Chapter 52 Just because you can cry and are weak, does that make you right?

Zhan Xingzhuo, with a cold face, flicked his clothes and walked down the steps: "You have the nerve to come here."

Qingling laughed mockingly: "Why not?"

Her mocking smile, in Zhan Xingzhuo's eyes, was like a thorn piercing straight into his heart.

What was she laughing at him for? Didn't she feel guilty when she looked at him?

Or are they mocking him for finding a random man without his knowledge?

Zhan Xingzhu clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white, but he could only swallow his anger and hold it in.

There were outsiders present, and he didn't want his embarrassing secrets to be made public.

I'll deal with her later.

The man glanced coldly at the censor's wife and said curtly, "Madam, what are you doing at my house so late?"

"You were the one who said Qingling was dead. What, have you come to see her spirit?"

The censor's wife rolled her eyes.

She said, "The situation was chaotic that day, and in my panic, I mistook someone for someone else and thought that my sister Qingling had been harmed. But I didn't expect that Doctor Zhan would not verify the facts and would hold a funeral the very next day."

“You and Qingling are husband and wife. Even if she was disfigured, I might not recognize her, but you would, right? But you didn’t even look for her body. You just took a piece of clothing and replaced her.”

"So that's why we're in such a hurry, it turns out it's a funeral being turned into a celebration..."

The censor's wife gave Zhou Zhining a mocking glance.

Zhou Zhining's face was pale, and tears started falling easily.

She came out with red eyes, bowed to the Censor's wife, and said, "Censor's wife, I am Wang Xuan's wife and the daughter-in-law of the Left Censor-in-Chief. How can you say such things and leave me no way to live?"

"Xingzhuo and I are just like brother and sister; there is no romantic relationship between us. We were all very saddened to hear of Qingling's death and haven't slept for several nights. How can you call this a funeral turned into a celebration..."

Zhou Zhining wiped away her tears with a wronged expression and continued, "The people from the county government said that the person who was collecting the body saw the terrible scene and couldn't bear to let the family members see it with their own eyes. They were also afraid of an outbreak of plague, so they burned the body. How can my sworn brother identify the person in this situation?"

"Qingling came back and saw the mourning hall. She vented her anger and slapped her sworn brother."

As Zhou Zhining spoke, she glanced at the man's swollen right cheek with heartache.

Turning back to the Censor's wife, he said, "Since Qingling isn't dead, the mourning hall must be dismantled, and the matter must be clarified for those who came to offer their condolences. My sworn brother is a high-ranking official of the court, a man of great standing. How can he go out and face people with such a swollen face?"

"Qingling was in a fit of anger and hit someone without caring about the consequences... I saw his face was swollen, so I applied medicine to it. Shouldn't I have done that?"

“Madam was implying that I… she was implying that I…” Zhou Zhining sobbed, as if she couldn’t bring herself to say the words that would tarnish her reputation.

“I have suffered so much humiliation at the hands of my husband’s family, and I have only returned to my parents’ home to hide. For you, my wife, to disgrace my reputation like this is an attempt to kill me…”

After she finished speaking, she wiped away her tears and rammed into a pillar; Zhan Xingzhuo, quick-witted and agile, stood in front of the pillar first.

Zhou Zhining bumped her head into his chest, and the man felt a dull pain in his chest, causing him to bend over.

She used so much force to ram him; if he hadn't been there to stop her, her brains would have been smashed out.

How despicable Yao Qingling is! She is corrupt herself, yet she strikes first, smearing Zhou Zhining and driving her to her death!

Zhan Xingzhuo clutched his aching chest, supporting the sobbing Zhou Zhining with one hand, and said gently, "Zhining, you did nothing wrong. If anyone deserves to die, it's not you—"

He gritted his teeth, his chilling gaze fixed on Yao Qingling.

That look in his eyes was as if he wanted to devour her alive.

The censor's wife hissed inwardly, thinking to herself that Zhou Zhining had a reputation as a talented woman, but she was also a sophist.

She was seen by everyone, being all lovey-dovey and affectionate with a man, and yet she still tries to twist it like this.

A simple statement about their sibling relationship covered everything up.

They'd have to catch them in the act to admit it.

Poor Yao Qingling, she was bullied by them like this.

When others suffer a great disaster, their first thought is to go home, because home is the safest place.

But for Yao Qingling, this home was a disgusting place.

No wonder she returned to the city and didn't want to come back to her husband to complain about her grievances or seek his comfort.

Zhan Xingzhuo reserved his gentle comfort for other women; all he gave her was this vicious look.

Zhan Xingzhuo no longer cared about airing his dirty laundry in public; he wanted to seek justice for Zhou Zhining!

