Chapter 34: Quite Fierce

At high noon, the sun was already growing intense, yet Cao Chengwen stood in place, his entire body feeling ice-cold.

The surrounding crowd watched him with expressions of suspicion and uncertainty.

Those countless gazes felt like thorns against his back. He panicked almost instantly and cried out in haste, "No! My Lord! I misspoke just now, I was wrong! That banknote isn't mine! It has nothing to do with me!"

Yang Zhen let out a cold snort and slammed the banknote heavily onto the table!

"The fingerprints are identical; the evidence is as solid as a mountain. And yet you still dare to quibble!?"

Cao Chengwen was completely stunned, his body swaying slightly.

"How is this possible... how can this be!"

What he had given Liu Si back then was indeed silver ingots, but where on earth did this banknote come from!?

...

Up in the teahouse, Shen Yanchuan watched this scene from a distance, her eyebrows slightly raised.

"So that's how it is."

No wonder she had been out for so long yesterday; she must have been busy with this.

Originally, the case was settled. To overturn it, one had to have conclusive evidence.

Even if there wasn't any, with Ye Chutang's abilities, there eventually would be.

Lian Zhou, standing behind her, was also somewhat shocked. "I didn't realize that Liu Si had such a brain, actually preserving such ironclad evidence in advance! And choosing to expose it publicly at the execution grounds! This way, for the sake of his own reputation, the County Magistrate will certainly send people to investigate. Once that jade ring and the banknote are found, Cao Chengwen won't be able to deny it anymore."

Shen Yanchuan took a sip of tea. "If he truly intended to do this, he wouldn't have proactively confessed at the beginning."

Lian Zhou froze for a moment. "That's true!"

It was said that Liu Si had confessed to his crimes less than a day after being caught by the yamen. Furthermore, when Lady Zhou later sued Cao Chengwen regarding this matter, it eventually fizzled out, and Cao Chengwen walked out of the yamen unscathed.

That proved that Liu Si had no intention of dragging Cao Chengwen down from the start.

"Then why did he suddenly change his mind?"

Shen Yanchuan smiled faintly. "The fact that he would rather die than implicate Cao Chengwen means it was either bribery or a threat. But in matters like this, if Cao Chengwen could do it, others certainly could as well."

Lian Zhou's gaze swept the crowd below, and he suddenly thought of something. "The Zhou mother and son didn't come!"

At first, he hadn't paid it much mind, assuming Lady Zhou simply didn't want to bring her child to such a scene. But Lady Zhou had been willing to risk everything outside the yamen for Liu Si before; why would she fear this?

Unless... someone deliberately prevented her from appearing!

Lian Zhou murmured in disbelief, "Could it be, Ye—"

He didn't finish his sentence, but it was perfectly clear who he was referring to.

"This move is truly brilliant. Without exerting any effort, she forced Cao Chengwen to expose himself. This way, it will be very difficult for him to wash his hands clean of the murder of Cao Chengwu!"

A sense of admiration began to grow in Lian Zhou's heart.

Ye Chutang appeared gentle and quiet, but in reality, her schemes and methods were top-tier!

Shen Yanchuan rubbed the bone china teacup in her hand, looking down at the slender, graceful figure standing apart from the crowd, the corners of her lips curling slightly.

"The best part of the show is likely yet to come."

...

Ye Chutang looked up slightly at the sun.

When she spoke to Lady Zhou yesterday, her hands were stained with something, and she had added a little "extra" to the box of hibiscus cakes she gave her, ensuring they would sleep soundly until noon today.

Everyone assumed she was skilled in medicine, but they didn't know that what she truly studied more deeply was poison!

It was just that after her rebirth, she hadn't found the opportunity, and she had nearly let the skill go to waste.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly.

Calculating the time, Lady Zhou and her son should be waking up in about fifteen minutes.

If she rushed over in another fifteen minutes, the matter here should be mostly resolved.

When she went to the prison to see Liu Si yesterday, she only told him two things.

First: Cao Chengwen wanted to kill the Zhou mother and son to silence them.

Second: She could help him deal with Cao Chengwen.

Although Liu Si was naturally timid, he was a man willing to risk his life for his wife and child.

Therefore, he agreed to Ye Chutang's plan without any hesitation.

At the time, he was still somewhat worried that there wouldn't be enough evidence to prove Cao Chengwen's involvement, but Ye Chutang simply told him not to worry, as she had her own ways.

The jade ring was indeed hidden by him, but as for that banknote, he had no idea where Ye Chutang had found it.

...

Cao Chengwen was equally unable to make sense of it.

His mind raced frantically; he knew that if he didn't find a way to clear his name now, he would never have another chance!

"My Lord! I want to see that banknote!"

Yang Zhen frowned and ordered, "Since you refuse to admit it, then see it clearly for yourself! Someone, bring it to him so he can take a good look!"

Wu Xu took the banknote and held it up for Cao Chengwen to see.

"You should recognize your own fingerprint, shouldn't you?"

Cao Chengwen stared intently at the banknote, and suddenly, his eyes widened.

This banknote was indeed his, but the key was—this was the payment he had given to those gamblers!

He knew the handwriting and the seal on it better than anyone! He could absolutely not mistake it!

At the time, he had given a total of five hundred taels to those three men to secretly kidnap Ye Chutang, but he hadn't expected that Ye Chutang would be perfectly fine the next day, while instead, those three gamblers died in his own courtyard!

If his cousin Liu Yiyi hadn't helped him, he would likely be in prison by now.

Back then, he was filled with panic and only thought about severing ties with those three as quickly as possible; he hadn't even examined their bodies closely.

But who could have known that the banknote he gave them would now appear in Liu Si's hands!

This... this—

Cao Chengwen suddenly understood something and whipped his head around!

Ye Chutang!

It must be her!

At that same moment, Ye Chutang, standing behind the crowd, seemed to sense Cao Chengwen's gaze. She did not flinch or avoid it, but instead raised her eyes to meet his.

Her dark, gentle eyes curved into a beautiful arc, yet her pupils carried a chill that made one's spine freeze.

An invisible and massive sense of pressure surged toward him, nearly making it impossible for Cao Chengwen to breathe.

In an instant, he felt a surge of panic and dread, unable to help but stumble back a step.

Ye Chutang's red lips curled into a slight smile.

—Do you like this return gift?

...

Cao Chengwen had never known such fear.

He opened his mouth, wanting to plead his case, but the words reached his lips only to be swallowed back down.

He couldn't say it!

Once he spoke, the case of those three lives would also be unearthed and pinned on his head!

But if he didn't speak, if he didn't speak—

*Slap!*

Yang Zhen struck the table and scolded in a heavy voice, "Cao Chengwen! Do you admit it, or not!"

...

Shen Yanchuan's gaze lingered on Ye Chutang for a moment, her eyes deepening.

To everyone else, it seemed as if she had done nothing, but in reality, she had set the trap from the very beginning, merely waiting for Cao Chengwen to walk into it.

Now, there were only two paths before Cao Chengwen: death, or a miserable death.

Shen Yanchuan tapped her finger lightly on the table and chuckled.

"Quite fierce."

(End of Chapter)