"Then, according to Second Miss Lu, what should this official do?"
The moment those words left his mouth, Lord Chen wanted to slap himself.
He was an official sitting beneath the plaque inscribed with the words A Clear Mirror Hanging High. How could he ask someone standing before his bench what to do?
If the Censors found out about this, wouldn't they submit a memorial to the Imperial Court accusing him of being an incompetent official?
But the words were already out; there was no taking them back.
"Shouldn't Lord Chen investigate?" Lu Zhaoling said. "By the way, Prince Jin also saw me being pursued and beaten that day. He is one of the eyewitnesses. There are also many commoners who saw it. You can seek verification from them, My Lord."
"Furthermore, I was brought from the countryside by Granny Jin, an old servant sent by Madam Lu. She knows exactly what happened when we approached the capital. You can question her as well."
"My injuries at the time were treated by Old Physician Fu. As for the severity of those injuries, I believe Old Physician Fu would be willing to provide a statement and testify."
Before Lord Chen could speak, Lu Zhaoling continued.
"Of course, the most convenient method is to interrogate Zhu Minghao directly. I brought him here myself just to save you the trouble, My Lord."
Lord Chen's head was spinning, and he felt utterly dazed. He felt as though Lu Zhaoling was arranging his life for him with terrifying clarity.
"You motherf"
Fire was erupting in Zhu Minghao's heart, and the pain in his face only served to make him more violent.
What he couldn't see was Lu Zhaoling's finger tracing a light movement in the air. A wisp of black qi flew toward him, instantly burrowing into his body.
If he had known her fellow disciples from the Xuan Sect, they would have told him
The Eldest Senior Sister wasn't just some bright, pure hearted girl!
She had a bit of a dark side!
She was never afraid of using a few little tricks if it meant dragging the truth into the open faster!
Zhu Minghao had no idea.
His reason had been completely incinerated by rage. Normally, if he weren't so furious, he would have known that the best thing to do right now was to say nothing. He certainly shouldn't have followed Lu Zhaoling's lead.
But right now, he couldn't care less. He couldn't think at all.
He heard Lu Zhaoling suggest to Lord Chen, "If he won't tell the truth, just use the boards. I think he only looks fierce, but in reality, he's a coward. He's the type who does things but doesn't dare admit to them, only capable of lurking in the shadows and performing petty, villainous deeds..."
Zhu Minghao suddenly erupted into a roar.
"Bullshit! What is there that I, the Shizi, wouldn't dare say? It wasn't even my idea to come looking for you! Half a month ago, someone sent me a message saying a girl was coming from the countryside. They said she was quite good-looking and that her parents hated her. Even if I snatched her away to play with as a concubine, her family wouldn't say a single word!"
"Oho..."
The crowd outside the gate widened their eyes and pricked up their ears.
The Shizi just confessed?
"Shizi, you..." Lord Chen sensed things were going south and tried to stop Zhu Minghao from continuing, but he failed.
"That person also told me that a little village girl from the countryside might have a special flavor to her and told me absolutely not to let you go. They said as soon as you arrived, I should just carry you into the Marquis Mansion in a sedan chair. They claimed you wouldn't dare put up even a shred of resistance!"
The Lin family members who had squeezed to the front of the crowd turned pale upon hearing Zhu Minghao's words.
"That person lied to me!"
Zhu Minghao screamed in frustration.
"You little bitch, how dare you run after being caught! There is no one I set my sights on that I can't get my hands on! So what if I hit you? With a lowly life like yours, even if I beat you to death, it's just death. Who could do anything to me?"
"Zhu Shizi!"
Lord Chen's face turned green with shock as he let out a sudden, thunderous shout.
How could such words be spoken aloud in public?
"Quickly, stuff the cloth back into his mouth!"
In his panic, the words escaped Lord Chen's mouth.
He regretted it. Why had he ordered the men to take out the rag stuffed in the Shizi's mouth earlier?
An officer moved forward with the rag in hand. Just then, Qingyin and Qingbao caught a look from Lu Zhaoling and released their grip on Zhu Minghao.
Thus, when the officer raised the rag, Zhu Minghao's subconscious reaction was to throw a punch directly at the man's nose.
"Get lost!"
Thud.
The officer's nose was hit, and blood began to flow.
Zhu Minghao didn't even pause to think as he continued to punch and kick the man.
"What kind of thing are you to think you can bully me, the Shizi!"
"Stop! Zhu Shizi, stop!" Lord Chen was going crazy. "Pull him away, quickly!"
Zhu Minghao suddenly spun around and glared at Lu Zhaoling.
He stared at her, filled with such intense hatred that he wanted to strangle her right there.
"You bitch, you still think you can become the Consort of Prince Jin? I'm telling you, as long as I'm around, you're dreaming! Damn it, I'm going into the palace right now to have the Emperor revoke the Imperial Edict and award you to me instead! I'll play with you until you're dead!"
Zhu Minghao spat these arrogant, malicious words at Lu Zhaoling, his eyes bloodshot. His ferocious appearance, radiating malevolent intent, terrified the onlookers.
They took a step back, their expressions changing as the scales in their hearts tipped entirely toward Lu Zhaoling's side.
Good heavens!
Zhu Shizi really is such a wild, ruthless villain! Second Miss Lu has truly had eight lifetimes of bad luck to encounter such a person!
Poor Second Miss Lu! Can Prince Jin come and save her already?
At this moment, the Sun family members hidden in the crowd began to shout at the top of their lungs.
"Lord Chen! Zhu Minghao has already confessed, hurry up and arrest him! Does My Lord intend to shield such a villain?"
Their young miss had returned home and hurriedly sent them to the yamen to help Second Miss Lu depending on the situation.
Hearing someone take the lead, the others followed suit, raising their fists and shouting.
"Arrest him! Arrest him!"
"This is too cruel! What kind of skill is it to bully a weak woman?"
Seeing the crowd's emotions boiling over and the scene nearly spiraling out of control, Lord Chen's hands began to tremble.
He was about to strike his gavel to silence them and keep them from shouting when he heard Zhu Minghao bellow, "Does Chen Deshan dare arrest me? The brat must be tired of living!"
Lu Zhaoling raised an eyebrow at Lord Chen. "Oh? Lord Chen doesn't dare?"
Lord Chen was instantly pushed over the edge.
Whack!
He slammed his gavel down, straightened his back, and roared, "Men! Take Zhu Minghao down!"
The moment he shouted those words, Lord Chen felt an unprecedented surge of heroism.
"Yes, Sir!"
The officer who had been beaten earlier was the first to roar back. He rushed forward and tackled Zhu Minghao to the ground.
The other officers swarmed in as well.
"Chen Deshan, you dog, how dare you!" Zhu Minghao's heart skipped a beat. He vaguely felt that he shouldn't be cursing, but the fire of rage was burning too brightly for him to control himself.
Lord Chen's face darkened completely.
"Make him sign the confession and throw him in jail! Send men to invite Physician Fu and that Granny Jin!"
He was going to investigate this case to the very end!
"And investigate who sent the letter to Zhu Minghao that day!"
The person behind the scenes had to be caught as well!
He, Chen Deshan, was an official who actually did his job!
"Lord Chen is mighty!" the Sun family members shouted again. This prompted the surrounding people to join in, hurling praises at Lord Chen as if they cost nothing.
Lord Chen found himself quite lost in the adulation.
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