Wu Caiwei did not intend to let the matter drop. Feigning casualness, she asked, "Li Yiming has been in the capital for years, and scuffles with people are common. I heard he knows some rudimentary martial arts and is quite agile. Also, he grew up by the water as a child and is an excellent swimmer. Even if a frail woman like you could push him into the water when he wasn't paying attention, he wouldn't drown. Is there more to this story?"
Kong Jialiang had initially thought she merely wanted to curry favor with the Prime Minister by providing some clues. He hadn't expected her to fan the flames further. She gazed at him with a deep look.
Wu Caiwei immediately glared back, unyielding. After all, she hadn't done anything wrong. Back in Wu Hu, he had defended her. It was Jiang Yin who hadn't known how to restrain herself and had committed a greater mistake.
"Perhaps he had drunk too much the night before, which allowed me to push him into the water. And he didn't resurface. I suppose my luck was good." As she said this, everyone regarded her with suspicion.
"That's right, my lord. I suddenly remembered something, and it might be related to Young Master Li falling into the water. I happened to be passing by then and saw two people arguing. There was also a wooden box between them. I wonder what was inside the box," Wu Caiwei suddenly had an epiphany and quickly relayed what she had thought of to the county magistrate.
"Reporting to you, my lord, we found a lot of lime at the scene, and right in the center of the lime was the shape of a box. It's estimated that the box Madam Huangfu mentioned contained lime," the advisor also suddenly recalled the matter. He had found it strange at the time and had deliberately noted it down. With so many important figures in the court, he had been nervous and had temporarily forgotten.
"What was that lime for?" The county magistrate looked directly at Jiang Yin. Deep down, he felt that Madam Kong was the instigator of this whole affair. Since someone was taking the blame for her, he had to clarify the matter thoroughly. What if an innocent person was wrongly accused?
What made him feel somewhat conflicted was that if the other party's status were ordinary, he could simply order them to be flogged heavily, unafraid that they wouldn't speak the truth. But now, the other party's status and position were higher than his, and he could not use torture. He had to investigate it according to proper procedure.
The steward of the Prime Minister's mansion, who had remained silent throughout the proceedings, couldn't help but frown. He was here to supervise on behalf of his master, and he found the situation difficult to handle.
Li Yifei was somewhat worried. After much pleading, she had convinced the Prime Minister to agree to her coming to the court. In a corner where no one was paying attention, she had already been standing for a while. She had grasped the general situation. She was different from others; they cared about their reputation. She, who had started as a maid, had no reputation to speak of. All she wanted was to seek justice for her younger brother.
"Where did that lime come from? Someone must know. Besides, this stuff isn't cheap. Could you afford it, a mere maid?" Li Yifei looked at Siqin with sharp eyes. With each question, Siqin's heart trembled a little. She had an intuition that the other party was not easy to fool.
She couldn't help but feel flustered, unsure how to answer. Then, she calmed down. After all, even if she made up a story, the other party wouldn't be able to investigate it thoroughly. "I bought it from a wandering scholar. Just this small amount cost me a full ten taels of silver."
"As far as I know, lime is mainly used for stopping bleeding. What do you, a woman, need these things for? It seems the wooden box that contained the lime is more valuable than the lime itself. I doubt a servant like you could afford it," Wu Caiwei said, not even looking at Kong Jialiang's expression, and directly exposed her lie.
"My lord, she keeps quibbling and deflecting. There must be more to it. Why not simply bring out the torture instruments?" As Jiang Yin's personal head maid, even if Siqin hadn't been involved, she knew the inside story by taking the blame. It wouldn't be unjust for her to be beaten.
The county magistrate nodded. He had the same intention. When the planks fell upon her, Hua Yi realized the taste of pain. She could endure it at first, but later, she couldn't bear it any longer and cried out loudly.
In the past, she had also ordered people to beat other maids. At that time, she had even complained that the other party cried too loudly and too unpleasantly. Now that it was her turn, she understood that deep despair.
With every plank that fell on her, she felt she was about to break, but each time she endured it. Finally, the twenty planks were administered, and she lay on the ground, utterly weak. If she hadn't still had some sensation, she would have doubted if she was dying.
"My lord, I think punishing her alone is too lenient. Since her family didn't raise her properly, they should be punished along with her," Li Yifei, who knew very well what the other party was concerned about, directly hit her weak spot.
Siqin was alarmed upon hearing this and said urgently in a weak voice, "They are innocent. I did everything. Just come after me."
"They are innocent, but was my brother innocent? Although he wasn't a good person, he didn't deserve to die. Everyone who harmed him deserves to die. As his sister, I must seek justice for him," Li Yifei said with a cold smile, looking at her.
Seeing that the county magistrate was indeed listening to her and had sent people to arrest her family, she was completely panicked. The reason she was willing to take all the blame was that she knew that after her death, her young lady would definitely treat her family well. But if her family were to be imprisoned or executed along with her, what would be the meaning of all her actions?
She quickly looked at her young lady with pleading eyes. Jiang Yin glared at her fiercely, thinking, "Are you not seeing that everyone else is watching? Isn't this clearly telling others that the real murderer is me?"
Siqin couldn't help but feel a sense of desolation. Every time she did something, she was careful and cautious because she knew that if something happened to her, her young lady would definitely not find a solution for her. She hadn't expected that even with utmost caution, she would still be discovered.
In fact, when she first took the blame, she knew that even if she bore all the charges, her family would still face retaliation from the Prime Minister's mansion, and their lives would eventually be difficult. She only hoped that Madam, in consideration of her taking the blame for her, would show them some care. Although she knew Madam was also powerless when facing the other party, she held onto a glimmer of hope. Soudan Novel Network
She had indeed participated in these matters. Siqin had intended to protect her young lady's life. She hadn't expected the other party to treat her this way. To say she wasn't disappointed would be a lie. Why should the lady who gave the orders bear the consequences? Her heart gradually felt a sense of injustice.
For a fleeting moment, she thought about revealing everything her young lady had ordered her to do, dragging her down with her, and seeing if she could still sit there so calmly. But reason told her that it was not yet the worst possible situation, and there was no need to tear their faces apart.