Miao Jie’s words fell, and a sudden silence descended upon the surroundings.
Xu Qing, his face flushed, stared at the man kneeling on the ground. He wanted to retort, but found himself utterly speechless.
Zhong Li knitted her brows, her gaze fixed on Miao Jie. After a moment of contemplation, she composed herself and asked, "Is that your reason for murder?"
"Yes!" Miao Jie’s eyes were red and fierce as he seemed to vent his frustration at Zhong Li, "Those sluts deserved to die. They were not chaste, only knew how to welcome men. They were the worst kind of goods in this world. They brought it upon themselves, themselves!"
"Enough!" Zhong Li finally couldn't help but scold Miao Jie's ferocity, asking coldly, "And Peng Yong? What did he do to offend you that he became your puppet, or perhaps a scapegoat?"
Upon hearing the name, Miao Jie’s body stiffened. Just as he was about to speak, Zhong Li continued, "Miao Jie, now that things have come to this, I hope you will tell the truth."
Miao Jie lowered his eyes, lost in thought.
After a long while, Miao Jie remained silent. As both Zeng Fan and Xu Qing, sitting to the side, began to feel anxious, Zhong Li continued, "Peng Yong always respected you, didn't he? Otherwise, how would he have listened to your words and killed Shuang'er, eating her flesh and drinking her blood?"
As her words fell, Xu Qing and Zeng Fan looked at her with disbelief.
Only Miao Jie’s body suddenly began to tremble, followed by a series of booming, wild laughter echoing through the torture chamber, "Haha! Haha! You're talking about that fool? Let me tell you, he was a slave I bought. His life was meant to be offered to me. Otherwise... ugh..."
Before Miao Jie could finish his words, a teacup lid flew from somewhere, hitting him squarely on the mouth. Blood trickled from the corners of his lips.
Everyone froze, turning their heads towards the source of the teacup lid.
Lu Wu Xie, who had seemingly been asleep, had opened his eyes. With a languid expression, he yawned and said, "What kind of insect is this, buzzing and disturbing my peaceful slumber?"
Zeng Fan and Xu Qing’s mouths twitched, feeling that the Prince of Xian’s heir was acting disgracefully. Only Zhong Li, looking at the handsome, clear face, couldn't help but curve her lips.
Good throw, she thought. Someone who tramples on others' dignity and treats human lives as mere grass deserves to be hit!
"Miao Jie, ten years ago, driven by revenge against your mother, you killed Zhi Qiu and Shi Hua. But when handling their belongings, you discovered that the red coral lotus hairpins they wore were fake, correct?" Zhong Li asked.
Miao Jie remained silent, only staring at Zhong Li with cold eyes.
"Afterwards, you regretted it greatly, thinking you had killed the wrong people and planned to flee. But to your surprise, the Dali Temple also became involved. Coupled with the tragic deaths of Zhi Qiu and Shi Hua, the common people became terrified, and Jincheng entered a state of martial law. Even though you were in the northern suburbs at the time, you were still being watched by many Dali Temple officials, weren't you?" Zhong Li posed another question.
Miao Jie still did not speak.
Zhong Li looked at his expressionless face and continued on her cool, calm face without any fluctuation, "To escape punishment, you targeted Peng Yong, who had been learning blacksmithing from you. Peng Yong was foolish but always respected you as his master. Moreover, when everyone else abandoned him, you were the only one who took him in. Therefore, in his heart, you were his everything.
And you saw the status you held in Peng Yong’s heart, and a plan formed in your mind. You instigated Peng Yong to kill the innocent Shuang’er, luring the Dali Temple to apprehend Peng Yong, and incidentally closing the case. This way, you could rest easy, right?"
Upon hearing this, Miao Jie tightly shut his eyes, deciding to not answer at all.
Zhong Li had long anticipated that he was like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water and did not expect her words to awaken his conscience.
With a 'snap,' she slammed the gavel on her side.
"Since you refuse to answer, it means you have no defense. Guards, have Peng Yong sign the confession! And also have him reveal where the dismembered body parts of Ming Xia are hidden, in that place in Mao'er Hutong!" Zhong Li's voice was sharp.
As she spoke, a man dressed as a bailiff stood up from a corner of the room, holding a scroll filled with case details, and walked to Miao Jie.
