Chapter 609 Motive for the Crime

He thought Ji Yuntang was too embarrassed to speak with him in front of the crowd, so he said, "I know you have a lot to say to me. If it's inconvenient for you here, why not come inside with me, and we can find a place to talk privately."

Ji Yuntang: "..."

She simply thought Ji Huaiche was out of his mind.

Which eye of his made him think she had something to say to him?

Even one word to him felt like a waste of breath to Ji Yuntang.

Ji Yuntang didn't want to bother with Ji Huaiche, but he kept jabbering on about this and that in her ear.

Growing impatient, Ji Yuntang said coldly, "Are you done? If so, can you stay away from this Princess?"

"With you standing here, the air at the door isn't even fresh anymore."

As she spoke, Ji Yuntang even fanned the air around her.

Ji Huaiche: "..."

Ji Huaiche: "!!!"

His face darkened in a flash, and his fists clenched tightly together.

Ji Yuntang's attitude was completely different from what he had expected, and her behavior toward him was not very harmful, but extremely insulting.

Ji Huaiche had originally planned to let the passersby outside see Ji Yuntang come to admit her mistakes to him.

But now, it had turned into passersby stopping to laugh at him.

It would be a lie to say Ji Huaiche wasn't furious. He angrily demanded of Ji Yuntang, "Didn't you come to the Court of Judicial Review to see me?"

Ji Yuntang looked at him like he was an idiot.

She curled her lip and said mockingly, "What part of what I said made you think I came to see you?"

"Heir Ji, narcissism is a disease, and you need to be cured. This Princess has nothing to say to anyone from the Yongning Marquis's household. And please stay away from this Princess from now on, and don't show your face before me again."

Ji Huaiche barely restrained himself from clapping back at Ji Yuntang.

He knew that with her sharp tongue, even if he tried to argue, he wouldn't win.

He flicked his sleeves, gave a cold snort, and stormed off in a rage.

Ji Yuntang rolled her eyes and didn't even give him a look.

Just then, Xu Muyan, dressed in a teal official robe, walked out from inside.

As Ji Huaiche passed by him, Xu Muyan greeted him, but the other man didn't even slow his steps.

Xu Muyan wasn't offended. He was long used to Ji Huaiche's arrogant, dismissive demeanor, as if everyone owed him money.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the familiar figure at the entrance, and Xu Muyan hurried over to greet her.

"This subordinate official pays respects to Princess Ye. I had no idea you were honoring us with your presence. Forgive me for not coming out to welcome you."

He was gentle and courteous in manner, and Ji Yuntang quickly made a motion to help him up.

"Assistant Minister Xu, you're too polite. Today, this Princess has come to ask for your help with something. Would you mind if we spoke somewhere more private?"

Ji Yuntang had once saved his wife and children and had helped him out many times, so Xu Muyan naturally wouldn't turn down her request.

He nodded and made a "please" gesture. "Please, Princess Ye, come with me to the study."

Xu Muyan led Ji Yuntang inside, ordered the guards to bring tea and refreshments, and then dismissed everyone.

"This Official has important matters to discuss with Princess Ye. No one is to come near without urgent cause."

"Yes, sir." The guard immediately withdrew and shut the door.

Xu Muyan then looked at Ji Yuntang and asked, "May I ask what matter Princess Ye needs my help with?"

Ji Yuntang didn't beat around the bush and said outright, "This Princess has come here to investigate a case."

"Three years ago, all nine members of the family of Zhang Laojiu, the locksmith in Xing Village, were murdered in a single night. Does Assistant Minister Xu still have any recollection of this case?"

Xu Muyan certainly remembered it. He clearly remembered that when the Zhang family massacre occurred, he had just been appointed as Assistant Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

All nine members of the family—from the eighty-year-old father down to a baby in swaddling clothes—had been killed in one night, and their deaths were gruesome beyond measure.

Almost every victim had a clean, neat cut across the neck, with only a small bit of flesh and skin keeping the head attached to the body.

Their limbs had also been severed at the wrists using the same method, leaving only some attached flesh and skin, not fully separated from the body.

The deaths were extremely brutal, and the killer's methods were vicious to the extreme.

At the time, the imperial court had dispatched several coroners to examine the bodies, and their conclusion was that the murder weapon was not a knife or sword, but most likely an extremely thin wire.

Killing with wire and directly severing flesh and bone—one can only imagine how savage that was.

The case had caused a huge uproar in the capital at the time. For a long time, the common folk lived in fear, not daring to buy locks from locksmith shops.

Many people didn't even dare leave their homes at night, and shopkeepers and vendors closed up early to go home, abandoning their business altogether.

As a result, the economy naturally declined, and the high-ranking officials in the court grew anxious.

To calm the public, Emperor Jingyang issued a decree ordering the Court of Judicial Review to investigate the case.

This was also, in a true sense, the first major case Xu Muyan had handled.

Thinking of this, he said to Ji Yuntang, "This Official is aware of the massacre Princess Ye mentioned. I personally went to Zhang Laojiu's home to investigate leads at the time."

Ji Yuntang quickly asked, "Then did Assistant Minister Xu uncover anything? And who was the killer?"

Xu Muyan let out a sigh before slowly speaking. "Princess Ye, this is a long story. Please let me explain it to you slowly."

"At the time, I did bring people to investigate Zhang Laojiu's home, but what struck me as strange was that nothing in the house showed any signs of being disturbed. Not a single coin, piece of paper, or lock was missing. So I deduced that this was not a robbery, and the killer didn't target them for money."

"Later, I visited the neighbors near Zhang Laojiu's home and asked them who the Zhang family had conflicts with. The neighbors all said that the Zhang family was very easygoing and rarely had arguments or disputes with anyone. They had also never heard of the Zhang family having any enemies, so the case was essentially ruled out as a revenge killing."

"After that, I investigated Zhang Laojiu's wife, née Yang, and discovered that she and Zhang Laojiu were each other's first loves. Their marriage was harmonious, and they had never done anything to betray each other over the years, so the possibility of a crime of passion was also ruled out."

"The killer wasn't after money, wasn't driven by passion, and wasn't motivated by revenge—so what other reason could he have had to kill the Zhang family?"

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