At Ji Youzhi’s words, Xie Si looked up at him.
"After I was arrested, I kept wondering if I would be executed immediately. Later, I considered that in Great Han, over these years, there hasn’t seemed to be any criminal executed without a trial or appearing in the Hall for sentencing, so I wasn’t too frightened. However, I was very worried that people from the Ministry of Justice would handle my case, because I couldn’t be sure that in our Great Han, there would be absolutely no wrongful convictions due to confessions extracted through torture!"
Upon hearing Xie Si’s words, Ji Youzhi couldn’t help but grin slightly. He truly hadn’t expected this scholar to have such ideas.
He opened his mouth, about to say, ’Rest assured, our Emperor in Great Han is wise and discerning. While I can’t guarantee there won’t be miscarriages of justice, the officials in the Ministry of Justice are by no means idiots. In a case closely monitored by the Emperor himself, they would absolutely not dare to act recklessly.’
However, before he could say a word, Xie Si continued to ramble on.
"It seems that my case is personally handled by Lord God Hunter. Seeing you, I feel relieved."
Upon hearing this, Ji Youzhi involuntarily twitched the corner of his mouth.
"Don’t think that just because your younger sister is Princess Chang’s ’pretty older sister,’ I will rule you innocent. This involves the Envoy of Nanjiang, the peace talks between the two countries, and is of great importance. I will not be shielding you."
As Ji Youzhi spoke, Xie Si shook his head.
"Lord God Hunter misunderstands. I do not seek your protection, nor will I use the relationship between my sister and Princess Chang to my advantage. I believe Lord God Hunter will certainly find a way to investigate the truth clearly!"
Ji Youzhi’s expression turned serious.
Looking at Xie Si, he said, word for word, "I will handle the case impartially."
Xie Si bowed deeply to Ji Youzhi. "Thank you, Lord God Hunter!"
Ji Youzhi waved his hand. "No need for formalities. Just tell me all the facts of the case."
Xie Si nodded. "Alright."
"Lord God Hunter, as I have said before, I did not attempt to assassinate the Princess of Nanjiang."
Ji Youzhi said, "Princess Chang says my third sister-in-law saw you do it with her own eyes!"
"But that was not my intention!"
Ji Youzhi found this rather interesting. "Explain yourself clearly!"
Ji Youzhi liked talking with intelligent people, particularly someone like Xie Si. Ever since the beginning of the Xie Family’s Gu Insect case, he had never underestimated Xie Si’s intelligence.
Xie Si took a deep breath and said, "Not long after I took over the family’s businesses, the staff at our various enterprises bullied me for being the new master. Since I was also just a child, they all made fun of me and paid me no attention. Furthermore, they never gave me the real account books from those years.
So, I used various methods to deal with them and take control of the businesses.
It was the same with the shop at West Forest Lake. They also didn’t take me seriously. So, I went to the shop every day. I wouldn’t do anything but sit in a corner of the shop. I wouldn’t interfere with anything; I’d just watch them: welcoming and seeing off customers, taking on jobs, keeping accounts, collecting money, purchasing stock, and checking inventory."
Xie Si had endured for over a decade. When household servants bullied their master, a person like him wouldn’t fight or get angry; he would naturally have other ways to handle it. So, this current method of his seemed somewhat clumsy. But in Ji Youzhi’s view, it was the quiet before the counterattack of someone with no established foundation. This Xie Si, while incredibly patient, was also highly observant.
Seeing Xie Si pause and not continue, Ji Youzhi nodded slightly, signaling him to go on.