Chapter 113 Of course she had a purpose
“At that time, Ma Bocai went to the capital with several refugees he met along the way. You learned that they were the last few people in their respective families, and Ma Bocai was the only one left in his family. So you had a plan.”
“You know very well that you can no longer use the identity of Wu Liang, otherwise it will be exposed sooner or later. But you don’t want to run to the deep mountains and forests to live like a wild man. If you want to live a respectable life outside, the best way is to change your identity.”
“This Ma Bocai is the best identity.”
"The other person is about the same age and build as you. Although their appearance is different, as long as you try to resemble them, you can fool them. Most importantly, they have a fish-shaped talisman that can prove their identity."
"So, on a dark and stormy night, while those people were fast asleep, you took the plunge and killed them all with the dagger you were carrying. You then dragged their bodies into a nearby grove of trees, intending to let wild animals eat them and destroy the evidence."
“From that day on, you transformed into Ma Bocai, a nineteen-year-old student.”
“You originally intended to use this identity to make a living in the capital, but when you passed through Lotus Town, you happened to come across a nearby village that was hiring, so you went there.”
"Your parents dote on you, so they are naturally willing to spend money to send you to school. You are also quite clever and can write quite a few characters. Most importantly, you have a good talent for abacus calculation."
Upon arriving at the manor, you used Ma Bocai's refugee status to put on a pitiful display of emotion, which moved everyone on the manor to pity you, this strong yet tragic scholar. Even the manor's mistress—the orphaned Miss Feng—felt compassion for you.
“You said you had run out of money and wanted to work on the estate to pay it back so you could go to the capital for the imperial examinations in the future, and Miss Feng agreed.”
"The scientific expedition had just ended then, and the next one would be three years away."
"You know your level is so mediocre that you'd struggle to even pass the lowest level of the imperial examinations, let alone become the top scholar. So you start racking your brains again, thinking about how to make money."
"After staying at the estate for a few months, you discovered that Miss Feng didn't care much about it, only visiting once or twice a year, and she didn't know much about the affairs of the estate. So you had an idea."
"You used the method of mixing bad seeds with good seeds to make Miss Feng think that the fertility of the estate had been exhausted. The following year, you planted all good seeds. When you handed over the account books and money to Miss Feng, you only gave her one-fifth of the harvest. Having learned from the experience of the first year, Miss Feng did not suspect anything."
"In this way, you cheated Miss Feng out of money for two consecutive years, accumulating over a thousand taels of silver."
"Originally, you were planning to buy the estate, but later you realized that it would be easier and faster to just trick Miss Feng into your hands. So you devised a drunken farce to make Miss Feng think that she had taken advantage of your innocence while drunk."
But actually, it was you who put something in the drink. However, the naive Miss Feng doesn't understand such underhanded tactics.
"Just like that, Zhuangzi, you've got the people and the money."
"And the happier you are, the more worried you are about your dark past being dug up."
"You are not only afraid that the murder case from a few years ago will be exposed, but you are also worried that the matter of the seeds will be exposed. However, Ms. Feng actually found out about the seeds and questioned you."
"You used your charm to cover things up, but you harbored resentment towards the informant. At the same time, you were worried that Miss Feng would find witnesses. If the evidence were right in front of you, Miss Feng would not be fooled again."
"So you decided to go all the way and eliminate everyone who had received the seeds back then."
Old Zhang was so shocked that he dropped his cane: "Is this why he wants to kill me?!"
Yu Zhiyi couldn't bear to see his pained and sorrowful appearance, but she couldn't lie either, so she nodded and told him the more cruel truth: "He wanted to kill not only you, but also your family. In fact, apart from your son, he killed all your other family members."
"He was worried that you had already leaked the secret, and since you weren't there at the time, he targeted your family first."
Old Zhang staggered a few steps, then leaned weakly against the wall not far away, slowly sliding down, his expression dazed: "How could this happen? How could this happen?!"
In an instant, he flew into a rage and charged at Wu Liang: "You beast! You beast! I had no idea there was anything wrong with those seeds, how could you kill someone over such a ridiculous thing!?"
"Even if you want to kill, come at me alone! What kind of skill is it to lay a hand on my parents and my wife! You beast! You beast!"
He picked up the walking stick from the ground and was about to hit Wu Liang.
Wu Liang cried out incoherently, "Old Zhang, I really didn't do that! I'm innocent!"
You Bingyue grabbed Zhang Laohan's cane. Despite being a woman and using only one hand, the cane refused to fall.
Old Zhang roared in fury: "Why are you protecting this beast!"
You Bingyue flung away her cane, and Old Zhang stumbled several steps because of her movement, almost falling to the ground.
"You believed that woman's words without any evidence?"
Wu Liang nodded vigorously: "This young lady is right! That official is simply making baseless accusations!"
He immediately adopted a pitiful expression: "I don't know where I offended you, that you would go to such lengths to get rid of me. But I haven't done anything wrong, no matter what you say, I won't confess! If I ever confess, it will only be because I was tortured into confessing!"
Old Zhang looked somewhat helplessly at Yu Zhiyi, then at Wu Shan: "Manager Wu..."
Although Manager Wu didn't know where Yu Zhiyi got the information from, he decided to trust his boss unconditionally: "This is our big boss, she has no reason to lie to you."
You Bingyue sneered: "To be honest, there is a need for this. As a new official, she naturally wants to make a big splash. She just took office and caught a criminal with an old case. Isn't that a big gimmick? Will those people in the Ministry of Justice who are not convinced by her be convinced after they hear about this?"
Upon hearing this, everyone showed expressions of sudden realization.
Du Ziheng pinched the bridge of his nose: "Bingyue, Zhiyi isn't that kind of person."
A cold glint flashed in You Bingyue's eyes, but she said nothing.
She no longer wanted to deal with this jerk.
Let the facts slap him in the face!
Just as various opinions were swirling in the air, Yu Zhiyi calmly flicked her sleeves: "You're quite clever, knowing that the truth won't be buried and your crimes will be thoroughly investigated sooner or later. You're trying to manipulate public opinion to gain benefits for yourself, but... who says I don't have evidence?"
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