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Looks like we're getting to the meaty part of the investigation!Translator: Iris, Editor: Aruthea

“You’re here too, Teacher Ji.” The Capital Magistrate greeted Ji Yunshu with a smile.

“I assume both of you are here to discuss the Case of the Dried Well with Prince Rong?” She greeted them.

“Indeed.”

“Then let us head inside together.” With that, she closed the umbrella in her hand, passed it to the guardsman by the gate and entered the estate. The Capital Magistrate and Vice-Chancellor Yu glanced at each other in confusion. Didn’t Teacher Ji say that he would not be investigating this case?

The two officials followed her in. The trio walked into the main hall one after the other. Jing Rong had been waiting for the two officials, but he did not expect Ji Yunshu to arrive as well.

“Why are you here?” He asked.

She stopped right in front of him and answered with a determined gleam in her eyes. “I’ve decided to take on the Case of the Dried Well.” She left no room for debate. The Capital Magistrate and Vice-Chancellor Yu both heard her as they stepped into the main hall.

Who would be the most delighted at this turn of events? Of course it would be the Capital Magistrate. The man in question scampered up to Ji Yunshu, eyes alight with joy. “Teacher Ji, you’ve really decided to take on this case? That would be great! With Teacher Ji’s expertise, I’m certain the case would be solved in no time.”

However, Jing Rong shot down that idea immediately, “No!” His voice echoed through the hall like rolling thunder. The Capital Magistrate shuddered, eyes wide with shock, but he knew better than to argue with the prince. He kept quiet and shuffled to the side with Vice-Chancellor Yu, who was just as shocked by the prince’s outburst.

In the face of Jing Rong’s absolute disapproval, Ji Yunshu stood her ground. “I’ve already made up my mind. Don’t bother dissuading me.”

“I’m not trying to dissuade you. This is an order. This case has nothing to do with you, it’s between me and Jing Yi. All you need to do is focus on the Lin Capital Case, don’t get caught up in this.”

“Yes, this case didn’t have anything to do with me. I should just stay in Zhuxi Court and keep my eyes and ears closed. But even if I don’t take part in this case, I am still involved in this. I’ve been caught up in this mess since the day I agreed to come back to the Capital with you. We’re in the same boat together and there’s no turning back. Besides, do you really expect me to pretend I don’t know anything when I can help you?”

She drew in a deep breath, sorrow colouring her eyes as she resumed with a choked voice, “This time, I’m not just doing this for you. I’m also doing this for Wei Yi. Only when we force Prince Yi into a corner would he reveal where he has hidden Wei Yi, and only then do we have the chance to rescue him. Call me stubborn, or a busybody. Whatever it is, I will get to the bottom of this case. There’s no way I would let him win."

Jing Rong looked at her with sombre eyes. He had no way to refute her argument and the tension that hung between the pair grew unbearable. The Capital Magistrate chimed in and tried to diffuse the situation, “Prince Rong, it would be much easier to solve this case with Teacher Ji’s expertise.”

The prince did not respond, his burning gaze remaining firmly on Ji Yunshu.

After some time, the prince finally relented. “Fine.”

Ji Yunshu let out a sigh of relief.

Jing Rong reminded her, “Jing Yi would do anything to win this competition and solve this Case of the Dried Well. You are to stay by my side at all times, understood?” She gave a slight nod and agreed.

After that, they began discussing the details of the case.

The Capital Magistrate started first. “Your Highness, the coroner has examined the skeletons found in the well, and they could not match it to anyone in the missing persons’ reports kept by the Ministry of Revenue in these few years. Without their portraits, it would be near impossible to identify the victims. Meanwhile, the derelict temple is still flooded. Even if there were any clues, it would most likely have been washed away by the rain and flood.”

“Where are those bones now?”

Vice-Chancellor Yu answered, “The bones have been moved to the examination room in the Ministry of Justice.”

“What about the traveling merchant?”

“We have interviewed his fellow traders and merchants. None of them knew how he got there. After they settled for the night at the inn, they each stayed in their own rooms. None of the inn’s staff noticed the merchant leaving the inn either.”

Jing Rong’s brows furrowed. “We must have missed something.” After thinking for a while, he asked, “Was the dried well dug at the same time as the temple was built?”

Vice-Chancellor Yu replied, “That temple has been around for almost a hundred years and the original builders had long since passed away. I asked the people that guarded the temple, but he had no idea. But, that empty well was sealed by the statue of Buddha. Had it been built after the temple, then the statue must be moved. To move the Buddha for building a well, it would have caused a commotion and everyone in the village would have heard of it. Therefore, I believe the well was built during the initial building of the temple.”

That deduction puzzled the Capital Magistrate instead, “But the well was sealed. In order to throw down those bodies, the Buddha must be moved out of the way.”

