A pure heart in a jade pot

Chapter 38

Mo Yan said irritably, "She wasn't asleep at all... She looks like a delicate young lady, so it's one thing for her nails to be a little long, but how come she's so strong?" She lowered her hand, and there were several bloody marks on the half of her face that she had been covering, with faint finger marks, indicating that she had been hit quite hard.

"Is it alright?" Even though he knew it was just a superficial injury, Zhan Zhao still asked.

Mo Yan waved her hand, indicating that she was fine: "It just hurts a little, but nothing else."

The two looked again at Bai Yingyu, whose anger was growing stronger.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"Put her clothes on for her."

Even though Bai Yingyu was wrapped up tightly in the quilt, Zhan Zhao still turned his face away and whispered instructions to Mo Yan.

Upon hearing this, Bai Yingyu's eyes filled with even greater fear. She tried desperately to struggle, but to no avail. Her cherry lips parted and closed, as if she wanted to say something.

Mo Yan took the silk skirt hanging on the screen next to her, lifted her quilt, helped her sit up, and prepared to dress her, while Bai Yingyu was only wearing a quilt and clothes...

Her eyes widened, and tears welled up instantly.

"Why are you crying? I've been beaten up like this by you, I'm the one who should be crying!" Mo Yan frowned as she looked at her, her hands moving as she draped a dress over her shoulders.

During this time, Bai Yingyu's tears fell like broken beads, and the situation seemed to be getting worse.

Seeing the large wet patch on the front of her dress, Mo Yan said helplessly, "Please stop crying. If you keep crying, I'll have to change your clothes."

"Is it done?" Zhan Zhao asked.

He always faced the window, his back to them.

"Alright." Mo Yan kindly tidied Bai Yingyu's disheveled hair, a gesture that earned her even more hateful stares.

Zhan Zhao turned around and walked up to Bai Yingyu, without a trace of apology in his eyes.

“I presume you know, Miss, that your father died a violent death, and I have come here to find the true culprit.” He paused. “Miss, did you burn down the study rather than let your father die unjustly?”

Although Bai Yingyu was unable to speak, she was still a young lady who lived a secluded life in her boudoir and did not know how to hide her surprise. Her face immediately showed a look of astonishment.

"Release her speech acupoints," Zhan Zhao said.

What if she yells?

Mo Yan was still hesitating when she suddenly noticed the embroidered shoes on the ground. She smiled mischievously, picked up one of the shoes, and said to Bai Yingyu, "I'll release your pressure points now. If you scream, I'll have to put this shoe in your mouth. Have you thought it through?"

The shoes weren't exactly dirty, but they had still been stepped on the ground, and a young lady like Bai Yingyu naturally wouldn't want them stuffed into her mouth. Zhan remained silent, clearly acquiescing, so she could only glare angrily at Mo Yan.

The latter smiled at her sincerely and quickly released the acupoints with a few taps of his fingers.

Bai Yingyu did not scream as expected. She stared at Zhan Zhao, tears still on her face: "If you two came to investigate the case, why did you visit in the middle of the night, and... and humiliate me like this! You have a reputation for chivalry, but you are such a despicable person!"

“Sneaking in at night was out of sheer desperation,” Zhan Zhao said quietly. “Besides, I never intended to humiliate you, Miss.”

“You actually let him…” she said, tears streaming down her face again, “You’ve humiliated me like this, you might as well just kill me.”

Zhan Zhao glanced at Mo Yan, who was still dressed in men's clothing, and had no choice but to explain, "Miss Mo is also a girl, so there is nothing wrong with it."

"She is... a young lady?"

Bai Yingyu immediately forgot to shed tears. In fact, even when Mo Yan was dressed as a man, she could not hide her feminine beauty, and her voice was clear and crisp, so it was not difficult to tell her apart. It was just that this young lady had always stayed at home and had never seen a woman dressed as a man like this before.

Mo Yan looked herself up and down, and asked in surprise, "Don't I look like it?"

"Let's get back to the main point." Seeing that Bai Yingyu had calmed down considerably, Zhan Zhao said in a deep voice, "Has Miss considered bringing the real culprit who killed your father to justice?"

"That's natural."

"Then why did the young lady burn down the study?"

Bai Yingyu pursed her lips and did not answer.

Zhan Zhao did not press for details, but said, "Over the years, the Imperial Textile Bureau has embezzled more than a million taels of silver every year. If your father had no one behind him, how could such a small Imperial Textile Bureau have such audacity?"

Upon hearing that the amount of embezzlement was unknown, Bai Yingyu's eyes showed surprise, and she remained silent.

“Your father was merely a pawn used by others, and his death was nothing more than a sacrifice by his superiors to save the king.” Zhan Zhao’s tone softened. “Lord Bao knows that your father was forced into this situation. If you, Miss, are so understanding, you should help us find the real culprit.”

He stopped and looked at Bai Yingyu, whose expression was one of surprise and uncertainty, yet she was still pondering.

"To be honest, Lord Bao's thorough investigation into the corruption in Jiangnan has certainly implicated your father, but he is not entirely to blame. His death will allow others to pin the blame on him." Zhan Zhao emphasized, "Does Miss intend to stand by and watch the real culprit not only go unpunished but also have all the blame placed on your father?"

Bai Yingyu stood there stunned for a long time before saying, "What evidence do you have to accuse my father of embezzling?"

Zhan Zhao smiled faintly: "Lord Bao began investigating before the New Year. Forgive my bluntness, but your father's actions were too ostentatious. Take the matter of Miss's marriage to the Sima family, for example. The betrothal gifts your father sent were something that even a third-rank official couldn't afford to send even if he didn't eat or drink for ten years."

"...Then how can you be so sure that the person who killed my father was the one who instructed him to embezzle?"

Mo Yan, who was listening nearby, grew impatient and said angrily, "Isn't this obvious? If he wasn't afraid that your father would implicate him, why would he kill your father to silence him?"

Bai Yingyu bit her cherry lips lightly and hesitated before saying, "Just now, Lord Zhan said that Lord Bao began to suspect my father before the New Year, so my father's death may also be the work of Lord Bao."

Upon hearing this, both Zhan Zhao and Mo Yan were furious.

Zhan Zhao was furious that she would suspect Lord Bao. How could Lord Bao commit such a despicable act of assassination?

Mo Yan was furious that she was so stupid. How could Bao Zheng be so foolish as to cut off the clues to the case himself, and then go through all the trouble of trying to bring them back?

The two men's gazes swept over her, almost making Bai Yingyu shudder.

Zhan Zhao took a deep breath, knowing that Bai Yingyu lived a secluded life and had only a superficial understanding of officialdom. He explained, "Your father was a high-ranking official of the third rank. Even if Lord Bao wanted your father to be brought to justice, he would still need to conduct a trial in court. Why would he secretly kill him? In other words, your father's crime of corruption is well-documented, and according to the laws of the Song Dynasty, he is punishable by death. If Lord Bao wanted your father's life, why would he need to go through all this trouble?"