Chapter 188: Testifying
The next morning, Zhang Pandi returned from outside, handed the freshly bought eggs to Jia Chunni, and trotted to the backyard, finding Su Yaoguang who was trimming flowers in the courtyard.
“Yaoguang, something happened.”
What Su Yaoguang feared most right now was hearing these three words.
“Second aunt, what happened?” Su Yaoguang saw that Zhang Pandi’s expression wasn’t very tense, thinking it shouldn’t be anything major, otherwise she wouldn’t be this calm.
“That young master from Jin Le Fang is being wanted by the government office!” Zhang Pandi said. “It seems he killed someone.”
Su Yaoguang was stunned: “Killed whom?”
“I don’t know either. I just heard people from the government office looking for him. I thought, isn’t he hiding here with us? If people from the government office think we’re harboring a criminal, will it implicate us?”
Su Yaoguang said, “I’ll go ask him. Second aunt, no need to worry. Even if he really killed someone, we were unaware, and Lord Chen won’t arrest people recklessly.”
“If he really killed someone, if you ask him like this, will he kill you too?”
Su Yaoguang picked up a stone from the ground, closed her fingers, and when she opened her palm again, the stone had turned into powder.
“Can he?”
Zhang Pandi burst out laughing: “That’s true. Our Yaoguang is more formidable than most men. But you still need to be careful.”
“I know.”
Su Yaoguang went to the guest room, knocked on the door, and asked inside, “May I come in?”
“Please come in.”
Su Yaoguang listened to this awkward voice and raised an eyebrow.
Rare indeed! The young master actually said ‘please’. It seems saving him last night wasn’t for nothing.
Su Yaoguang pushed the door and entered.
Cui Rong was already awake, but he was sitting on the bed without moving.
“Since you’re already awake, why not go home?” Su Yaoguang sat on a chair not far away, looking at Cui Rong’s expression. “You didn’t kill someone, did you?”
Cui Rong stared wide-eyed: “What nonsense are you talking?”
“You didn’t kill anyone?” Su Yaoguang asked.
Cui Rong’s face darkened: “Of course not. Why would I kill anyone for no reason? I haven’t even killed a fish, and I’d dare to kill a person?”
“If that’s the case, why are people from the government office looking for you, saying you killed someone?” Su Yaoguang said.
“Who died? Who did I kill?”
“I don’t know. My second aunt went out to buy vegetables and heard people from the government office looking for you, saying you killed someone. If you don’t show up soon, I’m afraid the government office will issue a wanted notice for you.”
Cui Rong hurriedly got out of bed.
He was too hasty and pulled at his wound; the originally bandaged wound started bleeding again.
“Don’t move around. I’ll go get Jing’er.”
“No need. I can rebandage it myself.” Cui Rong said with a pale face. “You saved me. I’m not an ungrateful person. I owe you this favor, and I’ll remember it.”
“You’re injured like this. How about I send someone to take you back?”
Cui Rong snorted coldly: “You’re afraid I’ll run away, aren’t you? Rest assured, I didn’t kill anyone, no need to run. Besides, even if the monk can run away, the temple can’t. The Cui family can’t afford to lose this reputation.”
Su Yaoguang said irritably, “Ungrateful. I won’t care about you anymore.”
“That… thank you.” Cui Rong turned his head away. “You can go out now. I need to rebandage my wound.”
Su Yaoguang came out from Cui Rong’s room and had just reached the front yard when she saw Captain Qian bringing several people to the shop to investigate Cui Rong’s whereabouts.
“Captain Qian, a word in private.”
Captain Qian followed Su Yaoguang to the corner: “Boss Su, do you have any information?”
Su Yaoguang lowered her voice and asked, “What crime did Young Master Cui commit?”
“Last night, Imperial Procurement Officer Gong died. According to people from the theater troupe, Young Master Cui brought four procurement officers to the theater troupe to watch the play. The other procurement officers lost interest after a while and left early, leaving only Young Master Cui and that Imperial Procurement Officer Gong. The two had a bit of an argument, after which Young Master Cui disappeared, and someone found Imperial Procurement Officer Gong dead in the previous dormitory room.”
“Young Master Cui probably couldn’t have done something this big. Isn’t it some misunderstanding?”
“Whether it’s a misunderstanding or not, we can’t decide. We need evidence to speak. In any case, he’s the most suspicious right now, so we need to find him first.”
“He’s at our home.” Su Yaoguang said. “Last night I brought him back.”
“Ah?” Captain Qian looked at her in surprise.
Su Yaoguang gave a general account of how she had brought Cui Rong back last night and his condition at the time.
“That’s all I know about the situation. As for the rest, you’ll have to investigate. I just went to ask him, and he said he didn’t kill anyone. But he’s injured and still bandaging his wound. Once he’s done, he should go back with you for investigation.”
“If we need you to testify, will you come forward?”
“Yes, I can testify to what I saw.”
“Boss Su is magnanimous.” Captain Qian said. “As far as I know, this young owner from Jin Le Fang has a strange temper and is hard to get along with. He even had a grudge with your Peach Blossom Workshop. Yet you’re willing to shelter him in this situation, showing your mind is broader than most men’s. Qian is determined to be your friend.”
Su Yaoguang took a bottle of face cream from the nearby shelf, stuffed it into Captain Qian’s hand, and said, “Elder brother Qian is a straightforward man. I like making friends with straightforward people. This is for your sister-in-law. It’s nothing rare. If she likes it, come back, and I’ll give her a five-percent discount.”
Cui Rong happened to come out and saw Captain Qian talking with Su Yaoguang. He slowly walked over: “I didn’t kill anyone. I can cooperate with your investigation. Let’s go!”
Captain Qian took Cui Rong away.
People in the shop started talking again about how Imperial Procurement Officer Gong died in the theater troupe.
“He died particularly miserably. Hands and feet all broken, tongue cut out too. Without deep hatred, no one would be so ruthless.”
“That young man surnamed Cui doesn’t have the guts for that. I don’t think it was him. But someone saw that Imperial Procurement Officer Gong groping him, so I’m afraid that young master suffered a big loss too. No matter how rich the Cui family is, an eunuch from the Imperial Palace can still have wicked thoughts about their heir. Sigh, merchants are lowly. It’s better to be an official.”
In the afternoon, Captain Qian came again, this time wanting her to testify.
She needed to prove what time she encountered Cui Rong, and that Cui Rong never left the Su family afterward, etc. From what they said, the time of Imperial Procurement Officer Gong’s death was around the time Su Yaoguang met Cui Rong. As long as Su Yaoguang testified for Cui Rong, his suspicion could be cleared.
Su Yaoguang went to the government office and provided an alibi for Cui Rong.
When Su Yaoguang appeared, Cui Rong’s expression was particularly complex. He clearly hadn’t expected Su Yaoguang to agree to testify in court, after all, it was trouble for her.
Su Yaoguang not only testified but also explained in great detail the time she encountered Cui Rong and his condition at the time.
Although the murderer wasn’t found, Su Yaoguang’s testimony was enough to prove Cui Rong wasn’t the killer. When Cui Rong was released on the spot, the Cui family shopkeeper wanted to invite Su Yaoguang to dinner to thank her.
“No need.” Su Yaoguang said. “Although your young master has temporarily cleared his suspicion, until the murderer is found, it will affect his reputation. You’d better handle this matter properly to avoid further complications.”
