Knitting his brows, Qian Wan Li slammed down the gavel. “Silence! Suspect Jiang Ruan, you are accused of killing a maid, Chun Ying, and disposing of her corpse inside a dried-up well. There is testimony and evidence against you; I would like to see how you will deny this crime!” Then, he yelled, “Bring in the witness!”

Sitting in the seat beside him, a glint of dissatisfaction flashed through the eyes of Wang Daren. In this manner of investigating a case, it seemed as though one was practically seizing through forceful means, with no room for a word in the defendant’s defence. Honestly, it seemed as though the purpose of this investigation was to convict the girl hastily, as if he was impatient to establish her crime.

The ‘witness’ was swiftly brought in. Today, Chen Zhao wore a set of white clothes to put on an appearance of being extremely neat. Upon entering the main hall, he immediately made his salutations to Qian Wan Li.

Qian Wan Li questioned, “Chen Zhao, did you indeed personally witness Jiang Ruan commit murder?”

“Yes, Daren, that’s right,” Chen Zhao replied, glancing at Jiang Ruan, “I attest to witnessing Miss Jiang murder Chun Ying and pushing her into the well.”

The crowd immediately burst into a chaotic discussion. With such conclusive testimony, it seemed almost definite that Jiang Ruan had really committed murder.

Jiang Ruan looked towards Chen Zhao, “I have a few questions, Daren, would you please permit me to ask him?”

Qian Wan Li chanced a look towards Official Wang sitting at the side, and when he gave a wave of his hand, Qian Wan Li then responded, “You may ask.”

Jiang Ruan gave a slight smile, “Thank you, Daren. I would like to ask Chen Zhao, are you sure that you witnessed me commit murder?”

“Yes.” Chen Zhao responded, “At the time, I was in the courtyard and saw with my own eyes when Miss killed Chun Ying in the residence.”

“Chen Zhao, even if we set aside the possibility of you, as a male outsider, entering my courtyard without giving due notice, since you saw me commit a murder, why did you not try to thwart it? Furthermore, you even continued to watch me dispose of the corpse. Wouldn’t this be considered as you being my accomplice? If I were to be convicted, should you not be convicted as well?”

When Chen Zhao heard this, he was shocked and unconsciously replied, “N-No. By the time I noticed, she was already dead.”

“Then,” Jiang Ruan blandly responded, “So you are asserting that when you saw Chun Ying, she was no longer alive. How did she die? What was the cause of her death? How did you conclude that it was me who had murdered her? You only saw a corpse then and did not actually witness me kill her, right?”

Chen Zhao started, and immediately shook his head, “No, at that time only you were there with her. Moreover, your actions were definitely those of a person who had committed murder. ”

Qian Wan Li’s face turned pale and he gripped his handkerchief nervously. He then heard Jiang Ruan continue without pause, “Alright, even if you did see me murder her… Based on your testimony, at the time of the murder there was no one around me. However, I am only 10 years old, yet Chun Ying was already eighteen. My height falls short of reaching even Chun Ying’s chest. To be able to drag Chun Ying’s corpse over such a long distance, and afterwards throw her in the dried up well, can you explain in detail how that was even possible?”

“You- You dragged her,” Chen Zhao stammered, beads of sweat beginning to faintly cover his forehead.

“You’re lying,” Jiang Ruan shook her head, “Chen Zhao, before beginning your lies, perhaps you should have first pondered this: Chun Ying and I had a stark contrast in height, not to mention, I do not possess that much physical strength. Comparatively, Chun Ying was larger in size, had more strength, and her reflexes were also nimble. How could I possibly hold a knife and stab her in the heart?

“What knife? She was strangled!” Chen Zhao bellowed.

With a shadow of a smile, Jiang Ruan glanced at him, “Oh, is that so? It has not been revealed how she died, how did you know that she was suffocated. Didn’t you say that when you saw her, she was already dead?”

Chen Zhao began to sweat profusely and Qian Wan Li followed the lead as well, becoming as white as a sheet. With such a weak testimony that was full of flaws, the truth of the matter had immediately become evident to the crowd. Nonchalantly, Jiang Ruan fiddled with her hair, “Daren, is there still a need for a further investigation?”

Translated by :  irisu-san

Edited by :  Anks & Ely

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like