She loses if she divorces, the reborn mistress only divorces her husband

This was a matter of life and death, and although Madam Qin was not in good spirits, she still gritted her teeth and concentrated.

Since she took on all of this, it was to protect the Marquis' Mansion and Qin Changzhou's life.

If what Li Jingwan accused was confirmed, the Wu'an Marquisate would be completely finished.

"Sir, Li Jingwan is lying. She just made up this story to vent her anger." Old Madam Qin tried to cheer herself up.

"Even though Qin Chongxiao is not my biological grandson, I have been teaching him carefully since he entered the mansion, and I even asked for him to be named the Crown Prince."

"If he dies without leaving a legitimate son, his title will still be taken back. What's the point of what I've done before?"

This makes sense. Didn't she bring Qin Chongxiao here just to keep her title?

Regarding this lawsuit, Dong Ruxu did not see any relevant testimony in the complaint.

"Li Jingwan, do you have any evidence?"

"I do." Li Jingwan nodded, "Please allow me to say a few more words, sir."

Dong Ruxu nodded, "Go ahead."

Li Jingwan first looked at Old Madam Qin.

"Old Madam, do you dare to say that you really treat Qin Chongxiao as your eldest grandson and do what's best for him?"

"Of course." Old Madam Qin turned her head away, unwilling to look at her.

Li Jingwan smiled and said to Dong Ruxu, "Sir, please summon the witness Jiang Xing to the court."

Hearing this name, Madam Qin and Qin Changzhou's faces changed, while Mother Zhang looked excited.

Dong Ruxu first asked the irrelevant people to leave. According to Li Jingwan's request, only Mrs. Qin, Qin Changzhou and Mother Zhang were left, and then Jiang Xing was summoned.

Jiang Xing was brought up with his left hand wrapped in white cloth. Compared with his usual scoundrelly behavior, he was much quieter and more obedient at this moment.

When he saw Mother Zhang, he wanted to speak but held back and bowed to Dong Ruxu first.

"My lord, this servant, Jiang Xing, is the son of Madam Zhang, the personal nanny of Madam Qin."

Dong Ruxu signaled Li Jingwan to continue.

"Jiang Xing, why did Qin Chongxiao cancel his engagement with me and leave the Marquis' Mansion to go to the northwest? Tell me everything you know."

Chu Tingyu glanced sideways.

He had never heard Li Dingzheng mention that Li Jingwan was actually engaged to Qin Chongxiao.

Jiang Xing lowered his head, his voice trembling.

"Young Madam, before you entered the mansion, I was still working in the Marquis's Mansion. My mother told me that the old lady didn't want the eldest young master to marry you, and wanted to take the opportunity of marriage with the General's Mansion and give it to the second young master."

"At that time, I was attracted by the beauty of a maid in the eldest young master's courtyard. I once defiled her... The maid committed suicide by jumping into a well after she found out she was pregnant. I was afraid of being caught, so I went to consult my mother."

After listening to Jiang Xing's story, Mother Zhang realized that he had been punished by Li Jingwan, and blurted out everything he should and shouldn't have said.

There was no point in stopping him at this point, he could only lower his head even lower.

"My mother later said that she put the blame on the young master, saying that he had an affair with a maid, and the maid committed suicide after becoming pregnant. This matter caused quite a stir and it is difficult to explain. The young master is an upright person and did not want to implicate you, so he took the initiative to cancel the engagement."

Jiang Xing spoke in a lower and lower voice, fearing that he would be beaten with a stick soon.

At that time, he was locked up and tortured by people from the underground money house. After he told this story, he was beaten so hard that he cried for his parents.

Li Jingwan asked Mother Zhang again, "Mother Zhang, is what Jiang Xing said right?"

"Yes..." Zhang's mother said weakly.

"Although the eldest young master is very smart and capable, he is not of the Marquis's bloodline. The old lady only likes the second young master and is always partial to him. After the maid committed suicide, the old servant went to the old lady to plead for mercy. The old lady came up with this idea and took the opportunity to ruin the eldest young master's reputation."

As Mother Zhang spoke, she glanced at Old Madam Qin.

Although she felt a little guilty, her son was what she valued most after all.

Dong Ruxu asked, "Qin, do you admit this?"

"Yes." Old Madam Qin tried hard to stay strong.

"Sir, this is human nature. Changzhou is my grandson, so I naturally favor him. But Changzhou has me to plan his future, and the title will not fall on his head. He has no need to kill his elder brother."

"Madam, are you still trying to make sense?" Li Jingwan walked slowly in front of her.

Because of her thigh injury, her walking movements were a little unsmooth.

"You never thought of taking Qin Zhongxiao's life before, because he posed no threat. But if he knew his life experience, would you still keep him?"

Old Madam Qin's pupils suddenly shrank, and the panic in her heart swelled to her throat, and she could hardly speak.

Li Jingwan knew so many inside stories.

