Chapter 99, Chapter 99, can it really be like this?
Wang Fulong nodded vigorously, then wiped his face with his arm, cleaning up his snot and tears.
He sniffled and said, "I...I've paid it all..."
After a while, he swallowed and sighed, saying, "Now that things have come to this, I won't hide it from you anymore."
When I looked at those items, I actually had a thought in my mind: could I secretly hide one of them?
Madam Xu specifically instructed me to search for these items, as they must be extremely important.
I was thinking that if something happened in the future, maybe we could use it to save our lives.
Alternatively, if things remain peaceful, one could try to gain some benefits.
But when I looked at those three letters over and over, there wasn't a signature or any mark on them; they were sealed very tightly.
I'm afraid that if these three letters contain the total number of items, then Xu Wangshi will find out that I've confiscated them.
Or perhaps Xu Wangshi already knew the quantity of these things and was just testing whether I had any ulterior motives?
"No matter which path it is, my brother and I are definitely doomed."
"The more I think about it, the more scared I get," he said, tears streaming down his face, his voice trembling.
"Xu Wangshi could even harm her own brother without batting an eye, looking at Wang Jingzong's corpse as if it were a pile of rotten flesh."
If I dared to keep something she wanted from her, would she let me off the hook?
If she finds out I have ulterior motives, my whole family will die.
Pei Lin: "Do you still remember what was written in that booklet?"
"A booklet?" Wang Fulong was taken aback for a moment, then his brows furrowed, and a look of confusion and frustration appeared on his face.
"That booklet is really weird!"
I originally thought I could glean some insights from it, and even if I didn't keep them to myself, I could at least jot down a few key points.
But when I opened it and saw…
He quickly wiped his face with his arm, his tone full of confusion: "I recognize every single word on it, but when they're put together, it doesn't make sense!"
Let alone forming sentences, often the two characters in a sentence cannot even be put together to form a word; they are just words scattered around.
I flipped through half of it, and let alone take any notes, I still couldn't understand what this booklet was even about.
Xie Ji, who was listening nearby, grew impatient and couldn't help but interject, "I said you're stupid, and you really are!"
"You can't remember the whole booklet? Can't you just copy it down?"
Wang Fulong was taken aback by the question, then shook his head with a bitter face: "This young master is unaware that since Wang Jingzong moved into the mansion, Biying has been in charge of all his food, clothing and daily necessities."
She was extremely meticulous; she remembered exactly how many sheets of paper Wang Jingzong kept in his room, how many he used, and even how many scraps he threw away.
So how could I dare use the paper in the house?
Xie Ji rolled her eyes in exasperation at his inflexible thinking. "Is your brain made of mush?"
Can't you write "inner garment"? You only have one layer of clothing?
"If I copy it down on paper when I get back to my room, who will notice?"
Wang Fulong's eyes widened suddenly, his mouth gaped open enough to fit an egg, and he stammered for a long time, "There's...there's such a way? I...how come I didn't think of that?"
Xie Ji glared at him angrily, too lazy to say another word, afraid of upsetting herself.
Pei Lin sighed inwardly, but didn't show it.
He simply said to Wang Fulong, "What you've said is only your side of the story right now."
"Words alone are not enough; do you have any evidence to prove it?"
"evidence?"
Wang Fulong's face fell instantly. He waved his hands wildly in front of him and cried out in a panic, "Sir, it happened so suddenly!"
We were both terrified; we weren't even thinking about keeping any evidence.
Moreover, Biying was urging them on, and it took quite a bit of effort to hide Wang Jingzong's body in the hidden compartment.
I still need to search Wang Jingzong's residence. Lord Liu is coming early this morning to seal the coffin, and I'm afraid he'll run into me.
How could I possibly have any chance to preserve any evidence...?
He wiped away his tears, then as if suddenly remembering something, he looked up sharply, a resolute glint in his eyes: "But sir, if you want me to confront Madam Xu, I dare!"
I witnessed her kill someone with my own eyes, and then Biying taught my brother and me how to cover up our crimes. I dare to say all of this to their faces!
Yes...that's right! I can confront them!
Whether it's Madam Xu or Biying, I can confront them!
Pei Lin nodded and instructed the constable beside him, "Take him away first, keep a close watch on him, and don't let him have any contact with anyone."
Go and bring Wang Fuxing here.
The constables stepped forward and dragged Wang Fulong, who was still repeatedly muttering, "I can confront them! I want to confront them!", out of the house.
Just as he reached the door, Wang Fulong suddenly grabbed the door frame and turned around, shouting, "Sir, I really didn't lie!"
You must find out the truth; I don't want to be a scapegoat!
I don't want to die, I can't die, sir..."
Before he could finish shouting, the guards pried open his fingers and forcibly took him away.
Pei Zhiwei pondered for a long time but still couldn't figure it out, so she had to ask, "Father, what exactly is that booklet?"
If it weren't important, Wang wouldn't have given such special instructions.
The reason she said she would search for anything containing words was because she knew beforehand that the booklet was incoherent.
