"The murder case at Meiyi Pavilion is related to you. You admit that you are involved in all the previous cases." The Prefect of Jingzhao slammed his gavel and shouted.
Li Quan's face paled with fright, and he nodded repeatedly: "My lord, I confess, I confess everything. Yes, the woman who jumped off the building at Meiyi Pavilion, and the more than ten other cases before, were all committed by me. Please spare my life, my lord."
The Prefect of the Capital was taken aback: "You committed all ten-plus crimes by yourself? What ability do you have to commit so many crimes?" Ouyang Yue frowned slightly. The Prefect's questioning was clearly intended to lure Li Quan. Fu Meier immediately sneered. They had discussed this long ago: the Beauty Pavilion would be destroyed today, and then their Fu family would swallow it up. Now that they knew the Beauty Pavilion was owned by Xuan Yuan Yue, they would wipe it out along with her, eventually implicating the entire case. Xuan Yuan Yue's reputation would be damaged, and her status in the royal family would plummet. Who could compare to her then? Humph!
Upon hearing this, Li Quan's expression changed, and he said, "My lord, it was truly done by me alone. I have no falsehoods."
"Slap!" The Prefect of Jingzhao immediately roared, "You still dare to talk nonsense? The Meiyi Pavilion is such a big place, how many waitresses walk around there all day long? Do you think I don't know? The first and second floors are almost always full of people coming and going. How could you commit such a crime by yourself and no one noticed? Do you think I or everyone here is a fool?"
The expressions of the Prince of Ning and the old Princess Consort changed slightly. They looked at the people from Meiyi Pavilion and Li Quan with unfriendly expressions. Li Quan was trembling all over after being scolded. He nervously looked to the side where Qiu Yue was kneeling. When the Prefect of Jingzhao saw this, he quickly shouted, "Li Quan, answer me! I told you to speak, why are you looking at the people next to you?"
Li Quan trembled, shaking even more violently with fear: "My...my lord...what I said...is all true..."
"Nonsense! If you committed more than a dozen crimes in Meiyou Pavilion and no one knew, who do you think you are? Do you have the magic of invisibility? You're spouting utter nonsense! How dare you utter such flimsy lies in the very hall of the Prefect of the Capital! Guards, give him thirty strokes of the cane and see if he tells the truth!" the Prefect of the Capital said coldly.
Baili Chen snorted coldly and said softly, "You've already thought it through, haven't you?"
Ouyang Yue also said, "This plan seems really difficult to break."
Baili Chen looked at Ouyang Yue: "What's wrong, my wife? Don't you have confidence?"
Ouyang Yue smiled at him: "How could that be? Wouldn't that make it even more challenging?"
“That’s right, that’s what I was thinking too.” The two chuckled. There was no point in rushing things now; they had to see how the Prefect of the Capital planned to conduct the interrogation before they could come up with another solution.
Fu Meier, however, wore a chilling expression as she watched Baili Chen and Ouyang Yue flirt and banter as if no one else was around. A fire ignited within her. This man was the one she had planned to spend her life with, the one she was prepared to love wholeheartedly, but Xuan Yuan Yue had thwarted her plans and stolen him away. Fu Meier had never felt so resentful in her life. She couldn't help but scrutinize Baili Chen. He still had the same features, still so handsome and dashing, still the man of her dreams. But now, one was married, the other was married—it was impossible. Yet, the hatred in Fu Meier's heart didn't subside; instead, it grew stronger. If she couldn't have him, no one else could. Xuan Yuan Yue, you just wait! I'll make you cry today! I'll even make her Chen utterly despise you, this heartless woman!
"Ah! Don't hit me! No! Ah!" After just one hit, Li Quan cried out in pain, screaming for his parents. When he was hit a third time, Li Quan shouted, "Sir, I confess! I confess!"
"Hmph, you really are a spineless coward. You won't confess unless I beat you. Fine, speak now," the Prefect of the Capital Prefecture sneered.
Li Quan hesitated for a moment, but then gritted his teeth and pointed at Qiu Yue: "My lord, everything I did was at her instigation. I am a law-abiding citizen and have never crossed my bottom line. I came here to find a job and make a living because I saw that she was capable. Who knew that she would become successful and change her mind, even making me do such a thing to deliberately harm a woman's innocence? My lord, I am truly wronged! I was forced into this situation! My crime does not deserve to die!"
The Prefect of Jingzhao immediately shouted, "You still dare to lie and deceive this official? What do your own crimes have to do with anyone else?"
