"I can't believe Lord Liang would do such a thing!"

"Yes, Lord Liang seems quite decent on weekdays, but I didn't expect that he is so vicious behind the scenes."

"This is really a case of knowing a person's face but not his heart!"

When Mrs. Zhang heard these discussions, a smug smile appeared on her face.

Li Zhengxuan sighed inwardly as he watched the scene unfold. He knew that no matter what the outcome of this lawsuit was, it would severely damage Liang Fushan's reputation. He had to find out the truth as quickly as possible and give everyone an explanation.

Prefect Li Zhengxuan slammed the gavel, officially opening the courtroom. The crowd immediately fell silent, their eyes fixed on the prefect known for his fairness and strictness.

"Bring the plaintiff, Ms. Zhang!" Li Zhengxuan's voice was loud and intimidating without even being angry.

Mrs. Zhang walked into the hall, knelt in greeting, and then handed over the petition, tearfully accusing: "Please, sir, please help me. Sir Liang Fushan abused his power to bully others and took the lives of my relatives. I beg you to uphold justice for us weaklings!"

Li Zhengxuan took the complaint and examined it carefully, his brow furrowed. After a moment, he looked up and ordered in a deep voice, "Where's the coroner? Go to the scene and perform an autopsy immediately. No mistakes!" He then turned aside and said, "Officers, go to the Liang residence immediately and bring in the relevant individuals for questioning. Remember, be polite but also firm. No mistakes!"

The officers responded in unison and sprang into action, while the people in the hall began to murmur and discuss again.

"Sir, the defendant, Liang Fushan, is a fourth-rank official in the capital, currently attending court," an officer reported. "We've dispatched personnel to the Imperial City to question Sir Liang directly after he leaves court."

Li Zhengxuan nodded in approval, then pondered for a moment before deciding, "This matter is of grave importance, involving officials appointed by the imperial court. Someone, please submit a memorial detailing the case and present it promptly to His Majesty."

In the Imperial Palace's Hall of Supreme Harmony, a court meeting was underway. A eunuch stepped forward and handed a sealed memorial to Emperor Li Longze. Li Longze took the memorial, opened it, and perused it carefully. His brow furrowed as he read more.

"Liang Fushan!" The emperor's voice echoed in the court. For a moment, all the court officials fell silent, their eyes focused on this new talent.

Liang Fushan stepped out and saluted respectfully: "Your Majesty, I am here!"

Li Longze said in a deep voice, "Just now, your grandmother went to the Jingzhao Yin Mansion to sue you for murdering your first wife."

The moment these words came out, the whole court was in an uproar. The officials were talking among themselves, discussing the matter, and looking at Liang Fushan in disbelief.

Liang Fushan was also shocked. He immediately responded, "Your Majesty, before the court this morning, my wife was fine. I know nothing about this matter."

His face was full of shock and confusion, and he obviously found it hard to believe the news of Zhang Ruoshu's death.

Li Longze was quite surprised when he saw Liang Fushan's reaction. This talented man he had just promoted was involved in such a scandal.

He pondered for a moment, then said solemnly, "Liang Fushan, I order you to be immediately escorted from the Dali Temple to the Jingzhao Yin prison. The Dali Temple will assist in the investigation of this case, and I will personally oversee it. I will not allow anyone to wrongly accuse you, but I will not shield you either. All decisions will be made after the truth is ascertained."

Liang Fushan bowed and accepted the order, a resolute look on his face. He knew that the most important thing now was to remain calm and cooperate with the investigation to clear his name.

As Liang Fushan retreated, the discussions in the court gradually subsided.

At this moment, inside the deep house of the Liang Mansion, Xiao Zhang and Chunmei had just woken up from their sleep. They looked at each other, feeling incredible that they had slept until this time.

Xiao Zhang hurriedly put on her coat and hurried out of the room, but found that everything around her was quiet and there was not even a servant in sight.

"Chunmei, go to the Buddhist temple and see the lady," Xiao Zhang ordered with a hint of uneasiness in her tone, "I'll go to the backyard to take a look." She felt an inexplicable uneasiness in her heart and walked quickly to the backyard.

She pushed open the door of her daughter-in-law Zhang Ruoshu's room, but the room was empty. She called out to her maid Xiuyun, but all she got in response was an empty room and silence.

Xiao Zhang's eyes fell on the disheveled bedding. She touched it and found it was ice cold. "Shu'er, where have you been?" she muttered anxiously to herself.

Suddenly, her eyes were drawn to a few spots of crimson on the embroidered pillow. She touched it lightly with her fingers and found it was a patch of wet blood. Her heart sank suddenly, and an ominous premonition came over her.

At this moment, Chunmei ran over breathlessly, "Old Madam, this is bad! The Madam is not in the Buddhist hall, and I don't know where the other servants in the house have gone."

Xiao Zhang's heart tightened and she hurried to the front hall. However, just as she was about to reach the front hall, the front door was suddenly pushed open and a group of soldiers rushed in, frightening her into panic.

The leading officer announced in a loud and solemn voice, "Liang Fushan is suspected of murdering his wife. By order of His Majesty, we are bringing all the people from the Liang Mansion to the Jingzhao Yin Yamen for interrogation!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhang immediately retorted passionately, "Impossible! Fu Shan would never do this! I raised him and I know his character best. He would never do such a heinous thing!"

However, the officers and soldiers were undeterred by Xiao Zhang's words and began to search the mansion. Soon, screams were heard from the woodshed. The officers and soldiers found many servants with their hands and feet bound and their mouths gagged.

The leading officer frowned at the scene before him. He turned to Little Zhang and said in a slightly more gentle tone, "Madam, please wash up and follow us to the Jingzhao prefect. The Madam has already filed a complaint, and this matter must be thoroughly examined face to face."

When Xiao Zhang heard the word "Madam," she immediately understood. She gritted her teeth and said, "I can't believe that vicious woman is still going to do it! She wants to kill our Liang family!"

Chunmei was trembling with fear. She held Xiao Zhang tightly, fearing that she would fall down.

Xiao Zhang took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. She knew that she had to remain calm at this moment in order to deal with the upcoming storm.

"Okay, I'll go with you." Xiao Zhang straightened her back and said resolutely. She turned back to her room, washed up briefly, changed into clean clothes, and left the Liang Mansion with the soldiers.

Along the way, Xiao Zhang was filled with worry and anger. She worried about Liang Fushan's safety and was furious at Da Zhang's viciousness and cunning. She secretly vowed to clear the Liang family's name and make that vicious woman pay the price!

At this moment, the Jingzhao Yin government office was already packed with people, all discussing and speculating about the outcome of the lawsuit.

Mrs. Zhang sat in the plaintiff's seat, a smug smile on her face. She seemed to have seen the dawn of victory and was waiting for the final verdict.