Zheng Xintong wore a veil to cover the wound on her cheek that had not yet healed.

She knew in her heart that Wei Xiu was being so stubborn because of his parents' tragic death.

But in fact, it had been two years since the incident, and her uncle had died, beheaded publicly. His family had long been exiled to Fujian, and her two cousins ​​and one cousin had all died on the way to exile. Even with her father's care, they had not had an easy time in Fujian. Her aunt was bedridden, and her eldest cousin had died at the hands of pirates last year.

In terms of human lives, enough people from the Wang family have died.

The Wang family has been a family of nobles for generations, while the Wei family are just teachers. People are divided into high and low levels, and human lives naturally have different weights. Moreover, in the overall situation, what do one or two lives count for?

On the battlefield, the two armies fought and killed more people. To be honest, Chu Yuanchen had many more lives on his hands! Yesterday alone, how many imperial guards died at the hands of Chu Yuanchen? Are their families also coming to seek revenge on Chu Yuanchen?

She believed that the Wang family had repaid all that was owed.

Wei Xiu and Chi Yu haven't made any trouble in the past two years, which means they have accepted it.

It was because Daddy was too hasty this time and wanted to silence them, which provoked them to resist in order to save their lives.

As long as they know that the Zheng family will not cause them trouble again, they should know how to make a choice.

Now Chu Yuanchen has made it clear that he is using Wei Xiu and Chi Yu to make a big fuss out of this incident. If he succeeds, not only the Wang family but also the Zheng family will be implicated.

Moreover, Chu Yuanchen was not really doing it for Wei Xiu's sake.

For Wei Xiu and the others, they are being used in the same way, so why don't they calm down and choose the option that is most beneficial to themselves?

Wei Xiu is a smart man, and a smart man should not be bound by the past.

"Wei Xiu," Zheng Xintong said seriously, "Let's sit down and talk it over. You can make any demands you want."

"As long as my Zheng family can do it, it's fine."

Sheng Xiyan felt a headache after hearing this, and couldn't help but ask, "Marry a concubine's sister?"

Zheng Xintong ignored her and continued to say to Wei Xiu: "You should also think carefully about it and think about the future. Don't get angry for the moment."

Her every word is meaningful.

He almost said it directly. Once Chu Yuanchen achieved his goal, he and Chi Yu would be useless. Is it worth it for him to offend the Zheng family now?

Sheng Xiyan smiled: "Second Miss Zheng, let alone marrying a concubine's daughter, it would be useless even if you married her. Forget it. The Zheng family will be confiscated and exterminated sooner or later, so don't implicate others."

Zheng Xintong suddenly turned around to look at her, and at that moment, the coldness in her eyes could not be concealed.

"Ms. Shengda, this matter has nothing to do with you." Zheng Xintong sneered and said sarcastically, "Why, you care so much about Wei Xiu, do you want to..."

Sheng Xiyan pulled out the whip and swung it at her without hesitation.

She learned riding and shooting for a few months, and although she didn't learn anything else, she was quite good at whipping.

It's useless to say anything to someone who has a dirty mouth, just give him a few slaps.

Zheng Xintong was frightened and pale, she didn't expect her to attack without saying a word. Fortunately, this time the guard reacted in time and stood in front of her. The strong wind caused by the whip blew up her veil, revealing the wound on her cheek that had not yet healed.

"Miss Zheng, be careful with your words." Wei Xiu's voice became even colder, "I don't want the illegitimate daughter of the Zheng family."

Zheng Xintong bit his lip and asked almost embarrassedly: "What about me?"

Wei Xiu didn't even think about it: "No."

Zheng Xintong's expression changed drastically, and he blurted out, "Wei Xiu!" An indescribable shame and anger surged in his heart, and his face turned red.

Wei Xiu said to Sheng Xiyan, "Sister, let's go in."

sister?

Zheng Xintong's expression froze on her face. She slowly widened her eyes, unable to believe her ears.

Wei Xiu called Sheng Xiyan "Sister"? ! What is the relationship between them? !

The two of them...

Zheng Xintong stood there in a daze. When she came to her senses, they had already entered the court.

Zheng Xintong calmed his breath and quickly followed in.

Wang Qinghe had already been transferred to the Jingzhao Prefecture Prison by someone, and as soon as they arrived, the Jingzhao Yin immediately went to court to interrogate the case.

