The carriage rumbled along, passing through the bustling streets and heading towards the Jingzhao Yin government office.
The curtains of the car were closed, but the noise and discussions from the outside world inevitably came into the car. Little Zhang sat upright in the car, her face as calm as water, but her heart was full of waves.
"I never thought something like this would happen to the Liang family. This world is truly going downhill!"
"Liang Fushan usually looks quite decent, but I didn't expect that he was actually a wicked man who killed his wife."
The voices of passersby's discussions kept coming into her ears. Xiao Zhang clenched her hands into fists, her nails digging deep into her palms, but she didn't feel any pain at all.
She knew that no matter how she explained or defended herself now, it would be in vain. Only by waiting for the trial in court could the Liang family be cleared of the injustice.
The carriage stopped in front of the Jingzhao Yin government office. Little Zhang took a deep breath and slowly walked out of the carriage.
She looked up and saw that the government office was already crowded with people watching the excitement. Their eyes were all focused on her, with some expressing curiosity, some sympathy, and some contempt.
Little Zhang straightened her back and strode into the government office, followed by a group of untied servants, all of whom still had expressions of fear and anxiety on their faces.
Li Zhengxuan had been waiting in the government hall for a long time. He watched Xiao Zhang approach, a complex expression on his face. He knew that this lawsuit was of great significance to the Liang family; the slightest mistake could lead to a complete loss.
However, the arrival of Little Zhang was like an unstoppable storm, instantly sweeping across the entire hall. Her gaze was as sharp as a knife, as if to tear apart the hypocritical mask of Big Zhang.
Under her gaze, Mrs. Zhang couldn't help but feel afraid, and her originally confident smile became forced and stiff.
Little Zhang was extremely angry. She moved and rushed directly towards Big Zhang. She reached out and grabbed Big Zhang, cursing angrily.
"You vicious woman, how far will you harm the Liang family before you give up?" Before she finished speaking, the two of them wrestled with each other desperately, and the situation was out of control for a while.
Seeing this, Li Zhengxuan frowned and immediately slammed the gavel, shouting: "Silence! How can you be so presumptuous in the court!" His voice was like thunder, echoing in the hall. For a moment, everyone was silent.
When Xiao Zhang and Da Zhang heard the sound of the gavel, they paused, but their anger and hatred obviously prevented them from calming down immediately.
Li Zhengxuan took a deep breath, slammed the gavel down again, and said sternly: "I am here, and you must abide by the law. If you have any grievances, you can state them one by one, but you must not resort to violence!"
His voice radiated undeniable authority, finally bringing the two scuffling to a halt. Little Zhang glared at Big Zhang and turned away angrily, while Big Zhang straightened her disheveled clothes, a complex expression on her face.
"The plaintiff is Zhang," Li Zhengxuan said in a deep voice. "I will now begin the interrogation. You must answer truthfully."
Mrs. Zhang bowed and said, "I, your humble servant, Mrs. Zhang, greet the prefect. I will tell you everything I know."
Li Zhengxuan nodded and motioned her to stand up, then turned to the master beside him and motioned him to start recording the questions.
"Plaintiff Zhang, you are suing defendant Liang Fushan for murdering your wife. What evidence do you have?"
Mrs. Zhang laughed triumphantly, "Your Excellency, I have both witnesses and evidence. The witness is my maid Xiuyun, who saw Liang Fushan commit the crime, and the evidence is the murder weapon found at the scene, which bears Liang Fushan's fingerprints."
Li Zhengxuan frowned slightly, "Send the maid Xiuyun to the hall."
Soon, Xiuyun was led to the main hall. Trembling, she knelt in obeisance and began to stammer about what she had seen and heard. However, her testimony was riddled with holes, clearly a lie.
Little Zhang was delighted, knowing this was her chance to turn the tables. She stepped forward and said, "Your Excellency, be aware! Xiuyun's claims are untrue. She is the trusted servant of Big Zhang, and has always been loyal to her. She must have lied this time at Big Zhang's behest."
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhang jumped up immediately. "You're talking nonsense! How could Xiuyun lie? She saw Liang Fushan committing the crime with her own eyes!"
Little Zhang sneered, "Since you said Xiuyun saw Liang Fushan committing the crime with her own eyes, then may I ask where Xiuyun was at the time? How did she happen to witness this? And as far as I know, Xiuyun would go to the Buddhist temple at night and serve you by your side. How could she have had the opportunity to witness this scene?"
Mrs. Zhang was speechless. She turned to look at Xiuyun, "Xiuyun, tell me! Did you actually see Liang Fushan committing the crime?"
Xiuyun was so frightened at this moment that her soul was about to be blown away. She said in a trembling voice, "Reply, reply to Madam... I saw the eldest master hit the young lady with the brush washer in the bedroom..."
"You're talking nonsense!" Little Zhang interrupted her harshly, "Fu Shan has never held any grudge against Shu'er. How could he do such a cruel thing?"
Xiuyun's voice trembled as she recounted, "That night, the eldest son and the young mistress were originally exchanging parting words, and the atmosphere was relatively peaceful. However, the young mistress suddenly changed her mind, saying she didn't want to go to Gusu. Upon hearing this, the eldest son was instantly enraged, and he shouted, 'You just want to stay in the capital and embarrass me!' Before he could finish his words, he grabbed the brush washer from the table and smashed it hard against the young mistress's head."
Upon hearing this, a flash of surprise crossed Little Zhang's eyes, but she quickly concealed it. She calmly retorted, "Xiuyun, you're lying. Liang Fushan and the young lady were deeply in love. He would never assault someone just because the young lady didn't want to go to Gusu. You're framing Liang Fushan!"
Xiuyun was so frightened by Xiao Zhang's words that she trembled with fear. She stammered, "This servant, this servant is not lying. It's really the eldest master..."
"Enough!" Li Zhengxuan slammed the gavel, interrupting Xiuyun. His sharp eyes swept through everyone in the room, finally landing on Xiao Zhang. "Xiao Zhang, what evidence do you have to prove that Xiuyun is lying?"
Little Zhang took a deep breath and looked at Li Zhengxuan steadily. "Sir, I have no direct evidence to prove that Xiuyun is lying. However, I raised Liang Fushan as my own son. I know his character and he would not do such a cruel thing."
A smug smile appeared on the eldest Zhang's face. She slowly walked to the front of the hall and handed the medical records in her hand to Li Zhengxuan. "Sir, this is the medical record of my niece Zhang Ruoshu in recent years. You can see that Ruoshu's health has been deteriorating over the past few years, and all of this is closely related to Liang Fushan."
Li Zhengxuan took the medical record with a puzzled look and carefully read it. It detailed Zhang Ruoshu's physical condition, along with the doctor's instructions and prescriptions for each visit. The records revealed Zhang Ruoshu's long-term physical weakness and frequent bouts of delirium, with her condition showing signs of gradual deterioration.
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