CHAPTER 241: CHAPTER 237: I’LL MAKE HER DIE UNDERSTANDING!

Li Yangsong’s words left Princess Yongping breathless for a moment.

If she herself is indeed the culprit, and it eventually gets uncovered, wouldn’t these words force her to plead guilty before the Empress?

Lou Zhao may not have said it outright, but his insinuations were enough for her!

Just then, Fu Zhen walked over and said, "Mr. Li, didn’t you see the Princely Heir’s wife here? Although Princess Yongping is a relative of the Princely Heir’s wife, Mr. Liu is her cousin, too. She must balance this matter fairly. Why not let the Princely Heir’s wife adjudicate this case?"

Li Yangsong finally showed some discernment and respectfully cupped his hands toward Mrs. Zhang at the guest seat: "Please, Princely Heir’s wife, give us your guidance."

Since Mrs. Zhang was already there, how could she refuse?

If she continued to evade, it would give people ammunition to say that she disregarded even her relatives to secure her position at Prince Rong’s Mansion.

But how these words came about, could she not guess?

Fu Zhen was blatantly standing nearby! Now that she was at the Xu family, could she really do nothing?

This damned girl was definitely no pushover!

If it weren’t for her secretly adding fuel to the fire earlier, releasing those words to provoke her, Mrs. Zhang would have written her name backward!

Pushed forward repeatedly by Fu Zhen, Mrs. Zhang felt as though she’d been outsmarted after all her years of hunting.

She took a deep breath and said, "Let all unrelated personnel leave! Mr. Li, have the coroner and constables take those named Lu out as well!"

Li Yangsong saw her intentions and had no objections, motioning for his followers to leave.

As a result, only the Zhang family father and daughter, the Liu family couple, Fu Zhen, Yongping, and Li Yangsong remained in the room.

Mrs. Zhang said, "Lou Zhao, I ask you, why did you kill Liu Yan?"

Throughout her years as Princely Heir’s wife, Mrs. Zhang had accumulated authority. Despite her cold demeanor, Lou Zhao’s gaze flickered, but he remained silent.

Suddenly, Mrs. Zhang slammed the table, and Lou Zhao’s knees buckled, causing him to kneel on the ground!

He was a legitimate Commander of the Five City Military Command, why should he kneel to a royal woman? Yet at this moment, his knees seemed unwilling to rise.

"Lou Zhao! Do you think if you keep silent, I have no means to make you speak?" Mrs. Zhang said coldly, "Even if the Shuntian Prefecture can’t hold you, don’t forget there’s still the Supreme Court above! Do you think your bones can withstand the harsh torture of the Supreme Court?"

Lou Zhao’s teeth began chattering. He clenched his knees with both hands, gritting his teeth as he said, "I don’t know what the Princely Heir’s wife is talking about. It was I who had Mr. Liu killed, and I’ll take responsibility for this crime!"

Mrs. Zhang sneered, "You really think highly of yourself! Then explain, why did you kill him? And why devise such a scheme to incite enmity between the Ning Family and the Zhang Family?"

"Because... the Ning Family wronged me! Just recently, I heard about the General’s wife and General Pei causing a scene in Prince Rong’s Mansion, so I chose Mr. Liu as a target! No one instructed me, it’s unrelated to anyone else!"

Yongping, seated above, cast a cold glance below: "Did everyone hear that clearly? He admitted it himself."

She took a sip of tea and looked at Lou Zhao again: "Think carefully before you speak; no one is forcing you to say this here."

Lou Zhao dug his index finger into his knee: "I do not speak falsely!"

"You took my son’s life!"

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Liu screamed again, seeking him out in desperation.

Mrs. Zhang raised her hand to stop her and then asked Fu Zhen, "He claims to have a feud with the Ning Family, does the General’s wife have any comment on these words?"

"I have strong objections!" Fu Zhen sneered at Lou Zhao, "Our Ning Family didn’t even know who he was before today; he says there’s a feud, so there’s a feud?

"If there truly was enmity, he dares to kill an official’s son, but can’t handle a merchant from our family? Clearly, he’s taking us for fools!"

Mrs. Zhang withdrew her gaze: "The General’s wife speaks reasonably. What does the Commandery Princess think?"

Yongping placed her cup down, tightened her expression, and looked at Lou Zhao: "He’s already confessed, what else is there to ask? Isn’t it enough to have found the murderer?!"

"Of course not! If the true culprit isn’t caught, there will still be dangers. What if in a few days, she uses another Lou Zhao against the Zhang Family? Weed out the root, don’t you think so, Commandery Princess?"

Fu Zhen stared intently at Yongping.

Yongping’s chest heaved in anger, and she said, "Then you all interrogate! If you find out more, consider it your skill!"

"That will depend on the Princely Heir’s wife," Fu Zhen glanced at Mrs. Zhang, "Mr. Liu is the heir of the Liu Family; with Mr. Liu and Mrs. Liu here, it depends on how the Princely Heir’s wife thinks."

She then faced Mrs. Liu, whose eyes were long swollen from crying. The originally not-so-strong woman seemed like a broken clay figure from the day’s blow.

Beside her, the despondent and wandering Mr. Liu was equally devastated, having lost a son in his middle age. Liu Yan’s talent might not have been outstanding, but he was still their own flesh and blood, raised lovingly by them. To see him unjustly murdered, their painstakingly raised son becoming a mere tool in someone else’s game was devastation strong enough to break even a steadfast heart.

Mrs. Zhang gritted her teeth and removed her gaze from their faces.

They were the only brother and sister-in-law of her mother, Mrs. Zhang.

In the fierce struggles of Prince Rong’s Mansion, she needed a powerful family to back her!

Even if the Liu Family’s role was limited, this time Yongping directly provoked her, slapping her squarely in the face!

As the daughter of the Zhang Family and a royal woman of the Rong Mansion, she had no reasons to tolerate Yongping’s arrogance!

She clenched the handkerchief in her hand and said through gritted teeth, "Lou Zhao, there are some people you cannot protect; you don’t have the capability!

"I know your sister-in-law is in the Eastern Palace and she’s already favored. Your desire to help her ascend is not wrong, but you’ve chosen the wrong people!

"Do you know why that person agreed to assist you? Do you know why he approached you directly?"

Lou Zhao paused, raising his head.

Yongping also quickly directed her gaze towards Mrs. Zhang.

"Let me ask you again, do you know what happens when someone reaches into the Imperial Palace to influence the ranking of concubines?"

Yongping suddenly straightened her spine, and her expression became taut.

Lou Zhao’s lips began to tremble; he opened and closed his mouth several times without knowing what to say.

Fu Zhen smiled at this sight: "The monarch commands the ministers, the father teaches the son, the emperor’s family affairs cannot be meddled with by ministers! To interfere with the hierarchy of the palace, does she have a death wish?"

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Yongping stood up, slapping the arm of her chair, "Are you trying to intimidate him?!"

"Why are you so anxious?" Fu Zhen said coldly, "No one named you as interfering with palace matters. Are you feeling guilty?"

Mrs. Zhang also stood up: "Someone! Go back to the manor and fetch the camphorwood box from my wardrobe! Since someone wants to struggle on the verge of death, I’ll let him die with understanding!"