After a shout of "Wuwei", Wei Xiu, as the victim, once again detailed his complaint: he accused Wang Qinghe of murdering people and destroying their entire family in order to avenge a personal vendetta.

Wei Xiu bowed and said, "The student is the only survivor of the Wei family. My entire family, including my parents and two old servants, all died at the hands of Wang Qinghe. Please be clear about this, sir!"

Then, he told everything about how Wang Qinghe murdered people.

During this day and night, Jingzhao Yin had already thought it through clearly. No matter whether it was Xiao Shuo or Zheng Zhongming, they were both people he could not afford to offend. Instead of wavering and pleasing neither side, it would be better to lean towards one of them from beginning to end.

Without a doubt, only a fool would choose Zheng Zhongming over Xiao Shuo.

Jingzhao Yin felt that he was not stupid.

Jingzhao Yin's attitude remained unchanged. He picked up the wooden stick and knocked it hard, asking, "Wang Qinghe, do you admit your guilt?"

Wang Qinghe sneered and said, "What crime have I committed?"

Jingzhao Yin said righteously: "Come here, take the bloody fingerprint to compare with Wang Qinghe."

Wei Xiu took out the blood letter from his arms and handed it to the yamen runner, who then brought it to Wang Qinghe and motioned him to raise his hands.

Wang Qinghe sneered sarcastically and slowly raised his hand. However, when his fingers touched the blood letter, he immediately changed his palm into a claw, snatched the blood letter from the yamen runner's hand, tore it into several pieces, and waved his hand casually, and all the fragments flew to the ground.

He let out a wild laugh, as if saying: I'm right here, what can you do to me?

Jing Zhaoyin's face changed drastically, and he almost thought that he had made such a big mistake and his head was about to "move". Wei Xiu took out another blood letter from his pocket and said, "That one is fake."

Wang Qinghe: “…”

Sheng Xiyan burst out laughing. She knew that her brother was very cautious. He would not just hand over the blood letter that he had hidden for so long to Wang Qinghe.

"Master Chen." Sheng Xiyan said in a crisp voice, "I don't think there is any need for comparison."

"Wang Qinghe deliberately destroyed the evidence. This is because he is guilty! If he is guilty, he must be guilty. Your Excellency can convict him."

Jingzhao Yin nodded and said seriously, "Wang Qinghe openly destroyed the evidence in front of me, so it should be regarded as credible evidence." He coughed lightly and said as a matter of course, "The Darong Law also says so."

Wang Qinghe was shocked and looked at her in disbelief.

Is there anyone in this world who can lie so openly? Do you think you have never watched "The Young Lawyer"?

"This general..."

Wang Qinghe opened his mouth to refute, with a lot of words ready to say, but as a result, a walnut flew in from somewhere and hit him in the throat, making him swallow all his questions.

Wang Qinghe groaned and coughed hard a few times, his face turning red from coughing.

Wang Qinghe glared at Chu Yuanchen. He endured the pain in his throat and said loudly, "This general is innocent..."

His voice was so unclear that it was almost inaudible, and every time he spoke a word, it felt like a knife was cutting his throat.

Sheng Xiyan glanced at Chu Yuanchen, who was still playing with a few walnuts in his hands, and said with a smile: "Master Chen, Wang Qinghe said that he pleaded guilty."

Zheng Xintong finally couldn't bear to listen any longer.

I'm still here, and they're talking nonsense right in front of me?!

Zheng Xintong's face was filled with anger, and he said angrily, "My uncle said he is not guilty."

Sheng Xiyan glanced at her and said with a smile, "Where did you come from? Are you the lawyer hired by Wang Qinghe? If not, don't keep me here. Get out of here quickly. Lord Chen still needs to hear the case."

Zheng Xintong suppressed his resentment and said coldly to Jingzhao Yin: "Sir Chen, are you going to disregard the law and cover up for me?"

Jingzhao Prefecture Governor Dayi said in a dignified tone: "Miss Zheng Er is wrong. I heard with my own ears that Wang Qinghe said he pleaded guilty. He admitted to killing the entire Wei family for personal revenge."

Zheng Xintong was stunned.

She had never seen anyone call a horse a zebra like this since she was born!

Jingzhao Yin's expression did not change, and he continued, "Not only me, but everyone in the hall has heard it. I have been an official for many years and I am honest and upright. Of course, I would not do such a thing as forcing someone to confess under torture."

