Ji Wushang looked at Tie Feng, who had already reported that Ji Dingbei was already asleep.
"Did you hear any noise before you went there?" Ji Wushang asked Tie Feng as they walked to the front of the house.
Tie Feng nodded, "Reporting to Miss, I did not hear any sound."
Ji Wushang nodded, then looked around the room and saw that Ji Dingbei was still fast asleep. Ji Wushang thought for a moment, then ordered someone to open the door.
Ji Dingbei clenched his fists under the quilt, ready to punch at any moment! If this rebellious daughter were to do anything to betray him, he would not hold back!
Ji Wushang walked to Ji Dingbei's bedside, then knelt down and kowtowed three times. Everyone around was astonished, and Ji Dingbei was also astonished. The fist under the quilt slowly loosened.
Ji Wushang said, "Father, I did not mean to offend you, but there are some things that I must let you know! There are many things that you turn a blind eye to, but I am in great pain. Tonight, I was appeared in a dream by the Black and White Impermanence, who asked you to investigate. I only hope that you can find out the truth about what has happened these past few days in this half-conscious state! I only ask that you handle this matter fairly after you wake up!"
Ji Dingbei listened, feeling relieved. She wasn't here to harm him, but to show him the truth? What exactly was it that made her risk the bad reputation of being a rebellious daughter?
Ji Dingbei didn't move. Ji Wushang looked up and examined him for a while before saying, "Help my father up and lean him against the headboard, gently."
Several guards nodded, then immediately helped Ji Dingbei up and leaned him against the headboard. The guards then stood aside, ready to receive orders.
Taking advantage of Ji Wushang's inattention, Ji Dingbei peeked out and saw that the group consisted of several iron guards dressed in ordinary clothes. He thought to himself, "It's quite remarkable that Wushang could actually use these iron guards for his own purposes."
Ji Wushang gestured to the others, and immediately, Ji Wushang and the others hid in the darkness. At this moment, Ji Dingbei saw that outside the beaded curtain, Ji Wushang had set up a simple prison cell, which looked really scary. There were many cold iron torture instruments, such as branding irons and sharp knives.
To everyone's astonishment, two men dressed as the Black and White Impermanence ordered several men dressed as Ox-Head and Horse-Face to take Aunt Bai to the cell and make her sit on the tiger bench! Ji Dingbei was shocked. What was going on? Was this really Aunt Bai, or was it someone Ji Wushang had impersonated for him to see? And on the tiger bench... Aunt Bai was pregnant!
But you can't move, you have to endure it!
Aunt Bai was placed on the tiger bench in a daze and then tied up with some ropes!
Aunt Bai felt very dizzy, but unexpectedly, she suddenly felt a pain in her arm and woke up!
Ji Wushang immediately hid in the darkness.
As soon as Aunt Bai opened her eyes, she saw the Black and White Impermanence standing in front of her! And, looking at their profiles, she saw the Ox-Head and Horse-Face!
"Ah!" Aunt Bai was so frightened that she almost jumped back, but then she realized that she was sitting on the tiger bench!
"You, who are you?" Aunt Bai asked in a look of horror.
"Can't you see our faces?" Black Impermanence glared at Aunt Bai with disgust, then looked at White Impermanence. "Brother, Aunt Xie dragged Bai Aomei here because she said that Bai Aomei is the murderer who framed Aunt Xie and caused her death!"
White Impermanence grinned wickedly, "Brother, I'm afraid we need some evidence for that! Men, bring all these people up here!"
Ji Dingbei was watching. Was this a courtroom drama? Hearing the sounds and watching the scene unfold, Ji Dingbei couldn't help but sit up straight to see what was going on.
Ji Wushang glanced at him, and sure enough, he was awake! He hadn't guessed wrong! If he hadn't just knelt down and spoken to him, he might have gone up to see if it really was Aunt Bai! He probably thinks this is all an act now, right?
