Zhang Wangshi knelt in the hall and said sadly, "Sir, Ruoshu has been weak since birth and has been suffering from illness for many years. She needs to take various medicines every day, but there is no improvement.
"Watching her become increasingly thin, I felt a sharp pain in my heart. The pain on her face every time she took the medicine was unbearable."
She paused and continued, "A few days ago, her condition suddenly worsened. She was bedridden all day and didn't even have the strength to speak. I knew she didn't have much time left. I couldn't bear to watch her struggle in pain like this, so...so I decided to take the initiative and put her to rest."
Li Zhengxuan felt a pang of sadness as he listened to Zhang Wangshi's account. He asked, "Then how did you sneak into the mansion, and how did you poison her?"
Zhang Wangshi took a deep breath and described her actions in detail: "This morning, while Liang Fushan was attending court, I asked a maid in the mansion to secretly open the corner door for me.
I sneaked into the mansion and went straight to Ruoshu's room. She was lying on the bed, pale and unable to speak.
I gently stroked her face, tears streaming down my face. Then, I picked up the brush washer on the table beside me and threw it at her..."
She was sobbing as she spoke this: "Ruoshu...she didn't struggle. She just looked at me quietly, as if she knew I was here to save her from suffering. After a while, she...closed her eyes forever."
After listening to Zhang Wangshi's confession, Li Zhengxuan felt a mixture of emotions. He lamented Zhang Ruoshu's passing and was deeply moved by Zhang Wangshi's maternal love. However, as the prefect of Jingzhao, he had to act according to the law.
"Zhang Wangshi, although your actions were motivated by maternal love, they ultimately violated the law," Li Zhengxuan said in a deep voice. "Do you know that murderers must be punished according to the laws of the Great Zhou?"
Mrs. Zhang Wang nodded, her expression resolute. "Sir, I know I have committed a grave sin. No matter how you punish me, I have no regrets. I only ask that you allow me to be with my daughter in the afterlife, so that I can continue to care for her and make up for the regrets I had in my lifetime."
Li Zhengxuan looked at Zhang Wangshi, a complex emotion welling up in his heart. He took a deep breath, turned to the clerk and said, "Imprison Zhang Wangshi and retry her on a later date."
The news of Zhang Wangshi's surrender spread like a whirlwind throughout the Liang residence. When the eldest Zhang heard about this in the Buddhist hall, her rage erupted like a volcano. She suddenly stood up and violently pushed over the shrine in front of her.
"Bitch!" She cursed through gritted teeth, her fingers clenched tightly, as if trying to grab the sinner who betrayed her through the air. "I didn't expect she had such ability and dared to do such a thing!"
She turned her gaze towards the quietly standing tablets, a hint of coldness flashing in her eyes, "You, the Liang family, are truly resilient. Even now, I cannot allow you to be without descendants!"
The angry curses in the Buddhist hall echoed in the mansion like thunder, attracting little Zhang as well.
When she stepped into the Buddhist hall, she saw a mess. Da Zhang's face was distorted and terrifying. She was no longer the dignified and graceful woman she used to be.
Little Zhang's heart tightened, but she remained calm. She looked around and saw that there were only a few servants left in the mansion. The entire Liang Mansion was shrouded in desolation.
"Since ancient times, evil has never prevailed over good," Little Zhang spoke slowly. Her voice was soft but full of power. "The evil deeds you have done will one day be exposed."
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhang's face became even angrier. She rushed towards Mrs. Zhang, but was stopped in time by a loyal maid beside the latter.
"You really treat him as your own son, but now you are acting like a loving mother and a filial son in front of me."
These words were like a sharp sword, piercing Xiao Zhang's heart. After hearing this, a deep regret flashed across her face, as if the scar hidden in her heart had been ruthlessly revealed.
She lowered her eyes, her dim eyes filled with pain and self-blame.
Little Zhang bit her lower lip tightly to prevent herself from crying out loud. She was torn between wanting to defend herself and wanting to apologize. But in the end, she just lowered her head silently, letting the tears well up in her eyes.
Little Zhang asked Big Zhang, "I'm afraid it was you who caused my miscarriage back then? Do you hate the Liang family so much?" Although her voice was calm, the grief and anger in it could not be concealed.
Upon hearing this, a smile that was a mixture of coldness and complacency flashed across Mrs. Zhang's face. She did not answer directly, but stared at Mrs. Zhang with an almost crazy look, as if she was enjoying her pain.
"Do you think you know everything?" Mrs. Zhang finally spoke, her voice hoarse and cold. "Yes, I did it. Not only will I make you feel the pain of losing your child, I will also make the entire Liang family pay the price!"
After hearing this, Xiao Zhang couldn't help but tremble slightly. She didn't expect the other party to be so cruel. Not only did he kill her child, but he also attempted to destroy the entire Liang family.
"Why on earth are you doing this?" Little Zhang couldn't help but ask loudly, "We are also a family, why do you hate us so much?"
Mrs. Zhang simply sneered, her eyes revealing deep resentment. "A family? This old man married me as a concubine just to find a stepmother to take care of his son. He doesn't even allow me to have children of my own. How can I be willing to watch you have children?"
After saying this, Mrs. Zhang turned and left, leaving Mrs. Zhang alone in the Buddhist temple, facing the mess, her heart filled with endless grief and anger.
After Zhang Wangshi surrendered, Jingzhao Yin Li Zhengxuan, though deeply saddened by her confession, felt a sense of unease. He repeatedly scrutinized every detail of the case, trying to find any possible doubts.
At this moment, the coroner from the Dali Temple delivered the autopsy report, which made a breakthrough in the case.
The report clearly stated that the wound on Zhang Ruoshu's forehead was not fatal, and her real cause of death was poisoning. This discovery shocked Li Zhengxuan, and he immediately thought of the evidence he brought back from the Liang Mansion kitchen.
After careful examination, the coroner found traces of poison in the evidence, and the source of the poison was the honeyed hawthorn that Zhang Ruoshu often ate.
Li Zhengxuan frowned, his heart filled with doubts. If Zhang Ruoshu died of poisoning from eating poisonous honey hawthorn, then Zhang Wangshi's confession was obviously full of doubts.
Why did she admit that she had killed her daughter? There must be something fishy going on.
In order to further find out the truth, Li Zhengxuan decided to re-interrogate Zhang Wangshi. He hoped to get more clues from her mouth and uncover the truth of the murder.
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