The master then said, "Sir, Wang Qinghe has indeed confessed his guilt."

The bailiffs also responded one after another. For a moment, Zheng Xintong had a sudden illusion. Could it be that his uncle really pleaded guilty?

Thinking of this, she quickly shook her head and told herself not to be fooled by them.

Wang Qinghe's face turned pale and ugly, and his throat felt as if it was cut by a knife. He couldn't even hear what he was saying when he spoke.

“Ahem.”

His throat was sore that he had another violent cough, and he felt an indescribable bitterness.

He knew that he would most likely be convicted, whether it was murder, embezzlement of disaster relief funds, or unauthorized use of the imperial guards, all of which were capital crimes. But even so, they should at least wait until the three judges convened a trial, which would take a year or so, before they could convict him. It was absolutely impossible for them to just talk nonsense and play with the court like they did.

"I...I am innocent."

He tried desperately to make a sound.

He spoke word by word, his pronunciation was still unclear, but even though he spoke slowly, one could still barely understand it.

Sheng Xiyan said with a smile: "Sir, he said he pleaded guilty and is willing to be punished."

Jingzhao Yin nodded seriously: "In that case, then sign it."

Zheng Xintong blurted out: "You are confusing right and wrong. I am going to sue..."

She was just about to file a complaint, but then she remembered that the emperor was "seriously ill" and that Xiao Shuo was in charge of the court, and she felt sad.

Yeah. Where can she sue?

She once again realized that everything had changed drastically since her family left the capital for more than half a year.

Once upon a time, who dared to act like this in front of her.

Once upon a time, who dared to look down on her like this?

Zheng Xintong felt very upset. She found that her pride and self-esteem, which she was so proud of, were being broken bit by bit. She was like a piece of broken glass, covered with cracks.

Everything seemed to tell her that the Zheng family was no longer the Zheng family of the past. She could no longer have the final say in the capital as she did before.

Zheng Xintong's heart darkened for a moment, and he said angrily, "The Jingzhao Yin has great authority. If you act like this, my Zheng family will never stop."

As she spoke, her eyes could not help but stop at Wei Xiu again. She suppressed the embarrassment of being rejected and said again: "Wei Xiu, you can reconsider my suggestion."

Wei Xiu: “No.”

The corners of Wei Xiu's mouth curled up unconsciously.

He knew that the evidence in his hand was not enough to convict a third-rank official of the imperial court. It was said to be a bloody fingerprint, but who could prove that the bloody fingerprint was not casually impressed by himself?

If the case is really tried according to the Great Rong Law, it will probably take a lot of twists and turns.

And now...

He seemed to understand somewhat what his sister said.

At first, Wang Qinghe was able to use his power to suppress others, and made him and Chi Yusheng endure this hatred for two years. So now, let him also taste the unspeakable pain of being suppressed when his power is not as good as others.

When Wang Qinghe killed his parents, they were powerless to resist, but now, it was his turn.

He and Chi Yu looked at each other. Chi Yu was looking a little stunned. Chi Yu didn't sleep the whole night yesterday. He wrote several sheets of paper and thought of a lot of things to say to Wang Qinghe in the court. Now it's not his turn to say a word. Is that enough?

Zheng Xintong bit her lower lip lightly and said to Wang Qinghe, "Uncle, don't worry."

Wang Qinghe nodded vigorously and pointed to his throat.

"I understand." After saying this, Zheng Xintong turned around and left without looking back.

Before she could step out of the courtroom, she heard Sheng Xiyan smiling and saying, "Master Chen, Wang Qinghe has already pleaded guilty, so let's sign the name and sentence him quickly. The guards at the Wang family's Dongchang are also very tired. They have been guarding for a whole day and night. Let them finish copying and go back to eat something hot."

When she said this, Jingzhao Yin, who was sitting on top, trembled, adjusted his sitting posture uneasily, and immediately responded, "Yes, yes."

Bang!

He knocked on the wooden stick in the hall and said, "Wang Qinghe in the hall..."

Zheng Xintong simply couldn't stand listening to such a frivolous trial. She quickened her pace and walked out of the court.

The sky outside was gloomy, making Zheng Xintong feel suffocated and even unable to breathe.

"Miss." The maid looked at her cautiously, "Should we go back?"