The man shouted and summoned his two maids, Zhiyun and Zhiyue, to help Zhou Zhining and prevent her from harming herself again.

Then, he threw the fertility talisman he had hidden in his belt at Yao Qingling's face.

He pointed his finger at her, accusing her word by word: "Yao Qingling, as a wife, you haven't come home for days. What right do you have to criticize others?"

"Or are you just a thief crying 'stop thief'?"

While Yao Qingling was resting in the inner bedroom, Taoye looked for clothes for her to change into, and when she opened the wardrobe, she found that it had been touched.

Taoye said that the brocade pouch containing the fertility charm was missing.

Qingling sensed something was wrong as soon as she heard that, so she endured her discomfort and came to the west courtyard.

She bent down and picked up the paper talisman, giving a faint, wry smile.

"I overheard what the young master and Madam Wang were saying in the courtyard just now, along with the censor's wife."

Holding the talisman in her hand, she smiled helplessly.

So, if you cry and are weak, does that make you right?

Qing Ling slowly tucked the talisman into her sleeve, raised her eyes, and her smile was broken.

Her eyes were bloodshot, the color of blood from the pent-up grievances she had endured to the extreme.

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she said in a sob, "You just want to know what I've been doing and where I've been these past few days, right?"

"Taoye, go and fetch Doctor He." She turned her head and instructed Taoye, who immediately turned around and went to fetch Doctor He.

Afterwards, Qingling turned to look at Zhan Xingzhuo, her eyes still red, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I escaped death by a hair's breadth, but when I got down the mountain, I found that my family's carriage was nowhere to be found... I walked all the way in fear and anxiety, and fainted as soon as I entered the city. Kind people took me to a clinic... I was unconscious for several days before I woke up. Doctor He said that I was too weak to move around anymore, but I was worried about getting home as soon as possible and not letting people worry about me..."

"But who would have thought that when I rushed back home, I would find my funeral hall and my coffin."

Qingling's trembling voice uttered the last word as she looked at the man accusingly.

Zhan Xingzhu frowned and remained silent.

He took the carriage with him, and naturally there was nothing left at the foot of the mountain.

Qingling added, "If you don't believe me, my lord, when Doctor He arrives in a little while, you can ask him if it's true."

The censor's wife glanced at Qingling, who was weeping, and felt a pang of heartache.

Poor young mistress.

The Censor's wife knew very well how Yao Qingling returned to the city, and she was worried about what to do if Doctor He's account didn't match up.

After a while, Dr. He arrived.

People from the Duke's Mansion and the Marquis of Zhongyong's Mansion also entered with Doctor He.

Both households received a report from the servants of the new household that Yao Qingling was not dead and had returned home. The Grand Princess sent Granny Rong to check on her, while the Marquis of Zhongyong's household sent Madam Ma herself.

They were all shocked and looked at Yao Qingling again and again, making sure that she was a living person.

Madam Ma still hoped that the living Yao Qingling would continue to bring benefits to the Marquis's mansion, so when she saw Doctor He, she asked him to examine Yao Qingling's pulse.

"Take a look at her quickly. Qingling has been frightened. Please examine her carefully... Use the best medicine. We have plenty of money in our household."

Rong Mama glanced at Madam Ma speechlessly. Didn't she notice that the atmosphere here was off?

Zhan Xingzhuo put his hands behind his back and told Madam Ma and Granny Rong to wait in the flower hall.

—Granny Rong is the Grand Princess's person, and Madam Ma is Yao Qingling's aunt; they'll definitely speak up for her then. It's not too late to tell them after he gets the answers and presents the facts.

As for the censor's wife, he also sent someone to wait for her in the flower hall.

The Imperial Censor's wife was fiercely opposed to evil and worried that Qingling would be bullied again, so she was unwilling to leave.

She was fat and strong; none of the maids and servants in the mansion could move her.

"I saw it all and heard it all. If I didn't see the whole thing, how would I know if Lord Zhan used torture to frame and slander the young mistress?"

Zhan Xingzhu gritted his teeth in resentment, glared at her, and turned his head away.

Qingling smiled sadly at the Censor's wife, bowed to her, and said, "Madam, I'm sorry to trouble you today. I'm willing to ask you to be my witness and clear my name."

The Imperial Censor's wife pressed down on Qingling's hand: "Sister, don't be afraid. I spread the wrong message, causing you to be mistakenly reported as dead. I'll take care of this!"

He turned to Zhan Xingzhuo and said, "Ask whatever you want to ask, stop dawdling."

Zhan Xingzhuo took a deep breath, swallowed the disgust in his heart, and turned to ask Doctor He, "Others may not recognize the young mistress, but you do. Since she went to your clinic, why didn't you send someone to inform her?"