"Fake?"
Lu Wuxie casually took the hairpin from Zhong Li's hand, first weighing it in his palm, then holding it up to the sunlight as he had before. "If my estimation is correct, these two hairpins are made of glass."
"No way?" Zhong Li guessed, her expression unchanging. Xu Qing, however, looked incredulous.
Lu Wuxie smiled calmly and handed the hairpin to Xu Qing. "If you don't believe me, compare it with the evidence from Ming Xia's case, and you'll know."
Hearing this, Xu Qing took the hairpin that Ming Xia had handed over.
Indeed, the fake hairpin was vastly different from the real one in both weight and luster, though it was a very similar imitation.
"At that time..." Xu Qing began, then seemed to realize something and changed his words, "Then what do you mean, Your Highness?"
Lu Wuxie remained silent, his gaze fixed on Zhong Li.
Zhong Li took the two different hairpins from Xu Qing's hand and pondered for a moment. "Shuang'er's case was the last one ten years ago, wasn't it?"
Xu Qing nodded.
"Then... can I see Miao Jie?"
Because Miao Jie's case had been suppressed by Dali Temple, the Ministry of Justice had no authority over him. Therefore, visiting Miao Jie required the consent of Dali Temple.
Xu Qing hesitated for a moment, then looked at Lu Wuxie and nodded.
-------------------------------------
The Ministry of Justice, Southern Yue Kingdom.
Since the accession of Sage Lu Jing'an, the calendar of the Southern Yue Kingdom had become more stringent. The cruel official system abolished during the previous emperor's reign was reinstated during the Anhe era. Consequently, the Ministry of Justice's prison underwent renovations. The water prison, abandoned for over a hundred years, became a purgatory that struck fear into the hearts of the common people.
Zeng Fan led Zhong Li through a dark, damp corridor, occasionally hearing ghastly moans from the underground water prison, sending a chill down their spines.
"Miao Jie's situation is special. Minister Chen has locked him in the innermost cell, which is closest to the water prison. Little brother, be careful."
Zeng Fan instructed as they walked.
Zhong Li remained silent, merely trimming the wick of the oil lamp in her hand to brighten the surroundings.
Creak, the rusty prison door made a series of grinding sounds.
At the same time, a pungent, foul odor wafted over.
Zhong Li knew it was a mixture of excrement and decay. She subtly took out a pill from her懷 and placed it in her mouth.
"Miao Jie, get up. Someone's looking for you." Zeng Fan took the oil lamp from Zhong Li, walked familiarly to a corner, and kicked the man lying on the ground a few times.
It was this action that, as the light flickered in the cell, allowed Zhong Li to see the situation clearly.
This was hardly a prison cell as Zeng Fan had described; it was a torture chamber.
The walls were hung with various torture instruments, most of them smeared with decaying flesh and blood. Due to the heat and humidity, numerous flies and maggots hovered around and laid eggs on the instruments.
The ground was covered in patches of yellowish-brown stains, and without a doubt, they knew what those things were.
"Mmm..." The kicked man seemed to be still asleep, mumbling incoherently.
Zeng Fan, long accustomed to such scenes, sneered and casually picked up a branding iron from a nearby instrument, heated it in the brazier, and pressed it against the man on the ground.
"Ah!"
With a heart-wrenching scream, Miao Jie finally reacted.
"Miao Jie, if you don't want to suffer, get up. Someone's looking for you!" Zeng Fan's tone was clearly tinged with excitement and impatience.
Miao Jie slowly rolled over from the ground and turned to look at Zhong Li.
"Alright, I've woken him up. Ask what you need to ask quickly. I'll head out first." Seeing this, Zeng Fan casually threw the branding iron aside, put down the oil lamp, and walked out.
In the foul-smelling room, only Zhong Li and Miao Jie remained.
Zhong Li withdrew her indifferent gaze from Zeng Fan and focused on Miao Jie.
The man was disheveled, his face covered in mud, revealing only a pair of dark, sunken eyes. His body was cruelly beaten and mangled. The common clothes he wore had been torn to shreds, revealing bloody flesh underneath.
"Well, well, a pretty boy today?" As Zhong Li examined Miao Jie, he too was looking at her.
Zhong Li disdained Miao Jie's taunt. She casually pulled over a stool and asked, "Do you know Peng Yong?"
Miao Jie had expected this pretty boy to torture him for confessions like Zeng Fan. He hadn't anticipated such a question.
He opened and closed his thin lips, about to say something.
Zhong Li quickly warned, "Don't think of lying. The fact that I can ask this question means I've already investigated your relationship."
Miao Jie looked at Zhong Li, swallowed several times, and after a long moment, finally spoke, "Yes! I know Peng Yong."
"What is his relationship with you?"
"Master and disciple!" As Miao Jie uttered these words, he spat out a mouthful of thick, bloody phlegm. "But we haven't had any contact for ten years. If it weren't for this murderous fiend, would I be here?"
Zhong Li looked at Miao Jie, understanding the implication of his words.
He resented being arrested as a suspect in Ming Xia's case and suffering such torture due to his decade-old connection with Peng Yong, which led Dali Temple to suspect him. Therefore, his implied meaning was...
"You mean, you were framed?" Zhong Li asked.
"How else could it be?" Miao Jie quickly finished her sentence. "In Jincheng, I was the closest person to Peng Yong. Dali Temple couldn't catch the killer to report, so naturally, they started with me!"
He chuckled coldly, a hint of determination in his eyes. "However, the people in the Ministry of Justice underestimated me. Miao Jie, I will never admit to anything I haven't done, even if they beat me to death.
I cry injustice every day. I don't believe this plea won't reach the outside and let the current Emperor know what kind of incompetent officials he has in his Ministry of Justice!"
Zhong Li stared at Miao Jie's indignant outburst, her eyes not missing any expression that flickered across his face.
She was absolutely certain. A fleeting look of smugness crossed his face.
What was he smug about?
Was it that the Ministry of Justice and Dali Temple lacked the evidence to convict him, or something else?
A sliver of doubt drifted through Zhong Li's mind.
"Right." As she stared at Miao Jie's triumphant smile gradually fading, she then took out two items from her怀.
"Do you recognize these?"
Miao Jie followed Zhong Li's gaze to her palm.
There, on her delicate jade-like hand, lay two red coral lotus hairpins.
"This..." Miao Jie was startled. After a moment, he quickly said, "No... I don't recognize them. What are these?"
"It's nothing. If you don't recognize them, then so be it." Zhong Li glanced at Miao Jie and, before him, slowly put the hairpins back into her sleeve. She then stood up and walked towards the exit.
At that moment, Lu Wuxie's carriage had been waiting at the entrance of the Ministry of Justice for a long time.
Just as Zhong Li boarded, he was about to ask.
Zhong Li spoke first, "There's something strange about Peng Yong's case. Miao Jie is the murderer of Ming Xia!"