Chapter 79 Chief Justice Interrogates Suspect

Chapter 79: The Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review Interrogates the Suspect

"Yes, I live right next door. I can testify that Zhu Geyong, that corrupt official, never came to Luo's house last night!"

"I'm the night watchman for this area. I can vouch for that too!"

"I can also testify. I'm the night soil collector."

"The Luo family are kind-hearted people. You can't wrongfully accuse them!"

Just like Luo Yiqi said, the surrounding neighbors all came forward to testify on his behalf. The official beside Shen Fuqing also said that they had already questioned the nearby residents, and indeed, no outsiders had visited the Luo residence the previous night.

Qin Jiao lowered his head in thought, then asked Luo Yue to show Luo Yiqi the small white goose ornament that had been taken from Zhu Geyong's palm. "This was found on Zhu Geyong's body. It's identical to the little ornament you gave me before."

"Well, what a coincidence!" Shen Fuqing's interest piqued instantly at the sight of the little white goose. He clapped his hands, and an official brought up a tray. "I found a similar ornament at the spot where Liu Yao was buried."

On the dark tray sat two small white geese, with red beaks and blue eyes, so vivid they seemed almost alive—clearly the work of one craftsman.

"Yes, I made those. But that doesn't prove I'm the murderer!"

Luo Yiqi stammered, his eyes reddening. Qin Jiao offered him a reassuring smile. "Don't rush. Think carefully: besides me, have you given this little ornament to anyone else?"

"No, I haven't..." Luo Yiqi said, his face crumpling in distress. "But it's possible someone deliberately imitated my work. I really am innocent!"

"You say you're innocent. Then tell me, where were you at midnight seven days ago, and between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. yesterday, when Liu Yao and Zhu Geyong were murdered?" a stern-faced official from the Court of Judicial Review demanded.

"I was home sleeping!" The official's harsh attitude, as if impatient for him to confess already, angered Luo Yiqi. "I've never even been to the places where they were killed. You can't just accuse me of murder without evidence!"

The guileless Luo Yiqi's voice rose sharply as his temper flared.

"Of course, it's not without evidence." Shen Fuqing lifted the hem of his robe and rose from his chair.

"First, you have old grudges against both Liu Yao and Zhu Geyong. As I know, Liu Yao was hot-tempered and had bullied you before. Even when you retreated outside the city to sell your wares, he chased you to the Eastern Shao Temple and broke one of your ribs. As for Zhu Geyong, that's more recent—the wound on your hand hasn't even healed, has it?"

Shen Fuqing spoke lightly, but Luo Yiqi silently clenched his bandaged hand, his expression heavy.

"Even if I hated them, I wouldn't kill them."

The thin, short man stiffened his neck, staring at Shen Fuqing stubbornly and defiantly.

"No, that's wrong."

A faint, almost mad smile curled at the corner of Shen Fuqing's lips, and a mad glint appeared in his eyes. "Hate means you kill them."

Qin Jiao acutely felt that Shen Fuqing was about to go off the rails. "Rather than suffer yourself, why not kill them and drag them down to hell together?" he thought. And indeed, Shen Fuqing's next words were shocking. The people of the Court of Judicial Review and Xie Nai seemed accustomed to his unpredictable outbursts, but Luo Yiqi flinched in fright.

"Sir! We've caught that beast!"

Just as Luo Yiqi was trying to back away from the unhinged Shen Fuqing, a commotion erupted outside the courtyard gate.

Shen Fuqing glanced coldly at Luo Yiqi. "See? Here's the evidence," he said.

"Bring it in—carefully!"

Qin Jiao watched as several officials carried a large burlap sack into the yard. Luo Yiqi's eyes were fixed on that "evidence."

The sack was heavy, and something inside seemed alive, constantly scratching against the fabric.

A strong suspicion suddenly hit Qin Jiao, and it was confirmed the moment the sack was untied—a dog, a huge dog, barely alive inside.

The dog, massive and wearing a black collar, stood nearly as tall as a man. Its greyish-yellow fur matched the dog hair from the Hu-style kiln's amber clay. The long hair on its belly, back, and limbs was sparse and patchy, as if someone had pulled it out by the roots.

"Ah Huang!" Luo Yiqi's eyes went wide at the sight of the dog.

"Woof, whimper!" The dog let out a pained whine upon seeing its owner.

"Ah Huang, Ah Huang, where are you hurt? Where is my mother?" Luo Yiqi was frantic, momentarily forgetting in his panic that the dog couldn't speak, and kept calling to it.

Xie Nai sat in a chair, deep in thought, while Qin Jiao's expression was equally complicated.

"That beast was not easy to catch. Several of our guys were bitten!" The official who spoke was disheveled, blood still trickling from his leg.

"Nice work," Shen Fuqing said with a wave. "Go get your wounds treated first."

"Thanks, sir." The official then pulled something from his pocket. "Sir, these fell off that beast's collar. Take a look... Eh, there's one here too?"

What the official pulled out was a bunch of small white goose ornaments, three or four in total, each identical to those found at Liu Yao's murder scene and the Hu family kiln.

"This..."

Luo Yiqi suddenly seemed to understand. He moved painfully to the large dog's side, using his bandaged hand to push aside the long fur around its neck.

Everyone looked, and they saw a bloody wound on the dog's neck, staining the fur and the last little white goose ornament dangling from the collar.

In an instant, Qin Jiao understood. The small white geese found at Liu Yao's murder scene and the Hu family kiln were not standalone ornaments; they were pendants from this dog's collar.

"I know that collar charm. Old Mrs. Luo put it on Ah Huang specially."

"Yeah, I thought it was really thoughtful of her."

"So, does that mean Luo Yiqi really killed someone?"

"Impossible..."

The murmurs of the crowd reached Luo Yiqi's ears. His face, initially red with agitation, slowly turned deathly pale.

Just then, Shen Fuqing started explaining how the Court uncovered the New Year's Eve Charred Corpse case.

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