In no time at all, the group of people had been brought up! Ji Dingbei was surprised. He hadn't expected to see the long-dead Madam Bei, Aunt Xie who had died by hitting her head against a wall, and Zhang Xiuniang who had committed suicide by drowning!
Ji Dingbei felt a chill run down his spine. He had already believed Abbot Huiyuan's talk of evil energy, but this time, it was a judgment from the underworld!
Aunt Bai was even more terrified when she saw the people who came up. The three of them were staring straight at Aunt Bai, shouting, "Give me back my life! Give me back my life!"
Aunt Bai tried to shrink into a corner, but saw that her feet were handcuffed and fixed to the tiger bench! Aunt Bai cried out in terror, "No, don't come any closer!"
"You have committed too many evils. You should have been thrown into hell without a word. However, King Yama said that we must follow the procedures and handle this impartially! We will ask you some questions later and record them! If you tell even one lie, you will be thrown directly into the fires of hell!" Black Impermanence said coldly, and then looked ahead.
Following his gaze, Aunt Bai saw what appeared to be a woman screaming in agony amidst the flames, crying, "Ah! I'll tell the truth, save me, ah!"
...The sound grew fainter and fainter, but what could be heard was the crackling of firewood, and countless sharp claws seemed to appear right in front of Aunt Bai!
Aunt Bai's back was soaked with cold sweat, and her forehead was covered in cold sweat!
Ji Wushang made a hand gesture, and Tie Feng immediately ordered his men to stop the shrill cries and the flames.
"Did you hear that! If you don't tell the truth, you'll end up like her!" Bai Wuchang stepped forward with a sinister smile. "Is this tiger bench comfortable for you? You're pregnant; if you were put on this torture device, who knows how much pain you'd be in!"
As Aunt Bai listened, she looked at the instruments of torture around her. Sure enough, they were all instruments of torture that killed people without blinking an eye and caused them excruciating pain without the ability to struggle!
"I, I'll talk, I'll talk." Aunt Bai nodded, realizing she must have been dreaming. She never expected to encounter the Black and White Impermanence after coming down from this place!
Black Impermanence nodded, then gestured to White Impermanence, and immediately a black-faced judge of death stepped out from White Impermanence!
Aunt Bai felt like she was about to stop breathing!
The Judge of Death settled into his seat, then looked at Aunt Bai, a vermilion brush in his hand and Xuan paper on his desk. "You woman," he said, "if these people point out even the slightest lie, I'll send you straight to the eighteenth level of hell!" With that, the Judge of Death pointed with his vermilion brush at Madam Bei, Aunt Xie, and Zhang Xiuniang, who were sitting to the side. Upon hearing this, the three immediately lunged forward, baring their teeth and claws, but were fortunately stopped by Ox-Head and Horse-Face.
Aunt Bai looked at him, who was trembling all over, and nodded, "You, you can ask me anything."
"Did you deliberately push Madam Bei down in front of Master Ji?" the Black Impermanence asked coldly. "You clearly knew that Madam Bei was ill and had finally managed to get out of bed, but instead, you came forward and pushed her down in front of Master Ji, making it seem like Madam Bei pushed you down! Tell me, isn't that right?"
Aunt Bai was utterly astonished upon hearing this. She hadn't expected that someone actually knew about this! No, it was a ghost who knew about it! It must have been Madam Bei who told these underworld officials!
"Yes." Aunt Bai nodded, because if she didn't answer, Madam Bei would pounce on her!
The judge, who was tasked with bringing up the matter, immediately took notes.
The young lady instructed that everything must be recorded.
"Was it you who plotted to poison Miss Ji?" Bai Wuchang stepped forward, glaring angrily. "But you failed!"
"Yes, I... I did intend to kill the young lady," Aunt Bai whispered.
"Speak louder!" White Impermanence shouted angrily.
"I wanted to poison that little bitch Ji Wushang!" Aunt Bai raised her head and said coldly, "But she didn't die. That's too easy on her! Also, let me tell you, she went to the Right Prime Minister's residence with Madam Bei once. On the way back, she disappeared. I sent people to intercept and kill them, but I didn't expect that they would both escape!"
