Zhao Si Pan phrased it as a question, but he immediately stepped right in front of Mingyi, his overwhelming presence instantly freezing the atmosphere around them.
Ji Bozhai felt displeased, his fingertips twitching slightly.
"Bozhai." Gong Wang, sensing the tension, quickly pressed his hand down. "It's just a few questions—no need for punishment."
For others, it might just be a few questions, but this timid little girl of his would surely be frightened to tears. He was here, alive and well—how could he let her be bullied into crying by someone else?
He switched hands, ready to throw the man out.
However, before he could act, Mingyi spoke up: "Since the Adjudicator is impartial in his judgment, this humble girl naturally must cooperate."
Kneeling gracefully, her slender neck unbowed, she met Zhao Si Pan’s gaze without flinching. "Please, my lord, take a seat."
Standing here to interrogate would undoubtedly be a slight to Ji Bozhai’s dignity, but if he sat down for a drink, it would merely be a casual conversation.
She had considered the situation carefully, her words measured and appropriate. Ji Bozhai couldn’t help but glance at her in surprise.
Mingyi gently pressed his clenched hand resting on his thigh, then shielded him as she turned to the now-seated Zhao Si Pan. "What questions does my lord have?"
"Dare I ask, Miss, did you see Wei Hongfei and Zou Wancheng on the day of the inner courtyard banquet?"
"Of course I did. The two gentlemen were seated in the second row on the left side of the hall, closer to the right."
"Oh?" Zhao Si Pan’s gaze sharpened. "Did you offer them wine?"
Mingyi smiled bitterly. "Does my lord not know the purpose of a Dancing Girl? Naturally, I offered wine to all the esteemed guests present."
"At what time did you approach them?"
"There was no water clock in the hall, so I cannot say for certain. But when I went over, the two gentlemen were still chatting and appeared to be in good spirits."
Zhao Si Pan fell silent, his piercing eyes scrutinizing Mingyi’s face inch by inch.
Mingyi met his gaze steadily, composed and unruffled.
After a long pause, Zhao Si Pan said, "You are the most suspicious one."
Yet there was not a trace of guilt or panic in her eyes—clearly, she was neither hiding anything nor lying.
Gong Wang studied Mingyi for a long moment before suddenly speaking. "Suspicion alone is not enough. Miss Ming’s background is clean and verifiable, and she has never had contact with Carefree Grass. Conviction is impossible."
"That night, there were over seventy Dancing Girls. Only Miss Ming is both from Yuancounty and had offered wine to the two deceased before their deaths. She even left the inner courtyard afterward and has yet to be questioned." Zhao Si Pan grew impatient.
Half a month was more than enough time for her to craft a flawless lie. Even if she couldn’t be convicted, she wasn’t entirely above suspicion.
Mingyi’s expression turned unusually stern, a hint of anger flashing across her face. "What does my lord mean by this? Unable to find the real culprit, so you’re forcing the label of suspect onto me?"
Zhao Si Pan glared at her, unimpressed. A mere Dancing Girl—if not for Ji Bozhai’s backing, he would have already resorted to torture.
"I had thought Adjudicator Zhao was a just and honorable official, hence his flawless record. Who would have guessed he’s just another fame-chaser, valuing his reputation over the truth of the case?" She stood, her willow-leaf brows furrowed. "Had the esteemed lords not been present today, would Adjudicator Zhao have simply tortured me into confessing as the murderer?"
Zhao Si Pan’s anger flared. He was, after all, a dignified Adjudicator—how dare a Dancing Girl point her finger at him and hurl accusations?
But with a glance at Ji Bozhai beside her, he swallowed his rage and only said coldly, "Mind your words, girl. Slandering an official warrants the Bone-scraping Punishment."Mingyi was amused. "Slander? If telling the truth counts as slander, then your actions today constitute framing. This humble girl has received Lord Ji's kindness and would never wish to implicate his reputation over baseless accusations. I implore you to investigate thoroughly before making claims."
