Help! The cunning and treacherous minister and I were reborn together!

Xiao Zong ordered people to add candles, illuminating the backyard as bright as day. He looked solemn as he passed by his servants.

"Anyone who came to the backyard tonight, step forward."

Several people on duty stepped forward, followed by a maid and three servants, two of whom were the ones who had accompanied Xiao Zong on his investigation.

Yuan Zhi whispered a few words in his ear, and Xiao Zong said sternly, "Take off your shoes, soles up!"

The group obeyed orders, but Yuan Zhi didn't look at them; instead, he looked behind him.

At that moment, a woman instinctively pulled her foot back.

The Awakening of Insects?!

Yuan Zhi walked up to her and said, "Take off your shoes too."

Jingzhe feigned composure, "Young Madam, this servant is the eldest young master's maid."

"You're a maid in the Xiao household!" Xiao Zong said, "How dare you disobey the orders of the Xiao family's mistress?"

Jingzhe shivered, her face drained of color, and she bent down to take off her shoes.

Yuan Zhi kicked the shoe twice with her toes, turned it over, and saw the osmanthus flowers stuck to the sole. A slight smile appeared on her lips.

"Miss Jingzhe has also been to the backyard, why didn't she come out?"

"I came during the day!"

"What time did you arrive? How long have you been here? What did you do?"

Jingzhe lowered her eyes. She hadn't been there during the day at all, and it would be easy to give herself away if she said it was only an hour. After thinking for a moment, she said, "I forgot the exact time, but I remember it was in the afternoon. I didn't stay long. I admired the flowers under the tree for a while and then left."

"Is it enjoyed sitting down or standing up?"

A chill ran down my spine during the Awakening of Insects. Did she find out how I committed the crime?

No, her plan was flawless; no one could see through it!

However, we still need to use some tricks to distract the young mistress from paying too much attention to the stone bench!

"Stand."

Yuan Zhi tugged at her dress, "You've never sat on a stone bench, so how come your skirt is covered in moss? Looking around the entire Songfeng Courtyard, this color of moss is only found on the base of stone benches."

Jingzhe immediately turned her head and saw a dark green stain on the white skirt that the young mistress was clutching.

"Impossible! I clearly changed my clothes..." Jingzhe realized, "You tricked me!"

"All's fair in war!" Yuan Zhi tilted her head and smiled faintly. "Husband, the case is solved!"

Xiao Zong encouraged him, saying, "Well done."

As Yuan Zhi turned her head, Jingzhe grabbed her neck from behind and threatened, "Don't come any closer, or I'll kill her!"

The servants and maids immediately scattered, making way for the two of them.

Xiao Zong jumped to his feet. "Jingzhe, release the young mistress!"

"Young Master, please escort me out of the city first. Once I'm safe, I will naturally release her!"

"You committed murder, and fleeing the scene of the crime only aggravates your punishment. The government doesn't even need to issue a warrant for your arrest; they can simply post a reward notice. There are plenty of people who want your head! Considering our past relationship as master and servant, I'll release the young mistress and give you a proper burial!"

Jingzhe smiled and said, "Young Madam, you see? Compared to a man's power and status, you will always be the one who can be discarded!"

Yuan Zhi ignored her, recalling Xiao Zongshi's moves in her mind. She grabbed Jingzhe's arms with both hands, bent down, and used all her strength to throw Jingzhe over her shoulder.

Xiao Zong rushed over in three strides, grabbed the exhausted Yuan Zhi, and kicked Jingzhe into the crowd.

The servants leaped up and quickly pinned the man down, twisting his arms behind his back and binding him with their belts.

Jingzhe coldly stared at Yuanzhi, "He abandoned you, and you still throw yourself at him, how incredibly stupid! Just watch, your fate will be even worse than Guyu's!"

Yuan Zhi leaned against Xiao Zong's chest, her voice weak, "You say he abandoned me, but that's only because you see yourself as someone else's object and want to categorize me as one of your own. If you saw yourself as a person, you would understand that there is no such thing as anyone being abandoned by anyone!"

Jingzhe glared angrily: "You insulted me!"

"You figured it out? You're not too stupid!" Yuan Zhi said, "Tell me, why did you kill Gu Yu?"

"Because she broke our vow! She deserves to die! We've relied on each other since we were little, and then we entered the manor together, promising that even if we were just maids, we would make a name for ourselves."

Jingzhe smiled coldly, "But what about her? She's becoming more and more infatuated with the young master, thinking every day about how to flatter him and gain his favor. She even went so far as to have sex with Liu Rong in the master's bed in order to sow discord between you two. Shouldn't such a treacherous and shameless person be killed?"

Yuan Zhi stared intently: "Just because of this, you killed your friend of many years?"

Jingzhe said innocently, "Why are you looking at me like that, young mistress? I've rid you of a major threat; shouldn't you be thanking me?"

"absurd!"

Yuan Zhi got angry, and Xiao Zong put his arm around her and stood up. "You're not well yet, don't get angry. I'll have someone hand her over to the authorities for trial."

"Wait, I have a few more questions to ask." Yuan Zhi pressed his hand down and looked at Jingzhe. "How did you kill Guyu?"

Jingzhe looked up and said, "Right under the osmanthus tree, I put the rope around her neck, back to back, like a game we played when we were kids, and strangled her little by little! You can probably guess how I hung her up afterwards!"

"Was the clothing she was wearing your doing? And what did you use to cover Gu Yu's face so she wouldn't get scratched?"

"I coaxed her into wearing it. As for the cloth covering her face, I burned it. There's no way to prove it now, so what evidence do you have to convict me? Hahahaha!"

Yuan Zhi's suppressed anger surged up again, and he wanted to slap her, but Xiao Zong stopped him.

"Did you just tell me not to get angry?"

Xiao Zong gave a few instructions to his men, and the servants took Jingzhe away. He glanced at Liu Rong on the ground and ordered someone to bring over the family law.

"Thirty severe punishments, after which he will be expelled from the government office and never to be employed again!"

Liu Rong crawled on his knees at Xiao Zong's feet, "Young Master, please have mercy! I have an elderly mother to support at home. If I am expelled from the manor, there will be no place for me in Shengjing! I am willing to accept the punishment, I only beg you not to drive me out, please!"

Xiao Zong remained silent. Yuan Zhi recalled that day when he was drunk and had given her the cat to play with. Such a kind person, yet he was blinded by desire and did such a shameful thing!

"If you had known this would happen, why did you do it in the first place? Go to the storeroom and get five taels of silver later. Your mother has suffered because of you, so consider this money as my way of fulfilling your filial duty. After you leave the manor, behave properly and don't make another mistake!"

"Thank you—Madam!"

Liu Rong clenched his fists, his eyes bulging slightly. He had clearly been deceived by Gu Yu, so why couldn't he be given a chance to repent?

"Let's go."

Xiao Zong hugged Yuan Zhi tightly and said softly.

"Ah."

Yuan Zhi was truly exhausted at this moment, and leaned against him with a boneless, supple gait.

Xiao Zong picked her up horizontally, and Yuan Zhi suddenly lost her balance, so she was startled that she immediately wrapped her arms around his neck.

"There are so many people here, put me down quickly!"

Xiao Zong lowered his eyes, a hint of amusement in his cool, aloof gaze. "Aren't you out of energy? This way it'll save you some effort!"

Yuan Zhi buried her head in his chest and kicked her leg, "Hurry up and leave!"

"As ordered!"