The princess was ordained by Heaven.

Chapter 212 Inside Story

Lord Zhang seemed to still be smug about his own speculation.

At that moment, he must have thought he was as smart as a genius.

But the thought that many people would suffer injustice because of his rashness and greed made Qi Wuyu want to rush up and bite him hard.

“The method of the crime is even easier to guess,” Lord Zhang said confidently. “The deceased had long forgotten Wu Yuan’s sister. At this moment, he only had Wu Yuan in his heart. Faced with the assassination attempt by his beloved, he was heartbroken, but he couldn’t bear to hurt her, so he could only keep running away. In the end, he died from excessive blood loss.”

After Lord Zhang finished speaking, he even wiped the corner of his eye in a pretentious manner, as if he was deeply moved.

Tao Heng listened quietly to him, then scoffed, "Does Lord Zhang usually solve cases by fabricating stories? I think you're better at making up stories. Coincidentally, I have some connections in this area. Would you like me to introduce you?"

Lord Zhang knew Tao Heng was mocking him, but he still smiled and said, "That's good. Actually, I also think I have some talent in this area. However, I know Lord Tao thinks my speculation is absurd, but..."

He pointed to Wu Yuan, who was kneeling on the ground: "But the murderer has already confessed."

Qi Wuyu could no longer contain himself: "You forced a confession out of me!"

Lord Zhang shrugged indifferently.

Well... isn't a confession obtained through torture a confession?

It doesn't matter if it's a black cat or a white cat, as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat.

Now all that's missing is a signature and fingerprint.

He excitedly had a confession written, ready to finalize the matter directly in front of Zheng Xun and the others.

Sigh, having an imperial envoy watching over things is troublesome. If it were just him, he would have resolved the matter immediately after Wu Yuan confessed, instead of dragging it out until now.

However, to his surprise, Wu Yuan refused to sign the document.

Lord Zhang roared angrily, "Confess your guilt but refuse to sign? Wu Yuan, are you playing me for a fool?"

Wu Yuan lowered her head, neither arguing nor denying.

He imagined having someone press Wu Yuan's fingers to leave their handprint, just like before.

However, he hadn't forgotten that there were several bystanders nearby.

Tao Heng stared intently at him, rubbing the knuckles of his left hand with his right, and asked leisurely, "Lord Zhang, Wu Yuan is not confessing. Do you need someone to help her?"

Lord Zhang's lips twitched for a moment: "How could this be?"

He did want to, but if he did, Tao Heng's memorial would be sent to the capital shortly afterward.

He believed he had powerful backers, so he wouldn't be seriously injured, but it would be difficult for him to regain his current leisure and the respect of so many people.

He had no grand ambitions; he simply enjoyed being a local tyrant in this remote and far-off place, living a life of luxury and being adored by thousands.

So, let it be troublesome; life would be too boring if it were too smooth.

He waved his hand: "Men, drag Wu Yuan away and interrogate her later."

Tao Heng said quietly, "Lord Zhang, are we not going to hold a trial today?"

"I'll go and visit her another day, another day. Once I have solid evidence in front of Wu Yuan, I'll see how she tries to argue her way out of this!"

Tao Heng twitched the corner of his mouth: "That would be best, Lord Zhang. I'm the kind of person who can't tolerate any nonsense. Please don't pull out a signed confession behind my back..."

Lord Zhang replied with a forced smile, "Definitely, definitely..."

Tao Heng remained noncommittal and left with Zheng Xun and Qi Wuyu.

As soon as he was out of Lord Zhang's sight, Tao Heng immediately and tactfully retreated to a position half a step behind Zheng Xun.

The three walked in silence for quite a while before Zheng Xun asked Tao Heng about his plans: "Are we going to the next interrogation?"

"Don't go."

"Aren't you afraid that he might actually make Wu Yuan sign the document behind our backs?"

"He didn't dare."

Qi Wuyu, who had been silent all along, suddenly asked, "Tao Heng."

The first time, he did not address him as Lord Tao Tao, but called him by his name directly.

"what happened?"

"Did you do what happened to Wu Yuan?"

Tao Heng did not avoid the topic, but answered seriously: "Yes, but not entirely."

"Can you stop keeping me in suspense?"

"I did indeed play a role in pushing this matter forward."

Qi Wuyu suppressed his anger: "Why did you do this?"

"Because I want to expose Zhang Zheng's true colors to the light of day, and I want him to receive the punishment he deserves!"

"So, does an innocent woman have to be sacrificed? Did you see the injuries on Wu Yuan's body? Do you know how much suffering she will endure? Even if she is exonerated, her reputation is ruined, and she will face countless rumors and gossip?"

The social atmosphere in Dayong was relatively open, but not really open. At least, most people wouldn't tolerate a woman who had been whipped naked by several men!

Before Tao Heng could refute, Zheng Xun frowned.

"Qi Wuyu! I know you are kind and righteous, but listen to what Tao Heng has to say first."

Although Qi Wuyu was angry, Zheng Xun's words still carried weight.

He pursed his lips and didn't say anything more, but his anger didn't subside.

Because of Zheng Xun's protection, Tao Heng's brows relaxed. In order not to provoke Qi Wuyu's anger, he suppressed his joy and said, "Zhang Zheng is right about one thing: the deceased did have a sweetheart, and that person was indeed Wu Yuan's sister."

Even on his deathbed, the deceased was thinking of her.

Qi Wuyu remained skeptical: "Was it really murder out of jealousy?"

"No, quite the opposite. Wu Yuan's relationship with her sister is much better than you imagine," Tao Heng's joy didn't last long before he fell silent as he spoke. "Three years ago, Miss Wu was harassed by a rogue. She was clever and resourceful and managed to escape. But the next day, the rogue's body was found in the river. Someone who saw her entangled with the rogue told the yamen runners about it, and the yamen runners reported it to the county magistrate. In the end, Miss Wu was accused of murder. In less than three days, she confessed and accepted her punishment. Finally, she suddenly fell ill in prison and died unexpectedly."

"Sudden onset of a serious illness, and an unexpected death? He was probably beaten to death by Zhang Zheng."

“You’re right, but the body was burned due to an unusual ‘accident,’ so the case was closed hastily.”

"Miss Wu isn't the murderer?"

“She wasn’t, and everyone around her believed she wasn’t, but it was no use. More people were cursing her, and even in death, she couldn’t wash away the injustice and the scorn.”

Qi Wuyu asked in a daze, "So, Wu Yuan and the deceased wanted revenge?"

"Yes, the deceased committed suicide. This matter has nothing to do with Wu Yuan."

Qi Wuyu scratched his head in frustration: "But there are clearly safer methods."

“That’s what I thought too, but the deceased couldn’t wait any longer. Because of Miss Wu’s death, he was depressed and his already poor health deteriorated. He was about to die.”