The whole family died tragically? The eldest daughter is the most powerful in the capital after her

At the next morning court session, all officials gathered in the court and the atmosphere was solemn.

The head of the Merchants Department was standing in the center of the hall with a serious look on his face, reporting to the emperor every detail of the Song family gold shop selling counterfeit goods.

He described in detail the whole process and investigation results of the counterfeit incident, pointing out that the chaotic management of the gold shop and the influx of counterfeit goods affected the reputation of merchants in the capital and even shook the people's trust in the court's supervision.

After hearing this, the emperor's face turned livid, and he slammed the table heavily, saying angrily: "The matter of the gold shop is by no means a trivial matter. Now you dare to do such a cruel thing under the feet of the emperor and deceive the people of our dynasty. This is really intolerable!"

After he finished speaking, he swept his eyes over all the officials in the hall, and finally stopped at Gu Nanyuan. He said sternly, "Mr. Gu, I order you to take over this case. Jingzhao Yin will fully cooperate with you. This case is not only to track down the Song family gold shop, but also to catch all the counterfeiting gangs in and outside the capital. We must investigate it thoroughly and eradicate it!"

Gu Nanyuan immediately stepped forward and bowed his hands to accept the order, "I will definitely fulfill your orders and investigate this matter thoroughly to give justice to the people!"

After the court meeting ended, Gu Nanyuan did not delay any longer and immediately took a few trusted followers and rushed to the Jingzhao Prefecture Prison without stopping.

Song Zhennan was detained in the innermost cell. His prison uniform looked worn out, his face was haggard, and there was a hint of resentment in his eyes.

When he saw Gu Nanyuan appear outside the iron bars, he was startled for a moment, then saluted with a wry smile.

"Your Highness." Song Zhennan said in a low voice, with a hint of fatigue in his voice.

Gu Nanyuan nodded and signaled the jailer to open the cell door. He walked up to Song Zhennan and said in a deep voice, "Zhennan, I came here today on the orders of the Emperor to thoroughly investigate the truth of the fake goods incident. I hope you can tell me everything you know without reservation."

Song Zhennan lowered his head slightly, his eyes flickering, his brows furrowed, "Prince, I am indeed the person in charge of the Song family gold shop, but I have not managed it personally for a long time. The struggle within the family has divided up the power, and I am only a nominal 'person in charge'."

Gu Nanyuan looked at him quietly, with a trace of scrutiny in his eyes, "I know you are not the person directly responsible, but you have been in the gold shop longer than anyone else. If we want to find out who is behind the scenes, we still have to learn the details of the past operations from you. Relax and tell me everything you know, including your daily management and purchase channels when you worked in the gold shop."

Song Zhennan's eyes flashed with a trace of struggle, then he nodded slightly and said slowly: "When I took over the gold shop, I personally established the rules and regulations of the shop. I have always been rigorous, especially when it comes to the quality of gold jewelry. I personally do it myself."

He paused, his thoughts returned to the past, and continued to tell everything he knew.

After the news spread, the entire Song family knew that Gu Nanyuan was responsible for investigating the gold shop case, and Mr. and Mrs. Song finally put their minds at ease.

Madam Song heaved a sigh of relief and said to Master Song, "Prince Gu has always been fair and just, and would never wrongly accuse Zhennan without any evidence. As long as he investigates it himself, Zhennan will surely be cleared of suspicion."

Mr. Song nodded and comforted his wife, "That's right. Nan Yuan has always been clear about public and private affairs and will not be partial because of personal feelings. Besides, our Song family is innocent. Since it is handed over to him to handle, he will naturally be able to get to the bottom of the truth."

Several of the Song family's nephews and nieces around him echoed the sentiment, seeming a lot more relaxed.

Most of the Song family's children also showed relieved expressions, except Song Yuqing, who lowered his head and remained silent, appearing a little absent-minded.

Seeing this, Mr. Song frowned slightly, and looking at Song Yuqing with a flickering expression, he couldn't help but feel suspicious.

He said in a deep voice, "Yuqing, you took over the gold shop. Your brother was implicated because of mistakes in the affairs you were in charge of. I have also been paying attention to your whereabouts recently. After the incident, you have been leaving early and returning late every day. Why? If you were running around for your brother, you should have come back earlier, but when I saw you come back, your expression was never relaxed. Instead, you seemed to be afraid and your mind was not at home."

Song Yuqing's face changed slightly, his eyes flickered a little, but he said calmly: "Dad, when the incident happened, I was also very anxious, so I went out to investigate. But my strength was limited, and I came up empty-handed several times."

Although her tone was calm, there was a hint of uneasiness in her eyes.

This made Master Song even more suspicious, and his tone became even more severe: "You said it lightly, but I see that you don't seem to be worried about your brother these days. You pushed him to block the knife, saying it was because you were afraid. At that time, I understood that you were a girl and didn't investigate further. Now your cold attitude really makes me doubt your intentions."

Song Yuqing's face turned pale and blue due to his father's questioning, and his eyes flickered, but he still lowered his head and remained silent, refusing to explain any more.

Mr. Song's brows furrowed deeper and deeper, and his anger gradually rose.

He suddenly slammed the table and stood up, his voice filled with anger: "If you don't tell the truth, don't blame me as a ruthless father! If you don't explain clearly, I will make you understand what the family rules are today!"

Upon seeing this, everyone in the Song family held their breath and the atmosphere suddenly became solemn.

Mrs. Song was also disturbed by Song Yuqing's attitude. A hint of hesitation flashed in her eyes, but she still advised: "Master, maybe Yuqing is just young and doesn't know the importance of things."

"What's the severity?" Master Song smiled coldly, "If you really can't tell the severity of the crime, why would you do this? Come here, give her ten strokes according to the family rules!"

Song Yuqing looked up in astonishment, a trace of panic flashed across her eyes, and she struggled to say, "Dad, are you really going to do this to me? I'm just a girl... You don't have to do this!"

Master Song glared at him, his majesty unquestionable, "If you are wrong, you are wrong. Don't use your daughter's family as an excuse! You pushed your brother out, but you pushed yourself clean. Do you really think no one will hold you accountable? If you are not severely punished today, I am afraid you will be even more unscrupulous in the future!"

As his angry rebuke fell, two female servants stepped forward, pushed Song Yuqing onto a chair, and took up the family staffs one by one.

Song Yuqing gritted his teeth and refused to give in. He endured several blows. His back was stiff and he was sweating profusely, but he still did not admit it.

The board fell heavily again and again, and all the members of the Song family looked worried.

Finally, Madam Song softened her heart. She stood up and stepped forward to stop Master Song. Her eyes were slightly red as she said, "Master, Yuqing is your flesh and blood. No matter how wrong she is, she has already been punished. You should give her a chance. She is so stubborn, I'm afraid she really has nothing to hide."

Mr. Song stared at Song Yuqing, who was kneeling on the ground with a pale face. His anger was still there, but he also looked a little helpless.

He snorted coldly, raised his hand to signal them to stop, and said in a deep voice: "Take her away and let her reflect on herself. If she conceals anything again, the family law will never let her off lightly!"

Song Yuqing was supported by a maid and brought back to her room. Her face was pale, but there was still some stubbornness in her eyes.

She did not resist, nor did she admit anything. She just remained silent and let everyone help her leave.