"You need not look at him... Though he provided funds to help you open the wine shop, he also exploited its convenience to collude corruptly with officials from neighboring prefectures and counties, even having you offer yourself to accompany guests. Having come from a brothel, are you still unaware of how cold and fickle human affections can be?"
Watching Tan Zhang and Wan Niang's faces turn ghostly pale, Xiao Jin Yu gave a cold, faint smile. "Lord Tan, do you know why I find the places where the Sixth Prince has stayed so distasteful?"
Tan Zhang trembled as he knelt, not daring to utter a word.
"Because the Sixth Prince once told me he never stays overnight at the residences of honest officials, fearing he might waste their hard-earned money... Lord Tan, do I need to send men to raid your home for proof?"
"No, no... I wouldn't dare trouble you, Your Highness! I confess! I confess!"
"Wan Niang was ignorant and momentarily confused... I beg for Your Highness's mercy!"
Xiao Jin Yu swept a cold gaze over the two. "How to judge the crime and how to grant mercy will depend on the opinions of the Sixth Prince and the Ministry of Personnel. For now, spend a few days sobering up in the yamen prison."
Behind the screen, watching Wan Niang and Tan Zhang being led away, the Clerk of the Criminal Division broke into a cold sweat on his forehead and muttered under his breath, "Is Prince An human or a ghost..."
Chu Chu turned and glared at him, causing the Clerk to fluster and hastily correct himself, "Prince An is a god, a god..." Quickly changing the subject, he asked, "Might I ask, Imperial Concubine, wasn't His Highness supposed to be trying the case of Lord Ji's wife's murder..."
Chu Chu was taken aback. Right, wasn't the case His Highness was presiding over today about Lord Ji's wife? How had he already judged two cases in such a short time without even mentioning Lady Ji's matter!
The Clerk leaned in with an ingratiating whisper, "Who does the Imperial Concubine think is the murderer?"
Chu Chu shook her head repeatedly. "I am a coroner. I can only speak of what I know; I cannot make wild guesses... However, I know the one who dismembered the body must have been a butcher. An ordinary person couldn't cut so precisely. If you don't believe me, take a look..."
"I believe! I believe... The Imperial Concubine's words are absolutely right... absolutely right..."
The Clerk, drenched in cold sweat, turned back to peer through the screen's gap into the main hall, just in time to see the five butchers all drop to their knees with a series of thuds.
"Your Highness, spare us!"
"Your Highness, have mercy!"
"We are guilty, guilty!"
"Yes, yes... we are guilty!"
"I..."
A sharp thud of an inkstone lid hitting the desk came from the corner. "You five! One person speaks, the rest keep quiet!"
A faint, almost imperceptible smile tugged at Xiao Jin Yu's lips. He had known that with Jing Yi recording the trial, there was no need for him to exert effort by slamming the judge's block.
The five men trembled in fear. After a long pause, the one who served as the accountant spoke up, "W-we are guilty. We occasionally... sometimes... often give short measure when selling meat!"
Xiao Jin Yu nodded slightly; he had known since the first time he entered Full Fragrance Butchery and saw the scale on the counter. "What else?"
"And... and we concealed information and hid facts of the case... We didn't mean to! We were just scared out of our wits and did something stupid! Your Highness, spare us!"
Xiao Jin Yu watched the five men kowtowing like chickens pecking at rice and frowned slightly. "What kind of stupidity are we talking about?""I... I got up before dawn that day, and as soon as I entered the courtyard, I saw a human head lying there... Just then, those four came knocking at my gate to load the pork onto the cart. I was afraid others would see it and I wouldn't be able to explain, so in a panic, I buried the head right there in the courtyard... Later... later when the dead human flesh incident came to light, I was even more afraid to touch it... Later still, when the five of us were arrested and thrown into jail together, I learned that they had also discovered dismembered body parts in their own courtyards that morning and, out of fear, buried them in their yards as well..."
A faint voice came from the corner, "This level of stupidity is almost too natural..."
The five men kowtowed in unison, "Spare us, Wang Ye!"
"Wang Ye... could you write that sentence one more time?"
"No."
"..."
Xiao Jin Yu gently turned his gaze to Ji Dong He, who had shown no reaction at all. "Lord Ji, why are you kneeling?"
Ji Dong He slowly kowtowed, his voice hoarse beyond recognition. "I am incompetent..."
"Would Lord Ji like to see your wife one more time?"
Ji Dong He's voice was as desolate as if it came from the underworld. "I have no face to see my wife again..."
"Perhaps Madame Ji would like to see you one more time... Someone, bring in Madame Ji."
Two bailiffs carefully carried out a stretcher covered with a white cloth, the dismembered corpse arranged beneath it. With each step, their legs trembled, terrified that a single misstep might cause them to spill the magistrate's wife all over the floor.
The two bailiffs, faces pale, placed the stretcher before the hall and then scurried back to the side room to vomit.
Chu Chu walked properly to the case table and knelt down ceremoniously. "Chu Chu pays respects to Wang Ye."
The coldness on Xiao Jin Yu's face softened slightly. "Rise and speak."
"Thank you, Wang Ye!"
Xiao Jin Yu glanced indifferently at the kneeling Ji Dong He. "Chu Chu, explain to Lord Ji in detail how Madame Ji died."
Chu Chu responded crisply, stepped forward, and pulled the white cloth away with a single motion.
A distinct gasp came from the corner. The five butchers, catching a glimpse of what lay beneath the cloth, forgot they were in the government hall. They scrambled frantically toward the door, leaning over the threshold and vomiting violently.
Even the two guards standing behind Xiao Jin Yu turned pale.
Before even seeing the outline of the corpse, the stench alone made Xiao Jin Yu's stomach cramp. He propped his forehead with one hand and silently lowered his gaze to the table in front of him.
Seeing that Ji Dong He remained kneeling without looking up, Chu Chu urged, "Lord Ji, I've arranged Madame Ji's body properly. I've sewn up all the parts that could be sewn. When you take her back, just wash her body, dress her in nice clothes, and when she lies in the coffin, no one will be able to tell... Please, look at her."
Xiao Jin Yu couldn't help but look up. The last time he saw the corpse, it was barely recognizable as human. Now, though still severely dismembered, larger pieces had been stitched together, some cleaned bones were covered with flesh, and the head, hands, and feet were attached to their respective places. It could barely be called a human form.
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