Chapter 113

Chapter 113: Of Course She Has a Purpose

“At the time, Ma Bo Cai was heading to the capital with a few refugees he had met on the road. You learned that each of them was the last of their family. Ma Bo Cai was all his family had left. Then you had an idea.”

“You knew you could no longer live as Wu Liang, or the truth would come out one day. But you did not want to hide in the deep mountains and live like a wild man. If you wanted a fine life out in the world, the best way was to change your identity.”

“Ma Bo Cai was the perfect choice.”

“He was about your age and build. Your faces were different, but if you shaped your looks to be closer to his, you could pass. Most of all, he had a fish-shaped tally that proved his identity.”

“So on a dark, windy night, while the others slept, you used your knife to kill them all. You dragged the bodies into a nearby grove so wild animals would eat them and destroy the evidence.”

“From that day on, you became Ma Bo Cai, a nineteen-year-old examination candidate.”

“You planned to use this identity to reach the capital, but when you passed Lotus Town, you saw that a nearby manor was hiring. You went there.”

“Your parents had spoiled you and paid for your schooling. You were a bit clever and could write, and most important, you had a real gift for the abacus.”

“At the manor, you used your refugee story to cry hard and win sympathy. Everyone there felt sorry for you, this tough but tragic examination candidate. Even the owner, the orphan Miss Feng, felt pity.”

“You said your travel money was gone and you wanted to work on the manor to repay it so you could go to the capital for the exams later. Miss Feng agreed.”

“The Imperial Examinations had just finished, and the next ones were three years away.”

“You knew your half-baked learning could not win top scholar. You might not even pass as a licentiate. So you started scheming for money.”

“After a few months on the manor, you found that Miss Feng did not care much about the place. She only visited once or twice a year and did not know the details. You had an idea.”

“You mixed bad seed with the good seed so Miss Feng would think the soil was exhausted. Then, the second year, you planted only good seed. When you handed over the accounts and the grain, you gave her only one-fifth of the harvest. With the first year’s lesson in mind, Miss Feng suspected nothing.”

“In this way, by lies and tricks, you cheated Miss Feng for two years and saved up more than a thousand taels of silver.”

“At first, you planned to buy the manor. Later, you found it was quicker to trick Miss Feng herself. You staged a drunk scene so she would believe she had acted without virtue after drinking and had taken your innocence.”

“In fact, you put something in the wine. Miss Feng was simple and did not know such dirty tricks.”

“In the end, the manor, the person, and the money all fell into your hands.”

“The happier you were, the more you feared your dark past would be exposed.”

“You feared not only that the murder case would come to light, but also that the seed trick would be found out. And it happened. Miss Feng learned about the seed and questioned you.”

“You smoothed it over with slick words, but you held a grudge against the informer. You also feared Miss Feng would find a witness. If the proof was set before her, she would not be fooled again.”

“So you made up your mind to wipe out everyone who had handled the seed in those years.”

Old Man Zhang cried out, dropping his cane in shock as he blurted: “So that’s why he wanted to kill me!”

Yu Zhi Yi could not bear to see his pain, but she would not lie. She nodded and gave him the harsher truth: “He didn’t plan to kill only you. He wanted your whole family dead. In fact, except for your son, your other family members were killed because of him.”

“He was afraid you had already told the secret. You were away at the time, so he struck your kin first.”

Old Man Zhang staggered a few steps, leaned weakly against the wall, and slid down. His eyes went blank as he muttered: “How could this be? How could this be?”

A moment later, he exploded with rage, rushed at Wu Liang, and shouted: “Beast! You beast! I didn’t even know that seed was bad. How could you think of killing over such a stupid thing!”

“If you had to kill, come at me alone! What kind of skill is it to attack my parents and my wife! Beast! Beast!”

He snatched up his fallen cane and swung it down at Wu Liang.

Wu Liang wailed in panic as he ducked: “Old Zhang, I really didn’t do these things! I’m being framed!”

You Bing Yue grabbed Old Man Zhang’s cane. Though she was a woman and used only one hand, the cane stopped in midair and would not fall.

Old Man Zhang roared at her: “Why are you protecting this beast!”

You Bing Yue flung the cane aside. Old Man Zhang stumbled several steps and almost fell.

She said coldly as she pointed at Yu Zhi Yi: “You have no evidence. You just believe that woman’s few words?”

Wu Liang nodded hard, like pounding garlic, and cried: “This young miss is right! That lady is spitting blood and slandering me!”

Then he put on a pitiful face and pleaded to Yu Zhi Yi: “I don’t even know how I offended you, that you work so hard to get rid of me. But I will not confess to things I didn’t do. No matter what you say, I will not admit it. If one day I do, it will be a confession forced by torture.”

Old Man Zhang looked at Yu Zhi Yi with helpless eyes, then turned to Steward Wu as he called out weakly: “Steward Wu…”

Steward Wu did not know where Yu Zhi Yi got her news, but he chose to trust his boss without question as he said firmly: “This is our head landowner. She has no reason to lie to you.”

You Bing Yue gave a cold laugh: “Oh, she does have a reason. She is new in charge and wants to make a fiery start. Catching a criminal from an old case right after taking office makes a big splash, doesn’t it? When the Ministry of Justice hears, won’t those who refuse to accept her finally bow their heads?”

People around them showed looks of sudden understanding.

Du Zi Heng pressed his brow and said in a low voice: “Bing Yue, Zhi Yi is not that kind of person.”

You Bing Yue’s eyes flashed cold, but she said nothing. She no longer wanted to deal with this scumbag. [Let the facts slap his face.]

As all the voices tangled together, Yu Zhi Yi flicked her sleeve and said, calm and clear: “You are clever. You think the truth can be buried and your crimes will not come to light, so you try to twist public opinion to help yourself. But tell me this: who said I don’t have evidence?”