The judge, as if guided by divine inspiration, wrote furiously.
Upon hearing this, Ji Dingbei was completely stunned. So, Aunt Bai was a member of that Crescent Moon Sect? She was a Japanese pirate? He remembered finding a token on the assassin's body; it was inscribed with "Crescent Moon Sect"! He never imagined Aunt Bai was a Japanese pirate! What purpose did she have hidden deep within his general's mansion?!
"I'm asking you, didn't Aunt Xie commit adultery? Did you devise a plan to have someone sneak into Aunt Xie's room and then catch them in the act?" Black Impermanence stepped forward and glared angrily.
"Yes." Aunt Bai coldly looked at the Black and White Impermanence, then at Aunt Xie, who was sitting to the side with her head covered in blood. "Now that she's dead, I can sit in the position of Madam! Why should I, Aunt Bai, always have to be subservient to others? Anyone who stands in my way, I will kill them!"
Upon hearing this, Aunt Xie became agitated. "I curse you! You will die a horrible death!" The ox-headed and horse-faced demons immediately grabbed her, preventing her from going to Aunt Bai's side.
"Aren't you dead? It's good that you're dead!" Aunt Bai couldn't tell if she was in a dream or in reality. She just felt like she was in the underworld. Anyway, there was no one there, just ghosts. She would eventually return to the human world! There was no need to be afraid of these ghosts!
"Did you kill Zhang Xiuniang? Were you jealous of Zhang Xiuniang and Master Ji's relationship, so you kept obstructing and making things difficult for Zhang Xiuniang?" Black Impermanence stepped forward and asked.
"Yes!" Aunt Bai replied readily.
"Zhang Xiuniang often visits Xinyuan to teach the eldest young lady needlework, so you become jealous. You are determined to embarrass the eldest young lady in the Wenge embroidery competition. Therefore, you devised a plan to have someone murder Zhang Xiuniang. Firstly, you can kill Zhang Xiuniang to eliminate any future troubles. Secondly, you can prevent the eldest young lady from finding a good teacher to teach her needlework. Is that how it is?"
"Yes." Aunt Bai narrowed her eyes, looking at Zhang Xiuniang in front of her. "I was able to stop you from marrying into this general's mansion before, and I can do the same to you today!"
Ji Dingbei listened, his face turning deathly pale. What kind of woman had he married all these years? A jealous, vicious, cruel woman to her children, intolerant of others, and filled with resentment! Had he been blind all these years?
Things had come to this point, and Ji Dingbei knew the truth. Too many things had happened to explain in detail, and they needed to hurry. Therefore, Ji Wushang immediately signaled for someone to end the matter.
The judge who was about to bring death wrote down everything, and then gestured to the ox-headed and horse-faced demons. The ox-headed and horse-faced demons came forward with the paper and red seal, and without saying a word, gestured for Aunt Bai to sign and put her fingerprint on it!
Aunt Bai was nervous. This was a petition from the underworld! If this thing were found after she died, wouldn't it send her straight to hell?
"Quick! If you still want to go back to the human world, then hurry up and sign the document!" Black Impermanence said immediately, looking at Ji Wushang's face in the shadows.
Aunt Bai thought it over and over, and finally nodded. Dawn was approaching, and if she didn't go back, wouldn't she be discovered? If people knew that she was being judged by the underworld, wouldn't everyone know the truth?
"Quickly!" Both Black and White Impermanence stared with wide, terrifying eyes, and pushed the Xuan paper and the red seal in front of Aunt Bai.
Aunt Bai trembled as she reached out her hand, and finally signed and sealed the document.
Black Impermanence pulled the Xuan paper over, looked at it, and then said with satisfaction, "Take the person away!"
Suddenly, a puff of white smoke appeared, and Tie Feng immediately struck Aunt Bai on the back of the neck, knocking her unconscious to the ground.
