Little did they know that the little beggar actually claimed to have seen it.

Zheng Yu forcibly suppressed his surging emotions.

"Don't be afraid, little one."

"Tell me, what exactly did you see that night?"

"Who killed that man named Sun Sanlang?"

He handed the two taels of silver forward again.

The little beggar did not reach out to take it.

His hand, which was gnawing on the meat pie, slowed down noticeably, and his large, dark eyes were instantly filled with intense fear.

After a long while, he managed to squeeze out a few words in a voice barely audible.

"Anyway...it's not those three older sisters..."

"When they arrived, the people...they were already dead."

“I am right here, this is my home, and from my home I can see everything.”

Zheng Yu felt as if an invisible hand was gripping his heart tightly!

He pressed further: "So, you personally witnessed that the murderer was someone else? And it had nothing to do with those three sisters?"

The little beggar nodded heavily, still not touching the silver, and only stammered out the rest.

"Someone else did it."

"The murderer... was a man..."

"He came from...he came from over there..."

The little beggar stretched out his dirty, thin finger, which looked like a withered twig, and gestured towards the other end of the alley.

"He went into Sun Sanlang's house in the middle of the night, and for some reason, the two of them started arguing very quickly."

"I'm at my home..."

The little beggar pointed to the garbage heap behind him; in his world, this was his "home".

"...and then I saw the two of them arguing, and then...and then..."

"I saw something in the man's hand... it flashed in the night..."

"Then that man named Sun Sanlang collapsed...there was so much blood..."

"The man who committed the murder ran away..."

[Meat pie successfully bribed Zheng Yu, he's the most crucial NPC.]

[Ha! What a relief! I knew the villainous female supporting character was innocent. Look at all the important details this little beggar revealed!]

Although there is an eyewitness, he is just an insignificant little beggar... Even in court, Qin Wuyu would certainly not admit to it.

The clues point to a mysterious man, the male protagonist, who has no connection to He Yi.

This information is more than just important!

This is practically the only chance to turn the tide!

Zheng Yu was so excited that his fingertips were numb, and he could barely control his voice.

"Young man, let me ask you again, did you see the man's face clearly? What color clothes was he wearing? Was he tall or short, fat or thin, or was there anything special about him?"

This time, Zheng Yu simply took out the entire money bag, intending to give it to the little beggar.

The little beggar tried hard to recall, his face scrunched up like a walnut.

Zheng Yu softened his tone, as gentle as a spring breeze: "No rush, take your time to think. If you want meat pies, your brother will make sure you're full."

The little beggar racked his brains and finally spoke again, his voice still faint.

"It's...too dark..."

"After that person killed someone, he ran away very fast. I... I didn't see his face clearly."

Zheng Yu's heart sank.

"but!"

The little beggar seemed to remember something and suddenly looked up.

"But I'm sure he's not tall... short and chubby..."

Joy washed over Zheng Yu once again!

[In short, this is already a success. Keep asking questions.]

Don't rush. Just follow the clues and get to the bottom of this. You vicious female supporting character, think about who your real nemesis is.

The little beggar stammered, "That short, fat man, his clothes looked black... I remembered his movements! I'll definitely recognize him next time I see him!"

Although there aren't many clues, they are priceless to Zheng Yu right now!

Zheng Yu was overjoyed and patted the little beggar's shoulder heavily.

"That's great! Little one, you've done your brother a huge favor today!"

The little beggar was a little embarrassed by the praise, smiled shyly, and didn't say anything.

Zheng Yu no longer hesitated and grabbed the little beggar's wrist.

"Now, please come with your brother!"

The little beggar's smile froze instantly, replaced by extreme terror.

"Go? Go...where to? Sir, please don't joke around, please...let me go..."

He struggled, as if he wanted to bite someone.

Zheng Yu immediately released his hand, but his gaze remained fixed on him like an iron clamp.

“We’ll go to the Jingzhao Prefecture government office and tell the upright official everything you saw!”

"If you speak up, you can prove the innocence of those three older sisters! You'll also receive a large reward!"

When I heard about the Jingzhao Prefecture government office.

The little beggar's face drained of color instantly, his pupils contracted sharply, and he let out a shrill scream, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on!

"No! I'm not going!"

"I'd rather die than go to the yamen!"

"My father... my father was arrested by the officials of the yamen... and beaten to death!"

He screamed in terror, curled up in a corner, covered his head with his hands, and trembled violently all over.

"They started beating people without even asking what happened! I don't want to go! They'll kill me! Kind people, please, please let me go! I really don't want to go!"

The child's cries were heart-wrenching, like a dull knife stabbing deep into Zheng Yu's heart in the quiet night.

[The government office? No, no, no, I can't go there!]

Don't be afraid! Brother Zheng Yu will definitely protect you. Once we get to the Minister's mansion, you'll have a good life ahead of you.

It seems that government offices are a source of childhood trauma for children; they are practically cannibalistic dens of monsters.

Seeing the little beggar's terrified expression, Zheng Yu's heart sank as well.

He tried to get closer, his voice extremely soft, as if afraid of shattering a handful of glass.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here."

"You just need to tell me everything you saw that night, exactly as it happened."

"No...I'm not going!"

"I'm not going!"

[A key witness refused to appear in court, leaving Zheng Yu dumbfounded.]

No matter how Zheng Yu tried to persuade him, how he promised, or even how he would ensure that the little beggar would never have to worry about food or clothing in the future, the little beggar just shook his head stubbornly.

Zheng Yu steeled his resolve; he couldn't let him go!

This is the only chance!

He immediately reached out, intending to take the person back to his residence and settle them in.

But before his fingertips could even touch the child's thin clothes, the child screamed as if branded with a hot iron and broke free.

In the blink of an eye, it disappeared into the endless darkness.

Zheng Yu's outstretched hand remained frozen in mid-air.

Hope, which had just been ignited, was blown away completely by the cold night wind.

The only eyewitness, carrying testimony that could clear He Yi's name, simply fled.

What should he do?

Should we bribe that money-grubbing Qin Wuyu?