Jing Rong summarised their discussion, “A lot of things don’t add up in this case. If the well had been built together with the temple, why would none of the villagers be aware? How then, did the culprit know about the well? And a single person would never be able to move the Buddha statue in order to throw in the bodies. And why would the culprit target a traveling merchant who has never been to the Capital?”

None of the clues made sense. Was there really some kind of otherworldly force involved?

Ji Yunshu concluded, “We will learn more when we visit the Ministry of Justice tomorrow.”

The Capital Magistrate added, “With Teacher Ji’s help, Your Highness would definitely be able to solve this case before Prince Yi. The time to bring down Prince Yi will be soon.”

However, Vice-Chancellor Yu remained concerned. “No matter what, we should exercise great caution. Prince Yi has amassed great support in the Imperial Court, it would be best if we remained careful.”

Jing Rong nodded and let out a long sigh. “That would be all for today.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” The two officials bowed and left.

However, Ji Yunshu still looked worried and troubled. She has seen and solved many mysteries and cases, there’s no reason for her to be so worried before they have even started. Shouldn’t she be confident, just like how she has always been?

Jing Rong seemed to have sensed her anxious energy and asked, “What is it?”

She kept quiet for a while, before cutting straight to the point, “I met Prince Yi earlier.”

Jing Rong’s eyes widened with surprise. “What?”

“Prince Yi said if I help him solve this case and win the competition, he would release Wei Yi. But I can’t do that. I can’t just ignore what’s right and what’s wrong just to save Wei Yi.”

“Then what are you worried about?”

“I’m not worried, I’m just a little scared.”

Eh? “Are you scared of what might happen to Wei Yi?”

She shook her head. “No, it’s not that. Jing Yi found someone to help him. That man is called Wen Shisan, or Zhou San.” Disgust bubbled in her stomach the moment she thought of that person.

“Wen Shisan? Zhou San?” Jing Rong pondered, “Who is he?”

“Have you ever heard of the phrase ‘Seek the person in the first hour, seek the soul in the second hour, and seek the body in the third hour.’? You might have come across it during your travels.”

Jing Rong searched his memory, over the past six months, he had traversed the country to investigate the Lin Capital Case, and this phase… “If I remember correctly, this phrase came from a stanza in the Thirteen Jingan Tunes.”

“Yes, you’re right. It referred to Wen Shisan from Jingan province.”

Looks like we're getting to the meaty part of the investigation!Translator: Iris, Editor: Aruthea

“You’re here too, Teacher Ji.” The Capital Magistrate greeted Ji Yunshu with a smile.

“I assume both of you are here to discuss the Case of the Dried Well with Prince Rong?” She greeted them.

“Indeed.”

“Then let us head inside together.” With that, she closed the umbrella in her hand, passed it to the guardsman by the gate and entered the estate. The Capital Magistrate and Vice-Chancellor Yu glanced at each other in confusion. Didn’t Teacher Ji say that he would not be investigating this case?

The two officials followed her in. The trio walked into the main hall one after the other. Jing Rong had been waiting for the two officials, but he did not expect Ji Yunshu to arrive as well.

“Why are you here?” He asked.

She stopped right in front of him and answered with a determined gleam in her eyes. “I’ve decided to take on the Case of the Dried Well.” She left no room for debate. The Capital Magistrate and Vice-Chancellor Yu both heard her as they stepped into the main hall.

Who would be the most delighted at this turn of events? Of course it would be the Capital Magistrate. The man in question scampered up to Ji Yunshu, eyes alight with joy. “Teacher Ji, you’ve really decided to take on this case? That would be great! With Teacher Ji’s expertise, I’m certain the case would be solved in no time.”

However, Jing Rong shot down that idea immediately, “No!” His voice echoed through the hall like rolling thunder. The Capital Magistrate shuddered, eyes wide with shock, but he knew better than to argue with the prince. He kept quiet and shuffled to the side with Vice-Chancellor Yu, who was just as shocked by the prince’s outburst.

In the face of Jing Rong’s absolute disapproval, Ji Yunshu stood her ground. “I’ve already made up my mind. Don’t bother dissuading me.”

“I’m not trying to dissuade you. This is an order. This case has nothing to do with you, it’s between me and Jing Yi. All you need to do is focus on the Lin Capital Case, don’t get caught up in this.”

“Yes, this case didn’t have anything to do with me. I should just stay in Zhuxi Court and keep my eyes and ears closed. But even if I don’t take part in this case, I am still involved in this. I’ve been caught up in this mess since the day I agreed to come back to the Capital with you. We’re in the same boat together and there’s no turning back. Besides, do you really expect me to pretend I don’t know anything when I can help you?”

