After much deliberation, Fu Yueli decided on a compromise explanation: he went to bed early, so he couldn't hear the noise in the yard. Just as he was about to speak, Xu Ziling spoke up, "Master Fu can't prove it. The guest room he stayed in was far from mine, and he's blind, so how could he know if I was home?"
Fu Yueli never expected Xu Ziling to say this. It seemed that she knew what he was thinking and was considering him specially.
Fu Baiheng smiled faintly and said, "That means, apart from that child, no one can prove that you were at home that night, right?"
"good."
"Okay, second question. Two months ago, shortly after your father passed away, the prefect, Du Ruzhen, came to see you. You also went to the Du residence once later. I'd like to know what he wanted to talk to you about?"
"Except for you, everyone else who came to see me was seeking medical treatment. Lord Du was of course here for treatment as well. As for why I went to the Du Mansion, it was because Lord Du mentioned when he came to see me that the young master had developed prickly heat due to the hot weather. After all, the young master was only four months old and it was difficult for him to go out, so I went to the Du Mansion."
"So what disease is Master Du treating?"
Xu Ziling frowned. "A doctor has the responsibility to keep patient confidentiality. I'm sorry I can't tell you."
Fu Baiheng was startled, then smiled: "Just now you said that the young master had prickly heat, why did you tell me this?"
"I'm just telling you why I went to the Du Mansion. Besides, prickly heat is a normal phenomenon, not a disease."
Fu Baiheng nodded seriously and said slowly, "Well, four days ago we found all the missing people in a cave outside the city, but they had all been drugged, making them dizzy and unable to remember anything. But a few people still told me that they saw a green-eyed ghost in the cave. I believe they are not lying, but I also believe that there are no ghosts in this world, only people pretending to be ghosts."
"What exactly do you want to say?" Xu Ziling's tone was slightly angry. Fu Baiheng's words implied that he suspected she was the green-eyed ghost, so of course she was angry.
Fu Yueli was shocked when he heard the word "green eyes". The pupil piece Xu Ziling showed him that night was green. Could this matter really be related to Xu Ziling?
Shi Mingyue and Lu Lingyan looked at Xu Ziling and Fu Baiheng intently, their hearts also in turmoil. From what Fu Baiheng said, it seemed that they already had evidence to prove that Xu Ziling was the green-eyed ghost.
Fu Baiheng smiled gently and said, "My men discovered that Doctor Xu had made a deal with a merchant from Wutan a few months ago. He bought some rare medicinal herbs brought back from the Western Regions, as well as a pair of green eye lenses. If someone wears green eye lenses, wouldn't that give them green eyes? Uninformed people might mistake them for green-eyed ghosts."
Xu Ziling also laughed: "So you mean to say that I am the green-eyed ghost?"
Fu Baiheng remained noncommittal. "I never said that. You said it yourself. Actually, there's another thing about your father. More than two months ago, your father diagnosed and prescribed medicine for a patient, but the patient died that very night after taking the medicine. Later, his relatives came to his house and accused your father of murder. They even reported it to Du Ruzhen. In the end, your father found out that the patient died because he ate grapefruit after taking the medicine, which caused his heart rate to drop and he fainted without anyone noticing. Is there anything wrong with what I said above?"
Xu Ziling's face turned pale and he said, "No."
"Your father, feeling guilty for not warning a patient against eating pomelo, which led to his death, hanged himself. As for you, because you didn't want others to know your father had committed suicide, you asked Du Ruzhen to collect and register your father's body as having died of an acute illness. Am I right?"
Xu Ziling said angrily, "What you said is all right, but what does the missing person case have to do with my father? Please stop bringing up my father!"
After listening to Fu Baiheng's story, the others were shocked. It turned out that Xu Tiandong had such an experience before his death.
Facing Xu Ziling's angry gaze, Fu Baiheng suddenly shouted, "You know whether it's related or not! Du Ruzhen has confessed everything, do you still want to hide it?"
Du Ruzhen confessed? Xu Ziling looked at Fu Baiheng and immediately calmed down. How could he confess? Unless he wanted to die, even if he didn't, he would not fail to consider his wife and children. So Fu Baiheng was deceiving her. After clarifying this point, Xu Ziling said calmly: "I have told you everything I know. If you still doubt me, please show me the evidence. You said Du Ruzhen confessed. What did he confess to?"
Fu Baiheng had never imagined that Xu Ziling, despite being so young, could be so cunning. He saw through his trick at a glance. He suddenly stood up and said with a smile, "Thank you, Doctor Xu, for your assistance with the case today. I won't bother you any more."
Xu Ziling sneered, "It is our duty as common people to assist the government in handling cases. Goodbye."
Fu Baiheng then left with Qin Zheng and Yuan Daixu, and Fu Yueli and the others followed.
"Do you think her figure is similar to the person you saw that night?" Fu Baiheng asked Qin Zheng beside him in a low voice as they walked.
Qin Zheng could no longer remember what happened that night. He only remembered a blurry figure, whose face was completely white and had no facial features. The only thing he remembered was that the person had a pair of green eyes.
"I don't remember, but she's certainly a strong suspect." The missing person in the cave had been drugged in large quantities. Only a medical practitioner could have prepared such a large quantity, and used such precise amounts. Furthermore, Xu Ziling had reason to hate Du Ruzhen and to want to kill him. During the trial of a patient who died from eating grapefruit, Du Ruzhen had mocked Xu Tiandong before the cause of death was determined. Even after Xu Tiandong discovered the cause himself, Du Ruzhen assigned primary responsibility for the case to him. While Xu Tiandong wasn't imprisoned, he was given twenty lashes of the cane as punishment. Confused by the guilt and Du Ruzhen's high-sounding accusations in court, Xu Tiandong ultimately committed suicide.
"It's not that she's a strong suspect. I'm very sure she's the real culprit." Fu Baiheng corrected Qin Zheng. He had a lot of evidence, but he lacked the crucial evidence that confirmed Xu Ziling as the perpetrator. That day, Du Ruzhen woke up and claimed he didn't remember anything. No matter how many people asked, he always said he didn't know.
Fu Baiheng could tell at once that he was pretending; no one could play dirty with him. He could only investigate Du Ruzhen's relationships, ultimately leading to Xu Ziling. He could explain Xu Ziling's father's desire to kill Du Ruzhen, but he couldn't explain why Xu Ziling had captured those young men and women and imprisoned them in the cave. So today, he had simply come to test Xu Ziling's abilities. Xu Ziling's reaction confirmed his suspicions, but the point still remained: why had she imprisoned those missing people?
Fu Yueli and others walking behind were also puzzled. Shi Mingyue thought that since Qin Zheng had come, it meant that the Second Prince and others had reason to suspect Xu Ziling. It seemed that this missing person case was becoming more complicated.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
