Bone Painting Coroner

Chapter 110 - Damn It! It Should Have Been Me!

Most wealthy families usually had the habit of putting a mark on their tablewares. They often used their surname, the name of the current era, or one of the twelve zodiac animals to identify their tablewares. The porcelain bowls and wine cups of the Wei family had the word "Wei" engraved at the bottom. As for the chopsticks made of precious wood, since they were comparably more fragile and would snap if the word "Wei" was to be engraved on it, only a corner at their ends would be shaved as a mark of identification.

However, the poisoned chopsticks didn't have such a mark.

"Are you absolutely certain that no one else came into the kitchen on that evening?" Ji Yunshu put an emphasis on the question.

Everyone looked at each other in dismay, causing another round of head-shaking.

"Are you certain?"

Suddenly, a maidservant within the crowd exclaimed, "It's true that no one else entered the kitchen to tamper with the tablewares, but on the way to the banquet hall, I ran into Third Young Master Ji."

'Third Young Master Ji? Ji Yuanzhi?'

"Why would he appear near the kitchen?"

"This lowly servant doesn't know. At that time Third Young Master Ji, he..."

"He what?" questioned Ji Yunshu.

The maidservant slightly blushed while biting her lips and lowering her head. Then, she reached out for the hairpin decorating her hair. She stammered and spoke with a trembling voice, "At that time, Third Young Master Ji gave me this hairpin. Since I saw how pretty it was, I accepted it."

'There really is an unforeseen circumstance. But such a superficial way to flirt! He couldn't even let a little girl go.' Ji Yunshu's expression sank. "At that time, whose tablewares did you take?"

"I was on my way with Miss Ji's tablewares," she spoke with certainty.

In other words, Ji Yuanzhi also didn't come into contact with Lord Wei's and Madame Wei's tablewares. It seemed like the investigation had lead to another dead end! Ji Yunshu looked at Jing Rong. She appeared a bit distressed.

Jing Rong promptly comforted her. "Since we know that the chopsticks were poisoned, then we can certainly find out the truth in the end."

She nodded and grumbled in agreement. Inadvertently, as she moved, her sleeve brushed against the chopsticks, making them drop to the ground. She used her handkerchief to pick up the chopsticks, but she accidentally saw a piece of black chopstick fall off and turn into a crimson color. That tiny piece was very easy to overlook without a keen eye.

Her expression immediately tensed as she stared at the wet floor with her nose wrinkled. She asked, "There's vinegar on the floor?"

"Yes, we usually clean the floor with diluted vinegar," replied a servant girl.

"So it's like that!" That's right! The dense fog clouding her mind was gradually dispersing! She turned around and spoke to Jing Rong, "Your Highness, I might need your help!"

Jing Rong frowned. "Tell me."

Ji Yunshu wrapped the chopstick with her handkerchief and dragged Jing Rong out of the kitchen. Her expression was grave as she whispered into his ear, "I need you to send people to the prison and..."

After she was done explaining her plan, Jing Rong ordered his subordinates to accomplish it.

.........................

Meanwhile in the prison, Ji Yuanzhi was shouting his innocence as if his life depended on it. He was too young. There was no way he could accept this kind of punishment.