Ji Wushang looked at Ji Dingbei, who was already in shock, and gestured to Tie Feng. Immediately, he placed several smoke devices next to Tie Feng, and everyone immediately withdrew!
Ji Wushang immediately ordered everything to be put back to its original state, and Bai Yiniang was carried back to her own bed in the East Garden. After cleaning up the mess, he left.
Ji Wushang and the others all breathed a sigh of relief after returning to Xinyuan.
Ji Wushang looked at everyone and asked, "Where is that piece of paper?"
“Here you are, miss, here you go.” Tie Feng immediately stepped forward and presented it.
Ji Wushang opened it and saw that it was filled with all the crimes listed, and at the end, it had Aunt Bai's signature and fingerprint.
"Alright, this time, I believe Father will understand everything!" Ji Wushang folded the Xuan paper and placed it in his bosom. "You're all tired, go and rest!"
"Yes." Everyone bowed and then left.
After watching everyone leave, Ji Wushang returned to his inner room. Zhu'er was still lying by the table. Ji Wushang looked at her and shook his head, "Zhu'er, go to sleep!"
"Huh? Miss? Miss, you're back?" Zhu'er opened her eyes upon hearing this and looked at Ji Wushang. "Miss, where did you go?"
"It's alright, didn't I tell you not to worry about me? Why don't you go down to sleep?" Ji Wushang lifted his robe, and Zhu'er immediately came forward and helped hang it up. "Zhu'er was worried about Miss!"
"Alright, don't worry about it now. Go down!" Ji Wushang was also tired, so he didn't say anything more.
Zhu'er nodded, then helped Ji Wushang to bed before leaving.
Time passed quickly. Ji Wushang got up early and asked Zhu'er to help him wash up before having his meal. If nothing unexpected happened, Ji Dingbei should call him over after court today.
Aunt Bai felt as if she had been run over. When she woke up, she touched her face and lower abdomen. Seeing that she was indeed alright, she was relieved. Had she really gone to the underworld last night?
Looking around, nothing had been touched! Aunt Bai really thought she was just having a dream, but when she raised her hand and saw the red mark on her thumb, she was shocked. Had she really left her fingerprint on it?
"Auntie, you're awake?" Tianxiang asked from outside the beaded curtain, holding a bowl of water and a silk handkerchief.
"Come in!" Aunt Bai regained her composure and then used a silk handkerchief to wipe the red mark off her thumb.
Tianxiang came in and began to serve her, and several maids who came later helped to make the bed.
Unexpectedly, when Aunt Bai sat in front of the dressing mirror, she screamed!
"Ah!" Aunt Bai immediately covered her eyes. "Quick, look in the mirror! Is there something in that mirror?!"
Tianxiang was picking out clothes when she heard the scream, and immediately rushed over, "Auntie, what's wrong?"
"Mirror, mirror!" Aunt Bai pointed at the dressing mirror in protest.
Tianxiang immediately looked at the dressing mirror, and after a long time, she said, "Auntie, there's nothing in the mirror!"
"What? Isn't that Aunt Xie in that mirror?" Aunt Bai screamed.
Tianxiang was immediately shocked. Aunt Bai must have seen something unclean, but why did she see Aunt Xie? Could it be the cursed star in Aunt Bai's womb causing trouble? Or is Aunt Bai haunted by some kind of trauma?
"Auntie, don't be afraid, there's nothing in that mirror, don't be afraid!" Tianxiang said. The other second-class maids around, watching this scene, were all astonished; Auntie Bai was probably going crazy!
"Go away, all of you, get out of here right now!" Tianxiang saw the maids looking at each other in confusion and immediately dismissed them.
Hearing this, Aunt Bai slowly removed her hands from her eyes and looked in the dressing mirror. She really didn't see Aunt Xie's face covered in blood anymore.
"Quickly, comb my hair!" Aunt Bai ordered immediately, still shaken.