Сhарtеr 80: The Emрrеss Presidеs Over thе Тriаl
"Sо it wаs уou."
Evеn the Empress's naturallу imрosing fаcе nоw dаrkеned with shаdоw, rеvеаling the dеpth of her hаtrеd for this murdеrer.
The murdеrer raisеd her heаd, hеr gаzе mееting thе Emprеss's withоut a trасе of fеar. "Yеs, it wаs me."
As sооn as thеse words werе spoken, еvеrуonе present wаs tаkеn abасk.
Еvеn Zhu Yаn, stаnding amоng thе crоwd, neаrly droрpеd hеr jаw in shoсk. "Тhis..."
Lu Сhuiсhui tightly grippеd Zhu Yan's trembling arm, her faсe full of cоnfusion. "What's wrоng? Arе уou fеeling unwell again?"
"No." Zhu Yan didn't know how to explain it to Lu Chuichui. "How could this be? It's actually Madam Tang!"
Lu Chuichui didn't understand Zhu Yan's meaning, but from her look of utter shock, she could guess seven or eight parts of it.
"Could it be that she isn't the same person you suspected as the murderer?"
Zhu Yan didn't respond to Lu Chuichui's question, rubbing her temples instead. Lu Chuichui had only limited involvement in this case and didn't understand the full picture.
And Shen Du, who had been following the case's progress all along—how could he...
Unable to make sense of it, Zhu Yan quietly moved to Shen Du's side and tugged at his sleeve.
Shen Du glanced back, seeing his wife lurking beside him like a thief, and a faint curve suddenly appeared on his serious face.
Realizing Zhu Yan had something to say, Shen Du glanced around and took a step back, blending into the crowd with her.
"What is it?" Shen Du kept his voice very low, while Zhu Yan stood on tiptoe and whispered into his ear, "Did you arrest the wrong person?"
Shen Du's brows furrowed slightly, but he quickly understood Zhu Yan's thoughts and explained, "I was also surprised, but she is indeed the murderer."
Zhu Yan frowned deeply. "I truly never imagined that all our guesses were wrong. The murderer wasn't from the Liang family—it was Madam Tang."
"Regardless, the murderer has been caught. Your husband's head remains firmly attached to his neck, so your wish to become a widow will have to wait."
"Tsk..." Zhu Yan glared at him and pursed her lips.
This Shen Du—if he didn't tease her for a day, he probably wouldn't feel comfortable.
She must have been blind in her youth to have been infatuated with someone like him.
Putting aside these thoughts, Zhu Yan turned her attention back to the case. With the Empress personally presiding over the trial, no one dared to speak recklessly.
And the identity of the murderer was even more shocking. Even the Ministry of Justice likely lacked the authority to handle this case.
Madam Tang's status was different. Though she was a widow herself, her husband was no ordinary man.
Madam Tang had been married twice. After her first husband passed away, she married Tang Chengyi, a descendant of Tang Jian, one of the twenty-four founding ministers, who had also been her suitor.
Tang Chengyi, being the descendant of a founding minister and having died for the country, deeply saddened the Empress. She later granted him a posthumous title to ensure his family's continued prosperity.
As the primary beneficiary and the wife of a hero, it was only natural for Madam Tang to retain her wealth and status.
Yet no one expected that this seemingly friendly and delicate woman would turn out to be the deranged murderer who killed and carved out hearts.
Inside the temple, within the Buddha Hall, the Buddha statue stood solemnly.
One might have thought Madam Tang would repent before the Buddha for her crimes, but instead, she appeared righteous and unyielding, showing no trace of remorse.
Even so, Zhou Zhao, as the Empress of the nation, could sense the aura of death emanating from Madam Tang.
"Why did you do this?" the Empress asked, her authoritative voice echoing through the Buddha Hall."Heh..." Madam Tang let out a cold laugh, showing great disdain for the Empress's question.
Seeing Madam Tang's sneer, the Empress suddenly recalled some past events and turned her gaze toward Princess Yongan beside her.
"I remember you were quite close with this Madam Tang. Now that she is the murderer in this homicide case, does Prince Ying know anything about the inside story?"
Upon hearing the question, Princess Yongan's face turned pale, and she quickly knelt down. "Your Majesty, please investigate clearly. Although I have had dealings with Madam Tang, I truly know nothing about her killing anyone. If I had known she was a murderer, I would never have gotten so close to her."
"It has nothing to do with His Highness the Prince of Ying."
Before the Empress could ask further, Madam Tang spoke up voluntarily. "His Highness the Prince of Ying knows absolutely nothing about everything I've done. She is merely a close friend of mine from the inner chambers. But even between close friends, not everything is shared. His Highness the Prince of Ying is kind-hearted. If I had told her about these matters, she would have been unable to bear it long ago."
The Empress lowered her eyes slightly. Madam Tang's words made some sense. Although His Highness the Prince of Ying was intelligent, she was quite timid and disliked meddling in others' affairs.
It was reasonable that she would be unaware of this matter.
"If that's the case, why did you kill so many people?"
The Empress's question caused Madam Tang's expression to change. She shook her head and said, "I did not kill anyone. I captured Madam Shen and that male corpse only because my sect needed them. Murder is a capital offense. Your Majesty, do not wrongfully accuse me."
"Amitabha." Abbot Jingkong, the head of Western Brightness Temple, stepped forward. "Dead bodies have repeatedly appeared in this sacred Buddhist site, all related to you, benefactor. I wonder whether it is because Buddhist disciples have disturbed you, or because you harbor resentment toward Buddhism. Why must you harm the innocent in this manner?"
"Bah!" Madam Tang was furious at Abbot Jingkong's words, as if she held deep resentment toward matters of gods and Buddhas. "I harmed the innocent? I said I didn't kill anyone, and that means I didn't. Even if you pin the murder charge on me, I will not admit it. Heh... Moths flying into flames, living and dying in a single day—I am an immortal. None of you can kill me, none of you!"
Seeing Madam Tang shouting like a madwoman in the Buddha Hall, everyone around wore unpleasant expressions.
"It seems Madam Tang won't shed tears until she sees her own coffin," Zhu Yan muttered to herself, but her words were overheard by Shen Du.
"What are you planning to do?" Shen Du asked. His intuition told him this woman was about to stir up trouble again.
"Didn't you hear Madam Tang's wild boasts? She said everything except confessing to the murders. Right now, the only things that can make her talk are evidence and reasoning. Will you step up, or should I?"
"..." Shen Du was speechless. The court was complex, and he did not want Zhu Yan involved. Couldn't this woman see that?
Seeing the situation heading toward a deadlock, the Empress's expression growing increasingly grim, Lai Luozhi itching to act, and Shen Du still unmoved, Zhu Yan took the initiative and stepped forward.
"You claim you didn't kill anyone. Then how do you explain the appearances of those dead female bodies?"
Upon hearing this, everyone's gaze fixed on Zhu Yan. Even the Empress frowned slightly as she looked over.
Lu Chuichui was so frightened that she retreated behind the crowd, acting as cannon fodder, not daring to have any further connection with the bold Zhu Yan.Shen Du also clenched his fists. This woman really didn’t know how to read the room—was this really the time for her to steal the spotlight?
The Empress had little impression of Zhu Yan and was slightly puzzled by her sudden appearance. “And this is…?”
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