Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

Zhang Jingwei's eyes swept calmly over Shitou's miserable appearance. His voice was not loud, but it clearly penetrated the dead silence:

"It's not pleasant to go without food or water for three days, but still be starving. Isn't that right?"

"Three days without sleep, watching myself collapse bit by bit, with only the jailer's scolding and the clamor of the gong in my ears, wanting to sleep but unable to... This feeling is a hundred times worse than being whipped, right?"

The stone remained motionless, like a lifeless clay statue, with only the faint rise and fall of his chest proving he was still alive. His cracked lips were tightly closed, without even a whimper.

Zhang Jingwei was not surprised. He flipped open the file, his voice steady, as if he was describing a business matter that had nothing to do with him.

"You were originally a servant of the Deng family, nameless and adopted by them at a young age. The Deng family suffered a disaster, and the head of the family, Deng Wentong, was framed by the Shi family and exiled, where he died of illness on the way. You harbored a grudge and sought revenge for your master. That day, you hid in Gaoyang Tower, waiting for an opportunity to assassinate Shi Jincheng, but were captured on the spot. Is this true?"

The stone remained silent, but in its deep eye sockets, something extremely faint seemed to flicker for a moment, and then was covered by even deeper silence.

Zhang Jingwei closed the file and leaned forward slightly. The light from the oil lamp cast flickering shadows on his face. His voice deepened slightly, carrying an undeniable power:

"Last month, Deng Sanyue, a concubine of the Deng family, was married into the Shi family as a concubine, thanks to the lobbying of Xiao Kewei, the former chief clerk of this county. However, within two weeks, unable to bear the Shi family's humiliation, she hanged herself in the back garden of the Shi residence." He paused, his gaze fixed on Shitou. "The case was hastily closed as 'suicide' and no one investigated further. Shitou, tell me, is there any other injustice involved?"

The three words "Deng Sanyue" were like a boulder dropped into stagnant water, instantly stirring up violent ripples within the stone's lifeless form! His previously hollow eyes suddenly widened, his pupils suddenly constricting in extreme pain and anger! His parched lips trembled violently, and a "ho...ho..." sound like a broken bellows escaped his throat! He struggled to his feet, but the heavy chains held him tightly, leaving only fresh bloody marks on his wrists and ankles. A deep, agonizing grief and hatred erupted from his hunched body like a substance!

Zhang Jingwei stared at him intently, his every word like a hammer: "I will reopen this case! Get to the bottom of it! Clear the name of Deng Sanyue, daughter of the Deng family! And give you... justice!"

The gasps in Stone's throat grew louder, like the whimpering of a dying beast. His bloodshot, sunken eyes stared fixedly at Zhang Jingwei, filled with doubt, struggle, pain, and a faint glimmer of hope... like a candle in the wind. His cracked lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but only a "hiss...hiss..." sound escaped him.

Finally, a very weak, hoarse, and almost inaudible word came out from the depths of his throat with difficulty:

"…water……"

This word seemed to have exhausted his last bit of strength. After saying this, he completely collapsed in the chair, only breathing heavily, but his eyes were fixed on the clear water on Zhang Jingwei's desk.

A sharp light flashed in Zhang Jingwei's eyes. He knew that a crack had finally been opened in the defense line of this "stubborn stone"! He immediately gave the order in a deep voice:

"Someone! Uncuff him! Feed him slowly! Be gentle!"

Two yamen runners quickly stepped forward and carefully untied the heavy chains from Shitou's hands and feet. Shitou flinched subconsciously as the cold iron left his skin. One of the runners brought a bowl of warm water and carefully placed it against Shitou's parched lips. Shitou instinctively reached for it, but he was so weak that even swallowing seemed incredibly difficult. The runner could only feed him drop by drop.

After feeding him two bowls of water, a faint hint of life finally appeared on Shitou's ashen face, and the empty and desperate look in his sunken eye sockets regained focus.

He suddenly raised his head, staring at Zhang Jingwei with bloodshot eyes. His voice was still as hoarse as sandpaper, but with a heart-pounding shrillness:

"Sister...she was murdered! She would never commit suicide!"

Zhang Jingwei leaned forward slightly, his eyes sharp as an eagle: "Tell me everything in detail!"

Shitou took a deep breath, as if to draw strength to speak, his voice choked with sobs:

"The Deng family... suffered a great disaster. The head of the family died unjustly, and the family property was confiscated... But my sister... she is not the kind of person who is spoiled and can't stand hardship! The second wife... is my sister's biological mother. She has an old house in the countryside. It's not big, but it can shelter us from the wind and rain. My sister took a few of us and moved there... The three of us depended on each other for survival..." His eyes fell into a brief memory, with a hint of warmth, "My sister is kind-hearted, treating us very well, and having a harmonious relationship with the neighbors... Everyone also remembers the old friendship of the Deng family and helps us a lot... Although life is hard, it is stable... My sister also taught me to read... She said... that things will get better... How could she... How could she abandon us to commit suicide?! I don't believe it! I will never believe it!"

"You three?" Zhang Jingwei grasped the key information and scanned the file. "Besides you, who are the other two?"

