Chapter 104 Cause and Effect (Part Two): Seeking Justice
The day after receiving the invitation, Li Yunru dressed up in her finest attire and accepted the invitation.
All the women of the Wang family were present, along with their husbands, who had also heard of this strange event. Those at home even participated in it.
The Wang family, including all relatives, is quite complete.
This was exactly the result Li Yunru wanted.
She glanced at the large crowd and slowly said, "I am here today not to cause trouble, but simply to seek justice. I am deeply grateful to all of you who have come to bear witness to my decision."
"Seeking justice?"
Madam Xie nodded and smiled, "Your Highness, perhaps you've come to the wrong place?"
“My Wang family has no past grievances or recent feuds with your Li family. We have not even the slightest connection. Where does your claim of fairness as the county magistrate come from?”
“Madam has no grudge against me, but my daughter-in-law, the Cui family lady, has some issues with me and has tried to kill me several times. If I bypass you and the Wang family and go directly to her, those who know me will think I am seeking justice for myself, but those who don't will think I am abusing my status to take the law into my own hands against a young woman. In that case, even if I am in the right, I will be in the wrong. So I can only trouble you and beg you to do me a favor.”
As soon as she said that, everyone in the Wang family turned their attention to the matriarch.
Madam Xie was quite embarrassed, but as a noblewoman, she remained dignified and composed, maintaining her composure.
The man maintained his smile, but defended Cui Wan, saying, "The accusation made by the county magistrate is truly appalling. My daughter-in-law comes from a prestigious family and would never do such a thing!"
"Whether it is true or not, it will be clear after the madam calls the young mistress out for a confrontation."
Li Yunru refused to budge an inch, leaving Xie with no choice but to send a servant to invite Cui Wan.
The person left and returned in about fifteen minutes. Cui Wan followed him in, slowly entering the room.
Three years had passed, and the woman before him had grown even more beautiful, with a voluptuous figure and a face like a silver platter. Beyond her dignified demeanor, she was breathtakingly beautiful. However, her heart had also become more ruthless than before. Her beautiful fox-like eyes were not only cunning but also carried a hint of sinister intent. When she looked at Li Yunru, it was as if she were saying, "We meet again. Even if I did something to you, so what? What can you do to me?"
She glanced at Li Yunru and then walked towards Madam Xie as if nothing had happened. She bowed slightly and gave a graceful greeting, saying, "Mother, I am late in checking the accounts. Please forgive me, Mother and all the relatives."
"It's alright."
Xie spoke gently, showing no anger towards Li Yunru because of her few words.
She genuinely liked this daughter-in-law. She was beautiful, noble, and from a family of equal standing to the Wang family. She was well-read, knowledgeable, and sensible. She never made mistakes when asked to do things, and she never overstepped the bounds when asked not to do things. She never disobeyed her mother-in-law and served her morning and evening as usual.
Aside from the fact that he has been married for over three years and has no children, there is not a single fault to be found.
But that's precisely the biggest problem...
well.
Madam Xie asked someone to find her a seat before explaining why she had been invited, and asked, "Have you ever done this before?"
Cui Wan's eyes reddened, and tears streamed down her face. She pouted and said aggrievedly, "Since the county magistrate says it was me who did it, then it was me."
Li Yunru: "..."
What a brilliant strategy of advancing by retreating!
In one swift move, she shifted the blame entirely onto Li Yunru, making her the innocent and magnanimous person who was wronged but understood and didn't hold a grudge against her!
Sure enough, upon hearing these words and seeing her tears, Madam Xie's face turned cold, and she said to Li Yunru with a rather stern expression, "Is the County Princess satisfied?"
"satisfy."
Ignoring Xie's dissatisfaction, Li Yunru calmly put down her teacup and said, "Now that Madam Cui has admitted it, how should you deal with it, Madam?"
She looked at Madam Xie with amusement in her eyes. "Madam, this is a matter of life and death. You yourself said that you wouldn't show favoritism just because Cui Niangzi is your daughter-in-law, would you?"
Xie's condition worsened.
"you!"
She didn't understand whether Li was genuinely oblivious or doing it on purpose. In any case, her words put them in a passive position. Someone from the Wang family stepped forward and said with a smile, "Look at what the county magistrate is saying. Awan didn't want to get entangled in this matter, so she agreed. This shows her generosity and magnanimity; she's not holding it against you. How can you take it seriously?"
"oh!"
Li Yunru looked as if she had just realized something, and said in surprise, "So all you were just trying to fool me earlier. All that talk about a matter of life and death was fake. She didn't explain or have any evidence to prove her innocence. She just admitted it, cried a bit, and then the truth didn't matter anymore. She's so magnanimous, and I'm being petty!"
"In that case, it seems I have no choice but to go to the capital."
Li Yunru said, "The Emperor is benevolent and has issued a clear decree to treat the late Emperor's relatives well. However, his most beloved youngest daughter has been murdered several times. I wonder what the Emperor will think?"
"Of course."
Li Yunru smiled and looked at the crowd, saying, "You can also use the same trick again, find someone to ambush me on my way to the capital and kill me. But I don't know if you can hide it for three years. After all, my elder sister and brother are by the emperor's side, and my husband, Yan Jiazi, also knows about it."
She turned her slightly numb wrist, and under the wide, dark-patterned peony cuff, she could vaguely see an object. It was made of black iron stone, and she couldn't see it clearly, but she could vaguely make out a tiger stripe pattern, and it seemed that there were some words engraved on it.
