Zu An couldn't help but say, "Wow, you surnamed Mei, you went so far as to kill your right-hand man, Mei Hua Thirteen, just to frame me. Aren't you afraid that this will discourage your men?"

"It was clearly you who did it, yet you're here making false accusations!" Mei Chaofeng said, feigning anger. "Back then, Mei Hua Thirteen offended you, and as a result, you ordered people to break her arms and legs. Everyone knows about this."

Mei Hua Shisan's foot was initially broken by Lu De, the academy's dean of students, and later all four of his limbs were broken by Chu Chuyan. Both of them had extraordinary backgrounds, and he didn't want to involve them, so he deliberately omitted the names of the people who beat him, only emphasizing that it was Zu An who instigated it.

Zu'an naturally knew his intentions, and since he didn't want to involve his wife, he didn't expose him: "That's right, I had Mei Hua Shisan's hands and feet broken, so even if he really offended me, I've already taken revenge and vented my anger. Why would I want to kill him?"

“Because Mei Hua Thirteen is my most capable fighter, you were worried that he would cause you trouble after he recovered and you wouldn’t be a match for him, so you struck first and poisoned him while he was still recovering,” Mei Chaofeng said calmly.

Upon hearing his words, Mei Hua Shisan's relatives and friends rushed towards Zu'an, wailing and lamenting, but they were stopped by the bailiffs in the courtroom.

"Silence!" Xie Yi had no choice but to slam his gavel down again.

Zu An replied, "What a joke! I've even beaten a fifth-rank expert, why would I care about a third-rank expert like Mei Hua Thirteen?"

Mei Chaofeng snorted: "Your victory over the fifth-ranked person yesterday was just good luck, everyone saw it. Besides, the evidence against you for killing Mei Hua Thirteen is conclusive, and you have no room for excuses."

"Oh, what evidence do you have?" Zuan asked curiously.

Mei Chaofeng bowed to Xie Yi and the others: "After examination, Mei Hua Thirteen's wounds indicate that she died from the academy's beginner-level swordsmanship. I'm sure you gentlemen have already verified this."

“There are at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, people who know basic swordsmanship. Why do you say it’s Azu?” Chu Zhongtian spoke up at this moment.

Mei Chaofeng waved her hand, and one of her men immediately brought over a sword: "When the murderer was trying to assassinate Mei Hua Thirteen, he was discovered by our patrolling disciples. He fled in panic under the siege, leaving behind this sword."

Chu Zhongtian's gaze fell on the sword, and his eyes narrowed instantly. How could he not recognize that this was the weapon that Zu An used on the arena yesterday?

Zu An shrugged: "After the family competition yesterday, I casually tossed this sword to someone from the Chu family and didn't care about it anymore. It seems you bribed someone from the Chu family to get it."

Chu Zhongtian's face was ashen. He had suspected there was a traitor in the Chu family before, but last night was too rushed, and he hadn't found anything. He never expected to make such a big mess.

Mei Chaofeng ignored Zu An and continued, "There were more than a dozen people who witnessed you committing the crime last night. No matter how eloquent you are, you can't clear your name."

As soon as he finished speaking, a group of people squeezed in, describing the scene they had witnessed the previous night.

Chu Zhongtian couldn't stand it anymore and slammed his hand on the table: "Nonsense! You just said that testimonies from relatives can't be used, but does that mean the testimonies of these subordinates can be used? They're all from the Plum Blossom Gang. What they say is just a matter of listening to the gang leader."

Mei Chaofeng smiled slightly and said, "The key is that now we not only have eyewitnesses, but also evidence and a motive. Is all of this just a coincidence? Is Lord Mingyue planning to protect the criminal just because he is his son-in-law?"

Chu Zhongtian was furious and slammed his fist on the table, shouting, "Who do you think you are, daring to speak to me like that!"

Even though he was a kind-hearted person, he had been holding back a lot of anger these past two days. In addition, he had always disliked some of the ways the Plum Blossom Gang operated. Seeing Mei Chaofeng's smug look, he finally couldn't hold back anymore.

Mei Chaofeng's expression changed drastically. In that instant, he felt a powerful pressure coming from all directions. With his cultivation level, he couldn't even stand up and was so frightened that he almost collapsed to the ground.

Just then, Sang Hong got up and came to Chu Zhongtian's side to comfort him, saying, "Lord Mingyue, why get angry with a mere commoner? It's not worth it!"

While he was outwardly trying to persuade him, he subtly pointed out the other party's commoner status, reminding him not to act recklessly, and at the same time blocking his overwhelming power.

Xie Yi then offered some words of advice, and Chu Zhongtian had no choice but to sit down dejectedly.

Mei Chaofeng's face was pale, but she had just been intimidated by the other party's aura and now she couldn't speak for a while.

Zu An then said, "That's strange. According to what you just said, I went to kill Lord Yang, the Minister of Revenue, in the first half of the night, and then went to the Plum Blossom Gang to kill Plum Blossom Thirteen in the second half of the night. I was quite busy that night."

“It’s not surprising that someone as heartless as you would do something like this,” Mei Chaofeng finally recovered. “Besides, didn’t we just clear you of suspicion for assassinating Lord Yang? Now you have even more time to kill Mei Hua Thirteen.”

“Very well, it seems you also acknowledge that I am not the murderer of Lord Yang. As for your claim of having enough time, that makes even less sense,” Zu An changed the subject. “Last night I was clearly at home with my beautiful wife making love, so where would I have had time to kill someone?”

"You wouldn't believe it, having married such a beautiful wife, I can't wait for night to fall. What man would be willing to leave his beautiful wife and get out of bed to do something else?"

Chu Zhongtian: "???"

He was completely bewildered. Of course he knew this guy was talking nonsense. His daughter still slept in a separate room from him. But could he say such a thing now? Wouldn't saying it put his son-in-law in danger?

But if I don't tell, my daughter's innocence will be completely ruined...

Wait a minute, they were a married couple, so it doesn't seem like they have much of a relationship?

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!