My Lord, your wife is spreading rumors about you again.

Chapter 55: War of words in Kyoto Prefecture (2)

Mrs. Zang was startled.

Yes, no matter what, after things went wrong, Mo Zhao’s first choice was to abandon her.

"In reply to Lord Sui's words! My daughter Zang Ying is indeed the daughter of Mo Zhao! I am ashamed that after marrying Lord Zang, I still had an affair with Mo Zhao, so... so I was found to be pregnant ten days after the marriage."

When Zang Ying heard this answer, her breathing suddenly stopped and she fainted. But few people present paid any attention to her.

Mo Zhao seemed to have anticipated Mrs. Zang's accusation. He glanced at Xi Mo secretly and found that it was just as the boy said, this woman was sent by Zang Bei to bite him.

Zhang Zhi sat at the side of the hall, drinking tea and watching the play. He smiled and said, "Since Madam Zang has testified, the case can be closed. Lord Sui, what do you think?"

Sui Zheng nodded, "Young Master Zhang is right." He slammed the gavel, "The first case is solved. Come! Take the mother and daughter of the Zang family away and put them in prison."

The two guards immediately took orders and stepped forward, dragging the two men down to the back of the hall.

"As for Mo"

"Wait a minute!" Mo Zhao interrupted Sui Zheng in a harsh voice. He questioned, "Sir Sui, can one-sided testimony be used as evidence to close the case? I've said before that I have nothing to do with her, let alone having a daughter! This woman is full of nonsense, and cannot be trusted! I will never admit to this crime! Besides, I have a complaint to hand in. If I leave now, won't that give the thief a chance to escape?"

Sui Zheng said, "Master Mo, are you talking about suing the second Miss Ming for castrating Mo Zhengfeng?"

"Exactly."

Mo Zhao's gaze slowly fell on Mingli. He saw clearly just now that if Mingli had not said a few words to Madam Zang, how could that woman have the courage to turn against him?
He sneered, "Second Miss Ming, after the flower viewing banquet held by the Ming Mansion that day, my son did not return home all night, and appeared in the Mo Mansion early this morning. However, he was castrated. I want to ask you, do you know the reason?"

"Lord Mo, there are more than a hundred masters and servants in the Ming family. Why do I look like a villain? Don't be so evasive. The case now is that you and Madam Zang had an affair and had a child. As for whether your eunuch son is related to me, it is still under discussion." Ming Li faced Mo Zhao directly without any fear. She turned to look at Sui Zheng, "Lord Sui, is this the truth?"

Sui Zheng nodded, and he asked Zang Beidao: "Master Zang, do you have any evidence?"

"Of course!" Zang Bei subconsciously glanced at Ming Li, and after seeing Ming Li nod slightly, he continued, "I found the midwife and the imperial physician who delivered Wu. They can testify that Wu was born at full term, not premature as initially claimed."

Zang Ying was born a month prematurely. If she was full-term, it would mean that Madam Zang was already pregnant when she married into the Zang family.

Mo Zhao saw the two's actions, and seeing this, Mo Zhao was more convinced of Xi Mo's words. Ming Li was the mastermind behind the scenes. How could she, a girl from the boudoir, have such deep scheming and methods even if she had been married once? As expected, she was the blood of the Wen and Ming families, and she was really good material for officialdom.

If he were a man, given time, he might be able to replace Ming Boyuan and become the next prime minister of Da Qi.

"Here are the testimonies of the midwife and the imperial physician." Zang Bei took out two documents and handed them over. "The witnesses are in the hall. Lord Sui can call them over for questioning."

Sui Zheng took it and looked at it carefully, then asked, "Master Mo, we have all the evidence, can you recognize it now?"

Mo Zhao clenched his fist. No wonder none of the people sent out to kill the midwife and the imperial physician came back. Now that he thought about it, they must have died at the hands of Mingli and his men. "I don't admit it! You want me to admit my guilt just because of a premature birth or a full-term baby? If it was Wu herself who had a bad behavior and committed adultery, she had to put the blame on me."

Sui Zheng slammed the gavel: "How dare you! With all the evidence and witnesses, you still dare to quibble!"

Xi Mo turned his head and said softly, "Father, please calm down. It's just a romantic affair. Just admit it. Can Lord Sui kill you? Father, don't forget the real purpose of our trip."

"This"

Mo Zhao frowned. He was still somewhat unwilling to accept it, but what Xi Mo said was not without reason. He said, "Ms. Ming's second tongue is very eloquent. I will not argue with you for the sake of your father's face. However, you have hurt my son's roots and cut off the bloodline of my Mo family's descendants. How should this case be resolved?"

"Lord Mo, you are joking. When have I ever admitted that I did it? I am powerless, how could I do such a thing? There must be many misunderstandings." Mingli lowered her head, pretending to be an innocent girl, extremely shy.

"Weak as a kite? Ha, Miss Ming, it's not easy to act like you, saying one thing in public and another behind your back!"

Mo Zhao approached her again, his eyes fierce, as if he wanted to eat Ming Li alive: "What kind of person are you, do you think everyone has no eyes?! At the flower viewing banquet, you almost shot my son to death with an arrow, and at the horseback archery competition, you almost killed Zang Ying. You are so cruel and vicious, bah! Which young lady from a noble family can be like you?!"

Mo Zhao shouted so loudly that it almost blew the roof off, but Mingli remained calm and composed.

She looked at Mo Zhao as if he were a clown. She turned to Sui Zheng politely and said, "Sir Sui, in the government office of Kyoto, whoever speaks louder or uses foul language is right?"

Sui Zheng immediately said, "Sir Mo, the court is extremely majestic. Please be quiet and careful with your words."

Zhang Zhi slapped the teacup in his hand, chuckled, and said sarcastically, "I really didn't expect that you Mo family members are such stubborn people that you can't change your behavior. It was Mo Zhengfeng who requested the flower viewing banquet, and Zang Ying took the initiative to propose the archery competition. Now, are you three planning to throw all the blame on the girl? What for? Are you Mo garbage collectors or night incense sellers? You are a bunch of scum who look stinky and smell even stinkier!"

"Zhang Zhi! How dare you!" Mo Zhao became furious.

“Hey, hey, young master Zhang,” Sui Zheng reminded, “You are just observing the trial, you shouldn’t make any comments.”

Zhang Zhi smiled and said, "I couldn't help but speak my mind. Please don't blame me, Lord Sui."

"Lord Sui, not to mention that I have never done this, even if it was me who castrated Mr. Mo, it was also acting in the name of justice." Mingli said.

"You are just following suit, you brat!" Mo Zhao ran over and pointed at Ming Li, asking, "So you admit that you were the one who castrated my son?"

This time, Zhang Zhi walked directly to the hall.

He ignored Sui Zheng's cough, walked over, grabbed Mo Zhao's arm and lifted it up, then stood in front of Ming Li.

He sneered, "Did Lord Mo's brain get filled with water? Or was his eyes blinded by steel needles? Or were his ears blocked by flies? She said 'even if'! Do you understand what the word 'even if' means?"

(End of this chapter)