Upon hearing this, the crowd reacted with a mix of tension and delight, all eager to see how Xin'er would prove it.
But Xin'er said, "At that time, that person grabbed my neck and tried to strangle me to death. I tried to pull his hand away with all my might. There must be marks on his wrist. Just by looking at Chen Feng's wrist, you can tell whether what I said is true or false."
Kim Min-jung sighed inwardly, "This is bad. If it leaves a trace, it will be hard to erase within a day or two. What if it is found out?"
Just as she was getting nervous, Hongli ordered Chen Feng to show his wrist so he could see what was going on.
Su Yushan held her breath, staring intently at Chen Feng's hand, secretly praying for divine intervention. She hoped that Xin'er was telling the truth, that they would find new clues, and that nothing else would go wrong.
However, what everyone feared most came true. When Chen Feng rolled up his sleeves, everyone was surprised to find that there were no marks on the back of his left hand and wrist, only a red burn mark on his right wrist, wrinkled and shocking, but no scratches as Xin'er had mentioned.
After a moment's thought, Su Yushan understood: "He must have had scratches on his hands, and he burned his hands to cover them up."
"Sister Su, you must know how painful a burn is, right? Who would deliberately put themselves through such suffering?"
Hongli was greatly disappointed and questioned Chen Feng, "What happened?"
Chen Feng replied, "I accidentally knocked over the teapot the other day and was scalded by boiling water. The wound is ugly and offended Fourth Master's eyes. Please forgive me."
He actually dared to use such a self-destructive method to cover up the scratches. He really went to great lengths to clear his name!
The rare clue had been cut off again. Enraged, Hongli pursed his thin lips and slapped him hard across the face.
Jin Minjing was terrified and murmured, "What does Fourth Master mean by this? Why did you suddenly hit him?"
Why did they take action? Jin Minjing and Chen Feng probably both knew the answer, but some things couldn't be said outright. Hongli gritted his teeth and said hatefully, "I just don't like him, so I hit him. Do you have a problem with that?"
How could she dare to have any objections? Fourth Master must have been furious to take it out on Chen Feng. In any case, Chen Feng had already escaped this calamity. No matter how much Hongli suspected, he had no substantial evidence. Xin'er could not prove that Chen Feng was the one who assassinated her, so Jin Minjing would not be affected.
Relieved, Kim Min-jung remained silent and stood quietly to the side.
After a long interrogation, there were still no results, and all the joy was in vain. Su Yushan had a splitting headache. She really couldn't understand how bad people could have such ridiculously good luck.
Why is it so difficult to punish the murderer?
Without evidence, no matter how eager Hongli was to capture people, he had no choice but to release Jin Minjing and the others.
There was still no result with Yao Kun. He insisted that he just couldn't stand Xin'er and thought she was a jinx, so he wanted to kill her.
Just when there was hope, he was plunged into despair again. This happened several times in a row, and Hongli was really exhausted by it!
He glared at Xin'er in a fit of rage and angrily ordered, "Xin'er is stirring up trouble and has wicked intentions. Give her twenty lashes!"
Upon hearing this, Xin'er was greatly shocked and secretly sighed that Fourth Master had indeed lied to her; this was clearly a case of crossing the river and then burning the bridge!
Su Jiafeng was the first to object, "Fourth Master, Xin'er has just woken up from serious injuries. If she is punished again, wouldn't that kill her?"
Before this, Xin'er's life was still important, but after this moment, her life had nothing to do with him anymore. A useless villain, why keep her alive any longer? Hongli, standing with his hands behind his back, slightly raised his chin, his eyes cold.
"The fact that you didn't sentence her to death is already more than merciful!"
Su Jiafeng could hardly imagine such a scene. "Twenty strokes of the cane, even a man might not be able to withstand that, let alone a young woman. What's the difference between that and a death sentence? Fourth Master, you said you would make amends through meritorious service, why have you gone back on your word?"
At that time, Hongli did not speak too absolutely, leaving himself room for maneuver: "He may be spared the death penalty, but he cannot escape punishment!"
Seeing that Fourth Master was heartless and unmoved, Su Jiafeng had no choice but to beg her sister again, "Sister, Xin'er has already realized her mistake and she will repent. Sister, please plead with Fourth Master for her and ask him to forgive her this time!"
However, the feud between Xin'er and her was not something that happened overnight.
“Back then, Xin’er publicly pulled out my jewelry and tore my hair. At that time, the Fourth Prince wanted to kick her out of the mansion, but Princess Jin pleaded for her repeatedly, so she was allowed to stay temporarily. Now she is stirring up trouble again and informing on me to Princess Jin, which has caused all this trouble. Her so-called repentance is just a temporary measure and not genuine. I am not a compassionate person and cannot forgive someone who has tried to harm me time and time again.”
"The real culprit is Princess Jin, not Xin'er. She may have made mistakes, but she doesn't deserve to die! Sister, I'm begging you, please spare her for my sake!"
As expected! No one can truly empathize with another, not even family. Su Jiafeng's words thoroughly enraged Su Yushan, who, without further ado, coldly scoffed:
“You haven’t experienced the suffering I’ve gone through, so what right do you have to ask for my forgiveness? Have you ever thought about how painful it was for me when I was misunderstood? I’m your sister, your family, and instead of standing up for me, you’re helping outsiders. It really chills my heart!”
No matter how much Su Jiafeng pleaded, Su Yushan remained unmoved and refused to help Xin'er.
Xin'er knew perfectly well what she had done. She understood that her crimes did not deserve forgiveness, and therefore she was unwilling to watch Su Jiafeng speak well of her anymore.
“Brother Su, thank you for helping me, but I should be punished for what I did wrong. I appreciate your kindness, but I don’t deserve your kindness.”
It was because of his momentary mercy that he spared Xin'er back then, which led to the subsequent trouble. Now, Hongli would never be soft-hearted again. Since Su Yushan hadn't pleaded for her, he had even less reason to be lenient. With a sharp look in his eyes, Hongli shouted sternly.
"Guards! Take Xin'er away and give him twenty lashes!"
He just wants her dead! If he can't catch anyone else, he can only use her as a scapegoat.
Xin'er had given up resisting and decided to accept her fate, but Su Jiafeng was unwilling to see her suffer. In desperation, he said, "Xin'er and I have been intimate. She is my woman. I have to take responsibility for her. If you want to hit me, then hit me. I am willing to be punished in her place!"
Upon hearing this, Xin'er was incredulous. She never imagined that Su Jiafeng would tell such a lie in order to save her!
The most shocked was Su Yushan, who exclaimed, "What did you say?"
He's actually with Xin'er? These two haven't even married yet, but they've already consummated their marriage? Su Yushan sensed something was wrong and looked at Hongli with a troubled expression.
Hongli questioned Xin'er, "Is this true?"
Xin'er was still a virgin, and she was inevitably embarrassed when someone asked her such a question. However, she knew that Su Jiafeng meant well, so she held back for a while and finally did not refute it, nodding awkwardly.
Taking advantage of the situation, Su Jiafeng said, "I have to take responsibility for Xin'er. I want to marry her. I beg you, sister, to grant my request."
Once Xin'er marries Jia Feng and becomes her brother's wife, Su Yushan will have no reason to punish Xin'er anymore. The more Su Yushan thought about it, the more indignant she became, and she said coldly:
"I disagree!"
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