Huo Huaizhi pointed his long sword at Zhu Ziqian; "So it was you who slandered the Lady of Ning'an County?"
Zhu Ziqian was terrified and knelt down with a thud, crying, "I didn't!"
“This man is my husband. I thought he was dead, but he suddenly reappeared not long ago. Now that he’s back, he and my sister-in-law are accusing me of having an affair and want to take this opportunity to punish me.”
Liu Yingying stated the facts calmly, but then her tone suddenly shifted, becoming more sharp.
"Actually, it doesn't matter to me that they slander me, but in doing so, I have to spend a lot of time clarifying and proving my innocence."
"As for the promise I made to the general to solve the problem of food and supplies for the Zhennan Army, that will have to be delayed."
Huo Huaizhi snorted coldly; "They're really giving them too much face. You are the Lady of Ning'an County, who has rendered meritorious service to the court. If you want a divorce, this general can personally request His Majesty's decree. Why do you need to sneak around?"
"Furthermore..." His cold and ruthless gaze fell on Su Daqiang.
"Is this what you said, that you and the Lady of Ning'an County are having an affair?"
Su Daqiang trembled violently; how could he dare to retort?
Zhu Ziqian, however, hardened his heart and said, "General, this is originally my family matter, but now it has become known to everyone, which is really disgraceful."
"If Su Daqiang hadn't personally admitted to his affair with my wife, I wouldn't have wanted things to turn out this way!"
"Oh, so you were forced into it?" Huo Huaizhi asked sarcastically.
Zhu Ziqian's eyes were filled with gloom; he regretted things having developed to this point.
But once the arrow is released, there's no turning back; it's too late for regrets.
Now, he has no choice but to bite the bullet and confirm Liu Yingying's affair, otherwise he himself will be the one to suffer!
"General, you are absolutely right. Who would want to air their dirty laundry in public unless they had no other choice?" Zhu Ziqian said, looking helpless.
However, the next second, Huo Huaizhi directly pressed his sword against Su Daqiang's throat.
"General, spare my life!"
Startled by this sudden action, Su Faqiang collapsed to the ground, and then a pool of thick yellow liquid flowed out from the ground.
Everyone felt disgusted.
Huo Huaizhi: "This general is giving you a chance to live. Are you sure you have an affair with the Lady of Ning'an County?"
Zhu Ziqian's family held their breath at that moment!
But Su Daqiang had a pretty good idea of the situation. Although he had no idea how high a position the young man was, he saw that both Magistrate Yang and Zhu Ziqian treated him with utmost respect.
Perhaps... perhaps offending Zhu Ziqian wouldn't necessarily mean death, but if I continued to slander Liu Yingying in front of this person...
He will surely die a horrible death!
"General, spare my life! I'll tell you everything!"
"They approached me, asking me to frame the Lady of Ning'an County, and said they would give me a sum of money after it was done..."
After Su Daqiang revealed everything, everyone's attitude towards Zhu Ziqian's family changed.
How could this family be so despicable!
Yingying used to work like a slave for his family, taking care of the old and young. Now that he has become an official, he wants to kill Yingying. He is a heartless and ungrateful man!
Zhu Ziqian was terrified and tried to explain, "General Huo, you are unaware that Su Daqiang is a notorious scoundrel. How can his words be taken seriously?"
"Ha!" Huo Huaizhi scoffed.
"Oh, you know he's a scoundrel and his words are unreliable, but how could you believe him when he said he had an affair with the Lady of Ning'an County?"
Zhu Ziqian was filled with anxiety and was trying to figure out how to smooth things over.
Then Huo Huai said, "I have witnessed firsthand Lord Zhu's scheme of getting promoted, making a fortune, and losing his wife today."
But then, his gaze sharpened.
"But can you bear the responsibility of falsely accusing the Lady of Ning'an County, who has rendered meritorious service to the court and the Zhennan Army?"
Zhu Ziqian knelt down with a thud, gritting his teeth and saying, "It was this humble official who failed to distinguish right from wrong and misunderstood his wife. Please forgive him, General." As he spoke, he looked at Liu Yingying with deep affection.
"Yingniang, the reason I so easily believed the words of a villain is because I love you so much that I lost my composure. Please forgive me this once?"
Looking at his hypocritical appearance, Liu Yingying found it all ridiculous.
"Don't you know what kind of situation this will put me in?"
"So your so-called deep love is actually about taking my life?"
Huo Huaizhi: "Lord Zhu can't even handle his own family affairs. He listened to slander and framed his own wife. If you were to enter the court in the future, wouldn't you turn the world upside down?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Ziqian's heart trembled.
He had a very bad feeling...
"I will report this matter to the Emperor truthfully. I will not allow someone like you, who cannot distinguish right from wrong, to harm the people of my Great Xia!"
After Huo Huaizhi finished speaking, some people finally breathed a sigh of relief, while others were still shaken.
The old lady of the Liu family almost fell to the ground, constantly feeling relieved in her heart.
Thank goodness they arrived late, otherwise they might have been implicated by the Zhu family too…
Zhu Ziqian knelt on the ground with a thud, filled with despair. "General, I know I was wrong! Please give me a chance to reform!"
Who in the capital doesn't know that the Duke of Zhenguo and his son are His Majesty's favorite ministers?
Especially the handsome and refined young master Huo before us.
If he were to impeach himself, not only would all his decades of hard work in his studies be wasted, but he might also be implicated in a crime…
Zhu Ziqian's behavior has already made many people feel ashamed.
He was an official, and they were ordinary citizens; no one dared to say anything.
How could someone like Huo Huaizhi easily let him off the hook?
It seems Zhu Ziqian is doomed this time!
"Lady Ning'an, I actually brought you some good news this time." Huo Huaizhi stopped looking at the Zhu family and said to Liu Yingying with a smile.
Liu Yingying was a little confused, "Good... news?"
What other good news could there be?
The next second, Huo Huaizhi took out an imperial edict.
"Ning'an County Lady Liu Yingying, hear my decree!"
Before Liu Yingying could react, the others present knelt down first.
When she came to her senses, she quickly knelt down as well.
"By imperial decree, the Emperor decrees: Lady Liu of Ning'an County has single-handedly saved the lives of the people of a city and relieved the city from danger, thus rendering meritorious service to the nation. Now she has presented a rare product to help the Zhennan Army solve its food shortage problem. The nation is greatly pleased to have such a lady. Therefore, Lady Liu is hereby granted the title of Fourth-Rank Ning'an County Magistrate. This is the imperial decree!"
"Princess Ning'an, receive the decree!" Huo Huaizhi looked at her with a smile.
Liu Yingying was completely stunned. So quickly, she had leveled up again?
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your great favor. May Your Majesty live a long and prosperous life!"
After Liu Yingying received the imperial edict, village chief Wang Delu quickly rallied everyone to bow deeply to her again, saying, "This humble subject pays respects to Lady Ning'an!"
This is none other than the Lady Ning'an from their Peach Blossom Village!
Wang Delu and the others felt a sense of pride; they knew they had made the right choice by clinging to the right person!
But not everyone was happy and proud of Liu Yingying…
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