Chapter 538: Chapter 525: The Fox’s Tail

After everything was properly arranged, Xu Zhengping and Ding Gaochang finally let out a sigh of relief.

“I never expected that the person sent to investigate this case would be Master Chu.” Xu Zhengping sighed, “Master Chu has quite the reputation in the Ministry of Justice, having handled many major cases. Regarding the matter at Cuiwei Lake, it was only under Chu’s guidance that the two of us survived. Now that Master Chu is here, this case might be resolved soon.”

“Hmm.” Ding Gaochang nodded his head and agreed.

He had also heard about Chu Jinnian’s reputation.

Youthful and holding a high office, it wasn’t due to his status as Prince Qi’s son but his actual talent and competence that commanded respect, such a person was indeed admirable.

With Chu Jinnian on the case, there seemed to be hope.

Some light returned to Ding Gaochang’s previously dim eyes, but his expression remained grave, “But it seems that Master Chu has been implying that Hongyu is highly suspicious, I wonder why.”

“Her survival was a fluke, which naturally would arouse suspicion. You initially started investigating Hongyu for the same reason, but had to stop due to lack of evidence.”

“Just because we haven’t found anything yet doesn’t mean Hongyu is without problems. You stay doubtful about Hongyu these days and keep her here to ensure safety. Under the guise of preventing the murderer from silencing her, you placed guards to see if they could find any clues.”

“I see Master Chu is doing the same, and if Master Chu can find new clues…”

Xu Zhengping did not finish his sentence but looked at Ding Gaochang.

Find new clues?

Ding Gaochang’s eyes suddenly lit up.

The night deepened.

The entire world was engulfed in silence, save for the occasional shouts of the night crier.

It was the same in the prison. All the inmates were lying in the straw, wrapped in their ragged quilted jackets, curled together and deeply asleep.

The sounds of loud and soft snores and grinding teeth never ceased.

The prison guards were also about to pass out from exhaustion. Some were huddled over their desk sleeping, others were sleepily propping their heads up. Occasionally, if they woke up, they pretended to patrol the prison before falling asleep again.

A subtle “clink” suddenly sounded as if a mouse had knocked over the burning oil lamp in a panic. The lamp oil and flame instantly hit the ground and ignited the dry straw nearby.

The fire quickly spread, illuminating the entire prison with a fiery glow, filling the air with dense smoke and jolting everyone awake from their dreams.

“Fire!”

Shrieks of panic erupted instantly.

Followed by the cries of “Help me!”

“Let me out!”

Hongyu was also woken up by the noise. She rubbed her drowsy eyes and realized that the entire prison was on fire. Panic filled her eyes.

She jumped off the bed, didn’t even bother to put on shoes and rushed to the door.

Since Hongyu was not a real prisoner and did not attempt to escape, the door was never locked but merely latched. She managed to open the door smoothly and ran out.

But after two steps, she nearly ran into someone. This startled Hongyu.

Seeing Xu Zhengping and Ding Gaochang, she went pale.

But she quickly regained her composure, let out a giggle, and took Ding Gaochang’s arm, “Mother, you’re here, I missed you.”

“Are you cooking lunch? I see the fire is already on. Smells so good. Can we have dumplings for lunch, mother? I want dumplings.”

“Uncle, you’re here too?”

Hongyu pointed at Xu Zhengping and giggled. She took Xu Zhengping by the arm and walked inside, “Uncle look, candied hawthorns. I saved some for you. Would you like some?”

Xu Zhengping looked in horror at the dried half-eaten mouse in her hand and took a step back. He ordered the officials nearby, “Quickly put out the fire. Look around and see if anyone is injured.”

“Someone, please look after her.”

“Yes, sir.” The officials busied themselves.

Because the straw inside the prison was damp, the fire didn’t really spread and was extinguished quickly. Add to that people’s mindful attitude towards fire accidents in winter, damage was minimal.

After cleaning up the prison, comforting the prisoners, and reminding people to be careful, Xu Zhengping and Ding Gaochang left the prison.

Upon returning to the County Government Office, both of them wore solemn expressions.

Especially Ding Gaochang, after a long silence, he finally spoke, “This fox hid her tail deeply enough.”

The panic on Hongyu’s face was clear when she saw them. A lunatic wouldn’t behave like that. Even though Hongyu reacted quickly, he had still seen it clearly.

Her madness was an act, and her purpose now was obvious.

He had been investigating the case for days and observing for some time. Not finding anything amiss, only to realize now, frustrated him.

He was angry at Hongyu’s cunning and deceit and even more so at his incompetence.

“No matter how deep a fox hides, it’s still a fox. The tail will be revealed sooner or later.” Xu Zhengping said gravely, “Looks like we can’t just follow the usual procedures for future cases, we need to be more flexible.”

“Yes.” Ding Gaochang nodded and sighed, “Master Chu is truly impressive, but…”

How was he able to see through Hongyu’s charade so easily?

—-

Early the next morning, when it was still dark, Chu Jinnian finished his morning wash. Ding Gaochang and Xu Zhengping were already waiting for him outside.

“I see that both of you have bags under your eyes, but your spirits are high. I thought I heard some commotion last night. It seems that you two made some progress yesterday?” Chu Jinnian said in a calm tone.

“The prison had a fire accident last night, because of which we were busy extinguishing the fire, causing some disturbance. But thankfully, someone revealed their true colors last night, so we indeed made some progress.”

Ding Gaochang saluted, “Master Chu, your prescience is truly admirable. I am in awe.”

“I still don’t understand, however, how did you see through Hongyu’s act?”

“That was not difficult.”

Chu Jinnian replied with a smile, “It’s certain that the Ma family was poisoned by someone they knew well. But how could such a person not know that Ma’s favorite maid, Hongyu, was not at home at the time of poisoning? It’s unlikely that someone plotting to kill the entire Ma family would forget about Hongyu.”

“If someone wanted to frame Hongyu and left her alive on purpose, it’s a plausible argument. But the Ma family showed kindness to Hongyu, and she was grateful, with no intention to harm the family in any possible way. From the Government Office’s perspective, without any solid evidence, Hongyu would naturally not be considered guilty.”