Li Quan repeatedly said, "My lord, I am telling the truth. It was indeed Qiu Yue, the manager of Meiyi Pavilion, who instructed me to do this." Fu Meier couldn't help but ask first, "This is too illogical. Could it be that the manager of Meiyi Pavilion had a bigger conspiracy to make you do this?"
Li Quan sighed, "To be honest, Qiu Yue, the manager of Meiyi Pavilion, is my younger sister. She was originally a very gentle and timid person. But this time, I was surprised to find that she is a ruthless woman. I couldn't help but ask her why she would do such a despicable thing. Wasn't she afraid that someone would catch her and that she would feel guilty? Who knew that Qiu Yue would say... that she has connections, and even if something happens, it will definitely not be traced back to her. Besides, people are often bullied because they are kind. She learned this skill from her master. As long as she is ruthless, everyone will be afraid of her."
She added, "She also said that doing these things would greatly benefit them."
"Oh, what are the benefits?" Fu Meier couldn't help but ask again, unaware that the Prefect of the Capital had already darkened his face in the main hall. He was the one most qualified to ask questions in the hall, and Fu Meier was taking his job.
"She also said that as long as these people are under control, their families are willing to do anything to protect these women's innocence. In the long run, Meiyi Pavilion can use this to control many wealthy and noble families. After all, I am just a commoner, without any official rank or even a few characters. Those prestigious families would never marry their daughters to me. However, to prevent me from revealing this, they will listen to me. When the time comes, whatever I ask for, they will agree to it."
"What! How could Meiyi Pavilion do such a thing? This is outrageous!" As soon as Li Quan spoke, the young ladies from noble families who had come to watch the trial blushed and said angrily.
"Yes, I never imagined that Meiyi Pavilion would have such insidious and vicious intentions. It's simply unforgivable." These young ladies had come to investigate because they were angry about Meiyi Pavilion's closure, but after listening to Li Quan's words, they understood what he meant. If Meiyi Pavilion really controlled many young ladies in the capital, who knew what they would do? And just because they hadn't been harmed when they went to Meiyi Pavilion before didn't mean they would be harmed in the future. Even if this hadn't happened, they might still have suffered. Thinking of that scenario, the young ladies angrily began to condemn him.
Fu Meier sneered at Ouyang Yue. Previously, Ouyang Yue had thought she was clever by bringing so many noble ladies and young women, hoping to put pressure on the Prefect of the Capital. But the result was the opposite; she had reaped what she sowed. Now, these ladies and young women, hearing this, truly hated the people of Meiyi Pavilion. If the Prefect of the Capital were to give a lenient sentence, these ladies and young women would be the first to disagree. She had truly thought herself clever, but in reality, she was utterly foolish!
Ouyang Yue looked at Li Quan thoughtfully, while the Prefect of Jingzhao glared at Qiu Yue: "Qiu Yue, how could you do such an outrageous thing? What else do you have to say?"
Qiu Yue remained remarkably calm: "My lord, when someone is determined to find fault, they will always find a pretext. I will not admit to anything I did not do, and there is nothing more to say about it."
"Hmph! You can deny it if you want, but Li Quan is your own brother. He tried to protect you before, but everyone has fears. Faced with my punishment, he couldn't help but tell the truth. As your own brother, would he harm you? Tell the truth now, and you'll suffer less. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless," the Prefect of Jingzhao said coldly.
Qiu Yue raised her head, her expression gradually turning cold. Then she glanced at Li Quan and said, "My dear brother, I'm so incredibly unlucky to have such a terrible brother like you."
"Stop spouting nonsense! How dare you utter such vulgarities in the main hall! Guards, slap her!" the Prefect of the Capital immediately roared. Two officers rushed over and slapped Qiu Yue. Leng Can, seeing this, immediately lunged forward, but Qiu Yue quickly gave him a signal. Leng Can, enraged, gritted his teeth and held back. Qiu Yue was slapped five times in a row. The Prefect of the Capital sneered, "You can continue, but stop spouting nonsense and vulgarities. Otherwise, you'll have brought this upon yourself if your mouth gets smashed."
