Chapter 29 Abandoned Child
Fang Qing.
Li Jin frowned slightly.
"It was Fang Qing, a big merchant from Yiyang, who killed him!" She crawled two steps on her knees and grabbed Li Jin's ankle as if she had grasped a lifeline. "Your Honor, Fang Qing used my son's life to blackmail me into finding him a young girl."
"But the girl next door... a year ago, Fang Qing forced himself on her in front of her sick husband. Afterwards, the sick husband wanted to report it to the authorities, and Fang Qing pushed him to stop him. Who knew he would hit his head on their stone mill for making tofu and die like that!"
At this point, Granny Liu cried out, her head repeatedly hitting the ground: "That's all I know! That's all! Your Honor, have mercy! Please don't say I told you! Otherwise, I'll die too! I'll die too!"
Standing before her, Li Jin looked down at her with a solemn expression, emphasizing each word: "What I'm asking about is the leverage."
This seat?!
Grandma Liu was stunned.
Looking up at Li Jin's face, she was so frightened that she suddenly let go of his ankle and took several steps back in terror.
Even she had only heard rumors about the leader of the Six Doors from Fang Qing.
Prince Jing, Li Jin, was a war god on the battlefield; no case he couldn't solve. After the incident next door, Fang Qing specifically sent someone to tell her that Yun Fei, a trace evidence expert from the Six Doors known for his keen eyesight, happened to be in Xiaolin Village, and warned her to be extremely careful and not to be targeted by Yun Fei.
But he never mentioned that the leader of the Six Doors, Prince Jing, Li Jin, was also in Xiaolin Village!
Looking at the terrified Granny Liu, Li Jin knew that the old woman's psychological defenses had completely collapsed.
He turned around, sat back on the bench, and started waving his fan.
He wasn't in a hurry when she didn't speak; he just watched her, giving her time to think things through.
After an unknown amount of time, Granny Liu, knowing she could not escape this calamity, buried her head in her hands and spoke in great pain: "...Actually, it's not a handle...The girl has a strong personality. Her husband died, and she was forcibly taken by someone. She was determined to report it to the authorities."
“I told her that Fang Qing has a lot of power. Even though Magistrate Lin is a diligent and people-loving official, he can’t withstand Fang Qing’s power. She’s so reckless, she might end up harming Magistrate Lin.”
As she spoke, she glanced at Magistrate Lin standing behind her, then lowered her eyes in regret: "Then, I advised her to pretend to submit to Fang Qing, save some money, and find an opportunity to file a complaint in Yiyang."
At this point, Granny Liu beat her chest and cried out again, "It's all my fault!"
"If I hadn't told her that day, hadn't told her that the Six Doors had a constable known for his keen insight, that she was in Yiyang, she wouldn't have packed her things, intending to sneak off to Yiyang under the cover of night to file a complaint, and she probably wouldn't have died!"
After saying that, Granny Liu lay down on the ground and cried uncontrollably.
Only Li Jin sat there, glaring at her, and after a long while said, "I'll give you one last chance." He looked her down, "How exactly did Miss Lian's husband die?"
The answer to this question, from the initial cold to the current death from hitting one's head, seems reasonable. However, the missing link is the slow-acting poison that can turn the bones black.
Granny Liu swallowed hard, pondered for a long time with fear and unease, and said in a trembling voice, "It was...it was Fang Qing, who pushed him down and caused him to fall to his death..."
Li Jin glanced at her face and snorted coldly, "Since that's the case, I have no other questions."
He got up to leave, saying as he went, "Grandma Liu, it's getting late, get some rest."
In short, Granny Liu was horrified. She knelt down and watched as everyone in front of her followed Li Jin out. Fear of the ruthless Fang Qing gradually enveloped her heart.
They've all left, so what will happen to her? Will Fang Qing, like he did with Miss Lian, take advantage of the dark and windy night to silence her?
Terrified, she trembled all over and scrambled out to chase after him: "Your Honor! Your Honor! I'll talk! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything! Miss Lian's husband isn't sick! Fang Qing gave me a small bottle of poison and told me to visit him every day, and when he wasn't looking, to mix it into his medicine and make him drink it!"
She kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Every word I said is true! Every word is true! Fang Qing promised me a thousand taels of silver in order to take Miss Lian by his side. I was blinded by the money and did such a foolish thing!"
Granny Liu stammered, blood trickling from her forehead: "That bottle! That bottle is still with me! I confess! I confess! The magistrate will surely take me to jail, but I don't want to die, I don't want to die!"
It's safer to stay in the Xiaolin County jail than here, where Fang Qing's assassins could strike at any moment.
She stood in the courtyard, watching the constables search her house and find the gold and silver jewelry hidden there. She watched as the small bottle containing a lot of poison that Fang Qing had given her was handed to Li Jin, and watched as his gaze fell on the small "Fang Mansion" seal on the bottom of the bottle.
“At the time, Fang Qing told me to throw away the bottle after I finished. I thought it was a beautiful bottle and it would be a pity to throw it away, so I kept it.” She pursed her lips. “Later, Fang Qing asked me to do more and more bad things, and I became more and more afraid. I dared not throw away the bottle because I heard that rich people would engrave their names and seals on their porcelain, which might be evidence in the future.”
“I…I’m also afraid that one day, Fang Qing will throw me away like a discarded pawn.”
After searching the entire courtyard and finding countless items worth a fortune, it was already getting dark.
The sun shone brightly during the day, but by evening, dark clouds loomed overhead, threatening a heavy rain.
Li Jin looked at the small bottle in his hand, opened the red cap, and with just one glance, he was certain that it was powdered dried oleander leaves.
It is not easy to obtain.
He looked up at the gloomy sky, glanced at Jin Shu and Zhou Zheng behind him, and said, "Let's go."
Originally, Jin Shu thought he was going straight to Yiyang, but to her surprise, Li Jin went straight back to Xiaolin County Government Office, placed the bottle of poison on the Eight Immortals Table in the back hall of the county government office, stood in front of it with his arms crossed, and did not move it for half an hour.
Unlike him.
Outside, spring thunder rumbled, and in the blink of an eye, a torrential downpour began.
The county government office's usual dilapidation and old age were vividly reflected at this moment in the wooden basins scattered all over the floor to catch water.
The sound of rain, dripping water, wind, and thunder.
Inside the room, beneath the painting, a man sat at the octagonal table, expressionless and silent, the atmosphere eerily solemn.
Jin Shu wanted to ask, but dared not step forward. After hesitating for a moment, her gaze fell on Zhou Zheng, who stood like a pine tree at the door, and she muttered softly, "What's wrong with Your Highness?"
Zhou Zheng glanced at her, then looked back at Li Jin's back and whispered, "Yunfei's itinerary should not be exposed."
In one sentence, he hit the nail on the head, giving Jin Shu a sense of clarity that seemed to clear away the clouds.
If the girl's death was truly to go to Yiyang to complain to Yunfei, then how did Fang Qing know that Yunfei, who usually lives in the capital, would come to Yiyang?
Although he was not traveling on official business, who would care so much about the movements of the Six Doors constables?
Li Jin stared at the small bottle in front of her, her lips pressed tightly together.
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