Zheng Xintong nodded and said, "Let's go back."

Zheng Xintong's expression had calmed down. She jumped on the horse, pulled the reins, and galloped away.

As soon as he returned to the mansion, Zheng Xintong went directly to Zheng Zhongming's study. At this time, Zheng Zhongming was listening to a captain of the imperial army reporting what happened yesterday.

Zheng Zhongming almost stayed awake all night, waiting for news. If everything went well, Wang Qinghe would immediately send her a letter via pigeon mail, but he waited all night and got nothing.

It was not until the morning that I heard that Wang Qinghe had been captured by Chu Yuanchen and taken to Jingzhao Prefecture.

And his people have only just come to the party now.

Seeing his daughter coming in, he motioned for her to sit down first, and then asked, "And then?"

The one who came to report was Wang Qinghe's confidant in the imperial army. He told the whole story in detail. He only knew that Wang Qinghe led his troops into the valley, and then there was a burst of fighting.

"I waited near the valley for almost two hours before I saw the guards from the Zhenbei Palace escorting Vice General Wang out."

"After they left, I went into the valley to investigate. In the latter half of the valley, near the valley entrance, there were large patches of blood residue. There were also traces of the ground being turned over in the forest. I dug a bit and found the bodies of the imperial guards buried underneath. All traces of the battlefield had been cleaned up."

"The King of Zhenbei and his entourage only escorted Vice General Wang. I don't know how many of the imperial guards survived. They may have left from the other side of the valley."

After he finished speaking, he stood aside.

"This is impossible!"

Zheng Zhongming shook his head in disbelief. This was absolutely impossible!

Chu Yuanchen only brought about a hundred people out of the capital. It was impossible for him to easily wipe out all the imperial guards and remain unscathed.

Chu Yuanchen only got the emperor's approval on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, allowing him to have 30,000 troops stationed in the capital. Given the distance between the northern border and the capital, these Zhenbei troops would not arrive until next month at the earliest. Even if they marched day and night at full speed, the army would have too much food and fodder to reach the capital within a month.

unless……

Zheng Zhongming made a decisive statement: "Chu Wuchen secretly gathered troops in the capital!"

Zheng Xintong said happily: "The military power of the vassal king is only in the fiefdom. If Chu Yuanchen openly stores troops in the capital, it will be a capital crime."

Not only is it a capital crime, it is also a crime of treason that will exterminate nine generations of the clan!

Zheng Zhongming pondered and said, "Even if Chu Yuanchen has troops stored in the capital, there definitely can't be too many."

The three major camps of the Imperial Guards were stationed in Ji. Even if Xiao Shuo had absolute power in the court, he could not interfere with the Imperial Guards. Zheng Zhongming firmly believed in this. Until now, the Imperial Guards were still under his control.

From the capital to Yizhou, there was no large army stationed except for the imperial guards and some bandits.

But even if the number was smaller, Chu Yuanchen still secretly stockpiled troops, otherwise, Wang Qinghe was no good-for-nothing and it would be impossible for him to be defeated so easily.

"Dad, do you want to take action?" Zheng Xintong asked.

What she meant was whether or not they should openly arrest Chu Yuanchen on the charge of plotting against the Shuo.

Zheng Zhongming thought about it over and over again, stroking the piece of paper on the table with his fingertips and shaking his head gently.

no.

Chu Yuanchen has always been cunning and would not leave such a big handle. There might be a trap waiting for him here.

Zheng Xintong was anxious: "What about my uncle?"

Are you really going to ignore him?

Zheng Xintong said, "If I don't care about my uncle, Chu Yuanchen and the others will definitely use him as a target. Dad, you don't know how arrogant they are in court."

She told Zheng Zhongming everything that happened in court angrily and anxiously.

Zheng Zhongming couldn't help sneering when he heard this.

Back then, he had never acted so recklessly. Now, let alone Xiao Shuo, even a little girl would not take the Zheng family seriously? !

After Zheng Xintong finished speaking, he still felt indignant.

Zheng Zhongming narrowed his eyes, restrained his emotions, and showed a thoughtful look on his face. Zheng Xintong did not disturb him and waited patiently. At this time, the long-servant he sent to keep an eye on Jingzhao Prefecture hurried back and came in to report: "Master, Jingzhao Yin has already convicted him."

