Who in the world does not know you?

Chapter 33 Sealing the Mouth

Previously at the Honggu Restaurant, Ye Zi had heard the three brothers talk about Yun Ping, so she naturally knew who Ma Ben was.

At the time, Qingchuan originally wanted to use his status as the young master of the General's Mansion to stand up for Yunping in front of the Prefect, but Yunluo said that the fog had not yet cleared and it was too early.

The fog has not only failed to dissipate, but has instead grown even thicker.

"Where would a mere prison guard like him get so much money to drink and dine with courtesans, especially the most famous ones?"

Ye Zi asked in confusion, but Ning Qi just shook his head slightly.

How did he know? That's exactly what he found strange.

He came to Yun Luobai for two reasons: firstly, to tell Yun Luobai about this strange incident, and secondly, to ask Yun Luobai for answers to his questions.

"Second brother, what do you think? Where did he get so much money?"

"How would I know?"

"You're good at math, aren't you? You do the math."

"..."

Yun Luobai was speechless for a moment.

Ning Qi was probably the person in the entire Ningzhou Prefecture who believed most in his divination skills.

"He's no good at calculations; he's just a liar."

Ye Zi couldn't help but point out that if it were any other maid speaking to her young master like that, she would probably be severely punished.

However, neither Yun Luobai nor Ning Qi were the type to bully others by virtue of their power, and Ye Zi was about the same age as them, so they would never consider her inferior.

"However, this makes me understand something, regardless of whether Ma Ben was the murderer who killed Mu Li."

Yun Luobai spoke softly, her eyes seeming to brighten even more at that moment.

"What have you figured out?"

Ye Zi spoke up immediately, but Yun Luobai simply folded the paper in her hand and returned it to Ning Qi.

The Buddha said, "It cannot be spoken."

"cut……"

Ye Zi pursed her lips, but her gaze swept over Yun Luobai intentionally or unintentionally, her eyes seeming to hold a deeper meaning.

"Second brother, what do we do now? I learned that Ma Ben was on the list, so I thought I'd come and discuss it with you first. If he really is the one who killed Mu Li, then we can avoid making any rash moves and alerting him. If this murder case is solved, and Ma Ben really is the killer, then we won't have to worry about Uncle Yun anymore..."

Ning Qi stood straight and waited for Yun Luobai's answer. Although he was older and often referred to himself as the eldest brother, he was never arrogant because of his age.

He knew how important Yunping was to Yun Luobai, so even though being a jailer wasn't exactly a good job, he didn't want Ma Ben to succeed.

"Whether it was him or not, we need evidence. Assuming he did kill Mu Li, and considering the fact that the murderer deliberately returned to the crime scene to retrieve lost items that could reveal his identity, what do you think he left in Mu Li's room?"

Faced with Yun Luobai's question, Ning Qi rubbed his chin with his palm, hesitated slightly as his palm rubbed against his beard, and then gave his answer while thinking.

"The prison key is guarded by the jailers on duty in shifts. Since he had time to go to the Rouge Pavilion, it proves that the key is most likely not in his possession... Otherwise, the only thing he left in Mu Li's room is probably his official badge from the yamen..."

The yamen waist token that Ning Qi mentioned was issued uniformly by the government and was equivalent to an identity certificate. It was made of rough copper and allowed people to pass through the yamen.

A familiar face like him in the government office naturally doesn't need a waist tag to prove his identity. However, if a new yamen runner arrives, having a waist tag as proof of identity will prevent him from having to explain his identity to everyone he meets when he enters the government office.

If an official were to leave the government office one day, this waist token would still have to be returned.

Yun Luobai nodded slightly upon hearing this.

"Possibly."

"Even if he left the waist token in Mu Li's room, now that he's picked it up, there's no evidence left..."

"If he really killed someone, do you think he would be afraid?"

"Of course I'm scared, but the problem is he's already already given me my badge..."

"Even if he returns and takes the badge back, isn't he still afraid?"

"Then... they must be scared too..."

Why?

"Didn't you say he entered Mu Li's room through the window using a ladder? Even if he picked up the waist tag, what if someone saw him climbing up and down?"

"So he must have been very worried about what would happen if someone saw him. He wasn't sure if anyone saw him, but since no one reported him to the authorities, he had a sense of wishful thinking that no one had seen him."

"Indeed, no one reported him to the authorities. Maybe he was just lucky and no one saw it?"

"He doesn't know if anyone saw it."

Ye Zi listened to the conversation between the two and felt that it was going in circles, but at one moment a flash of inspiration struck her and she suddenly understood what Yun Luobai meant, and then she realized the truth.

"Officer Ning, this young master Yun means you need to go find Ma Ben. Just say you want to see his waist tag, and don't say anything else. He'll naturally become suspicious. Once he's suspicious, he'll wonder if you know about his murder of Mu Li. He won't know how you know about it, so he can only conclude that someone saw him climbing up and down the window using a ladder. And you looking at his waist tag could very well be a hint to him."

"A hint? What hint?"

Ning Qi scratched his head in confusion. He believed that he had acted with integrity and honesty, mainly because he was upright and spoke his mind, and had never given any hints to anyone.

"Oh dear, you're so stupid. He probably thinks you already know about how he killed Mu Li, and since you didn't inform the magistrate, and even came to see his badge, you're definitely trying to imply that he'll pay you hush money."

"Hush money?"

"That's right. In that case, if he really did kill Mu Li, he'll either come to you, turn himself in, or flee. The chances of him choosing to remain inactive are very low, because if he really killed someone, he'll always be uneasy and will definitely take action. No matter which way he does, can't you be sure he's the real killer of Mu Li?"

"Yeah, how come I didn't think of that?"

Ning Qi's eyes widened, feeling somewhat annoyed that his mind wasn't as quick as the other two's.

"Then I'll go find him now."

Ning Qi was about to leave when he took a step but then pulled back.

"No... Second Brother, what if he really tries to bribe me to keep quiet? Ever since I joined the yamen as a constable, I have always acted impartially and have never accepted any bribes from anyone..."

Ning Qi looked worried, and Yun Luobai couldn't help but laugh when she saw his bushy beard and square face.

Ye Zi was so angry that she stomped her feet.

Of course, it was the good foot that was being stomped.

"Officer Ning, you really are... He's already spent all his money on the Rouge Pavilion, where would he get the money to give you to keep quiet? Aren't you just pushing him to the brink of desperation?"

"Yes, yes..."

Ning Qi smiled sheepishly, then belatedly nodded to the two of them before leaving with a sense of relief.