A desperate thought suddenly popped up in his mind - Qin Changzhou could not be saved.

Madam Qin didn't answer, but Li Jingwan didn't care and continued talking.

"Sir, more than three years ago, three months before Qin Changzhou returned to Beijing, the eldest lady was not yet crazy."

"Someone came to the Marquis' Mansion to look for me, saying that Qin Chongxiao asked him to investigate a matter and would hand it over to me when he had the result. At that time, I had returned to my parents' home, and it happened that Madam Qin ran into this person, so she took him into her own courtyard."

"The eldest lady sent her trusted maid to eavesdrop, and guessed that it was Qin Chongxiao who was investigating her life experience. Because before he left for the northwest, the eldest lady got drunk and inadvertently revealed the secret that had been buried in her heart for a long time."

"I guess this person found out something and came to me later. Madam Qin was worried that after Qin Chongxiao returned to the capital, he would continue to investigate the secret of his life experience and then expose her crime of deceiving the emperor by changing her child. So she wrote a letter to Qin Changzhou, asking him to take the opportunity to get rid of Qin Chongxiao in the northwest."

Hearing this, Qin Changzhou's back was covered with cold sweat that had just dried up.

Li Jingwan knew it so clearly, as if she had witnessed the whole process. How did she know this information?

"Mother Zhang should still remember this incident, right?" Li Jingwan threw the conversation to Mother Zhang.

Mother Zhang still lowered her head and said, "Yes... there was such a thing, but the old lady didn't let me follow her at that time, so I don't know what they said."

Madam Qin seized on this point and said, "Li Jingwan, these are just your guesses."

She gave the man some money and found an excuse to send him away, but Li Jingwan had no evidence.

Qin Changzhou also said, "Sir, Li Jingwan also said that what she said just now was all speculation. I have never done it. It is all her slander, sir..."

Dong Ruxu hesitated, "Li Jingwan, your question just now can only prove that the Qin family is dissatisfied with Qin Chongxiao. How can it prove that Qin Changzhou killed Qin Chongxiao and Li Dingzheng?"

"Sir, I have evidence." Li Jingwan said, taking out an envelope from her bosom, "The evidence of his murder is all inside, please take a look."

A yamen runner handed the envelope to Dong Ruxu, who opened the envelope and took out a piece of letter paper.

As soon as he saw the content, Dong Ruxu's face became more serious. He stood up and handed the letter to the Minister of Justice and the doctor of the Censorate.

The two were also surprised after reading it. Dong Ruxu handed the envelope and letter paper to Chu Tingyu.

After Chu Ting finished reading it, his expression was heavy. He looked over and happened to bump into Qin Changzhou who was staring at him curiously.

Qin Changzhou was so frightened by his majestic and murderous eyes that his scalp tightened and he quickly lowered his head.

Dong Ruxu sat back down, "Li Jingwan, where did you get this letter?"

Li Jingwan said, "Half a year ago, someone sent this letter to me. The messenger said he was entrusted by someone."

"In the last war my brother participated in, he and Qin Chongxiao were both injured. While they were seriously injured, Qin Changzhou, who was following behind, pushed them off the cliff."

"I didn't!" Qin Changzhou immediately retorted, his face pale with fear. "I didn't, it was the Sharon soldiers who did it. I saw it with my own eyes."

"You saw it with your own eyes?" Li Jingwan smiled cruelly, "Others saw what you did with their own eyes."

"Qin Changzhou, if you don't want others to know, then you better not do it. There was a soldier who witnessed your crime when he was dying. This letter was written by him."

She said sternly, "He knew he was going to die, so he wrote this letter before he died and asked someone to pass it to me. Do you think no one saw what you did? God has eyes, and he won't let a beast like you succeed!"

"No, no..." Qin Changzhou widened his eyes and kept shaking his head, "Impossible, no, no..."

He clearly remembered that the road Qin Chongxiao and Li Dingzheng were walking on was full of dead soldiers, so he took action.

There are still people alive?

He struggled desperately, "It's fake, it's impossible! This letter was forged by her, sir, this is Li Jingwan's conspiracy, this is a forged letter by her!"

Chu Tingyu said, "I think this letter is not forged."

"Please explain clearly, Your Highness Prince Jing." Dong Ruxu asked hurriedly.

Chu Tingyu unfolded the letter paper.

"This kind of letter paper is rough and the ink is easy to smudge. Because the papermaking raw materials in the northwest are not as good as those in other places, the quality of the paper is poor. This king has used this kind of paper in the northwest."

"The handwriting on the letter paper, if you look closely, is black with some burnt yellow. This should be the Huangsong ink produced in the northwest. The ink is of poor quality, loose and porous, with a burnt yellow tint. Writing with this ink will also have some burnt yellow tint. But because it is cheap, it is more commonly used in the northwest."

