Chapter Ninety: The Poor and Passionate Lover

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Thanks to “zgzheng_1976,” “Novia,” “kennyx1989,” and “Sea Monster” for their pink hearts and gifts~

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Ji Changge carefully reviewed the files, his expression growing increasingly grave. He had previously harbored some reservations about Wen Jing, but after examining the case files, he suddenly noticed many similarities among the three cases. Perhaps they were indeed the work of a single perpetrator. Then, he discovered that several pages had been torn out of the file.

“Qi Niang, did you notice this when you looked through the files?” Ji Changge asked, pointing at the torn pages.

Wen Jing took the files and examined them. The tears looked recent, and she clearly remembered that the last time she reviewed the case, those pages were intact.

“These were torn not long ago. When I last saw the files, they were still there,” Wen Jing replied.

“Do you recall what was written on those pages?” Ji Changge continued.

Wen Jing glanced over the surrounding content and pondered for a moment. “The files for those two cases are quite thick. I can’t quite remember what was on those specific pages.”

“The archive room’s key belongs only to Nian Bo; no one else is allowed in freely. Go fetch Nian Bo,” Ji Changge ordered the nearby guard.

“Yes, my lord.”

“Nian Bo, why have you been called?” Nian Bo’s expression remained as impassive as ever.

“Who has entered or exited the archive room recently?” Ji Changge asked directly.

“Reporting to my lord, only Officer Wen and Captain Ding have been in there,” Nian Bo replied.

Ji Changge gave Nian Bo a suspicious look. “No one else?”

Nian Bo shook his head. “No, my lord. I have never left the archive room. The lock is intact.”

“Very well, you may leave.” Ji Changge dismissed him.

No sooner had Nian Bo left than Ding Wu hurried in. “My lord, good news. We have captured that impoverished scholar. His parents have been brought in as well.”

Ji Changge’s eyes brightened. “Bring them in quickly.”

A guard dragged in a disheveled young man, hair unkempt, followed by a middle-aged couple.

All three knelt on the floor simultaneously.

“I, Cheng Shi, pay respects to my lord,” the scruffy man said, brushing back his tangled hair. Yet despite his unkempt appearance, his eyes showed no trace of panic. In contrast, the elderly couple behind him looked pale and frightened.

“I, a humble commoner, Cheng Da Wu, pay respects to my lord,” the older man stammered, his face full of confusion.

“I, the commoner’s wife, Li, pay respects to my lord,” Li Yue’e added.

“Cheng Shi, where were you and what did you do on the 13th of this month?” Ji Changge fixed his gaze on the young man.

Cheng Shi’s expression changed; his face flushed red. He stammered, “I just went out to play for a few days.”

“Play? With whom? Is there any witness?”

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“No. I went alone,” Cheng Shi looked away.

“Where did you spend those days? Did you go treasure hunting in the caves?” Ji Changge smirked, his eyes locked on him.

Cheng Shi hesitated, unable to give a clear answer.

“You bastard! Speak up! The lord is asking you!” someone shouted.

Suddenly, Cheng Shi’s father rushed forward and slapped him several times. Two guards quickly restrained him.

Cheng Shi held his head but remained silent.

“You arranged a meeting with Miss He Yunxiu, didn’t you?” Wen Jing looked at Cheng Shi.

Cheng Shi stared at Wen Jing, surprised and unsettled, as if he couldn’t fathom how much she knew.

“She didn’t want to marry the suitor her father chose. The one she liked was always you. You agreed to run away together, to a place where no one knew you, to start anew like an ordinary married couple: she would sew and cook, you would write poetry and paint, and you would have a lovely child, even naming him...” Wen Jing spoke softly, watching Cheng Shi’s face grow paler by the second.

Silence fell over the courtroom, broken only by Wen Jing’s measured words, each one clear as pearls dropping onto jade plates, stirring the soul.

Cheng Shi burst into laughter, then suddenly wept. “Yes, we fantasized about that scene many times, but in the end... she never came to the meeting. By now, she must be Lady Lu.”

“She’s dead,” Wen Jing said, looking at Cheng Shi.

“What nonsense are you spouting?!” Cheng Shi was stunned for a moment before lunging at Wen Jing, only to be slammed to the ground by Ji Changge’s palm. After rolling twice, he got up but was held down by two guards.

“Don’t deceive me! Yunxiu is happy now. How could she die before me?!” Cheng Shi snarled.

Cheng Da Wu and his wife stared in shock at their son, whose eyes were bloodshot. They had never seen him like this. Since He Yunxiu’s disappearance, the He family had taken control of the rice shop. They had no idea she was dead. Only now, hearing Wen Jing, did they understand why they had been summoned to the court.

