Within a quiet and secluded courtyard.
Zhong Li looked at the man kneeling before her, her delicate eyebrows furrowed. She truly could not believe that it was him who had schemed against her.
"Fan Ren, if I recall correctly, you are no longer a member of Dali Temple. You were implicated back then because of Xu Qing's affairs, and I let you off the hook. I never thought it was my misplaced kindness?"
Fan Ren knelt on the ground, his face full of defiance. He glared at Zhong Li, "Weren't you in the Ministry of Justice? How did you end up in this place?"
"It seems you still don't know?" Lin Jin's temper flared at the mention of the Ministry of Justice. If it weren't for these incompetent lackeys stirring up trouble, his master wouldn't be suffering in the Ministry of Justice right now.
"Know what?" Fan Ren looked bewildered.
Lin Jin, too lazy to waste more words, delivered a kick to his chest. "Speak! Why did you tell the Tao clan that Miss Zhong might have returned, and that she was at Dali Temple?"
Lin Jin's kick was truly fierce.
Fan Ren was kicked flying a considerable distance, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"Ugh... You... What do you intend to do..." He clutched his chest, looking at Zhong Li and Lin Jin standing opposite him. He cowered backward, trying to evade them, yet still stubbornly retorted, "Zhong Li, I'm telling you, you are now a suspect in the Qiate case. If you just run out like this, do you believe I'll tell Ah Wu?"
Zhong Li was already seething with anger upon hearing that Fan Ren was involved in Zhong Wuyou's affairs. Now, hearing him mention Ah Wu, her fury intensified.
She strode forward a few steps, stepping on the chest where Fan Ren had just been kicked. "Ah Wu, so you two were in collusion!"
"Ugh... It hurts!" Fan Ren yelped in pain, holding Zhong Li's foot and stubbornly saying, "I don't know what you're talking about, I... Ugh... Er..."
Zhong Li, unwilling to listen to his ramblings, applied more pressure with her foot.
Fan Ren, already sweating profusely from the pain, forced his eyes open to glare at Zhong Li. "Well done, Junior Secretary of Dali Temple! You are using torture. Do you believe I will..."
"Believe what?" Before Fan Ren could finish his sentence, Zhong Li drew the dissection knife from her waist, brandishing it before him.
"You... You are torturing me for a confession!"
"Torturing for a confession?" Zhong Li raised an eyebrow. With a slight twist of her wrist, she threw the dissection knife, which sliced through Fan Ren's earlobe and embedded itself in the ground.
"Ah!" Fan Ren clutched his ear, letting out a heart-wrenching scream.
Zhong Li narrowed her eyes, grabbed Fan Ren by his collar, and as she reached for him, Lin Jin handed her a dirty rag and forcefully stuffed it into his mouth.
Unable to make a sound, Fan Ren looked at the woman opposite him with tear-filled eyes, trembling with fear.
"What? Scared now?" Zhong Li questioned coldly.
Fan Ren's body trembled. He had never seen Zhong Li like this. There was no emotion in her eyes, and her entire being radiated killing intent and fury.
"I'm telling you," Zhong Li said through gritted teeth, "it's too late for you to be scared now! Do you know how terrified and pitiful Tao Shi was when Zhong Wuyou was harmed by you?"
Fan Ren shook his head, wanting to explain, but he couldn't speak.
Zhong Li clenched his collar, holding back tears that threatened to spill. "Fan Ren, I advise you to tell the truth. Otherwise, even if I have to abandon my position as Junior Secretary of Dali Temple, I will drag you down to hell with me!" httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Fan Ren was intimidated by Zhong Li's words, and he nodded, his eyes pleading.
Zhong Li pulled the dirty rag out of Fan Ren's mouth and casually sat on a chair opposite him, asking from a superior position, "Speak, how did you deceive Tao Shi into going to Dali Temple?"
Fan Ren, enduring the pain in his ear, shivered and obediently said, "Ever since Lord Lan expelled me from Dali Temple, I haven't had a proper job.
During that time, I went through periods of not knowing where my next meal would come from and resorted to petty theft. Once, I was caught stealing by Dali Temple officers and was taken to see Ah Wu.
I thought Ah Wu would have me beaten, but surprisingly, not only did he let me go, he even treated me to a grand meal.
After that, Ah Wu asked me to do things for him."
"Fan Ren," Zhong Li said, shaking her head upon hearing this. "I know very well who you are. You would help Ah Wu? You're holding something back, aren't you?"
"En?" Lin Jin glared at Fan Ren upon hearing this.
Fan Ren shivered in fear and quickly added, "It was Ah Wu who tempted me. He said that I had many complaints about you and that this matter could help me get revenge and clear my name, so I agreed."
"Continue," Zhong Li said.
Fan Ren swallowed a few times and said, "After that, as you know, Ah Wu asked me to relay a message to Tao Shi, informing her that you might be at Dali Temple."
Zhong Li paused for a moment upon hearing this and asked, "Tao Shi went to Dali Temple to find me because Zhong Wuyou was ill. Logically, this situation could not have been foreseen. How did Ah Wu know Zhong Wuyou would fall ill on the day of my return?"
"Actually, Young Master Wuyou has been ill for several days," Fan Ren replied.
"What did you say?"
Fan Ren trembled a few times and said, "It's like this. Young Master Wuyou started having a fever three days before the incident. Tao Shi had taken Young Master Wuyou to a clinic you arranged nearby.
But for some reason, Young Master Wuyou took his medicine, yet his condition didn't improve. Ah Wu heard about it and hatched his plan."
Upon hearing Fan Ren's words, Zhong Li recalled the red rash that appeared on Zhong Wuyou when she saw him. Coupled with Zhong Wuyou's age, it was likely roseola infantum.
This illness is common for children around one year old or slightly older. It does not require special treatment, the fever usually subsides after three days, followed by a mild rash that disappears within a day or two.
In ancient times, with poor living conditions for children, the mortality rate was extremely high. Sometimes, physicians, worried about other ailments, would prescribe fever-reducing medication, which was harmless but ineffective.
Ah Wu precisely seized this opportunity to make his calculations.
"How did he do it?" Zhong Li asked.
Fan Ren said, "Tao Shi was worried about Young Master Wuyou's condition and took him to the clinic every day. On the third day, Ah Wu used the excuse that the medicine sold by the clinic was problematic and temporarily sealed it.
Tao Shi was anxious about getting treatment for Wuyou, and on top of that, Wuyou had developed a rash. I emerged at that time and told her that you might have returned and were at Dali Temple. She knew I was a former constable at Dali Temple but was unaware of my later grievances with Lord Zhong, so she believed me and took Wuyou to Dali Temple."
"And then?" Zhong Li asked, gripping the armrest of the chair tightly, suppressing the urge to strangle Fan Ren.
"And then..." Fan Ren, knowing he was at a crucial point, cast a fearful glance at the woman opposite him. Assured that she wouldn't act immediately, he said, "And then Ah Wu stopped Tao Shi at the entrance of Dali Temple, tricked her into a carriage, and took her away."
"Took her away, do you know where?" Zhong Li pressed.
Fan Ren shook his head. "Ah Wu didn't let me ask. I only know that after he returned, Tao Shi was gone, and the child... the child... had a hole in its body."