TGCFNM -Chapter 188 What I Say

Xuanyuan Shou didn’t back down at all: “You’re deliberately slandering me, Master. I’m upright and honorable—I’m not afraid of your investigation.”

Chu Ling was almost laughing in frustration; she had never seen anyone so stubbornly self-righteous.

“Fine, then. In the notes, Fan Mingzhu said she gave her beloved a love potion. If one party betrays, the other won’t meet a good end. Young Master Xuanyuan, you don’t care about that?” Chu Ling asked.

Xuanyuan Shou furrowed his brows, thought carefully for a moment, and said, “I don’t understand what you mean, Master.”

Chu Ling gave a heavy “hmm” and fixed him with a sharp gaze.

This was their setup. The two key people, Shi Er and Fan Mingzhu, were already dead, and no one in the Fan family would testify, so Xuanyuan Shou had nothing to fear.

He came prepared.

But she wasn’t afraid either. Even knowing that Xuanyuan Shou was the culprit, as long as she presented evidence he could not possibly refute, he would have no choice but to admit it!

Seeing that Xuanyuan Shou was beginning to look a little smug, Chu Ling continued: “So, Young Master Xuanyuan, you’re refusing to admit it to the death?”

“What nonsense are you talking about, Master? If I didn’t do it, why would I admit it?” Xuanyuan Shou countered.

Chu Ling looked at the Fan family members: “You’re not going to testify either? Even though the one who died was your own daughter, your own elder sister?”

Fan Yao hurriedly said, “Master, please, don’t say such things. What does my sister’s death have to do with Young Master Xuanyuan? She… she might have even taken a sedative herself, throwing a fit, crying, and then hanging herself by accident…”

Xuanyuan Shou, furious, kicked Fan Yao. He had worked so hard to get Chu Ling to agree to find the murderer. If Fan Mingzhu had really killed herself, wouldn’t his entire setup be ruined?

“Someone must have harmed your sister. All we need to do is wait for Master to catch the culprit!” Xuanyuan Shou said, then turned to Chu Ling: “Shall we give Master three more days?”

Chu Ling raised a finger and shook her head: “No need. I can make you confess very soon.”

Xuanyuan Shou sneered.

Chu Ling then pulled another piece of paper from her sleeve, waved it in front of him, and said, “Someone claiming to be from the Xuanyuan family gave me a testimony confirming that you did go out that night, went to the Fan family umbrella shop, and stayed there for nearly an hour before leaving.”

Xuanyuan Shou’s expression changed.

“That’s right. He said he could send a few servants over to testify and confirm that you indeed went out,” Chu Ling said with a triumphant smile.

Xuanyuan Shou’s face darkened: “But that’s false evidence anyway.”

“That’s not all,” Chu Ling said, turning to Su He.

Su He continued, “The deceased had been assaulted before death; there were traces of blood on her clothes. People affected by this kind of weak sedative don’t lose consciousness completely, so they might make involuntary movements. I found some skin and blood under her fingernails. Now, Young Master Xuanyuan, you only need to let me see if you have any scratch marks on your body.”

Xuanyuan Shou’s face turned iron blue. “I’m from the Xuanyuan family. Are you seriously daring to strip me?”

A sharp, piercing scream rang out. Xiao Hua lifted her stick and swung it down again.

An even higher, more shrill scream seemed like it could pierce the clouds, yet no one showed even a trace of pity or regret.

“You… you… I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!” Xuanyuan Shou’s forehead broke out in beads of cold sweat as he glared at Chu Ling with pure hatred.

Chu Ling shrugged. “Do as you please—but please form a line.”

Xuanyuan Shou’s face went pale as he reached desperately to grab Chu Ling, as if intent on revenge.

Chu Ling kicked his hand away, half-crouched, grit her teeth, and whispered, “Xuanyuan Shou, aside from Fan Mingzhu’s life in your hands, how many more lives are tied to you that even you probably can’t remember? How many cases did Prefect Zhao intentionally mishandle in cooperation with your families? Do you need me to remind you one by one?”

“You rely on being a member of the Xuanyuan family, a scion of a prominent house, to make me afraid to touch you. But today, you came looking for me to place a bet. Since you lost, you deserve this. Fate has its calamity for everyone—and yours is me. You won’t survive it.”

Having said this, Chu Ling had Xiao Hua drag him outside.

Xiao Hua grabbed Xuanyuan Shou by the legs and pulled him out, startling the nearby townspeople, who quickly scattered.

Chu Ling then walked out with Su He, looked at the sign of the Fan family’s umbrella shop, leaped up, and kicked it over. “From today onward, the Fan family is forbidden from selling umbrellas. That’s final!”