Qiu Yue straightened up, her usual fragility gone, and said coldly, "My lord, what I'm saying is the truth. Those filthy words are also facts. This wretch, worse than a pig or a dog, doesn't deserve to call me brother! When I was young, he gambled and drank too much, and when he couldn't pay his debts, he sold me to a brothel. At that time, I was no longer a member of the Li family; I was destined to be a slave for generations, even forced to endure the miserable life of having my jade arms used as pillows by a thousand men. Fortunately, these inhumane people couldn't wait. They sold me when I was young to pay off their debts. Because of this, I wasn't old enough to be a prostitute. Through various twists and turns, I was rescued by the only master I've ever truly trusted. Later, when I grew older, I was released from the manor and came to this Beauty Pavilion. I've tried my best to make something of myself, to prove that women can live without relying on anyone. Do you know how hard I've worked for this?!"
Qiu Yue roared angrily, "I've worked so hard for this, am I stupid? At the height of my career, would I ruin my future by doing something like this?"
Fu Meier said urgently, "Your background is indeed pitiful, but it only shows that you want to succeed quickly, so you take shortcuts and do illegal things."
Qiu Yue sneered at Fu Meier: "Who do you think you are? This is the main hall of the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture. Who gave you the right to speak? Do you really think you're some kind of treasure or a beautiful jade? To put it nicely, you're a concubine, but to put it bluntly, you're someone's mistress, destined to live your whole life watching the whims of the principal wife. No matter how bad I am, I swear I will never be a concubine in this lifetime!"
"You, how dare you! How dare you disrespect this concubine! Guards, beat her, beat her hard!" Fu Meier shouted angrily upon hearing this.
The old princess consort of Prince Ning shouted, "Sit down! This is the main hall of the government office, not your noble residence. You have no manners at all. Don't say things you shouldn't say. Why are you interrupting? Do you want to be the prefect of the capital to preside over this court?"
The expressions of both the Prefect of the Capital and Fu Meier changed. The Prefect of the Capital's eyes were somewhat cold. He didn't mind Fu Meier interrupting him many times, but he couldn't help but think of the promise that the Fu family had made to him. Did they really have the idea of replacing him? The position of Prefect of the Capital was a very lucrative post!
Qiu Yue said, “I was perfectly fine at Meiyi Pavilion when he suddenly came to me asking for a job. Anyone who asks around knows who he is—idle and lazy, never doing any work. How could I agree? Unfortunately, he brought his parents, using the concept of filial piety to pressure me, crying, begging, and pleading. How could I refuse? But I only assigned him a position as a warehouse guard; how could he possibly go to the front hall? Besides, someone who would sell his own sister to a brothel for his own pleasure—do you really believe him, sir? For ten taels of silver, he'd even call you 'father,' yet he betrayed his own sister. Who knows who he took bribes from? Such a shameless and despicable person deserves to die!” As she spoke, Qiu Yue glanced at Fu Meier, whose heart skipped a beat, but she returned the glance with a cold laugh.
As soon as Qiu Yue finished speaking, the onlookers outside quieted down for a moment, and then began to discuss among themselves, "Qiu Yue's background is really pitiful."
"Yeah, looking at Li Quan's sleazy appearance, he doesn't seem like a good person at all. Maybe someone really did bribe him to frame someone."
"That's right, that's right. Qiu Yue's appearance isn't bad either; she doesn't seem like a bad person."
"Yes, that's true."
"My lord, please do justice for this woman!" Just then, a heart-wrenching cry suddenly rang out from outside.
"My lord, I have been wronged!"
"My lord, my daughter died a terrible death! You must do justice for me!"
Suddenly, chaos erupted outside. The Prefect of the Capital Prefecture roared, "Who are those people outside? Why are they making such a racket?"
An official nearby immediately said, "Sir, these are the families of those whose daughters were mistreated in the Beauty Pavilion, crying out for justice."
The Prefect of Jingzhao nodded: "Oh, so they are victims. Bring them in first, and I will question them properly."
Soon the crowd parted, and more than twenty men and women filed in. Among them, the most burly-looking middle-aged fat woman saw Qiu Yue and charged at her while shouting, "It's you! It's you, you heartless wretch! I'm going to beat you to death to avenge my daughter! You deserve to die!" As she spoke, she charged at Qiu Yue, intending to hit her. This woman was quite fat, weighing at least 130 to 150 pounds at a glance. Her fist was very large, and Qiu Yue's body was already weak. If she were hit by this punch, she would definitely be injured.
There were officials standing next to Qiu Yue and the fat lady, but they stood there stiffly, showing no intention of stopping them. Leng Can couldn't sit still any longer. He suddenly turned around and slashed at the fat lady's foot.
