Kong Ying panicked. In fact, as soon as he entered Dongrui Pavilion, he saw Prince Yan talking face to face with a servant.
He stormed over, grabbed the jade pendant, and threw it at King Yan. The pendant fell to the ground.
Yan Wang looked at the jade pendant, and he took the opportunity to draw his sword and fight with him.
To everyone's surprise, Yan Wang's martial arts skills were not as formidable as rumored, and he was forced to retreat repeatedly, fleeing in all directions. Just as Yan Wang ran out of the gate, he leaped after him and swiftly severed Yan Wang's head.
From beginning to end, King Yan never actually received the jade pendant himself.
To prove that Yan Wang had struck first, he had no choice but to continue lying, giving Chen Yu a disapproving look and saying impatiently:
“I’ve already explained everything clearly. As soon as I entered Dongrui Pavilion, I personally handed the jade pendant to Prince Yan. However, upon receiving the pendant, he drew his sword and stabbed me, leaving me no choice but to retaliate. Perhaps, when we reached the main gate, he dropped the jade pendant, and someone else picked it up…”
thump!
Before Kong Ying could finish speaking, Chen Yu fainted to the ground.
------
Three days later.
When Chen Yu woke up, her eyes were still wet. She had a dream in which she was about to die, and it was Liu Yu who woke her up.
Looking over, Jiu'er came over and helped her up. Rong Mama came over with a small bowl, her voice choked with joy, "Miss, you've finally woken up! Last night, Old Master Li gave you acupuncture, saying... if you hadn't woken up today, there would have been no hope. This old servant knew that you were a lucky girl, and now you've woken up!"
Shen Yu nodded weakly, her mouth agape as she silently asked, "How many days have I been asleep?"
"Three days."
Shen Yu was terrified. Li Huyi was going to be beheaded today! No! If Li Huyi died, she feared she would never be able to find the real culprit and thus never learn the truth.
She struggled to get out of bed, but having not eaten for three days, she was weak and powerless, relying on Jiu'er for every step she took.
"Please sit down and have a bowl of porridge, young lady," Jiu'er said, helping Chenyu to sit down at the round table.
As soon as Chen Yu sat down, she picked up the small bowl and started drinking porridge, slurping away... She was starving, and for the first time in her life, she ate so hastily and without regard for etiquette.
In the blink of an eye, she finished her porridge, got up, and ran towards the door.
When she arrived at the execution ground, it was already packed with people, a cacophony of voices. "He was beheaded and his head displayed to the public."
"Li Huyi, the murderer who killed the cripple."
"They say it's an early execution; the sooner this kind of wicked person dies, the sooner he'll go to hell."
Chen Yu was extremely anxious. She squeezed through the crowd with all her might and saw that Li Huyi's body had been separated from his head on the execution ground.
She looked at the sun, staggered onto the execution platform, and questioned Lord He, "The time hasn't come yet, why are you carrying out the execution ahead of schedule?"
Bang! Lord He slammed the gavel in anger, shouting, "In the case of Liu Yu's murder, the witnesses and evidence are complete. The Emperor has decreed that the murderer, Li Huyi, be executed ahead of schedule to restore peace to the people of the capital. You have trespassed on the execution ground and disregarded the law! Guards, drag Mu Chenyu away!"
Jiu'er and Cuiwei caught up and quickly dragged Chenyu down to the execution platform.
Suddenly, a figure flashed by, leaped onto the execution platform, and shouted, "Lord He, please do justice for my Qiu family!"
Shen Yu turned her head in surprise and saw it was General Qiu.
General Qiu knelt down with a thud, held up a piece of paper and said in a sorrowful voice, "My lord, although Qiu Xue'er is a murderer, she is also my daughter, Qiu Diren. I guarantee with my life that although Xue'er was jealous of Shuang'er, she had no intention of plotting the murder. There must be someone behind it. I beg you, my lord, to arrest the real culprit and bring him to justice."
He nodded to the man; what General Qiu had said was exactly what he had been pondering:
Qiu Xue'er had no grudge against Zhang Manguan and had no reason to wipe out his entire family. Later, Qiu Xue'er was poisoned to death in prison, which further convinced him that there must be a real culprit behind her. The real culprit, fearing exposure, killed Qiu Xue'er.
As for who the real culprit is, he also has a suspect: Zhang Hongyu.
At this moment, General Qiu, who was pleading for Qiu Xue'er's innocence, must have found some evidence. Thinking that the Emperor favored Hongyu, he and the officials slammed the gavel and ordered sternly, "This is the execution ground. If General Qiu has a grievance, he can go to the yamen to plead for justice."
"I have come here only to request that Your Excellency personally handle this case!"
Inside the government office.
The yamen runners stood on both sides with their batons, and General Qiu was kneeling in the courtroom. Everyone crowded outside the fence, eagerly waiting. However, Lord He was pacing in the courtyard. He deduced that Zhang Hongyu had instructed Qiu Xue'er to kill Zhang Manguan's entire family. Fearing that finding out the truth would offend the Emperor, he sent someone to report to the Emperor, hoping that the Emperor would make a decision on the matter.
Swish, swish, swish...
Master Bai rushed over to report, "Lord He, the Emperor has ordered you to personally investigate this case and give General Qiu an explanation."
The magistrate sat in the hall, hesitantly striking the gavel. "Qiu Diren, whom are you accusing?"
[Zhang Hongyu.]
"Do you have any evidence to prove that Zhang Hongyu ordered Qiu Xue'er to commit the murder?"
General Qiu nodded and took out a piece of testimony, holding it above his head.
Master Bai gave it to Lord He.
Upon inspection, the adults saw that it was the testimony of Xue Dalang and the steward. The two testified that it was Zhang Hongyu's personal maid, Fei Cui, who sold Qiu Xue'er to the Xue family's steward.
*Smack!* Lord He slammed his gavel again and asked, "Qiu Diren, this evidence is insufficient to prove that Zhang Hongyu and Qiu Xue'er colluded. Is there any other evidence?"
"My lord! Zhang Hongyu and Shuang'er have always been at odds. What right does she have to get involved in Shuang'er's affairs? Selling Xue'er? She must have other motives."
Furthermore, my two daughters have never had any contact with Zhang Manguan and do not know him at all. What reason would Xue'er have to kill Zhang Manguan?
Zhang Manguan falsely accused Grand Tutor Zhang of accepting bribes and even forced Zhang Hongyu into servitude. Zhang Hongyu sold Xue'er so she could use Xue'er to kill Zhang Manguan.
Upon hearing this, the people outside the fence nodded in agreement, saying, "It seems that Qiu Xue'er has been used by Zhang Hongyu."
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