As soon as the carriage entered the gate, the gatekeeper rushed over and hurriedly reported before the curtain was even lifted: "Third Miss, the Old Madam wants you to go to Zhaoshui Hall immediately upon your return to the manor."

Zi Qiao opened the curtain. "Is only the old lady here?"

"The master, the first wife, the second wife, the fourth young lady, and the young master are all here as well."

Zi Qiao frowned and turned to look at Wei Shuwan in the car: "Miss, has the news already been sent back?"

Otherwise, she really couldn't think of anything else that could make such a large family wait together at Zhaoshuitang.

As Wei Shuwan turned and climbed out of the carriage, she softly replied, "That must be it."

"Is that girl going?"

Wei Shuwan glanced back at Zi Qiao, her expression calm: "Do you think I can avoid it by not going?"

Zi Qiao pursed her lips, knowing in her heart that if the young lady went straight back to Fuqu Pavilion, the master and madam would be there in the blink of an eye!

Zi Qiao and Miao Xiang followed behind Wei Shuwan towards Zhaoshui Hall, both filled with trepidation. Wei Shuwan, however, walked calmly ahead, her mind serene. Rather than waiting for them to arrive, she figured it was better to go directly to Zhaoshui Hall and confront them face-to-face; after all, once the truth was revealed, she wouldn't be the one in the wrong.

Wei Shuwan was still a few steps away from Zhaoshui Hall when Meng Shi, who heard footsteps inside, rushed out to greet her. The two bumped into each other right at the door.

Madam Meng's face flushed red, her veins bulging, and her eyes sharp as knives. She showed none of her usual dignified elder demeanor and immediately questioned, "Xu'er was arrested by the government officials. I heard it was you who reported it to the authorities?!"

Sun Lurong, who was sitting inside, saw that it was her daughter and followed Meng Shi out to greet her, her face full of worry. Even though she was usually very protective of her daughter, this involved a murder case, and she couldn't rashly defend her without understanding the situation. She could only anxiously ask, "Wanwan, what exactly happened?"

"Third sister, how cruel you are! Eldest brother is always the gentlest to you, yet you won't even spare him!" Wei Shuyao, who was originally standing beside her grandmother, couldn't help but come to the door and accuse her.

The words had barely left her lips when a heavy thud of a cane striking the floor echoed from inside the hall. The matriarch of the Wei family, Madam Wei Wen, spoke up: "All of you, come back here! Let her come in and explain herself!"

“Yes, now that he’s back, let’s hear what Shuwan has to say!” Wei Hai, the most composed man in the room, chimed in. Since the incident had already happened, he was more interested in knowing how to rescue his son than criticizing Wei Shuwan.

After the old lady and her husband spoke, Meng Shi, no matter how angry she was, still led Wei Shuyao back to their seats.

Seeing that the mother and daughter had finally stopped making things difficult for her daughter, Sun Lurong sat back down.

Wei Shuwan walked to the center of the main room, first greeting her grandmother, then quickly exchanging a glance with her mother sitting on her right, before turning her gaze to Wei Chengxiu beside her mother. Although his expression was calm, a thin layer of cold sweat had formed on his forehead, showing how anxious he was.

"Wanwan, is what your aunt said true? Did you personally report your elder brother being taken away by the government officials?" Madam Wei formally asked in front of everyone.

Wei Shuwan calmly replied, "That's right, it's me."

"It really is you!" Meng Shi stood up abruptly from her chair, angrily pointing at Wei Shuwan, looking as if she wanted to tear her to pieces with her own hands!

Wei Shuwan showed no fear whatsoever, glancing sideways at her with an undiminished air: "According to the laws of Da Ye, harboring a murderer is a serious crime! Even those who witness a crime but fail to report it are considered accomplices! Is Aunt angry that I reported it to the authorities because she wants me to go to jail with her after witnessing my brother commit murder and then keeping quiet about it?!"

"you!"

Wei Shuwan spoke with righteous indignation, which made Meng Shi's resentment get stuck in her throat for a moment, and she suddenly didn't know what to criticize.

"Murder? Xu'er killed someone?" This time it was Wei Hai's turn to be shocked. He couldn't sit still and stood up, bending over to look at Wei Shuwan for confirmation.

Wei Shuwan sighed briefly and said firmly, "Yes, my elder brother killed someone."

These words startled everyone in the hall!

The servant who had driven Wei Chengxu earlier returned with the news, saying that he had dropped Wei Chengxu off at his destination and was waiting outside. Soon after, some yamen runners arrived and heavily sealed off the inn.

The servant saw the constables carrying out a corpse and taking his young master away, but he had no idea what had happened inside. When he went up to ask, the constables completely ignored him and didn't reveal a word.

Later, the servant saw Wei Shuwan come out of the inn. He wanted to go up and ask what had happened, but then he saw a yamen runner come back and say a few words to Wei Shuwan. He didn't hear the rest, but he vaguely heard the yamen runner mention that it was the Third Miss who had asked someone to report to the authorities.

After the servant returned with the news, the master and mistress went to the government office to inquire immediately. However, Wei Zheng, the only member of the Wei family with an official position, was not at home, and the officials at the government office did not give them any face. They only admitted that they had indeed arrested the person, but they could not disclose any information about the case until it was investigated.

Therefore, before Wei Shuwan returned, the whole family gathered at Zhaoshui Hall to analyze and speculate for a long time, and finally unanimously believed that the government had made a mistake in handling the case and wronged an innocent person.

At this moment, Wei Shuwan insisted that Wei Chengxu had committed the murder, shocking everyone in the hall! Meng Shi, as if waking from a dream, also snapped out of her daze, no longer insisting on pursuing Wei Shuwan's act of betraying her own family, but instead repeating in disbelief, "Xu'er killed... killed someone..."

If we're talking about shock and grief, Madam Wei Wen, as the grandmother, is no less shocked than the eldest son and his wife. However, at this moment, Madam Wei Wen is much calmer than the couple and continues to ask, "Wanwan, you said you witnessed your eldest brother commit murder? How did you see it? Tell me in detail."

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