Chapter 12 – The Ironclad Verdict (Part 8)
He kept wanting to say something, but in the end, he could only mumble a few vague words, yet Jiang Pengji understood.
System: “……”
In fact, it really wanted to know why Jiang Pengji could gather information and trick the bandits around like this.
She looked up at the sky outside the door, noticing that it seemed still early in the evening.
“I’ve always been merciful. Since you want to know, I’ll let you die with your eyes closed.”
System: “…… You’re so kindhearted?”
“You have a fragrant pouch on your waist, and inside it, there’s a napkin. Judging by the design, stitching, and wear-and-tear, it’s obvious that this isn’t something a man would use. In other words, your owner should be a young girl. You seem to treasure the fragrant pouch so much that you unconsciously stroke it every now and then, even when you change your clothes, you still carry it with you… So, just who is this owner to you?”
Jiang Pengji was half-reclining in her seat, one hand resting on the armrest, her legs draped casually over the other, looking incredibly lazy.
“You have marks from a tattoo punishment on your face. Although you’ve intentionally grown a full beard, with sharp eyes, one could still make it out… Of course, aside from me, it seems others are a bit blind, having not noticed.”
While showing off, she didn’t forget to kick someone while they were down—how shameless—System.
“That tattoo clearly displays the county where you were punished and the details of your exile to Zisang. Yet, as an exiled criminal, you appeared in Hejian County… Obviously, you became a fugitive; I bet you don’t dare return home for a family visit.”
If an exiled criminal escapes and isn’t caught, that’s fine, but once they’re caught, it’s death on the spot.
After pausing for a breath, she continued casually, “The way you look at the fragrant pouch reveals your pain and longing, tinted with regret. Therefore, I boldly assume that the girl is already deceased, and her cause of death was unusual—very much like I suspected.”
System: “…… That doesn’t mean… that Mo Niang couldn’t have died from other circumstances…”
Jiang Pengji rolled her eyes secretly and replied, “When someone has a deep impression and emotion towards a certain action, the occurrence of the same thing will invoke changes in their aura and expression. It’s a reflexive psychological response…”
So, when noble girls were dragged off their carriages and a bandit leader suggested immediate action, he would be the one reacting like that.
System: “…… Who would think of that…”
“As for your fellow townsman…” Jiang Pengji smiled, revealing a set of pearly teeth as if amused, “When I mentioned the cause of Mo Niang’s death, and I knew who the culprit was, his reaction clearly conveyed one message: he is guilty.”
“That’s a kind of fear of having the truth revealed. In what situation would someone react that way? He might not be the murderer, but he certainly knows how Mo Niang died, who she died at the hands of; he is both a witness and someone in the know, yet too frightened to tell you…”
The heart of a thief feels guilty—when the bandit leader questions him, if that limp man shows even the slightest hint of panic, he’d be hastily labeled as [the murderer of Mo Niang]. Talk about stepping in yellow mud—whether it’s poop or not, it’s still a mess.
Linking back to the bandit leader’s reaction when mentioning Mo Niang, Jiang Pengji also believed he wouldn’t grant the cripple any time to explain.
As long as in a fit of anger he killed the cripple, this matter would be buried for good.
“As for how I knew the cripple had evidence on his back, it was all too obvious. He was poorly dressed, making it easy to notice the old scars.”
Ironically, he was also the one who carried Jiang Pengji down from the carriage; spotting them was not difficult. “The scars on his back looked like claw marks or cuts; sometimes they’re easily mistaken for something left behind after the fact… However, it needs a fierce battle to create such.”
In any case, she didn’t know when that cripple got those scars, but it gave her the chance to play her angle.
Why could Jiang Pengji be deemed a ruthless demon king by the Seventh Legion?
Aside from her combat power, it was also her mouth.
Nobody wants to spin around in front of their superior, only for that person to instantly know what they ate for breakfast, what they drank, whether they slept alone last night, if they have any peculiarities while sleeping, or if they’ve been cheating… The thought alone is worse than death.
So, given Jiang Pengji’s brutality, from officers to ordinary soldiers in the Seventh Legion, they always maintained the best hygiene and appearance standards.
“As for the Second-in-command’s child, when you brought him in, I noticed a line of children’s shoes drying outside a humble shed.”
Jiang Pengji gestured and continued, “The sizes should fit five-year-old children. Among them, one pair was very worn but clean, with worn soles, indicating someone had worn them. The others were quite new, with no signs of having been worn.”
At this point, Jiang Pengji nearly burst out laughing, saying while giggling, “Your Second-in-command is craving beauty, yet he still remembers to take those shoes back… Tsk tsk, there must be some hidden story here. So I believe he had a son, but he’s already dead.”
It could be that he was sold off or taken away by wild beasts, but since Jiang Pengji wanted to stir conflict, let them fight amongst themselves, she naturally chose the most tragic scenario. The more the Fourth-in-command “loved” the child, the more devastating the child’s death would be, making it harder for him to keep his emotions in check.
In Liu Lanting’s memory, those two years were filled with continuous droughts, making her flat-out attribute it to the cause of cannibalism; that reason was certainly stimulating enough.
Once these were confirmed, whatever nonsense she spewed would be her business.
Regardless of whether her speculation was correct, her expression had to exude confidence, instilling a sense of trust in her listeners that she was speaking the truth!
Moreover, the reactions of the involved parties would also point her judgment in the right direction, making her story as close to the facts as possible.
When the bandit leader professed that his beloved was Mo Niang, the change in his breathing wasn’t significant, so Jiang Pengji knew he was lying to her.
Then, testing it out, indeed.
This shows just how profound Jiang Pengji’s skills in deception really were.
She comfortably shifted her position, stretching and yawning at the end.
“As for the Fourth-in-command, it’s even easier. There are signs of women living in this village, and among all the bandits, only the Fourth-in-command dresses rather decently, or rather, seems to have a woman caring for him. But considering his fondness for beauty and lust, his relationship with that woman could be concerning.”
“As for why I think that woman might be involved with other men…”
Jiang Pengji shrugged, launching into some spicy gossip, completely unaware of her own obliviousness. “First of all, you lot are a bandit den, a bunch of vigorous adult men gathered together, lacking morals, a worldview, or values, and with a severe shortage of female resources. What would happen when they have needs? Would they take matters into their own hands or help each other out? In such a scenario, the Fourth-in-command has a woman caring for him, yet the atmosphere in the bandit stronghold remains oddly harmonious…”
System: “…… Host, I feel your perspective is worrisome and urgently in need of rescuing from palace struggles. Why not find an emperor for a sweet little story?”
Facing the opportunistic system, Jiang Pengji only had one word: “Roll!”