As the saying goes, when beating a dog, one must consider its master. After all, she was now Ji Bozhai's person. If she were labeled a murderer, Ji Bozhai would bear collateral responsibility.
Gritting her teeth, she finished speaking indignantly and sat back down beside Ji Bozhai.
Ji Bozhai had initially been displeased, but watching this sharp-tongued girl verbally spar with others suddenly made him smile.
Gently stroking her hair, he said, "If you were the murderer, I wouldn't protect you. But if you're innocent, no one will wrong you while I'm here."
Though these words appeared directed at her, every syllable landed squarely on Adjudicator Zhao Si Pan's head.
Adjudicator Zhao grew angry and made to stand, but Prince Gong pressed down on his shoulder.
"This case is rather complex—difficult to investigate thoroughly. This isn't Adjudicator Zhao's fault," Prince Gong said with a smile. "Let's leave it at that. Today we're here to celebrate my son's hundred-day ceremony, let's not dwell on such matters."
"Indeed, with such fine wine in Prince Gong's residence, how can you still discuss other things? Come, let's drink!"
"Adjudicator Zhao, have some dishes, have some dishes."
"Lord Ji, let me toast you."
The guests chattered to change the subject, quickly seating Adjudicator Zhao and Ji Bozhai back-to-back.
Still fuming, Mingyi picked up her wine and muttered, "I never knew there were only seventy dancing girls at that banquet with no one else present. Why only interrogate the dancing girls? Could it be they're the easiest to bully?"
Yan Xiao, sitting nearby, couldn't help laughing. "Miss Ming, calm your anger. The poison used was Carefree Grass, which is only available in the inner courtyard. Besides your group, no one else approached those officials, so the adjudicator naturally suspected only the dancing girls."
"Then this humble girl is even more confused," Mingyi set down her cup. "Just because Carefree Grass is from the inner courtyard, does that mean outsiders can't obtain it? If none of the esteemed officials present could get it, how could mere dancing girls like us have acquired it?"
"And about proximity—true, dancing girls can actively approach them. But have the esteemed officials considered that perhaps those two deceased officials stood up to propose toasts themselves? Who did they interact with? Has the adjudicator interrogated and tortured every one of those people?"
Yan Xiao was stunned by her words. Even the still-angry Adjudicator Zhao stiffened and swiftly turned to look at her.
Unaware, Mingyi continued grumbling, "How can you eliminate suspects based on just a few pieces of evidence? Who knows how many are true or false? Until there's irrefutable evidence, everyone could be the murderer."
She spoke out of frustration, but Adjudicator Zhao felt as if enlightenment had dawned upon him. He stood up excitedly.
"What now?" She instinctively shrank closer to Ji Bozhai.
"Your words are brilliant," Adjudicator Zhao said, all previous hostility gone as he raised his cup toward Mingyi. "This official considered matters inadequately. I offer my apologies."
Mingyi wrinkled her nose, finding this man's moods unpredictable. But since he was a high-ranking official, she reluctantly accepted the wine and drank.
The others were baffled. "Adjudicator Zhao, what's the matter?"
"Upon discovering the poison was Carefree Grass, this official eliminated many outsiders based on the inner courtyard pharmacy's Carefree Grass records from the past two years," Adjudicator Zhao explained, looking at Prince Gong. "But Miss Ming's words have shown me another path."
Prince Gong gazed at Mingyi with appreciation. "In that case, Miss Ming has rendered meritorious service."He turned and instructed the servant, "Go pick two boxes of the newly arrived rouge from the mansion and present them to Ming Guniang."
Mingyi's eyes lit up, eager to express her gratitude immediately, but she hesitated and glanced at Ji Bozhai.
He hadn't uttered a word since earlier. While others were praising her, he alone remained indifferent, his expression unreadable.
Had she overstepped somewhere?
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