“Miss Yunxiu... really died?” Mrs. Cheng whispered. She had seen the girl but never dared hope she would become her daughter-in-law. She always advised her son to give up on the marriage; the He family was beyond their reach. But she never expected such an ending...

“If Miss He never showed up, where were you these past few days?” Ji Changge pressed.

Cheng Shi lifted his head blankly, his eyes unfocused. “I was worried about Yunxiu and wandered into the forest, got lost, and was only found by a hunter who led me out. As soon as I reached home, you captured me.”

Wen Jing was speechless. If He Yunxiu had run off with this bookish fool, she would have been doomed. The worst kind of useless person is a scholar with no practical life skills—exactly like Cheng Shi.

“Such a coincidence? The missing person disappears, and so do you. The dead appears, and so do you.”

“Heh, if you all suspect me of murder, then just kill me too,” Cheng Shi said with a bitter smile, more pitiful than his crying.

Cheng Da Wu and his wife wept, “Son, be honest. Did you kill her?”

“Father, mother, your son is unfilial...” Cheng Shi suddenly slammed his head on the ground.

Ji Changge was alarmed and reached out to stop him but noticed he stopped just two finger-widths above the floor. His lips twitched. Indeed, a pitiful scholar who can’t even kill himself properly—what a waste of energy.

“Slap! Slap! Slap!”

Cheng Shi slapped himself four or five times, then broke down crying loudly. “I’m useless. I can’t even die. Xiuer, it’s my fault you’re gone.”

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Wen Jing was at a loss whether to pity Cheng Shi or be angry at his weakness. Those who are pitiful often have aspects that evoke frustration. No wonder Lord He disliked this “son-in-law.”

“Lock him in the dungeon for now,” Ji Changge ordered two guards.

“Yes, my lord.” The guards dragged Cheng Shi away like a frightened chick.

Ji Changge looked at Cheng Da Wu. “Elders, your son planned to elope with Miss He Yunxiu? Were you aware?”

The couple exchanged a glance and nodded.

“Though Cheng Shi never spoke to us, he has a habit of talking in his sleep. Once, I overheard him. His mother and I thought a legitimate marriage was impossible. Lord He had already sent someone to warn us once, but...” Cheng Da Wu sighed and gestured for his wife to continue.

Mrs. Cheng nodded. “We have only one son. How could we bear to watch him suffer... Without Miss Yunxiu, Shi’er would surely die. So we pretended not to know, hoping if they could start anew elsewhere, it would be a blessing. But we never expected...”

The elderly couple wiped their tears. They loved Yunxiu dearly and felt deep guilt. Had they been less selfish, Yunxiu might still be alive, and their son wouldn’t be imprisoned unjustly...

“On the 13th, the day your son was supposed to elope with the deceased, did he act unusually?” Ji Changge asked, adding, “Don’t try to deceive me. One word could save your son—or doom him.”

Cheng Da Wu nodded. “That day, Shi’er seemed very happy. He packed his things and even bought Yunxiu’s favorite pastry in town. We saw him holding back his smile but said nothing, letting him go.”

“Since the 13th, have you seen Cheng Shi?”

Both shook their heads.

“Return home and wait for news. If you recall anything, come to the court to find me,” Ji Changge said.

After the Chens left, Ji Changge looked at Wen Jing. “Qi Niang, do you think Cheng Shi is suspicious?”

Wen Jing shook her head. “It’s clear he cared deeply for the deceased, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t kill. He’s no fool—perhaps a genius, or even both.”

The line between a lovesick fool and a murderer is often thin; love and hate differ by a single thought. If He Yunxiu didn’t come to the meeting—or if she told Cheng Shi she couldn’t run away with him—his heartbreak could have driven him to desperate acts. His earlier behavior might have been a well-crafted disguise. Ji Changge thought to himself, the worst is to jump to conclusions. The killer is cunning; Cheng Shi’s and Cheng Da Wu’s testimonies alone won’t suffice.

“Ding Wu, investigate the hunter Cheng Shi mentioned. Confirm if he exists,” Ji Changge ordered.

“Yes, my lord.” Ding Wu saluted and left.

Looking at the time, Wen Jing said to Ji Changge, “My lord, if there is nothing else, I shall take my leave.”

Ji Changge nodded and casually asked, “Leaving so early? Something at home?”

“No, I’m going to the residence of Grand Academician Wang.” Wen Jing turned toward the door. She could almost imagine Ji Changge’s stiffened expression, recalling how cheerfully he had smiled earlier.

Ji Changge smiled bitterly. Is this payback for that earlier arrow? (To be continued...)