She drew in a deep breath, sorrow colouring her eyes as she resumed with a choked voice, “This time, I’m not just doing this for you. I’m also doing this for Wei Yi. Only when we force Prince Yi into a corner would he reveal where he has hidden Wei Yi, and only then do we have the chance to rescue him. Call me stubborn, or a busybody. Whatever it is, I will get to the bottom of this case. There’s no way I would let him win."

Jing Rong looked at her with sombre eyes. He had no way to refute her argument and the tension that hung between the pair grew unbearable. The Capital Magistrate chimed in and tried to diffuse the situation, “Prince Rong, it would be much easier to solve this case with Teacher Ji’s expertise.”

The prince did not respond, his burning gaze remaining firmly on Ji Yunshu.

After some time, the prince finally relented. “Fine.”

Ji Yunshu let out a sigh of relief.

Jing Rong reminded her, “Jing Yi would do anything to win this competition and solve this Case of the Dried Well. You are to stay by my side at all times, understood?” She gave a slight nod and agreed.

After that, they began discussing the details of the case.

The Capital Magistrate started first. “Your Highness, the coroner has examined the skeletons found in the well, and they could not match it to anyone in the missing persons’ reports kept by the Ministry of Revenue in these few years. Without their portraits, it would be near impossible to identify the victims. Meanwhile, the derelict temple is still flooded. Even if there were any clues, it would most likely have been washed away by the rain and flood.”

“Where are those bones now?”

Vice-Chancellor Yu answered, “The bones have been moved to the examination room in the Ministry of Justice.”

“What about the traveling merchant?”

“We have interviewed his fellow traders and merchants. None of them knew how he got there. After they settled for the night at the inn, they each stayed in their own rooms. None of the inn’s staff noticed the merchant leaving the inn either.”

Jing Rong’s brows furrowed. “We must have missed something.” After thinking for a while, he asked, “Was the dried well dug at the same time as the temple was built?”

Vice-Chancellor Yu replied, “That temple has been around for almost a hundred years and the original builders had long since passed away. I asked the people that guarded the temple, but he had no idea. But, that empty well was sealed by the statue of Buddha. Had it been built after the temple, then the statue must be moved. To move the Buddha for building a well, it would have caused a commotion and everyone in the village would have heard of it. Therefore, I believe the well was built during the initial building of the temple.”

That deduction puzzled the Capital Magistrate instead, “But the well was sealed. In order to throw down those bodies, the Buddha must be moved out of the way.”

Jing Rong summarised their discussion, “A lot of things don’t add up in this case. If the well had been built together with the temple, why would none of the villagers be aware? How then, did the culprit know about the well? And a single person would never be able to move the Buddha statue in order to throw in the bodies. And why would the culprit target a traveling merchant who has never been to the Capital?”

None of the clues made sense. Was there really some kind of otherworldly force involved?

Ji Yunshu concluded, “We will learn more when we visit the Ministry of Justice tomorrow.”

The Capital Magistrate added, “With Teacher Ji’s help, Your Highness would definitely be able to solve this case before Prince Yi. The time to bring down Prince Yi will be soon.”

However, Vice-Chancellor Yu remained concerned. “No matter what, we should exercise great caution. Prince Yi has amassed great support in the Imperial Court, it would be best if we remained careful.”

Jing Rong nodded and let out a long sigh. “That would be all for today.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” The two officials bowed and left.

However, Ji Yunshu still looked worried and troubled. She has seen and solved many mysteries and cases, there’s no reason for her to be so worried before they have even started. Shouldn’t she be confident, just like how she has always been?

Jing Rong seemed to have sensed her anxious energy and asked, “What is it?”

She kept quiet for a while, before cutting straight to the point, “I met Prince Yi earlier.”

Jing Rong’s eyes widened with surprise. “What?”

“Prince Yi said if I help him solve this case and win the competition, he would release Wei Yi. But I can’t do that. I can’t just ignore what’s right and what’s wrong just to save Wei Yi.”

“Then what are you worried about?”

“I’m not worried, I’m just a little scared.”

Eh? “Are you scared of what might happen to Wei Yi?”

She shook her head. “No, it’s not that. Jing Yi found someone to help him. That man is called Wen Shisan, or Zhou San.” Disgust bubbled in her stomach the moment she thought of that person.

“Wen Shisan? Zhou San?” Jing Rong pondered, “Who is he?”

“Have you ever heard of the phrase ‘Seek the person in the first hour, seek the soul in the second hour, and seek the body in the third hour.’? You might have come across it during your travels.”

Jing Rong searched his memory, over the past six months, he had traversed the country to investigate the Lin Capital Case, and this phase… “If I remember correctly, this phrase came from a stanza in the Thirteen Jingan Tunes.”

“Yes, you’re right. It referred to Wen Shisan from Jingan province.”