"The color of the envelope is yellowish. The letter paper is also yellowish, but lighter than the envelope. This letter was written at least a year ago, and it was written in the northwest."

After listening to this, Li Jingwan's tense heart slowly relaxed.

Fortunately, she made sufficient preparations in advance and deceived Chu Tingyu.

When the caravan went to the northwest for the first time, she specifically asked Zhu Gaozhi to bring paper, ink and envelopes commonly used in the northwest, write with her left hand, and then find a way to make the letters look old.

"Your Highness Prince Jing has good eyesight." Dong Ruxu complimented.

Then his expression changed, and he said to Madam Qin and Qin Changzhou, "The evidence is here, why don't you tell the truth?"

"I have never ordered Qin Changzhou to kill anyone, sir, that is absolutely not the case."

Old Madam Qin spoke first to express her attitude to Qin Changzhou.

Sure enough, Qin Changzhou continued to protest his innocence, insisting that he had done nothing and that it was all framed by Li Jingwan.

Chu Tingyu folded the letter and put it in the envelope, then said calmly, "Master Dong, I have a suggestion."

"Your Highness Prince Jing, please speak."

"As you all have seen, Qin Changzhou denied every one of the first three things Li Jingwan sued the Marquis' Mansion for. He only confessed when all the witnesses and evidence were complete and he had no way to deny it. This shows that this person is cunning by nature and has no intention of admitting guilt at all."

"If that's the case, why waste time listening to his nonsense? Just punish him directly. Only under severe punishment can we know the truth."

The Dali Temple was actually very cautious in using severe punishments, because the outcome of the case had to be reported to the emperor.

If severe torture is used during the trial, the emperor may suspect that the confession was obtained under torture, and he may even be stripped of his official title.

But now it was Chu Tingyu who proposed it. Even if the emperor blamed him, there was still Prince Jing to stand in the way.

Prince Jing has always been low-key, so it is surprising that he took the initiative to participate in this case.

If I could get a chance to show my face in front of him, it would also help my career.

Moreover, Qin Changzhou is not innocent. He has confessed to several crimes, including murdering his wife and obtaining the title by fraud. Each crime is serious.

Taking this into consideration, Dong Ruxu looked at the Minister of Justice and the Grand Secretary of the Censorate. Both of them were veterans in officialdom and had similar ideas to his.

So Dong Ruxu waved his hand and said, "Come here, bring the clamps."

When Qin Changzhou heard this, he was so frightened that his whole body trembled.

"My Lord, I did not lie. I did not kill anyone..."

Dong Ruxu snorted coldly, "You won't cry until you see the coffin. I don't believe your words."

A yamen runner brought a pair of tongs, which were more than three feet long and made of three poplar trees tied together with iron bars.

Old Madam Qin cried out for injustice and asked Dong Ruxu to show mercy. Dong Ruxu winked at the runner.

Then, two yamen runners pressed Qin Changzhou face down on the ground, preventing him from moving, while another yamen runner put his feet into the gap between the clamps.

Qin Changzhou shouted loudly and kept begging for mercy.

Li Jingwan looked at it coldly. This was just the beginning.

"I'm asking you, do you plead guilty?" Dong Ruxu gave him a chance.

"Sir, I am innocent." Qin Changzhou still insisted.

Dong Ruxu then said, "Use torture."

The bailiffs tightened the clamps, and Qin Changzhou let out a sharp scream and broke through the roof.

The people who had been waiting outside the Dali Temple also heard the scream. They stopped talking and listened carefully.

Old Madam Qin felt distressed and scared, and kowtowed to beg for mercy: "Sir, Changzhou really didn't do it, let him go, sir..."

Dong Ruxu raised his hand, signaling the bailiff to stop, and continued to ask, "Qin Changzhou, do you admit that you killed Li Dingzheng and Qin Chongxiao?"

Qin Changzhou was sweating profusely, and his voice trembled for a long time before he spoke.

"No...no...it's...not me, I didn't...kill...kill them..."

Dong Ruxu glanced at Chu Tingyu and saw that he was sitting there leisurely without even raising his eyelids, so he waved his hand and said, "You are stubborn, continue."

This time, the bailiffs tightened the clamps even harder.

Qin Changzhou screamed again.

Mother Zhang and Jiang Xing were so frightened that their faces turned pale. Jiang Xing even felt that breaking two of his fingers was better than being put into a clamp.

Li Jingwan looked at it, and recalled the torture and pain she had experienced before her death in her previous life, and more hatred filled her eyes.

"Increase the sentence."

At Dong Ruxu's order, the bailiff took out a wooden hammer and hit the iron bar on the clamp.

Qin Changzhou was already in unbearable pain, and after this blow, he felt as if all his bones were broken.

The pain is unbearable, as if millions of ants were drilling into my bone marrow. It is so excruciating that death would be better than this.

"I said...I said..." Qin Changzhou was defeated. He couldn't stand it anymore and just wanted to be relieved.