CHAPTER 235: CHAPTER 232: CONQUERING THE HEART

Fu Zhen immediately stood up and saw a middle-aged couple following behind Yang Tong, looking panic-stricken as they approached.

"This is Lu Yun’s father, Lu Chang, and his wife, Mrs. He!"

The two were already trembling with fear and dared not look up when they approached, kneeling on the ground with their robes.

Fu Zhen smiled, "Lu Chang, do you know that your son, Lu Yun, conspired with outsiders behind your backs to seize the Lu Family’s inheritance and kick you out? "

Lu Chang looked up in surprise, "I didn’t know..."

Fu Zhen tossed a purse in front of him, "Do you recognize this?"

Lu Chang quickly picked it up but before he could speak, Mrs. He blurted out, "It’s his! This is indeed his! It’s that wretched Rong’s embroidery; I recognized it at once!"

Fu Zhen handed over a folded paper, "This was found in the purse, and this paper contains evidence of his collusion with Qi Sheng and Zhou Yi to embezzle the family property. Look carefully, hasn’t he been acting strangely recently?"

Mrs. He, though not very literate, saw enough to understand, and she screamed, "I said, how come he’s been so close with Zhou Qi and even made friends with the Liu Family? It turns out it was all to plot against the family!

"This beast! He harbors such vicious thoughts! He’s an illegitimate son, his father is still alive, and yet he wants the family’s inheritance? What will happen to me if he takes it all? What about Lian Jie? This heavy-handed traitor!"

Lu Chang’s face turned pale after reading it, "What an unfilial son!"

Fu Zhen continued, "Not only that, but to secure backing, he also colluded with Zhou Qi and the others to murder Liu Yan, an official’s scion. Have you heard about this?

"This accusation is serious. The key point is that Mr. Liu’s uncle is General Dingyuan, Zhang Feng, who is a close minister to the emperor, and his daughter is the Princess Consort of Prince Rong’s Mansion. The Zhang family certainly won’t let him off easily. When the time comes, your Lu Family will be destroyed.

"I heard, Mrs. He, that you only have two daughters, and they are still unmarried? That’s tragic. If the Zhang family gets involved, Lu Miss’s marriage prospects will be ruined. Without a son to depend on, how will you manage?

"Moreover, even if the Zhang family doesn’t find an excuse to imprison your entire family, your family won’t be able to conduct any business. How will you live in the future?"

Lu Chang was still, but Mrs. He was panicking. As soon as Fu Zhen finished speaking, she began hitting Lu Chang, "All because of the good-for-nothing you raised! He did this disastrous thing! It’s fine if you want to die, but don’t drag us three along!"

Lu Chang took a few punches, becoming both agitated and angry! He asked Fu Zhen, "Madam, where is this rebellious son? I will kill him!"

"What’s the use of killing him? Even if you do, he’s still your son, a member of the Lu Family. Do you think the Zhang and Liu families will let you off?"

Lu Chang was stunned.

Mrs. He instantly wailed bitterly, "Heavens, what have I done to deserve such a troublesome creature!"

She continued tugging at Lu Chang, "If you don’t sever ties with him, I’ll go to the Shuntian Prefecture myself and report this! I want to sever ties with the Lu Family!"

Fu Zhen said, "Since he’s acting under orders, trying to keep the family safe is correct. Lu Chang, at your age, you finally have an only son. Can you really give him up?"

A hint of panic appeared beneath Lu Chang’s enraged face.

Fu Zhen continued, "Since he is under someone’s orders, as long as Lu Yun can reveal the mastermind, his guilt won’t be as severe, right?

"No matter how powerful the Zhang family acts, they do distinguish between primary and secondary. Knowing your family merely acted under orders, grievances have leaders and debts owners; they’ll only target the mastermind. After all, your family isn’t even worth dealing with."

She turned to Mrs. He, "Lu Yun indeed should be punished, but if the Lu family’s only heir is severed by your hand, your husband will always have a thorn in his heart.

"You have half your life ahead, and daughters! Why be so absolute? As long as you get Lu Yun out of this, the Lu Family will be safe, won’t it?

"If you’re lenient, your husband will remember your kindness. In the future, how you discipline the illegitimate son, do you think Lu Chang can stop you? If he does, you can come to me. I’ll support you!"

Both of them had some guesses about Lu Yun’s involvement along the way. Even if they didn’t believe he committed murder, they couldn’t deny the three of them were with Liu Yan. At this point, Fu Zhen’s words hit them hard!

No matter what happens later, as long as he’s not the mastermind, it’s more important to first clear his name and protect the Lu Family!

As a result, not only could Mrs. He no longer sit still, but even Lu Chang’s breathing became rapid, "I beg Madam to offer a way out!..."

...

While Fu Zhen was handling matters outside, Mrs. Ning was clashing with the two families of Zhang and Liu inside the shop.

Mrs. Ning said, "In front of Mr. Li, I’ll only state the facts. Four people were dining together, but only Mr. Liu died. If you want vengeance, the truth must first be established.

"I ask Mr. Liu and Mrs. Liu, did you know about Mr. Liu’s friendship with these three?"

Mrs. Liu was about to angrily retort but paused at this point, glancing at Mr. Liu nearby.

Mrs. Ning took the cue from their silence and continued, "These families are merchants. Previously, Mr. Liu accused me of merchants being selfish, so how did Mr. Liu connect with them? What benefits were they seeking from Mr. Liu?"

This statement made Mr. Liu’s expression stiffen.

Beside him, Zhang Feng also showed a confused look. Driven by various reasons, he had been relentlessly targeting the Ning Family, but Mrs. Ning’s question revealed that the Liu couple truly knew nothing about their interactions!

If their friendship was deep and the Liu Family had no knowledge, there was a problem. If the friendship was superficial and only Liu Yan ended up dead, wouldn’t that further prove Liu Yan’s death suspicious?

He looked at Lu Qizhou and the others, "How did you meet Liu Yan?"

"Beast!"

Just as Zhang Feng finished speaking, an angry curse echoed from the doorway!

Next, a middle-aged couple stormed in, eyes aflame with anger, heading straight for Lu Yun among the three. The woman swung her large palm at Lu Yun’s face, instantly turning it aside:

"Beast! You bring such disaster to the Lu Family and dare feign ignorance here? If you wish to die, no one will stop you, but don’t drag this old woman along!"

Lu Yun panicked immediately, "What are you babbling about? Why are you here?"

Mrs. He gave him another slap, "You’ve been dissatisfied with me for ages, thinking I don’t know the dirty thoughts in your mind?

"Ever since you took over a few of the family’s shops, you’ve been socializing everywhere. Now you’ve caused such a catastrophe, the Lu Family’s ancestors won’t forgive you!"