Zheng Zhongming's expression froze, and he asked subconsciously, "What do you mean?"

The attendant bowed, somewhat embarrassed to speak, and after hesitating for a while, he said, "Behead him. The execution will be carried out in three days."

"Three days later?!" Zheng Zhongming exerted force on the desk with his hands and accidentally brought over a cup of hot tea, which fell over, spilling the scalding hot water all over the desk.

Zheng Zhongming didn't care about that at all. He confirmed with a dark face, "Is it really three days later?"

"Yes." The attendant replied respectfully, "The execution will be carried out at Caishikou in three days."

Caishikou?!

Zheng Zhongming clenched his hands into fists, veins bulged on the back of his hands, his body shook involuntarily, and his face was full of shock.

He would not be surprised if he was sentenced to death.

With Xiao Shuo and Chu Yuanchen involved, the death penalty is inevitable.

Except for the most heinous crimes, the death penalty for Darong was carried out in the autumn. The most heinous crimes required at least a joint trial by the three courts and the emperor's approval. Zheng Zhongming originally thought that there was still enough time to save him, but the execution was in three days! Darong had never encountered such a hurry in more than a hundred years!

Moreover, it was at Caishikou.

Although, Zheng Zhongming had let Wang Qinghe ambush Chu Yuanchen in the beginning with the intention of not getting himself implicated if something unexpected happened, he would do so only as a last resort.

Zheng Zhongming narrowed his eyes and tried to control his emotions. After a while, he said decisively, "Tong'er, go to Prince Zhao's mansion."

Zheng Xintong looked puzzled, and then he heard him say in a deep voice: "Hasn't King Zhao been waiting for the right opportunity..."

Zheng Xintong understood after careful consideration.

"Tong'er," Zheng Zhongming said solemnly, "We can't afford to lose, so we should be more careful than necessary."

Zheng Xintong nodded. Indeed, they could not afford to lose. If they lost, they would not only lose their lives, but also the entire Zheng family.

Zheng Zhongming added: "Time is running out."

They don't have time to test them one by one.

Zheng Xintong said decisively: "I will go find Princess Zhao."

Zhao Yuanrou had come to her several times, hoping to use her to get close to the Zheng family. At that time, she did not comment, because King Zhao was too stupid to be a wise ruler. However, now, she could use it as a test.

Let King Zhao go ahead. If Chu Yuanchen can be convicted, he can take advantage of the chaos to save his uncle.

King Zhao is stupid and useless, much easier to deal with than Xiao Shuo and Chu Yuanchen.

If they can't, they have nothing to lose and they have done their best.

Zheng Xintong knew the situation was urgent and hurried out.

She came in person to deliver the visiting card. To Zhao Yuanrou, Zheng Xintong's visit was somewhat unexpected, but Zhao Yuanrou had also heard about the Zheng family, so she understood it after thinking about it.

No wonder Zheng Xintong came to see him.

The Zheng family is at their wits' end. Have they decided to form an alliance with her?

After thinking for a moment, Zhao Yuanrou had Zheng Xintong brought in. She straightened her clothes and was about to go out, but she noticed that Qin Wei was looking at her with a complicated look.

Zhao Yuanrou smiled and said, "What's wrong? The Zheng family has surrendered, aren't you happy?"

She leaned forward slightly and said softly to Qin Wei who was sitting on the armchair: "Don't worry, I will not give up on you. Haven't you always wanted to sit on this supreme seat? This position will be yours."

"And the Perfecting Cream will be yours too."

Zhao Yuanrou smiled gently, her smile was extremely charming.

She didn't have much of the Shiquan ointment on hand, but fortunately, the person she sent to Minzhou to buy it had just returned.

She thought Chu Yuanchen and the others were really stupid. They were short-sighted and could only focus on the capital. They thought that banning the sale would be enough. The emperor was far away in Fujian, so how could they obey such an order?

Zhao Yuanrou's eyes were a little dazed. When she first saw the Shiquan ointment in the shop in the capital, she was almost shocked. She thought that based on the medical knowledge she knew, this thing could be used to relieve pain. She originally wanted to keep it for the time being, and when the time was right, she would give it to Zhou Jingxun and let Zhou Jingxun use it to make merit.

She had never thought of using it. They forced her to use it. They... forced her to use it!

Zhao Yuanrou's eyes darkened and she went out to meet Zheng Xintong.