Chapter 177: Do You Know How Your Parents Died?
This novel is translated and hosted only on Bcatranslation
The orphan girl gasped in shock. “No… that can’t be, right?” She couldn’t believe that the refined man before her could be the kind of person capable of such monstrous acts.
Yu Zhi Yi glanced at her, her gaze calm yet sharp. “Perhaps you’ve heard of it before. Thirty years ago, there was an infamous case of a family massacre. The culprit was a member of the family. After achieving the title of Scholar, the murderer killed all seven members of their household on the same night. The next day, he escaped custody after killing the officer who was transporting him.”
The orphan girl’s eyes widened in horror. “I… I’ve heard of that.” Her voice trembled.
“How could Uncle Miao be such a depraved man? That’s impossible!”
Yu Zhi Yi’s gaze turned peculiar as she looked at her. “Do you know how your parents died?”
“What?” The girl froze. “Didn’t they die of illness?”
After moving to the county, her parents’ health had always been poor. Her mother, in particular, had never fully recovered after falling ill from getting drenched in the rain. No matter how much medicine she took, her condition worsened day by day. Three years later, her mother passed away. Less than a year after that, her father, weighed down by grief, quickly deteriorated and followed.
“No,” Yu Zhi Yi replied coldly, fixing her gaze on Li Qing Miao. “It was your Uncle Miao who killed them.”
“What?!” The orphan girl recoiled in disbelief.
“That’s impossible!” she cried, her voice breaking.
Yu Zhi Yi seemed unfazed by her reaction. She spoke softly yet firmly. “Your parents likely expressed publicly, more than once, that they would never allow you to have anything to do with Li Qing Miao. They even warned you outright, didn’t they? They said that unless they were dead, you and Li Qing Miao would never have a chance.”
“How… how do you know this?”
Though these incidents had happened years ago and had long faded from her memory, Yu Zhi Yi’s words brought them back with stark clarity. She remembered her parents’ stern warnings, their disapproval.
“That,” Yu Zhi Yi continued with a sigh, “is why he killed them.”
The girl’s mind spun as Yu Zhi Yi’s words echoed ominously.
“Li Qing Miao is a man with a vengeful nature,” Yu Zhi Yi explained. “Though he often captivated you with his charm, making you fall deeply for him, he felt insulted by your parents’ public disdain for him. Your parents’ open disapproval wasn’t just rejection—to him, it was humiliation.”
Yu Zhi Yi’s voice grew heavier, filled with chilling certainty. “Ever since he killed his own family, he’s developed a twisted penchant for striking his enemies where it hurts most. When your parents said that even in death, they wouldn’t let you be with him, he decided to prove them wrong by destroying their family.”
“He seduced you after their deaths,” Yu Zhi Yi continued. “And he planned to take your life when you were most vulnerable, believing you were finally close to happiness.”
Memories of the black-robed man plunging a knife toward her flashed in the girl’s mind. She clutched her mouth, shaking her head in anguish. “Why? My parents may have disapproved of him, but they never harmed him. They only opposed me being with him. Why would he be so ruthless? And even if he hated my parents, what does that have to do with me?”
Yu Zhi Yi’s expression softened, tinged with pity. “Because your existence was the very reason your parents stood against him. To him, you became a symbol of his humiliation, and so, he hated you just as deeply.”
“But… but my parents died of illness,” she stammered, clinging to what she had always believed.
Yu Zhi Yi shook her head. “No, they were poisoned.”
The girl’s hands flew to her mouth in shock. “What? Poisoned?!”
“Your parents both worked tirelessly to support the family. Your father worked as an accountant, while your mother did laundry for others. They were often away from home.” Yu Zhi Yi’s voice was steady but unyielding, forcing the girl to confront the truth. “When your mother fell ill, she could no longer work, but your father continued. To help support the household, you took over your mother’s laundry duties. That was when Li Qing Miao stole a key from your possession. He had a copy made by a locksmith. While you were all out, he used that key to access your home and laced your mother’s medicinal herbs with slow-acting poison.”
“That poison’s toxicity isn’t too strong. Taking it once or twice won’t cause harm, as it’ll naturally expel from the body soon after. However, if consumed daily, the toxins won’t be eliminated but will accumulate within the body. The buildup of toxins will grow increasingly severe until, one day, the body can no longer withstand it, and death will ensue.”
“Your father met the same fate. This time, however, the poison was directly mixed into the tea leaves your father loved most.”
The perpetrator’s intent was crystal clear.
To kill Miss Wei’s mother, they only poisoned the medicine.
To kill her father, they specifically targeted his tea, knowing Miss Wei herself didn’t drink tea, favoring plain water instead.
Thus, despite the fact that Miss Wei was surrounded by poison almost daily during the period leading up to her parents’ deaths, she was scarcely affected.
“As a matter of fact,” Yu Zhi Yi remarked, scrutinizing Miss Wei’s expression, “you, too, had contact with that poison. There was a time when you watched Li Qing Miao drinking tea, admiring the elegance and ease of his gestures, so you mimicked his actions and tried it yourself.”
“During that time, you felt unwell every single day.”
Miss Wei’s body swayed slightly.
Many things she had overlooked in the past now seemed to come to light.
After all, these events occurred only a few years ago, not decades.
Miss Wei had occasionally lamented to her close confidantes about her parents’ deaths, remarking that during the time of her father’s passing, she herself felt unwell. She had often wondered, had she not been unwell, perhaps she could have noticed her father’s deteriorating condition sooner. Perhaps, he might have survived.
The discomfort she experienced during that period had always been a thorn in her heart!
She had thought it was merely coincidental illness. Who would have imagined…
“Yu Lang Zhong, surely you don’t solve cases merely by running your mouth?” Li Qing Miao’s voice was steeped in skepticism. “Do you declare someone guilty with nothing more than a wagging tongue? If so, I must question your competence and the fairness of all the cases you’ve solved in the past. Could they all have been unjust convictions?”
“There’s no need to deflect attention to avoid scrutiny,” Yu Zhi Yi responded calmly. “Such tactics are useless. The Court of Judicial Review always demands evidence. Without it, no matter how eloquent the argument, the Judicial Commissioner wouldn’t approve a case closure.
“And as for determining the truth of my claims, it’s not difficult. Exhuming the body for an autopsy will reveal everything. Although the deceased passed away several years ago, that doesn’t impede the investigation. Poison-related deaths leave traces of toxins in the bones that remain detectable no matter how much time has passed.”
For the first time, a flicker of panic crossed Li Qing Miao’s face. But he quickly masked it, forcing himself to remain composed. “You think you can simply order an exhumation? That’s a grave disrespect to the deceased!”
Yu Zhi Yi ignored his protests and turned to Miss Wei instead. “Miss Wei, do you not wish to seek justice for your parents?”
Miss Wei appeared momentarily lost.
Of course, she wanted the truth!
But she also feared that the truth might be exactly as Yu Zhi Yi described.
Wouldn’t that mean she was partially responsible for her parents’ deaths?
After all, her parents had opposed her relationship with Li Qing Miao for her own good…
Li Qing Miao, noticing the changes in Miss Wei’s expression, grew increasingly anxious.
No matter what, he couldn’t let her agree!
He wanted to manipulate her into refusal, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he found himself unable to speak.
All he could do was watch helplessly as Miss Wei, under Yu Zhi Yi’s persistent persuasion, hesitated, then finally parted her lips to say, “I agree.”