Miao Jie glanced at the contents of the scroll and let out a sneer, "Heh heh... Just one more day, only one day left. If you don't find any clues or evidence, I'll be free. Now..."
He looked at Zhong Li, who was staring coldly at him, "Ultimately, I was one step short. I calculated the incompetence of the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple, but I never expected a dark horse to suddenly appear!"
Hearing his words, Zeng Fan and Xu Qing’s faces turned ashen. However, with Lu Wu Xie present, they made no move.
Miao Jie saw no point in further argument. He casually took the brush handed to him by the bailiff and, with a flourish, wrote two characters on the scroll. After his red palm print was affixed, he was dragged like a lamb to the slaughter towards the water dungeon at the end of the corridor outside the torture chamber.
"Wait!"
Just as Miao Jie had one foot stepping into the darkest part of the Ministry of Justice, Zhong Li suddenly called out to him.
The two bailiffs restraining Miao Jie turned back.
Zhong Li paused for a moment. Although she was unwilling to speculate, human life was paramount. It was her duty as a forensic examiner to seek justice for the deceased, and even more so as the one who prepared the deceased for their final journey.
"Miao Jie."
Zhong Li stood up, walked out of the torture chamber, and stood at the edge of the light where it met the darkness. "The first person you killed wasn't Zhi Qiu, was it?"
As her words fell, Zeng Fan and Xu Qing in the torture chamber were all stunned. Even Lu Wu Xie slightly opened his eyes.
Miao Jie turned his head to look at the face opposite him, which was smaller than the palm of his hand, and remained silent.
After an unknown period, as the light from the skylight slowly shifted to illuminate Miao Jie, he suddenly looked up to the sky and laughed, "What am I supposed to say? Should I say you're smart, or that the people inside are foolish?"
At this moment, Zeng Fan and Xu Qing's faces turned completely dark.
"I only want to know the truth," Zhong Li said with a calm expression, devoid of any emotion.
Miao Jie gazed deeply at Zhong Li and said, "I remember you."
With that, he turned and walked step by step towards the water dungeon. As he walked, a voice reached Zhong Li’s ears.
"That's right, the first person I killed wasn't Zhi Qiu; it was my mother. I thought killing her would set me free, but instead, I sank deeper and deeper..."
As Miao Jie’s figure disappeared into the darkness, Zhong Li remained standing in place, her gaze fixed on the depths.
At this moment, a scene formed in her mind: a female physician, wearing a red coral lotus hairpin, teaching her own flesh and blood surgical techniques. In the next instant, her child raised a knife and, using everything learned from her, cut her flesh piece by piece and pickled it in a ceramic jar outside the house.
It was like a mockery, or perhaps self-inflicted.
"Let's go," Zhong Li, still lost in thought, heard the man's lazy voice from behind her.
She came back to her senses and found that the torture chamber was empty. Zeng Fan and Xu Qing had already vanished.
"Your Highness," Zhong Li collected the signed confession from Miao Jie and followed behind Lu Wu Xie. It was rare for her to address him first.
Lu Wu Xie did not stop walking, but his pace visibly slowed.
"Thank you!" Zhong Li had thought for a long time before managing to utter these two words.
"Hmm?" Lu Wu Xie stopped at the doorway and looked back at her.
She tilted her head up to meet his questioning gaze. At this moment, his tall frame blocked out most of the glaring sunlight, obscuring his expression, but she could smell the faint scent of ambergris from him.
"I trouble Your Highness for running around for two days, just to investigate the relationship between Miao Jie and Miao Ping." Zhong Li knew this was not an easy task, especially since so much time had passed and it was during the late emperor’s reign; ordinary people wouldn’t have this capability.
"Thank me?" Lu Wu Xie was now completely awake from his drowsiness, and that untamed arrogance simultaneously appeared on his face. "Then give me a kiss, as a token of your gratitude?"
Zhong Li's eyebrows slightly furrowed, and she gave Lu Wu Xie a cold glare, then sidestepped him and walked out of the Ministry of Justice.
Lu Wu Xie stood in place, listening to the sound of her receding footsteps. He turned to look at the woman’s slender back, the frivolity in his eyes vanishing, and a gentle curve unconsciously graced his lips.