novelraw Chapter 1985 Judgment
Chapter 1985 Judgment
Chapter 1985 Judgment
"Whether my Liu family is innocent or not is for Mr. Xie in the hall to judge. If Mr. Xie cannot decide, then His Majesty will make the final decision." Liu Neng suppressed his emotions and said in a deep voice, "In any case, it is not your place, Lady Heir, to question this."
Fang Zilan didn't say anything more, but she had already stirred up the fire, so Xie Chen followed her lead and asked, "How I judge it requires evidence. Since this case has been investigated to this point and is related to Mangshan, then the events of that year cannot be avoided."
As he spoke, he stared intently at Liu Neng, "What exactly happened in Mangshan back then?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Neng took a deep breath, raised his head and met Xie Chen's gaze. "Mr. Xie, anyone can doubt my Liu family because of what happened in Mangshan back then, but you and the Xiahou family behind you cannot."
His eyes reddened as he spoke each word clearly, “The current state of my Liu family is inextricably linked to the Xiahou family.”
“You’re telling the truth not just to me,” Xie Chen said solemnly. “The purpose of a court trial is to bring the truth to light and give everyone a fair trial. Whether it’s a personal grudge or a family affair, as long as it’s related to the truth, there should be no concealment.”
"Mr. Xie is quite the righteous man now." Liu Neng snorted coldly. "Unfortunately, I am not the head of the Liu family. There are some things that I cannot decide whether or not to say. I would like to ask the head of the Liu family, Mr. Xie."
Xie Chen nodded slightly and ordered someone to bring Liu Yong, who had been detained earlier, to the courtroom.
Liu Yong, who was in prison, was not surprised at all and was about to follow the person to the court, but when he passed by Xiahou Yunzhao's cell, she called him back.
"What is the purpose of Xie Chen's interrogation of Lord Liu?" Xiahou Yunzhao asked bluntly. The man hesitated for a long time, unsure whether to answer or not.
Liu Yong stood aside with a look of amusement on his face. Xiahou Yunzhao ignored him and asked the man, "Liu Neng was taken away early this morning, and it's only now that we've interrogated Lord Liu. Judging from the timeline, either Liu Neng confessed a lot, or someone else said a lot for him."
Before she could finish speaking, Liu Yong's face turned ashen. "What are you dawdling about? Mr. Xie is still waiting..."
"It seems Liu Neng is unwilling to talk about what happened at Mangshan back then," Xiahou Yunzhao interrupted Liu Yong. "Are you willing to talk about it?"
Liu Yong was stunned for a moment, and before he could say anything, Xiahou Yunzhao continued to speak to herself, "Alright, this matter is also related to me, so I will go with you."
After she finished speaking, she gestured for the man to open the cell door for her, but he looked conflicted. "General Xiahou, Mr. Xie did not invite you to the court."
"I'll go with you now, so you won't have to make another trip," Xiahou Yunzhao said matter-of-factly. The man looked troubled, and as the two sides were locked in a stalemate, a yamen runner hurried over and opened the prison door. "General Xiahou, Mr. Xie requests that you come to the court to await trial."
When Xiahou Yunzhao and Liu Yong arrived in the hall, they saw Liu Neng with his neck stiff, looking inexplicably like a stubborn person who refused to say anything.
Seeing this, Liu Yong made up his mind. He walked to Liu Neng's side without looking to either side, bowed to Xie Chen, and asked, "May I ask what brings you here today, Mr. Xie?"
"Lord Liu, you once accompanied your uncle—who was also Mr. Liu Neng's father—to suppress bandits in Mangshan." Xie Chen slowly asked, "Is that true?"
"That's true." Liu Yong nodded. Xie Chen pressed further, "What exactly happened back then?"
Fang Zilan remained silent, so Murong Qing continued, "It's nothing major, just related to what we were talking about earlier. We're heading to the capital; would Miss Awan like to come along?"
Before he could finish speaking, two voices rang out simultaneously—
"That's natural..."
"Murong Qing!" Awan, confused, asked Fang Zilan, "What do you mean? Don't you want me to come to the capital with you?"
“It wasn’t us who entered the capital,” Fang Zilan said in a deep voice, “but rather the stand-ins of the young master and his wife.”
Awan paused for a moment, then understood. "You mean, you're not going to the capital?"
“At least for now.” Fang Zilan nodded slightly. “I will not come to the capital until the case in the Southeast is concluded.”
“But…” Awan opened her mouth but did not continue. Seeing this, Fang Zilan did not insist. “This is my decision. Whether you go to the capital or not is up to you.”
Awan remained silent, but Meng Tingyang, standing outside the carriage, announced loudly, "We've arrived at the Wen family's residence."
“Right now, Young Master Wen’s injuries are more urgent.” A-Wan jumped off the carriage and ran towards the Wen family’s gate without looking back. “We’ll talk about other things after I’ve seen Young Master Wen.”
Fang Zilan hesitated for a moment before getting off the carriage. However, before she could even stand properly, she sensed something was wrong.
"Young Master's wife?" Meng Tingyang reached out to help Fang Zilan, but she subtly dodged him. After Awan's figure disappeared behind the Wen family's gate, she didn't have time to say anything and chased after her.
As expected, the Wen family residence was completely empty, without a single person in sight.
Fang Zilan's expression hardened. There were probably only two people in the world who could abduct Awan and disappear right under her nose. She thought for a moment, then casually pulled out a silk handkerchief to cover her face and turned to walk towards the secret passage she had discovered earlier.
The exit of the secret passage was firmly blocked, and Fang Zilan had to work hard to open it. The scene inside was completely different from before, as if it had been abandoned. However, the footprints inside confirmed her guess—they had indeed taken this path.
In the dark, when the eyes can't see clearly, the body's other senses become more acute, and Fang Zilan was no exception. She hadn't walked quickly for long when she heard a faint male voice ask, "Did you bring the person?"
"It's just catching a little girl? Easy peasy." The voice that answered sounded somewhat familiar, but Fang Zilan didn't have time to figure it out before her body reacted.
"Who goes there?" The group looked warily at Fang Zilan, who had suddenly appeared. Although they had lit candles, her face was not clearly visible in the dark.
"Why did you arrest her?" Fang Zilan did not answer, her gaze falling on the unconscious Awan. Apart from some dust, there were no signs of injury.
The man who had grabbed Awan's collar paused for a moment, then realized what she meant. "You've come for the wife of the Loyal Prince of Miluo?"
Fang Zilan raised an eyebrow. "Who do you think she is?"
"Did you hire someone else?" The man asked the other man, who was dressed as a servant but whose every move exuded an air of wealth.
"Of course not." The man waved his hand, and the group behind him walked towards Fang Zilan without even frowning. "I don't have time to waste words with you. If you don't want to die, hand her over and I'll let you go."
The others remained unmoved, and Fang Zilan's expression turned completely cold. "I didn't bring my sword today, so I'll borrow your weapons for now."