By the time Ye Chutang arrived at the government office, several layers of people had already formed a crowd, craning their necks to get a look inside.
The mournful sobs of a woman could be heard from within.
"Lord! Please, just let me see him! I'm begging you!"
The voice sounded vaguely familiar.
Ye Chutang walked forward. When someone noticed her, they quickly cleared a path.
"Doctor Ye is here! Make way!"
Ye Chutang had lived in Jiangling for three years. She was gentle and courteous, and her medical skills were exceptional, so everyone held her in high esteem.
The trouble the Cao Family had caused yesterday had made many people uneasy. Fortunately, the government office had already found the true culprit today, which naturally cleared the Ye Family's fourth son of suspicion.
Seeing Ye Chutang again now, the crowd recalled her courage in opening the coffin for a public autopsy the day before. They all felt a mixture of respect and awe.
A path through the center quickly opened up, and Ye Chutang was finally able to see the scene inside.
Mrs. Zhou was a sobbing mess, begging the government officer to let her see Liu Si one more time.
The government officer said impatiently, "It's no use even if you keep kneeling! That Liu Si is a murderer, a death row inmate! Do you think you can see him just by asking?"
Mrs. Zhou's eyes were red and swollen, as if she had been crying all night.
"He's been framed… He's been framed!"
The government officer reacted as if he'd heard a joke. "Framed? He confessed himself! How could that be false?!"
He waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, alright, hurry up and go home! Or do you need us to escort you out personally?"
It was still raining. Mrs. Zhou was soaked to the bone, her hair a mess, looking utterly wretched.
She was devastated, despair filling her eyes. "So… so… does that mean he's definitely going to be beheaded?"
"What else?" The government officer gave her a shove. "The Cao Family is being magnanimous by not taking their anger out on you and your son! Now hurry up and scram!"
In a small place like Jiangling, a murder case like this was extremely serious. With Liu Si having killed someone, his family would be too ashamed to continue living here.
Not to mention the person he had killed was the Cao Family's second young master.
Mrs. Zhou stumbled and fell into a puddle, splashing a few drops of dirty water onto the hem of Ye Chutang's dress.
She bent down and supported Mrs. Zhou by the arm.
Mrs. Zhou looked up dazedly into a pair of dark, gentle, almond-shaped eyes.
Ye Chutang said softly, "Be strong. Your child is still at home waiting for you."
This one sentence seemed to finally bring Mrs. Zhou back to her senses.
'That's right!'
'My six-year-old child is locked up all alone at home!'
'If something happened to me too, then—'
Mrs. Zhou hastily wiped her face, only to find that her tears had long since mixed with the rain, making them indistinguishable.
In a sidelong glance, Ye Chutang saw that the cloth bandage on Mrs. Zhou's left hand had fallen off at some point, revealing a fresh cut.
Soaked by the rain, the wound had turned a little white. It was clearly not deep.
Not serious enough to require golden sore medicine.
'Just as I suspected,' Ye Chutang thought.
In truth, it had only been a guess at first. She hadn't expected Wu Xu to act so quickly, nor had she anticipated Liu Si being so cowardly that he would confess everything after just half a night of questioning.
'Oh no, not everything.'
Just then, a few people suddenly walked out of the government office.
The crowd fell silent for a moment.
As if sensing something, Ye Chutang looked up.
It was Cao Chengwen.
His face was haggard, and it looked as though he hadn't slept well all night either.
With him were his personal servant and a government officer.
Standing on the steps, he gave a solemn bow to Wu Xu and the others. "Officer, thank you so much! You found the murderer so quickly! If it weren't for you, my brother would have died in vain!"
Wu Xu waved his hand. "It's all part of our duty. Young Master Cao, please accept my condolences. Go back and console Boss Cao and Mrs. Cao."
Cao Chengwen nodded heavily, then gritted his teeth. "I can't believe it. My brother just scolded and hit him a few times on occasion, and that Liu Si held a grudge and killed him with such a vicious method! I beg you, my lords, to behead him and display his head publicly as soon as possible! Otherwise, we can't stomach this injustice!"
But Wu Xu didn't immediately agree. He only said politely, "We understand how you feel, but we still have to follow procedure. Don't be anxious, Young Master Cao. The evidence is conclusive now. Even if that Liu Si wanted to argue and overturn the verdict, it would be impossible."
Cao Chengwen's fists tightened. He wanted to press the matter, but he knew Wu Xu was right.
No matter how smoothly the investigation went, it would still take some time to be completely resolved. They couldn't close the case today and carry out the execution tomorrow.
'Although I'm worried that delays could bring new problems, there's nothing else to be done for now…'
'Besides, all the evidence is laid out clearly. There shouldn't be any new complications.'
Cao Chengwen cupped his fists, thanked them again, and then turned to leave.
He hadn't taken more than a few steps before someone blocked his path.
"Young Master Cao!"
Accompanied by a mournful cry, a figure lunged forward.
Cao Chengwen was startled and quickly took two steps back, but he was still splashed with dirty water.
He looked at the person with disgust, only to find it was a somewhat familiar woman in her twenties.
"Who are you!" he snapped, frowning.
"Young Master Cao! It's me! Liu Si's wife!" Mrs. Zhou, as if she had found her lifeline, knelt in the water and kowtowed repeatedly. "Please, save him! Please save him! Our child is only six years old, he can't be without a father!"
Cao Chengwen's frown deepened as he cursed coldly, "You have the nerve to come and plead for him? Your husband killed my brother! We haven't even settled that score with you yet!"
Mrs. Zhou looked terrified and distraught.
If she had been able to see more clearly at that moment, she would have noticed the deep warning in Cao Chengwen's eyes. But her mind was in turmoil, so how could she pay attention to such things?
Her mind was filled with only one thing: Ye Chutang's words from before—'Your child is still at home waiting for you.'
'My child… my child!'
Seeing that Cao Chengwen was about to leave, Mrs. Zhou threw all caution to the wind, lunged forward, and clung desperately to his leg, pleading bitterly.
"Young Master! Young Master, I'm begging you! Please help! Liu Si is such a coward, how could he dare do something like this? He… he's always listened to you! He only did this to—"
Furious and panicked, Cao Chengwen kicked her viciously in the chest!
"What nonsense are you spouting!"
He used his full strength in that kick, sending Mrs. Zhou reeling and causing her to spit up blood.
Her head swam, and the thick, metallic taste of blood between her lips made her stomach churn.
The cold rain fell on her body, a chill seeping into her bones.
Cao Chengwen roared angrily, "What are you standing around for? Get her out of here! Making a scene and disgracing herself!"
"Yes, sir!"
A few servants immediately rushed over, their faces fierce and menacing.
At that moment, a gentle and clear voice suddenly spoke up.
"Young Master Cao, she is a poor woman with a young child. Her situation is already pitiful enough. Why must you make things so difficult for her?"
Mrs. Zhou looked up. Through the curtain of rain, she saw the indistinct figures of the crowd. Everyone was watching coldly, and the only person who had stepped forward to speak for her was, surprisingly, Ye Chutang.
Cao Chengwen sneered. "How am I the one making things difficult for her!? It's clearly her husband who did the evil deed! His worthless life isn't enough to compensate for my brother's! If she keeps making trouble, she and her son will suffer for it!"
This sentence completely shattered Mrs. Zhou's last shred of sanity.
She jerked her head up, her bloodshot eyes locked onto Cao Chengwen as she screamed herself hoarse:
"It was all you! If you hadn't ordered him to do it, why would Liu Si have laid such a vicious hand on the second young master!"