Murong Ye turned around, his pupils contracting.
Who else could it be but Ye Chutang?
His expression was full of hatred. "Are you satisfied now?"
Ye Chutang’s brow arched slightly. "What are you referring to, Mr. Murong?"
She glanced inside. Through the dense crowd, she could only catch a glimpse of the scene within.
But that wasn’t why she had come anyway, so it didn’t matter how much she saw.
"The people involved in this case are all closely related to me. Is it so strange that I’ve come?"
Murong Ye looked as if he’d heard a joke. "The nerve of you to say that! You know full well that the person kneeling in there is your own cousin! I know you have many grievances with her, but no matter what, you shouldn’t have—"
"You’re mistaken, Mr. Murong." Ye Chutang cut him off, her eyes cold. "The one lying in a coffin at the Yizhuang is my second aunt. She died under such mysterious circumstances. How could I just stand by and do nothing?"
"You—"
"The government will pass judgment on the rights and wrongs of this case. As an outsider, Mr. Murong, you don’t need to get involved, do you?"
As Ye Chutang spoke, her gaze swept coolly over his bruised forehead.
’It was obvious he had just been scolded at home. He can barely save himself, yet he still has the mind to worry about Ye Shixian.’
’From this perspective, that storybook really didn’t exaggerate. It was quite realistic.’
Murong Ye was choked speechless, but this was the entrance to the government office. He’d have to be insane to start a scene with Ye Chutang here.
"I won’t argue with you!"
He looked back inside, wondering how he could get a little closer without drawing everyone’s attention.
’If Ye Shixian could see me, maybe she wouldn’t be so scared...’
"Nonsense!"
A shrill female voice suddenly rang out, causing Murong Ye to freeze, a look of disbelief crossing his face.
Ye Shixian had lost all reason by this point. Oblivious to the watching crowd, her eyes were bloodshot. "I had dinner that day and went straight back to my room to rest! I never left! You’re telling barefaced lies! You wretched slave, will you only be satisfied when I’m dead?!"
Shaoyao seemed to have been angered by the tirade. The fear in her heart gradually faded, replaced by endless disgust.
The overwhelming weight of her past grievances made her emotional as well.
She sneered. "Whether I’m telling the truth or not, don’t you know best, Eldest Miss? You have keys to all the rooms. You can enter and exit any of them without anyone noticing. Besides, the mistress’s maid was in a deep sleep that day and knew nothing. If you could have killed Mrs. Gao on your own, why would you have even thought of me?"
As Shaoyao spoke, she looked up at Zhao Chengyin and swore an oath. "Your Honor! Not a single word I’ve said is false! If I am lying, may lightning strike me down!"
Zhao Chengyin’s gaze shifted between the two, assessing them. He then asked, "So, you’re saying you had a hand in Mrs. Gao’s death as well?"
Shaoyao trembled and tears fell from her eyes.
"Yes. I didn’t dare to speak up at first, but... but after she killed Mrs. Gao, Ye Shixian was afraid the plot would be exposed and said she was sending me back to my hometown. I knew that was just an excuse. She was really planning to find a chance to kill me and silence me forever! I have no choice. I’m dead either way, so I want to die with the truth out in the open!"
’If Ye Shixian wants to discard me after I’ve served my purpose, she can’t blame me for being ruthless!’
Zhao Chengyin narrowed his eyes. "Mere words are no proof. This is just your side of the story. Do you have any evidence besides this?"
All eyes focused on Shaoyao.
That’s right. Evidence!
No matter how convincing a story she spun here, in the end, it all came down to evidence.
But everyone knew Mrs. Gao had been hanged in the middle of the night, and her only attending maid had been in a deep sleep, completely unaware. Under such circumstances, where could any evidence possibly be found?
Shaoyao lowered her head, her hands gradually tightening on her clothes, her knuckles turning white.
Seeing her like this, Ye Shixian almost wanted to laugh out loud.
’If there was evidence, the only piece would have been that pot of herbal tea. But it was poured out completely, and the half-pouch the government took away had nothing wrong with it.’
’If they could have really found anything, why would they have waited until Shaoyao’s accusation to come for me?’
A strange, cold arc formed on Ye Shixian’s lips. "Shaoyao, you’ve been with me for so many years. I originally planned to give you a sum of money so you could go home, find a good man to marry, and no longer have to suffer with me. Unfortunately, you’ve disappointed me so deeply."
Many people exchanged glances.
Watching this from afar, Murong Ye found the scene jarring. It felt like something was blocking his chest, a deeply uncomfortable sensation.
He couldn’t put a name to the feeling. That face was one he knew so well, and she even looked more pitiful at this moment, but he didn’t feel a shred of pity. In fact, he found her to be a stranger.
Her resentment, her sorrow, and the faint smugness hidden beneath her high-sounding words.
It was as if... he had never truly known this woman at all.
Many people began to whisper amongst themselves, and the crowd grew louder and more chaotic.
Just then, Shaoyao suddenly declared, "Your Honor, I have evidence!"
All sound abruptly vanished. The surroundings fell into a dead silence, and the gloating smile on Ye Shixian’s face instantly froze.
Zhao Chengyin said, "Speak."
Shaoyao kowtowed. "Your Honor! I dare not hide anything. That night, when Ye Shixian was hoisting Mrs. Gao onto the beam, Mrs. Gao actually woke up. She must have felt uncomfortable and started to struggle. Ye Shixian was afraid she would open her eyes and realize who was doing it, so she ordered me to hurry up and cover her mouth to keep her from making a sound."
That scene was still deeply seared into Shaoyao’s mind. Every time she thought of it, a chill ran through her body involuntarily.
She shivered. "Probably because of the drug, Mrs. Gao never fully woke up. She gradually stopped moving and was hanged! But while she was struggling, she scratched fiercely at Ye Shixian’s left shoulder. Ye Shixian still has the scar!"
Panic seized Ye Shixian’s heart, but she reacted instantly, retorting, "That’s not right! Your Honor, she is my personal maid. It’s not surprising that she would know such private details. How can you pass judgment based on that?!"
Zhao Chengyin frowned.
’She has a point.’
Shaoyao looked over at her coldly, but a strange, triumphant smile suddenly appeared on her face.
"A scratch mark alone isn’t irrefutable proof, of course, but what if her clothes were torn in the same spot, and what if there were even bloodstains!?"
"What!?"
Ye Shixian’s head snapped up!
’Even I didn’t know about that!’
Seeing the drastic change in her expression, Shaoyao finally felt the satisfaction of venting her pent-up resentment.
"Are you surprised, Eldest Miss? At the time, you were only focused on making sure Mrs. Gao had stopped breathing. You failed to notice that you were carrying the most fatal piece of evidence on your own body, didn’t you?"