"They are my sister's two personal maids," Shitou's eyes flashed with a complex emotion. "They were my sister's dowry. My sister treated them like sisters... In the countryside, I worked in the fields and did odd jobs, and they stayed at home to serve my sister and take care of the housework... Life... could have gone on like this..."

"Well," Zhang Jingwei nodded, motioning him to continue, "What happened next?"

The warmth in Stone's eyes was instantly replaced by icy hatred, and his teeth chattered.

"Later, the chief clerk of Gaoyang County came to visit, and he and my sister talked in the house for a long time... After he left, my sister locked herself in the room... and cried for a long time... I have never seen her cry so sadly and desperately..." Shi Tou clenched his fists, and his nails dug deep into his palms.

"Later..." His voice trembled with great pain, "The family started to prepare wedding reds inexplicably... red silk, red paper, red candles... My sister... My sister called me to her side, her face as pale as paper, she touched my head... and said... she was getting married... marrying into the Shi family... From now on... I would be the housekeeper of the family... She wanted me... wanted me to take good care of this family... wait for her... wait for her to come back..." Shi Tou's tears finally couldn't be controlled, and rolled down his face mixed with the dirt, "That was the last time... I looked at my sister properly... Her smile was uglier than crying..."

"Wait until I see my sister again..." Shitou's voice suddenly rose, filled with tearing grief, "She...she was lying in a roll of tattered straw mat! Right at the back corner door of Shi's house! She was thrown out like garbage! Her whole body was cold... No matter how I shouted... No matter how I shook her... She didn't respond to me! She had so many wounds... So many wounds!" He burst into tears, his body shaking violently.

Zhang Jingwei's eyes were as cold as ice. "The two maids who accompanied her to the wedding? Where were they at the time? Where were they afterwards?"

Shitou suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with deep hatred and murderous intent. "They?! They are so ungrateful. They ran away after my sister got into trouble."

Zhang Jingwei slammed the table, his eyes piercing the stone like a sword, and shouted angrily: "You lie! Where are they buried?!"

"I...how should I know?!" Shi Tou was instantly struck by lightning, his pupils suddenly dilated, and his face was full of shock and disbelief.

"Hmph!" Zhang Jingwei snorted coldly, stood up, and looked down at the terrified Shi Tou from above, his tone cold and firm:

"Let me tell you what the story here should be like!"

"Those two maids accompanied Deng Sanyue into the Shi Mansion. Day and night, they could hear your young lady's screams as she was beaten and humiliated! Perhaps they were terrified, perhaps numb, perhaps they tried to do something, but in the end... they chose silence! Until that night, Deng Sanyue's screams... abruptly stopped! Never again!"

"They knew their young lady had been tortured to death! And they were the only witnesses!" Zhang Jingwei's voice was like a hammer, striking a stone heart. "The Shi family, to silence them, either used intimidation, bribery, or even outright murder. But they must have chosen the former to survive. To appease you, the only remaining 'relative' of the Deng family, they might have... even given you some, right?!"

The shock on Shi Tou's face slowly faded, replaced by a twisted hatred mixed with pain and madness. "Yes... they gave me... a bag of silver... it was heavy..." He laughed miserably, his laughter like the cry of a night owl, "They said... my sister committed suicide... and told me to take the money... and live a good life... hahaha... hahahaha... live a good life?!"

His laughter abruptly stopped, and only pure murderous intent remained in his eyes. "Sister treated them like siblings! Yet they watched helplessly as Sister was tortured and slaughtered! For a few taels of dirty money! They sold Sister's life! They forgot all the suffering Sister had endured! Don't they... deserve to die?! Do they... deserve to live?!"

"They deserved to die!" Stone roared, adding, "So I found them! On that snowy night when they took the money and were about to flee! I caught up with them... and smashed their heads with rocks! I dragged their bodies... to the mass grave west of the city... dug a random hole... and buried them!"

The interrogation room was dead silent, with only the suppressed sobs of Stone and the crackling of the burning oil lamp.

Zhang Jingwei slowly sat back in his chair, looking at the young man before him, completely consumed by hatred. He spoke in a deep voice, "Listen. They knew about the crime but didn't report it, shielding the real culprit. According to the laws of the Celestial Empire, shielding anyone is guilty of the same crime! The laws of the country will punish them severely!"

"But—!" Zhang Jingwei's voice suddenly rose, carrying thunderous majesty and regret. "You shouldn't! You can't! Do it yourself! Use lynching. If you kill them, you will become a murderer yourself! A sinner! If your sister is still alive, would she be willing to see you become a prisoner?"

Shitou's eyes widened as he glared at Zhang Jingwei. His chest heaved violently as he laughed wildly and said, "I've said everything I've been holding back for a month. I feel relieved now. Kill me, you bastard!"

When Zhang Jingwei heard the word "dog official", his face instantly became gloomy. He stared at the stone with a flash of anger in his eyes.

Seeing this, Shitou not only did not back down, but continued to taunt him, "Is being a dog of the Shi family more comfortable than being an official?"

Zhang Jingwei's expression grew increasingly grim. He gritted his teeth and squeezed out a few words: "Tutu, make him sign and send him back to prison."

Hu Tu, who was standing nearby, quickly responded, "Yes."