"Bang, bang!" The fat lady flew over and fell to the ground. Because she was so fat, her body was like a ball. She bounced up and fell twice more before finally lying on the ground, crying out in pain.
The Prefect of Jingzhao immediately roared, "How dare you! You dare to commit violence in front of me! Drag him away and beat him!"
"Bang!" Baili Chen slammed the chair pillar down, breaking it. Everyone in the hall was startled and stopped abruptly. "Prefect of the Capital, do you think I'm blind or stupid? Your officials are suddenly so quick and efficient! And you, Prefect of the Capital, have such sharp eyesight! Where were you when this woman rushed in to commit violence? Since that's the case, I'll be frank. Leng Can is my subordinate, and Meiyi Pavilion is my Queen's property. If you encounter any injustice today, you, Prefect of the Capital, better think twice. Although I don't have much real power, I dare guarantee I still have the ability to make your life miserable. You'd better not show the slightest negligence."
The Prefect of the Capital was immediately taken aback. They knew that the Beauty Pavilion was Ouyang Yue's property, but they had assumed that the people from the Prince Chen's Mansion would not admit it to avoid trouble or being implicated. However, the Prince Chen had actually admitted it in court and was even using it to threaten him. The Prefect of the Capital felt a surge of malice. To be threatened in the main hall of the Capital was a huge loss of face for him. This was his territory, and they dared to interfere here? Humph!
The old Princess Consort of Ningjun looked at Ouyang Yue, who was sitting quietly to the side with a faint smile, and couldn't help but show a hint of surprise. The previous owner of Meiyige and Meirenge had admitted that they were both owned by one person, but she didn't expect that they were owned by Princess Consort Chen. When Meiyige opened, Princess Consort Chen was only a few years old, and her business methods were very special. Even many other merchants had to admire her. Moreover, each style of Meiyige had only one piece, and all the imitations sold outside were fake. The success of Meiyige was impossible to imitate. Even she had once highly praised the owner behind Meiyige. She never expected that the owner was the number one beauty of Langya Continent at the tender age of fifteen. This Xuanyuan Yue, she really had too many halos!
The Prefect of Jingzhao and Fu Meier both smiled, but their smiles were full of malice. They had been waiting for this moment, wanting the people of the Prince Chen's Mansion to admit it themselves, so that their attack on them would be more effective.
The Prefect of Jingzhao said in a deep voice, "I see. But this incident involves Meiyi Pavilion. Since Princess Chen is the owner of Meiyi Pavilion, she is also one of the suspects. However, Princess Chen is of noble status. Before the case is settled, Princess Chen does not need to be treated the same as the other suspects."
Ouyang Yue sneered: "In that case, should this princess thank the prefect of the capital for his kindness?"
The plump lady suddenly cried out, "My lord, you cannot be unfair! Even if the mastermind is the princess, she has still broken the law! My daughter died a terrible death! She was defiled and driven to her death by the people of the Beauty Pavilion! Even princes are subject to the same laws as commoners! My lord, you are fair and just, a rare good official! Please do justice for me and punish those wicked people who defy all reason!"
The Prefect of Jingzhao sighed and said, "Please stand up and speak first. I will handle this matter impartially. Once the guilt is determined, I will certainly deal with it fairly. Tell me everything you know about your daughter's injustice."
"My lord, I brought my daughter to the capital to visit relatives. The Meiyi Pavilion is a very large establishment, renowned not only in the capital but also in surrounding prefectures and counties. My daughter is a beautiful young woman and naturally loves beauty. Upon arriving in the capital, she immediately wanted to visit the Meiyi Pavilion she had longed for. But who knew… sob sob… The service there was indeed excellent. My daughter chose a bodice and went upstairs to change. I wanted to follow, but the waitresses were so enthusiastic, showing me other styles. Seeing that everyone with my daughter was a waitress, and that the Meiyi Pavilion seemed very respectable, I didn't think much of it and stayed downstairs. But soon after, I heard my daughter's cry. I was completely flustered and immediately…" She rushed upstairs to find her daughter, but upon opening the door, she saw a man standing in the room—Li Quan, lying on the floor. Her daughter, naked and filled with terror and shame, screamed at her, "Mother, this man is trying to ruin my daughter's innocence!" Just as the woman was about to rush forward, a group of people rushed in and pushed her aside. Then she heard a loud thud—her daughter was gone! The fat woman cried bitterly, pointing angrily at Qiu Yue, "I remember now, those who pushed me aside were from the Meiyi Pavilion! They were afraid I would try to save my daughter, so they deliberately pushed me away. My daughter, overwhelmed with grief and anger, jumped to her death. It's all the Meiyi Pavilion's fault! They all deserve to die!"