Pei Lin hadn't yet figured out what it would be, but he agreed with Pei Zhiwei that this booklet was very important.
"Although it's too early to draw conclusions, since this booklet is in Xu Wangshi's hands, and she specifically asked Wang Fulong to find it, it must be something special."
One person has now identified her as the murderer.
After we finish interrogating Wang Fuxing, it would be best if he confessed. If he didn't, we would have a reason to thoroughly search the Xu residence.
"We should focus our search on Wang's residence; perhaps we can find some clues there."
Pei Zhiwei wanted to say something more, but then she heard the footsteps of the yamen runners outside.
The door was pushed open, and Wang Fuxing was brought in by two yamen runners.
The panic from before was gone from his face; instead, a tense calmness shone through.
Pei Lin picked up the inkstone on the table and slammed it down with a "bang." "Wang Fuxing, your brother Wang Fulong has already confessed to everything. How long do you intend to keep denying it?"
"Hurry up and confess the truth!"
Xiao Yunzhan leaned back in his chair, his fingers lightly resting on the armrest, idly turning the black jade thumb ring on his thumb.
They all knew that, given Wang Fuxing's previous state, he would now be repeating the same thing he had just said, clinging to the story that Biying had told him.
He was bound to have to go through several rounds with Pei Lin until Pei Lin presented Wang Fulong's confession to him before he would relent.
To everyone's surprise, Wang Fuxing suddenly broke free from the yamen runners, knelt down with a thud, and crawled forward two steps on his hands and feet, his voice filled with urgency.
"My lord! I'll tell you! I'll tell you everything!"
Wang Jingzong was not killed by my brother and me, but by Xu Wangshi!
She killed him herself! My brother and I both saw it!
Pei Lin raised an eyebrow and asked, "Oh? You were vehemently denying it during the interrogation just now, why are you suddenly willing to talk now?"
Wang Fuxing, supporting himself with his hands on the ground and looking up, replied, "Sir, I've figured it out. I was deceived by Biying!"
While I was waiting inside, I thought about what you told me over and over again.
You said that even brothers can't vouch for each other, and you certainly wouldn't lie to me about that.
After all, any constable or jailer could easily find out the truth about this. If my story doesn't match yours, I can cry foul in court, and all your efforts will have been in vain.
"Then the only one who could have lied to me is Biying!" He gritted his teeth, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes.
"She told me that as long as my brother and I testified to each other and insisted that we had stayed in the house all night, the authorities would not suspect us."
I believed it in a moment of impulse, but now that I think about it, it was just pushing us into a fire pit!
Think about it.
If the authorities hadn't discovered the hidden compartment in the coffin today, and Wang Jingzong's body had been buried with Xu Fengyan, this matter might have truly remained a secret forever, just as she said.
But if the truth comes out, it will be like now.
The government will first conduct a thorough investigation of everyone in the Xu family.
Biying and Madam Xu must have already arranged for a bunch of people to testify for them.
The most direct evidence is that someone saw Wang Jingzong after Xu Wangshi returned to her room; he was still alive at the time, while Xu Wangshi never left the room again.
"But what about my brother and me?" He shook his head with a wry smile.
“Even if the authorities don’t find concrete evidence, they can still close the case because ‘brothers cannot testify,’ and since we have no one else to testify for us, we are the prime suspects for being missing.”
By then, it will be too late for anything we say.
Xu Wangshi and Biying, however, were able to escape unscathed and continue living their good lives!
Xie Ji couldn't help but chuckle and said, "No wonder you became the third steward of the Xu family, while your brother can only run errands for you."
You're much smarter than your brother; you've figured out the ins and outs of this.
Xiao Yunzhan frowned upon hearing this; this was the second time Xie Ji had interrupted during the trial.
He hissed softly and glared at Xie Ji.
Xie Ji immediately pursed her lips tightly and covered her mouth with Xiao Yunzhan's hand, indicating that she would never speak again.
Xiao Yunzhan saw this and his lips curled up almost imperceptibly before he quickly regained his composure, but he still glared at him fiercely.
Pei Lin ignored their little antics and said to Wang Fuxing, "Now that you've figured it out, tell me everything that happened last night."
Wang Fuxing nodded, took a deep breath, and quickly recounted what had happened the previous night.
From Wang Jingzong entering the mourning hall and talking to Wang Shi, to Wang Shi suddenly drawing her knife and killing someone, and then to Bi Ying asking the two brothers to dispose of the body and impersonate Wang Jingzong...
It was almost exactly the same as what Wang Fulong said, even some of the details matched up.
After listening, Pei Lin gently tapped the inkstone in his hand with his index finger. "Although what you and your brother said matches, it is still just the two of you saying it."
"Perhaps you've already colluded to give your stories, just waiting to point the finger at Xu Wangshi now in order to lessen your own guilt."
Wang Fuxing suddenly looked up, crawled forward a few steps, and said urgently, "No, sir!"
We did not collude to give false testimony!
I have evidence! I really have evidence!
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