Ji Donghe's cold sneer abruptly froze on his face.
Xiao Jinyu stared at Ji Donghe, enunciating each word clearly, "She has already confessed."
Ji Donghe remained rigid for a long moment before squeezing out three words through gritted teeth, "Impossible..."
A long sigh drifted from the corner, "Nothing is impossible when you encounter this official... But rest assured, that young girl didn't have a single sincere word in ten sentences, truly nauseating. I won't fight you for her."
Ji Donghe's fists clenched until they turned white.
Xiao Jinyu spoke unhurriedly, "According to the maids in your residence, you and your wife would quarrel over anything... But in truth, it all came down to one matter, yet you could never bring yourself to speak of it no matter how much you argued, am I right?"
Ji Donghe ground his molars audibly, his face deathly pale, his body trembling slightly.
Steward Wang looked at Ji Donghe with complete bewilderment.
"You're a scholar, one who studies dead texts. Your exterior is all benevolence and morality, but in your heart, you only care about saving face... You knew Tang Yan's capabilities, feared he would see through everything the moment he arrived, leaving you utterly humiliated. You originally intended to send your wife back to her family before Tang Yan's arrival, but Madame Ji refused. During your argument, you resorted to violence against her. When she picked up scissors to defend herself, knowing the steward was utterly loyal and would cover for you if anything happened, you pretended it was an accident and killed her to end the matter once and for all."
"You always considered your wife's maid your confidante, repeatedly promising to marry her as your legitimate wife after your wife's death. Right after your wife died, you instructed her to impersonate your wife leaving the residence, promising to marry her after the situation cooled down... But this confidante of yours was also greedy. Upon learning Jing Yi was a young master from a prominent capital family, she immediately attached herself to him and confessed everything she knew..."
"That day, Tang Yan said you went to Gathered Fragrance Pavilion to order a table of dishes because you feared losing face before Tan Zhang... But according to my comparison, your residence's kitchen has sufficient staff, including a cook whose skills rival those of renowned capital restaurants. Having not seen Tang Yan for years, given your temperament, you wouldn't miss this opportunity to show off to him..."
"However, there is another possibility: you feared the kitchen might purchase Madame Ji's corpse that might be sold that day, yet couldn't directly tell the kitchen not to buy meat from Full Fragrance Butchery to avoid suspicion. Thus, you had to order from Gathered Fragrance Pavilion, which always uses freshly slaughtered pork from their own supply. Unexpectedly, Gathered Fragrance Pavilion recently faced supply shortages and had to purchase meat from Full Fragrance Butchery, which had ample stock. And so, your wife's corpse coincidentally ended up on your dining table."
After speaking all this in one breath, Xiao Jinyu couldn't help but cough several times.
The hall fell into dead silence. Even the five butchers who had been vomiting incessantly stopped, looking at the usually refined and polite Magistrate Ji as if he were a ghost. Chu Chu moved closer to Xiao Jinyu.
Xiao Jinyu looked at Ji Donghe with a slight frown. "How could it come to this..."
Ji Donghe glanced at Xiao Jinyu, then at Chu Chu who stood close to him, and let out a cold laugh. "How could it come to this? Your Highness, if the Imperial Concubine slept with me before sleeping with you, then you would understand how it could come to this..."
Chu Chu froze in shock.
Xiao Jinyu's face darkened instantly. He grabbed the magistrate's gavel beside him and slammed it hard on the table. "How dare you!"
The guards on both sides instantly drew their swords, and in the blink of an eye, they had their blades pressed against Ji Donghe's neck from both sides.Chu Chu shrank back in fright. She had never seen Wang Ye so enraged before—his face was terrifyingly dark, his gaze as cold and sharp as a blade, as if he wanted to devour someone alive.
Not only had Chu Chu never seen it, but even the two guards had never witnessed Xiao Jin Yu this furious. Even Jing Yi hadn’t seen him like this in a long while.
Ji Dong He was also startled by Xiao Jin Yu’s reaction. He had assumed this man was always composed and detached, treating everything with icy calm...
"Ji Dong He..." Xiao Jin Yu gripped the magistrate’s gavel tightly, his knuckles turning white, his voice so cold it seemed capable of freezing Ji Dong He to death on the spot. "This prince intended to spare you some dignity, but you have none to begin with... Your wife was violated by Tan Zhang shortly after your marriage. To protect your official reputation, she endured in silence. As a local official, you secretly learned of this yet not only failed to seek justice for your wife, but even contemplated killing her to save face—worse than a beast! After the incident, instead of repenting, you feared this prince would uncover the truth and attempted to harm me. Your motives are truly sinister... Drag him out and execute him immediately. Display his corpse at the city gates for three days as a warning to all!"
In the blink of an eye, the two guards hauled Ji Dong He away, his feet barely touching the ground.
Xiao Jin Yu closed his eyes, slowly steadying his breath.
Seeing his face shift from dark fury to deathly pale, Chu Chu worriedly approached and whispered, "Wang Ye, please don’t be angry..."
Xiao Jin Yu took a deep breath and gently opened his eyes. Before he could speak, a sudden dizziness struck him. His hand barely had time to brace against the desk before his vision went black and he collapsed forward.
☆、41 Sweet and Sour Ribs (XXI)
Watching Xiao Jin Yu slump over the desk, Chu Chu was startled and reached out to support him.
"Wang Ye, what’s wrong!"
Jing Yi’s expression shifted sharply. He darted forward but had no time to speak before Gu He Nian urgently shouted from behind the screen, "Don’t touch him!"
Jing Yi swiftly pulled Chu Chu aside as Gu He Nian scurried out from behind the screen, exclaiming breathlessly, "You just handled a corpse..." Jing Yi shot him a glare, and Gu He Nian halted mid-step, quickly correcting himself, "...your hands are dirty, don’t touch him! Step back, everyone step back..."
Gu He Nian cleared his throat and approached, taking Xiao Jin Yu’s wrist to check his pulse. His expression gradually eased, and he adopted a more respectful tone. "Lord Jing, may I trouble you to escort Wang Ye to the rear hall..."
Jing Yi replied solemnly, "Understood."
"Imperial Concubine, please wash thoroughly and fumigate yourself with Chinese Honey Locust and Atractylodes Smoke before attending to Wang Ye. If anything were to happen... don’t accuse this old man of deceit again."
Chu Chu was frantic with worry, but hearing the old physician’s words and seeing Jing Yi obey him without question, she hastily nodded. "I’ll go right away!"
Chu Chu vanished in a flash. As Jing Yi prepared to wheel Xiao Jin Yu away, the accountant among the five butchers snapped back to awareness and hurriedly asked, "S-Sir... what about us?"
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