"My lord, my daughter's situation is similar to that of this lady's daughter."
"Even ordinary citizens are like that!"
"My lord, I was in the same situation. The waitress at Meiyi Pavilion deliberately stalled me, and by the time I realized what was happening, my daughter had already been murdered."
"I am so heartbroken. My daughter's precious youth and innocence have been ruined like this. I beg you, Your Excellency, to do justice!"
The Prefect of Jingzhao looked at Baili Chen and Ouyang Yue with a mocking expression: "Prince Chen and Princess Chen, you have both seen it. So many victims point directly to Meiyi Pavilion. The evidence is conclusive. On that day, this lady's woman jumped off the building in full view of everyone. Many people also witnessed Li Quan's evil deeds. All the evidence proves that Meiyi Pavilion, under the guise of doing business, ruined women's reputations in order to control others. Princess Chen, as the behind-the-scenes owner of Meiyi Pavilion, do you have anything to say?"
Ouyang Yue said with a half-smile, "The Prefect of the Capital Prefecture thinks this is the evidence."
The Prefect of Jingzhao said, "So many people are testifying, and many people from various prefectures in the capital who were selecting items in the Beauty Pavilion at the time saw Li Quan in the room. The young lady jumped off the building in shame and indignation, and Li Quan also admitted his crime. This evidence has no loopholes whatsoever. Princess Consort Chen, don't you think this is conclusive evidence?"
Ouyang Yue nodded: "It seems that the evidence in this case is indeed very clear. It looks like Meiyi Pavilion will be implicated this time."
The Prefect of Jingzhao and Fu Meier both sneered. At this point, even if Xuan Yuan Yue were to descend from heaven, she would be powerless to reverse the situation. However, Ouyang Yue stood up and said, "Since the Prefect of Jingzhao is asking me, then I will produce some evidence and bring the witnesses up."
The Prefect of Jingzhao was taken aback and asked repeatedly, "What witness?"
Ouyang Yue sneered: "Since the Prefect of Jingzhao has only brought evidence of so-called victims, and since the Prefect of Jingzhao has not continued to investigate and provide evidence to prove Meiyige's innocence, I, the behind-the-scenes boss, must also produce evidence myself. These are precisely the people who can prove Meiyige's innocence."
The Prefect of Jingzhao and Fu Meier's expressions changed slightly, but then they sneered. At this point, no matter what evidence Ouyang Yue produced, it would not be as convincing as the evidence against Li Quan and the dead woman. Even if the suspicion was greater or the evidence was more convincing, it would be enough to bring Meiyi Pavilion to justice.
At this moment, more than ten people were brought up to the hall. They were all dressed in long robes and looked like shopkeepers or managers. The Prefect of the Capital Prefecture asked, "What does Princess Chen want to ask?"
Ouyang Yue looked at them and said, "Tell me one by one, in the past month, has there been anyone who has been spending money extravagantly, or anyone who was previously cautious but suddenly became generous? Tell me, and then point out these people in the courtroom."
"Your Excellency, I run a chamber pot business. A while ago, a man dressed in gold and silver suddenly came into the shop and said he wanted to order three gold chamber pots. When I inquired, I found out that he was from a family surnamed Li in the alley in the north of the city. They used to be the kind of people who would split a copper coin in half, but now they want to order gold chamber pots. Oh, this man changed his clothes today, but because I remember him very well, I remember him very clearly. He is the man in gray in the hall."
Ouyang Yue said, "Oh, you mean he used to wear gold and silver, but now he looks very shabby? You're not mistaken."
"I'm absolutely sure I didn't mistake him. I have a very deep impression of him. Moreover, my two apprentices and my wife, as well as other customers in the shop at the time, all recognized him."
“Next,” Ouyang Yue said with a smile and a nod, while the others seemed puzzled by what she was about to ask.
"I own a clothing shop, and in the past month..."
"This humble citizen...this person is the woman in white."
"This humble citizen recognizes him; that man is right here in the hall. It's him."
Before long, those who had been crying foul were all recognized by the people Ouyang Yue had brought. Ouyang Yue smiled and said, "These people are very generous. The contrast between their previous and current behavior is huge. What kind of people do you think would be so stingy and then become so generous?"
"That's unlikely."
