over to me?"