"I don't know what he'll do."
"Is the county magistrate threatening our Wang family?"
Li Yunru smiled and said, "If that's how you want to understand it, Madam, I can accept it."
Xie: "..."
She was so angry that her face turned black. The Wang family members, and even some of the onlookers, also began to look grim and solemn.
After thinking it over, Xie said, "The county magistrate said that Awan was the one who caused the death, but that's just hearsay. I can't just listen to the county magistrate's one-sided story and then make things difficult for her."
This means they are protecting Cui Wan.
At this moment, Li Yunru was quite envious of Cui Wan. At least, no matter how many of the people present were truly sincere to her, they were all on her side at this moment, firmly believing in her, unlike in the past, when, apart from Yan Ning, she was all alone in any such occasion.
"evidence?"
Li Yunru said, "Am I not considered evidence, as a victim?"
Xie said, "You are the victim, but there are no witnesses to confirm what you said. You and Awan had some disagreements in the past because of Yan San, so you can't take it all as fact."
eccentric.
It's just favoritism.
Such blatant protection.
Tears streamed down Cui Wan's face as she expressed her gratitude to Madam Xie, saying, "Awan thanks Mother for her trust."
What a show-off!
No wonder Madam Xie protected her so much!
Such a pitiful yet obedient appearance would break anyone's heart.
Fortunately, she had already honed her skills in handling such situations during her time at the Yan family, remaining completely calm. She simply looked at Madam Xie and asked, "Do I have evidence that Madam will handle you impartially and without bias?"
Madam Xie said, "My Wang family has always had very strict rules and will not tolerate such shady dealings. If you have evidence, I will naturally help you!"
Cui Wan was fairly certain that Li Yunru had no evidence, so she remained calm and showed no sign of panic. She even looked at Li Yunru with a gaze that made Li Yunru feel like Cui Wan was provoking her again!
That's too arrogant!
However, she was no longer the Li Yunru of three years ago who acted on impulse. She smiled and said, "Then I hope Madam will keep her word!"
"Of course, everyone here is your witness. I've said it before, and I will never go back on my word!"
"very good!"
Li Yunru turned around and said a few words to Song Ji. He went out and soon returned with three people.
One of them was Zheng Ge, the traitor they captured that day.
“Tell me yourself, Madam Cui, what did she ask you to do? Also, show Madam her handwritten note.”
Zheng Ge said, "I'm sorry, Your Highness, I don't know what you're talking about. Lady Cui is my relative by marriage. Everyone knows that she is dignified, virtuous, beautiful and intelligent. What could she possibly do?"
Defection at the last minute!
That's normal. They're relatives; they share both prosperity and adversity. It's okay; she has other witnesses.
Li Yunru asked the woman beside her, "You are a messenger at the post station. Tell me, what did you see that day?"
The woman said, "Madam Cui wrote a letter to Young Master Zheng and asked us to deliver it to him. It's a private letter, and I don't know the specifics."
Another defector!
She then questioned another witness she had brought along, and the result was the same: the witness knew nothing.
Cui Wan raised an eyebrow triumphantly, looked at Li Yunru, and asked, "Does Your Highness have any other evidence?"
"Of course there are."
Li Yunru laughed, "Those three were just a warning to you. The real witnesses are yet to come!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Song Ji went out again and soon returned with two people. One of them greeted Cui Wan warmly, "Miss, it's been a long time."
Cui Wan's face turned deathly pale. "What nonsense are you spouting!"
The man sighed and said, "It seems that all those romantic moments under the moon were just wishful thinking on my part. In just three years, Miss has become too forgetful and has forgotten me."
"How dare you!"
Cui Wan wasn't in a hurry, but someone from the Wang family was already furious: "Who do you think you are, daring to tarnish the reputation of the Wang family's eldest granddaughter-in-law!"
Cui Wan also cried out, "Mother-in-law, that Lady of Liyang County is really going too far! She said I harmed people, and she even framed me, but now she's letting such a lowly commoner into our family, tarnishing my reputation! You must stand up for your daughter-in-law!" Madam Xie looked at Li Yunru, clearly believing Cui Wan's words. However, she had no choice but to believe her, as this news concerned the Wang family's reputation. With so many people around, if they admitted it, how would the Wang family face themselves?
However, Li Yunru insisted that she admit it!
"Zou Ping, show Madam Xie everything about your past and the things Miss Cui gave you."
"yes."
Zou Ping handed a handkerchief with twin blossoms to Madam Xie, saying, "This was made by Miss Xie herself when we were still lovers in our boudoir. I was her bodyguard... I never imagined she would harbor murderous intent, trick me into going out on business, and hire an assassin to take my life!"
The assassin who carried out the mission that day admitted to it and handed over the money he had received.
These top-tier families use coins that bear their own markings, such as their surname.
Looking at the entire Great Jin Dynasty, only the Wang family, Xie family, Yan family, and Cui family are worth considering. Only in the last two years have the Xiao family and Yang family been added.
Madam Xie stared at the coins, her face darkening. She remained silent. Cui Wan froze, trying to say something to salvage the situation, but was stopped as soon as she uttered "Mother-in-law."
"Kneel down!" she shouted. "The servants said to immediately send a letter to the young master, asking him to come back!"
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