"That's right, personality doesn't change so easily."
Ouyang Yue laughed and said, "Of course, money is something you can have yourself, and that won't change your personality. But if that money wasn't yours, but was obtained for free, and you weren't spending it your own, would you be generous?" The people immediately fell silent, because what Ouyang Yue said was true.
Fu Meier's expression suddenly changed, and she said coldly, "Princess Consort Chen, what exactly do you want to say? Don't waste time here. Meiyi Pavilion has committed such a serious crime. Even if you drag this out for a few more days, their crime will not change. Don't do anything meaningless here."
Ouyang Yue ignored Fu Meier and said to the shop witnesses, "When they went to your shop to buy things, what did they use? Silver notes or silver? Show them to us."
Those people took out the silver notes and other items they had received, which were immediately taken by the officials and handed over to the Prefect of the Capital. The Prefect of the Capital looked at them and said, "Princess Consort Chen, these probably don't prove anything. I don't see any problem."
Ouyang Yue couldn't help but laugh, her face showing a hint of helplessness. "Prefect of the Capital, the situation here is extremely serious. You've been an official for so many years, how could you not have noticed?" The Prefect's expression immediately changed, but Ouyang Yue didn't give her a chance, immediately saying, "Prefect, have you looked carefully? Those silver notes all came from the Fu family. As for the silver itself, a few years ago, the imperial court issued silver through two main channels for unified management: one was through the various prefectures of the court, and the other was through the various money shops. The markings used by the court and the money shops were different. Although the markings used by the various money shops were the same, due to the different habits of each money shop, the depth of the markings varied, and the power they wielded differed. And the markings of this Fu family money shop were the most..." Clearly, the traces are the deepest. Therefore, these people simultaneously received silver notes and cash flowing out from the Fu Family Money Shop, and one can even see the denominations of those notes: ten thousand taels, five thousand taels, two thousand taels, and one thousand taels. This princess remembers that the Fu Family Money Shop has a rule that large sums of money are recorded. One or two thousand taels is just a transaction, but anything over five thousand requires the manager's confirmation. This was originally a cautious rule of the Fu Family Money Shop, of course, a rule that benefits the people and prevents misdeductions. However, within this past month, especially in the last half month, the Fu Family Money Shop has appeared in the hands of these so-called victims, and these victims all have suspicious signs of sudden wealth. Doesn't this raise suspicion?
The hall fell silent. If before they hadn't understood what Ouyang Yue was trying to say after going through so much trouble, now they all understood. It was indeed highly suspicious; how could it be such a coincidence?
Fu Meier was startled and immediately shouted, "Princess Consort Chen, do you think you can keep your people safe by framing them like this? This is a murder case. Besides, my Fu Family Bank is the number one bank in the Great Zhou Dynasty, with the widest circulation of silver. Countless amounts of silver come in and go every day. This only proves one thing: these people trust the Fu Family Bank. It's not a point of doubt or evidence at all."
Ouyang Yue immediately laughed: "Consort Fu, I never said that this was done by the Fu family's money shop. Why are you so agitated, Consort Fu? I only said that the money used by these people all came from the Fu family's money shop. Perhaps the people from the Fu family's money shop can provide some clues. Consort Fu, please calm down. Otherwise, people will really think that you have something to do with this matter. Look how nervous you are, hehehe."
“You!” Fu Meier’s face flushed red, and she could clearly hear people talking about her.
"Prefect of the Capital, shouldn't it be time to summon someone for questioning?" Ouyang Yue said calmly, glancing at the Prefect of the Capital.
"Guards, bring Fu Lin of the Fu family and all the managers of the Fu family's money shop to the Jingzhao Prefecture." The Jingzhao Prefecture Prefect immediately ordered, but he felt inexplicably uneasy looking at Ouyang Yue. This Princess Consort of Chen had actually implicated the Fu family with just a few silver notes. Wouldn't they find out about him?
Fu Meier was also extremely nervous, her fists clenched tightly as she kept glancing towards the entrance of the hall.
Before long, the officials brought in Fu Lin and the others. Upon seeing this, Ouyang Yue suddenly shouted, "How dare you! You actually committed the crime of falsely accusing someone and maliciously framing them! You still refuse to confess!"
"Thump!" Fu Lin led his men in, but they were all startled by Ouyang Yue's angry shout and stood frozen in place. Behind Fu Lin, a young man in a gray robe suddenly knelt on the ground, and the hall suddenly became eerily silent. Was this a confession?