Chapter 176: You Are Late
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Yu Zhi Yi stared at the man before her, her sharp gaze unwavering. The man, Li Qing Miao, bore an elegant demeanor, yet his expression flickered with unease for a brief moment before he regained his composure.
“You must be… the one the Emperor personally appointed as the Fifth-Rank Official in the Ministry of Justice, Yu Zhi Yi?” His voice was steady, but there was an underlying tension.
Yu Zhi Yi raised an eyebrow, her lips curving slightly. “It seems you are as astute as described in the records.”
Then, she shook her head, the sharpness in her tone cutting like a blade. “Pity, though—your brilliance has gone astray.”
Li Qing Miao let out a cold chuckle. “A mere woman, what gives you the right to judge me?”
He turned to glance at the constables in the courtyard before fixing his gaze back on her. His lips curled into a sardonic smile. “It’s too bad you’re late.”
Yu Zhi Yi tilted her head slightly, feigning curiosity. “Late?”
Li Qing Miao’s face lit up with a triumphant smile, one that starkly contrasted his usual elegance. On the bed nearby, the orphaned girl looked at him in confusion. Strangely, she found him less handsome when he smiled.
“What… what is going on?” she stammered, her voice trembling.
Yu Zhi Yi stepped forward and pulled the bed’s curtain down, shielding the girl’s vulnerable state. “Put your clothes on first,” she said gently, her voice laced with compassion.
The girl nodded gratefully, appreciating her kindness. Behind the curtain, the faint rustling of fabric filled the room. Neither Yu Zhi Yi nor Li Qing Miao paid it any mind. Their duel of words resumed.
“No,” Yu Zhi Yi’s voice was firm as she faced him. “I am not late.”
Li Qing Miao’s eyes filled with disdain. “Oh, but you are, little girl. That you managed to track me down here speaks of some skill. But alas, you’re still too green. According to the Great Sheng Empire’s Legal Code, the statute of limitations for major criminal cases is thirty years. As of a mere quarter-hour ago, the last day of the thirtieth year has passed. We are now in the thirty-first year.”
His laugh carried a note of arrogance. “You have no legal grounds to arrest me now.”
Yu Zhi Yi observed the self-satisfied smile on his face—a smile born of a cunning mind convinced it had outmaneuvered the system and every “fool” within it. His expression brimmed with glee, pride, and a contemptuous disregard for the law and those who upheld it. It was the smile of a man who believed himself the center of the universe, manipulating all within his grasp.
By now, the orphaned girl had dressed and emerged from behind the curtain. She had overheard fragments of their conversation and felt utterly lost. Sensing danger, she instinctively moved closer to Yu Zhi Yi.
“What… what is happening?” she whispered, her voice filled with trepidation.
Li Qing Miao offered no response, his eyes fixated on Yu Zhi Yi, daring her to challenge his claims.
Yu Zhi Yi’s gaze hardened, her voice cutting through the tension like a blade. “Li Qing Miao, born in Li Family Village, Meng County, Liusha County. Your father was a farmer, your mother a southern refugee who sought shelter here.”
She paused, her words weighted with the gravity of his past. “You grew up in a large family. Though your roots were humble, your ancestors were industrious. By the time other villagers still lived in thatched huts or earthen houses, your family had already moved into a blue-brick tile house. They even had the means to send you to school.”
“Being the only child in your family with the aptitude for study, they pinned their hopes on you. They worked tirelessly, pooling every bit of money they could to fund your education. Your task was simple: study diligently and bring honor to the family.”
Yu Zhi Yi’s eyes narrowed as she continued. “Your mother—once a wealthy and pampered young lady—never ceased longing for her former glory. Forced to marry your father, she lived each day yearning for a return to her golden days. But your grandparents and father were mere farmers, and your siblings lacked academic talents. You, the so-called ‘prodigy’ praised by your tutor, were her only hope.”
“She staked everything on you,” Yu Zhi Yi declared, her voice like a hammer striking a nail. “And here you are.”
Li Qing Miao’s smile faltered, but only briefly. He recovered quickly, his arrogance unwavering. “And so? None of this changes the fact that you are powerless against me now.”
Yu Zhi Yi stood firm, her eyes boring into him with a steely resolve that promised she was far from done.
From a young age, your mother placed high expectations upon you. If your handwriting was even slightly subpar, she would strike your palm as punishment. Whenever your performance in the year-end school examinations failed to meet her expectations, she would cry bitterly, expressing her disappointment in you, all while meting out harsh punishment.
In such an oppressive family atmosphere, your psyche became increasingly distorted. You grew to resent everyone in your household. Among them, the person you despised the most was your mother.
Amid this extreme mental turmoil, you conceived a dark idea: you would seek revenge on your mother and make her regret her actions.
You deliberated deeply. For your mother, the most effective way to enact revenge would be for you to fail your exams. Yet, if your academic performance declined or you failed the exams, your mother would undoubtedly vent all her disappointment and anger onto you, potentially disrupting the household peace. The other family members, losing their serenity, would also blame you for failing to satisfy your mother.
Thus, your thoughts veered to the opposite extreme.
Yu Zhi Yi observed Li Qing Miao coldly. As she narrated these events as though she had witnessed them firsthand, the faint smile on Li Qing Miao’s face began to fade. However, his gaze burned with fervor, as if he found Yu Zhi Yi’s seemingly all-seeing insight more enthralling than the inevitability of his impending downfall and execution.
Yu Zhi Yi could not fathom the mindset of such individuals, but she understood that Li Qing Miao prided himself on his intellect and scheming abilities. Forcing the constables to mobilize extensively to capture him, only to release him because the statute of limitations had expired, allowing him to walk away scot-free despite being a murderer, filled him with exhilaration.
To this, Yu Zhi Yi could only remark, “Petty cleverness, nothing more.”
Nearby, the orphan girl listened intently, captivated. When Yu Zhi Yi paused for a long while without continuing, the girl asked curiously, “What opposite extreme?”
Yu Zhi Yi glanced at her, her tone indifferent. “He believed that his mother had spent her life urging him to study and excel in exams, pinning all her hopes on him as if his success would elevate the entire family. So, what if, after achieving that success, he shattered their dreams of riding his coattails to prosperity?”
“Nothing is more despairing than someone losing everything just as they believe their dreams are about to come true.”
“And so, he acted on this notion.”
“After the results of the county examination were announced, he achieved what his family had hoped for—he passed and became a scholar.”
“At this point, if he had continued advancing in the examinations, even if he failed to rank among the top three in the imperial exams, he stood a good chance of becoming an official provincial graduate.”
“While his family’s hearts swelled with hope, envisioning their son, grandson, or brother soon to become a respected official, their dreams came crashing down in the most horrific way.”
“One day, Li Qing Miao returned home laden with fine wine and delicacies. His family assumed he was celebrating his good results.”
“Little did they know, their family’s beacon of hope had already added a debilitating drug to the food and wine.”
“Consuming the drugged food and wine wouldn’t kill them or cause unconsciousness. It would, however, render them completely weak and unable to move.”
“Thus, these people who had pinned all their hopes on him could only watch helplessly as their beacon of hope transformed into a devil, raising a blade against them.”