There is a god in the sky

Chapter 82 The Arson Case at the Yu Mansion (Part 3)

The gatekeeper was indeed the one Shen Lan had seen last night, but Shen Lan was certain that she had never seen the maid before.

She walked up to the two men, and a nearby officer glared at her, shouting, "Don't come any closer!"

Shen Lan smiled and asked in a gentle voice, "I heard from Lord Yan that you said I went to Tingxiang Garden yesterday?"

The people present were all surprised, as Shen Lan's voice was completely different from before.

Xiao Ji sat up straight instantly, his gaze never leaving Shen Lan.

"Yes...yes, that's right, I brought the girl into Tingxiang Garden," the gatekeeper replied nervously.

"So, that means Tingxiang Garden hadn't caught fire yet at that time?"

"No, I only heard someone shouting 'Fire!' shortly after I went out."

The doorman answered fluently, clearly not for the first time.

"Do you remember what time it was?"

"When I went out, it should have been...it was around 9 PM."

By that time, Shen Lan had already returned to the Song residence.

It seems that that time was also the time when Yu Yuanwang was burned to death.

She turned to the maid and asked in the same voice, "What time did this lady see me?"

"It was around 11 PM when I went to Tingxiang Garden to deliver food, which the master specially prepared for Miss Shen."

Shen Lan raised an eyebrow. She knew her own name, so it seemed that Yu Yuanwang had indeed mentioned her before.

"You saw me having a pleasant conversation with your master?"

"Yes, I saw it with my own eyes." The maid was very calm and did not hesitate at all.

If Shen Lan hadn't been caught up in it, she would have thought what she said was true.

"Can you hear what they're talking about?"

"It seemed like they were talking about the food in Aoki Prefecture. I went in, put down my things, and left. After that, I couldn't hear what they said anymore."

"In other words, you have heard my voice before."

"Of course," the maid replied confidently.

Shen Lan walked up behind her and asked, "When did you find out that Tingxiang Garden was on fire?"

"It's about 1:15 PM. I've only been walking back for a short while."

"So, according to your testimonies, I, the suspect, was always at Tingxiang Garden, then set fire to Lord Yu and burned him to death, and then escaped unharmed?"

The gatekeeper blurted out, "We never said that the young lady set the house on fire and burned the man to death."

"When will I leave the Yu residence?"

The gatekeeper shook his head: "This servant did not see it. I suppose the young lady did not enter through the main gate. There is a side gate behind Tingxiang Garden."

Shen Lan suddenly asked the maid, "Sister said I wore a veil and white clothes last night, is that right?"

"Yes," the maid replied, puzzled.

"Can you tell what color the butterfly embroidered on my skirt is?"

"It was dark, and I couldn't see clearly."

Judge Yan frowned and asked, "Why is Miss Shen asking about these trivial details? How can this prove that you didn't kill the person?"

Shen Lan made a "shh" gesture at him.

"Then let me tell you, the butterfly on my skirt is blue."

"Yes, yes, it seems to be blue."

Shen Lan's face darkened. "You're lying. There are no butterflies on my skirt at all."

The maid's face finally changed, and she stammered, "You misled me... I didn't see clearly..."

"You couldn't even see if there were embroidered butterflies on my skirt, yet you're so sure that it was me having such a pleasant conversation with Lord Yu? And I was wearing a veil, no less."

Judge Yan pondered for a moment, then said somewhat uncertainly, "The time from when the gatekeeper led you into Tingxiang Garden to when the maid saw you chatting happily with Lord Yu is consistent; there couldn't have been someone else."

"Yes, but what if they lied together?"

“We didn’t lie!” the two of them retorted in unison.

Shen Lan walked up to the gatekeeper. "I suspect you had an affair with this maid, and she made a mistake. To protect her, you colluded with her to make me the scapegoat, is that right?"

The doorman shouted, "No! Nothing like that!"

"Then why did you collude with her? You were the only one who saw me last night!"

"No! No... I'm not lying, she's seen you too!"

When did she see me?

"It's right in Tingxiang Garden."

How did you know? Didn't you leave a long time ago?

"This...this, she said it." The doorman was completely confused.

"You believe everything she says, and you still say you two don't have an affair?"

“I’m not…she wouldn’t lie…”

"You trust her so much?...Are you married?"

"No...no."

"So you'll listen to her a lot after we get married, right?"

The doorman blushed with embarrassment, his lips moved but he couldn't say anything.

But his expression clearly showed that he liked the maid.

The maid stamped her foot and scolded, "Miss Shen is really sharp-tongued. Why are you asking such trivial questions?"

"It's not insignificant either. Knowing the relationship between the two of you allows us to deduce the possibility and motive of your collusion."

"What motive would we have? We are all servants of the Yu family, how could we possibly kill our master?"

"Yes, I'd also like to know who set fire to Lord Yu's house and killed him. You're using me as a scapegoat, do you perhaps know who the real culprit is?"

The two men became anxious.

No! We don't know!

Shen Lan, her voice back to normal, said to the maid, "If the person you saw and heard last night had a different appearance and a different voice, would you still recognize them?"

The maid, blindfolded, tilted her ear and asked, "Who are you?"

"I have always spoken to Lord Yu in this tone."

"You...you are Miss Shen?"

"It's me." Shen Lan walked to the gatekeeper's side and asked, "Right? Wasn't that the voice I used when I spoke to you last night?"

The gatekeeper was greatly alarmed.

Who was the person who was talking to him just now?

Were they scammed?

"Didn't you hear it just now?" Shen Lan asked in surprise.

"I...I was too nervous and didn't notice."

Shen Lan bowed to Judge Yan and said humbly, "I know that asking a few questions is not enough to clear me of suspicion. The most important thing is to find out the real murderer who killed Lord Yu."

Judge Yan wavered.

If these two servants colluded, it would indeed be easy to mislead him.

He tentatively asked Xiao Ji, "What does Lord Xiao think?"

Xiao Ji stood up, walked to Shen Lan's side, put his hand on her waist, and gave her a gentle hug.

Shen Lan's eyes widened instantly, and she looked at him in surprise.

Xiao Ji's possessiveness was evident in his gesture, which also indirectly acknowledged his relationship with Shen Lan.

He pushed Shen Lan forward and said sternly, "Since my maid has not yet been cleared of suspicion, she will remain in the government office for now. I ask Lord Yan to thoroughly investigate the murderer!"

Judge Yan was worried that he wouldn't cooperate, but he was clearly relieved when he heard this.

"Rest assured, my lord, I will do my utmost to find out the real culprit as soon as possible."

He felt a bit resentful towards the little maid. With a powerful backer like Lord Xiao, why did she still go and associate with a man like Yu Yuanwang? She was just needlessly getting herself into trouble.