"Make way, make way, all of you make way!"
"Official investigation, make way immediately!"
The people, who were surrounded in layers, were torn apart in a short time.
The yamen runners, dressed in blue robes with red collars and carrying large cypress wood knives at their waists, swarmed over.
In an instant, the guards of the Marquis of Lin'an's residence were surrounded.
At this moment, a young man dressed in a dark scarlet official robe with a dignified appearance strode towards Lu Qiqi.
After he stopped, he looked down at the three people huddled together.
Where is the Princess of Kang Le County located?
Upon hearing this, Lu Qiqi stepped forward, curtsied, and said, "Greetings, Your Excellency. I was the one who sent someone to the Dali Temple to report the case."
Li Zheming, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, glanced at Lu Qiqi, trying to soften his expression so as not to frighten the person in front of him. "You're too kind, Princess Kang Le."
Recalling the contents of the petition, Li Zheming frowned slightly. "I have read the contents of the county magistrate's petition."
"May I ask, Your Highness, are these three women involved in the crime of impersonating others to swindle money?"
Obviously not.
Lu Changping's impersonation was merely a result of her stealing the token from Lu Yao.
Moreover, the entire eldest son's family was left in Luzhou Prefecture, surviving on wild vegetables and begging, and had no idea that Lu Changping had been taken back to the Marquis of Lin'an's mansion to live a good life.
Otherwise, given the character of Jin and Lu, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, they might be even more like leeches than Lu Dachuan, clinging to Lu Changping and sucking her blood.
Lu Qiqi said, "The person who swindled the dowry from the Marquis of Lin'an's mansion is Lu Changping and Qu Zikun, the fourth son of the Earl of Anchang."
As for whether her mother and grandmother were involved, we urge the authorities to apprehend and thoroughly investigate them.
The Jin and Lu families were not good people to begin with; otherwise, the original owner and Lu Yao wouldn't have had to live in a dilapidated house.
Before fleeing the famine, she even considered selling the two sisters to pay off her debts.
Although their mistakes did not warrant death, it would be difficult to quell our anger without making them suffer a severe beating.
As an official in the capital, Li Zheming found handling such cases the most troublesome.
As the saying goes, even an upright official finds it difficult to settle family disputes, let alone when both parties are family members of officials. However, given the gravity of the matter, he had no choice but to lead his men to investigate.
He said, "There is another criminal charge on the indictment: Lu Changping committed murder and arson in Luzhou Prefecture, resulting in the deaths of a family of three. Is this true?"
Lu Changping, who had initially held onto a sliver of hope, could no longer remain calm after hearing Li Mingzhe's words.
"She's talking nonsense!"
Lu Changping rushed forward, but before she could get close to the two men, she was stopped by men from the Dali Temple with knives.
Faced with the sudden appearance of the cypress wood broadsword, Lu Changping's eyes widened, and she stopped in her tracks, standing there anxious and frustrated but not daring to move forward.
Lu Qiqi, who was suddenly interrupted, remained calm and composed. "This person committed murder and arson in Luzhou Prefecture and has already been wanted by Magistrate Gu of Luzhou Prefecture."
"All charges against him will be delivered to the Dali Temple by the Shadow Guards today."
The Shadow Guard is not subject to the jurisdiction of the Three Judicial Offices; they have the responsibility of supervision above and the power to adjudicate cases below.
Li Zheming recalled the recent rumors circulating in the capital that Princess Kang Le and the heir of the Prince of Li Bei had a close relationship.
The fact that they can now mobilize the Shadow Guards suggests that the rumors weren't entirely unfounded.
Although the news of the Liu family's deaths was not widely known in Luzhou Prefecture, quite a few people knew about it.
When Lu and Jin were begging in Qingshui Town, they had heard people talking about it, but they refused to believe that it was Lu Changping who did it, insisting that it was an accidental fire that burned their family to death.
But now that disaster is imminent, Madam Lu has never been so clear-headed. She shouted, "It was her, it was all her doing, it has nothing to do with us."
"Your Excellencies, you are all discerning judges; this matter could never have anything to do with an old woman like me!"
As soon as Lu Shi shouted those words, Lu Changping's shoulders and neck stiffened instantly, which undoubtedly nailed her to the pillar of guilt.
Jin was surprised that Lu was so impatient and quickly reached out to cover Lu's mouth.
She exerted so much force that Lu Shi, being an elderly woman, naturally couldn't match her strength and quickly became breathless from exhaustion.
Because she knew that Lu Qiqi would not let their family off easily, and only Changping's family had the ability to save them.
Therefore, they cannot speak carelessly now.
Lu Changping understood Jin's intention and quickly said, "Sir, you can't just believe what she says."
Since she has falsely accused me of swindling money, I implore you, sir, to go to the Marquis of Anchang's residence and find my husband to testify for me and clear my name!
From the moment Lu Changping entered the Anchang Marquis's mansion, she understood that Qu Zikun had only married her for his generous dowry.
As long as the Anchang Marquis's mansion refuses to hand over the silver, her life will surely be safe.
Li Zheming fell into deep thought upon hearing Lu Changping's words.
The Lin'an Marquis's Mansion held a higher position in the capital than the Anchang Earl's Mansion, both in terms of prestige and official rank.
Although the Earl of Anchang had also fought alongside the late emperor, he was not on the same level as the Marquis of Lin'an.
There is no need to consider this at all, but the sons of the Marquis of Anchang cannot be ignored.
Apart from his eldest son, who was somewhat dull and managed to secure a position as a bodyguard in the palace, the other three sons of the Marquis of Anchang were all unruly and reckless. Over the years, the Dali Temple has arrested many of them in gambling dens.
When officials impeached An Changbo in court, neither fines nor reprimands were effective.
If even the emperor was like this, what about these officials?
Li Zheming remained silent for a long time, and Lu Qiqi naturally noticed the hesitation in his eyes.
She addressed the crowd, saying, "Although this person is the fourth young mistress of the Anchang Marquis's Mansion, my Lin'an Marquis's Mansion has accused her of fraud and the murder and arson in Luzhou Prefecture. These matters have nothing to do with her identity."
Since ancient times, it has been a matter of course that those who break the law should be punished.
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