Li Yunting looked coldly at Zhang Xianzhi who was hung high, with a cruel smile on the corner of her mouth. She walked slowly to the dark coffin, the light of the torch in her hand dancing in the dark night, reflecting her cold and cruel face.
"Since you love her so much, let you stay together forever in the flames."
She whispered, and slammed the torch into the coffin.
In an instant, a raging fire rose into the sky, and the scorching flames engulfed the entire coffin and illuminated the entire hill.
The firelight reflected on Zhang Xianzhi's twisted and painful face, his eyes were full of despair and anger.
"No--!" A shrill roar burst out from Zhang Xianzhi's throat. The voice was filled with endless sorrow and helplessness, as if it was going to tear the dark night sky apart.
Li Yunting watched all this indifferently, with a twisted sense of satisfaction in her heart.
However, at this moment, the sound of hurried horse hooves broke the sad atmosphere.
The palace soldiers led by Jingzhao Yin Li Zhengxuan finally arrived at the scene. They were stunned when they saw the blazing flames and Zhang Xianzhi being hung up.
But Li Zhengxuan quickly regained his composure and quickly ordered: "Quick! Save people! Put out the fire!"
The officers and soldiers immediately took action. Some of them rushed towards Zhang Xianzhi and tried to untie the ropes on him; others quickly looked for water and tried to put out the raging fire.
Li Yunting's eyes reflected the figures of Xue Zhongfu and Jiang Lun riding horses, and she couldn't help but frowned.
"Why are there these two people again!"
"Stop them all!"
She sternly ordered the guards beside her. These guards were all palace soldiers she had privately raised, and they were all desperate criminals she had recruited.
"Yes, sir!" the guards responded in unison, drawing their swords from their waists, the blades flashing coldly in the moonlight.
Li Zhengxuan looked at Princess Xianning in astonishment. She was so unscrupulous that she openly ignored the officials and soldiers of Jingzhao Prefecture that he brought with him.
Seeing Zhang Xianzhi being tortured to the point of dying, Li Zhengxuan changed his usual attitude of keeping things quiet and protecting himself. He said firmly, "Privately raising government soldiers is an unforgivable crime. Arrest them all!"
The officers and soldiers he led were numerous, so they were not afraid and immediately rushed forward. For a moment, the scene became chaotic and both sides engaged in a fierce fight.
Li Yunting saw that Jiang Lun had jumped off the horse and was running towards the dead tree to rescue Zhang Xianzhi. She hurriedly picked up a sword on the ground, gripped the hilt with both hands, and waved it around wildly.
Xue Zhongfu was agile and seeing that the situation was urgent, he did not care about the other party's noble status. He picked up a wooden stick and threw it at Li Yunting.
Li Yunting lived a life of luxury, so naturally her strength could not compare to that of a man like Xue Zhongfu. After being hit by the wooden stick, she fell to the ground and was unable to get up for a while. She roared angrily, "How dare you try to murder me!"
Xue Zhongfu turned a deaf ear to her roar and slowly lowered the rope with Jiang Lun. As soon as Zhang Xianzhi touched the ground, he collapsed due to exhaustion.
At the same time, the fire inside the coffin burned fiercely, and the flames shot up into the sky.
The officers and soldiers subdued the guards of Princess Xianning at lightning speed. During the search, Li Zhengxuan was shocked to find that some of them were fugitives with criminal marks tattooed on their faces.
This discovery made Li Zhengxuan realize that the matter was far more complicated and serious than he had initially imagined.
"Take all these people back to the government office for detailed interrogation." Li Zhengxuan gave the order decisively.
Li Yunting tried her best to remain calm. She frowned and asked, "Li Fuyin, what is your intention in doing this?"
Li Zhengxuan looked directly at Li Yunting and said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, I have received a secret report that someone is wantonly committing murder here. Now it seems that the report is true."
His gaze swept across the scene, lingering for a moment on the subdued guards of the Princess Mansion. "Among these people, there are many fugitives, and the County Master was treated so cruelly. This is all an indisputable fact."
Upon hearing this, Li Yunting pointed at Li Zhengxuan in frustration, "What fugitive? How dare you slander me like this!"
"Slander?" Li Zhengxuan sneered. "Your Highness, you brought so many people to this desolate place late at night, could it be just to admire the moon and recite poetry? Moreover, I saw with my own eyes that the County Master was hanged here, his body covered with wounds. This is irrefutable evidence."
Li Yunting's face turned pale in an instant. She widened her eyes and looked at Li Zhengxuan in disbelief, as if she had truly recognized the prefect's determination and sharpness for the first time.
Her fingers trembled slightly, and her voice trembled a little: "You...how dare you speak like that! I am a member of the royal family, so what if I have a few guards?"
Li Zhengxuan remained unmoved. His eyes were firm and deep, as if they could see through all appearances. "Your Highness, I dare not speak rashly. But what happened tonight is truly too strange. There is actually a fugitive among these guards, and he is under your protection. This cannot but arouse suspicion."
As he spoke, he waved his hand, signaling the officers and soldiers to take the subdued guards away. At the same time, he turned his gaze to Li Yunting, his tone slightly slower, but still with unquestionable firmness: "Your Highness, I must handle this matter impartially as per my duty. Please accompany me to the government office. Once the matter is fully clarified, I will give you a fair explanation."
Li Yunting was already in a state of confusion at this moment. She knew that tonight's events could not be resolved peacefully. She took a deep breath, tried to calm herself down, and nodded: "Okay, I will go with you to the Jingzhao Yin Mansion. I want to see how you give me an explanation!"
A group of people marched forward in the night. The sudden storm seemed to be getting more and more intense in the darkness with their footsteps.
Li Zhengxuan assigned several officers and soldiers to stay at the scene. They quickly took wooden barrels from the charity cemetery. After some effort, the fire was finally put out.
Jiang Lun stared at the horrific scene before him, especially the almost destroyed coffin, and a look of emotion appeared on his face.
The dead are the greatest, but Li Yunting's actions make people feel that she seems to have lost her last bit of sanity and bottom line.
He spoke in a deep voice, his tone filled with determination and promise: "As soon as the sun rises, I will return to the mansion to arrange for the staff to restore Miss Liu's tomb to its original state and repair it to comfort her soul in heaven."
Xue Zhongfu also hurried forward to support him, and said kindly: "Xianzhi, please calm down first. The court has its own laws. I don't believe that His Majesty will not give you justice."
Zhang Xianzhi shook his hand gently, and his eyes gradually calmed down from the despair and anger just now. If there was justice, he would not have been made to wait for three years.
After looking around, he told the truth to the two friends who came to his rescue.
"I'm fine. This isn't Pingting's body..."
This Pingting should be Miss Liu's maiden name. Jiang Lun and Xue Zhongfu were stunned. They looked at each other and saw confusion and puzzlement in each other's eyes.
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