Chapter 110: Bad Deeds, Good Intentions
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Yu Zhi Yi felt a foreboding chill run down her spine. As she approached the doorway, her fears were confirmed.
The room’s door, now swung wide open, revealed everything within at a glance. Among the chaos, a burly man lay pinned to the floor, held down by You Bing Yue. A knife lay on the ground a couple of meters away, appearing as if it had been dropped.
Yu Zhi Yi was at a loss for words. However, You Bing Yue seemed rather proud of herself, her eyebrows raised in triumph as she addressed Du Zi Heng, clearly expecting praise. “I just caught this man climbing through the window with a knife in hand. It was obvious he was up to no good, so I subdued him,” she declared smugly.
Yu Zhi Yi chose silence, but Du Zi Heng seemed genuinely pleased. After all, You Bing Yue’s actions reflected well on him and the Chancellor’s Mansion. Meanwhile, Old Man Zhang was utterly confused. “This… this isn’t… Steward Ma?” he stammered. “What is going on here?”
You Bing Yue’s voice was calm but cutting. “Isn’t it obvious? This man came to kill you.”
Old Man Zhang’s face turned pale with shock.
The steward, now pinned, struggled and shouted angrily, “Let me go! You crazy woman!” He turned to Old Man Zhang. “Old Zhang, don’t listen to her nonsense. I came to visit you on my way to the capital. I accidentally took the wrong street and ended up in the alley. Not wanting to double back, I climbed through the window to surprise you.”
His tone softened, and he put on an innocent expression. “I was about to tell you, but you weren’t in the house. I had no choice but to wait for you here.”
You Bing Yue sneered. “Such obvious lies! Since when do decent people visit friends by climbing through windows? That’s practically begging to be mistaken for a thief.” Her gaze sharpened. “And don’t even think of using travel fatigue as an excuse. I saw you holding that knife by the door, ready to strike!”
The steward roared back indignantly, “That’s not true! I only picked up the knife to look at it. Old Zhang, you’ve got to believe me!”
With both sides presenting their case, Du Zi Heng furrowed his brows. Though he trusted You Bing Yue, the steward’s refusal to admit guilt complicated matters. Since the steward and Old Man Zhang knew each other, if Old Man Zhang vouched for him, it could shift the narrative entirely.
Du Zi Heng suddenly remembered something. “Zhi Yi, weren’t you here to see Old Man Zhang?”
Yu Zhi Yi’s response was icy. “Thanks to you, what was a simple task is now a mess.”
Old Man Zhang’s eight characters foretold a calamity involving bloodshed, possibly death. The culprit would be someone he knew, intending to silence him forever.
Years ago, this steward and Old Man Zhang’s family worked together on a private estate. The steward, a greedy and ruthless man, had set his sights on taking over the estate from its owner, a young orphaned girl. He tampered with the seeds to make the land appear barren, deceiving the girl into thinking the soil was infertile. When she lowered her expectations for the estate’s yield, he swapped the bad seeds for good ones and pocketed four-fifths of the harvest, giving her only a fraction.
Over time, he saved enough to buy the estate but began lusting after the girl herself. She, having grown up lonely and naive, fell for his manipulative charm. Yet their happiness was short-lived. She discovered the truth about the estate’s decline and was enraged by his betrayal.
Though he managed to placate her temporarily, his focus shifted to identifying the whistleblower who exposed his deceit. Unable to determine who it was, he zeroed in on the few who had access to the seeds—Old Man Zhang among them.
He murdered Old Man Zhang’s family, making it look like accidents, ensuring no one suspected foul play. For years, Old Man Zhang, left crippled and alone, escaped the same fate only because the steward took a twisted pleasure in watching his misery.
Recently, however, the steward heard someone intended to help Old Man Zhang find his missing son. The prospect of any secrets being uncovered was too dangerous, prompting today’s attack, meticulously planned with an escape route in mind.
Yu Zhi Yi’s plan had been to catch him red-handed. Due to the elapsed time and lack of evidence from his previous crimes, even her face-reading skills could only reveal so much. Without concrete proof, her accusations would be dismissed as baseless.
But now, thanks to Du Zi Heng and You Bing Yue, her carefully laid plans were in ruins.
Under her piercing glare, Du Zi Heng faltered, mumbling, “I’m… I’m sorry.”
You Bing Yue, however, scoffed. “Why are you apologizing to her? She’s just jealous because I saved the day and got the credit!” Turning to Yu Zhi Yi, she sneered. “Aren’t you supposed to see through someone’s past and future at a glance? If you’re so capable, prove I’m telling the truth.” Her smirk widened. “Or perhaps you’re siding with this killer to discredit me?”
“Bing Yue, Zhi Yi isn’t like that,” Du Zi Heng interjected, frowning.
You Bing Yue’s icy demeanor cracked, her voice trembling. “Du Zi Heng, have you always thought me a liar?” Tears welled up in her usually steely eyes. “You think she’s honest, but I’m not?”
Du Zi Heng floundered. “I didn’t mean it that way…”
Before their brewing drama could escalate, a group of constables arrived, pushing through the gathered crowd.