I became the tyrant's only belief.

Chapter 302

Just as the needle was about to pierce Li Yuwan's ear, a crisp "ding" sound was heard. Xie Hui turned the scabbard and flicked the needle back.

The needle tip swiftly grazed the side of the Marquis of Loyalty and Valor, embedding itself in the pillar behind him.

He felt a stinging pain in his cheek, and when he raised his hand to touch it, he felt a little bit of bright red blood.

Xie Hui twirled his knife, a cold smile playing on his lips: "Everyone says that the Marquis's martial arts are not as good as his predecessors, but his skill in using hidden weapons has truly impressed me."

You're the one who's bad at martial arts!

Your whole family is terrible at martial arts!
I've never seen anyone so nosy!

The Marquis of Loyalty and Courage was so angry that his blood was churning in his chest. He forced back the metallic taste in his throat and said in a hoarse voice, "I did not ask you why you suddenly shot a flying needle at me, but you are turning around and accusing me. This is too unreasonable."

"When it comes to turning the tables, being unreasonable, and distorting the truth, I still have a lot to learn from you, Lord Marquis." Xie Hui crossed his arms, showing no fear of verbal sparring.

Marquis Zhongyong wished he could slap him to death.

The angrier Xie Hui became, the happier he was, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Is the Marquis so eager to kill to silence witnesses because he feels guilty, guilty, or guilty?"

"You!" Marquis Zhongyong's eyes widened, and he finally couldn't hold back the mouthful of blood in his throat, so he spat it out with a "pfft".

[Haha, well done, Lord Xie!]

Chu Liuzheng mentally gave Xie Hui a thumbs up, praising him enthusiastically.

This kind of scum needs to be dealt with by a scoundrel.

Xiao Jingfan wondered to himself whether this was a compliment or an insult.

He cleared his throat, and Xie Hui quickly and smoothly filed a complaint, accusing the Marquis of Loyalty and Courage of using force in front of the emperor.

All the officials looked at him askance. You're the one who cursed him, and you're the one who complained about him. You're not going to suffer any loss, are you?

Lord Xie said, "Who told me to have someone backing me up?"

In the short time that followed, the Imperial Guards had already removed the flying needles that were nailed to the pillar and presented them to Xiao Jingfan for inspection.

The needle is thin and short; if it were to actually enter the ear, it could be fatal.

Marquis Zhongyong, as a father, showed no mercy to his own daughter, Li Yuwan.

"Among all civil and military officials, only Minister Xie has my special permission to enter the Fengtian Hall. The rest are not allowed to carry any sharp weapons." Xiao Jingfan held a flying needle and looked up at Marquis Zhongyong. "Concealing a sharp weapon and killing someone to silence them right under my nose, Li You, do you also want to assassinate the emperor?"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall knelt down.

The Marquis of Loyalty and Valor proclaimed loudly, "Your Majesty, I am utterly loyal and have no disloyal intentions. I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly."

【Pah! You have no loyalty whatsoever.】

Chu Liuzheng cursed inwardly.

[You were illegally mining iron ore for Prince Li's sake. On the surface, you were drawing a line between Chu and Han, but in reality, you were secretly funding Prince Li to raise his private army. The reason for the massacre was twofold: first, the county magistrate was to be replaced by a difficult and troublesome official; second, Prince Cheng discovered your secret collusion with Prince Li.]

Xiao Jingfan: !

How exactly did the Embroidered Uniform Guard conduct their surveillance?

Chu Liuzheng was completely unaware that he had unintentionally tricked Lord Xie, and was still inwardly complaining. [Prince Cheng may not have many other skills, but he's very good at keeping an eye on Prince Li, using this matter to blackmail Marquis Zhongyong. Marquis Zhongyong, unwilling to be blackmailed by Prince Cheng, reluctantly gave up this lucrative opportunity, burning down the estate to silence everyone and erasing all traces.]

[If the Second Miss hadn't witnessed this incident by chance with the head of the secret guards while avenging her best friend, Wang Qi certainly wouldn't have survived. Naturally, she wouldn't have been able to uncover this ledger, let alone go to the capital to appeal to the emperor, and the tyrant would never have known.]

Chu Liuzheng looked at the messages he had pulled out from the system and couldn't help but spit inwardly again.

[Pah! What a scumbag father! He actually sent assassins to hunt down his own daughter. If it weren't for the head of the secret guards protecting her, the Second Miss and Wang Qi wouldn't have survived.]

Originally, the second young lady was always grateful to her parents for raising her, and even after being framed for murder, she considered it as repaying that debt of gratitude and had no intention of testifying for Wang Qi. Wang Qi, however, was grateful for the second young lady's life-saving grace and the care she had shown him along the way, and knowing she was unwilling to testify, he did not force her.

But who told the Marquis of Loyalty and Valor to be so cruel and bring about his own demise?

[Last night, another wave of assassins was sent. The head of the secret guards was fatally wounded while saving the Second Miss. Fearing that the Second Miss would foolishly return home and be harmed, he told her that the assassins were sent by the Marquis of Zhongyong, and then died.]

[Her father wanted to kill her, and her friend who had always been there for her died trying to save her. The second young lady broke down completely, crying all night by the body of the head of the secret guards, and only in the morning did she dig a hole and bury him.]

Wang Qi, fearing that waiting any longer would invite another wave of assassins, took a desperate gamble and infiltrated the capital to beat the Dengwen Drum. Upon hearing this, the Second Miss, harboring resentment towards the Marquis of Zhongyong, also rushed to beat the Dengwen Drum to testify on Wang Qi's behalf.

Chu Liuzheng felt that each of the three had their own tragic circumstances, and also lamented that the Marquis of Zhongyong had brought this upon himself.

[Tsk, if Marquis Zhongyong had even a sliver of compassion for his second daughter, things wouldn't have come to this.]

The second young lady was sent back to the old mansion to fend for herself when she was only two years old because her birth chart was incompatible with that of the Marquis of Zhongyong and his wife. She always longed for her parents' love and felt that her parents had been deceived and that they would discover her goodness if they spent more time with her. So she was quite happy when the Marquis of Zhongyong sent someone to bring her back to the capital.

[Unfortunately, after returning to Beijing, she not only lacked the family affection she craved, but was also subjected to all sorts of disdain.]

[The marriage arrangement turned into a transaction. Having finally accepted it and preparing for the wedding obediently, she suddenly received news that her best friend had been beaten to death by her husband. She secretly ran away to avenge her friend, only to be framed by her own father on the way, becoming a wanted man. After finally getting rid of the scumbag and bringing peace to her friend's soul, she witnessed the destruction of the old family estate. While she was torn between her emotions and completely lost, she was then met with wave after wave of pursuers.]

She initially believed her father was unaware of the situation and wanted to return to the capital as soon as possible to inform the Marquis of Zhongyong, not wanting his household to be implicated. However, her friend died protecting her, telling her before his death that the Marquis of Zhongyong not only knew about it but had also sent the assassins.

[Tsk tsk, after such a series of blows, anyone with a weaker will go crazy. Even if the Second Miss's heart were a burning ember, it couldn't withstand being doused with buckets of cold water like this; it would have frozen solid long ago.]

Chu Liuzheng couldn't help but sigh. What a fine girl she was, yet she was forced into this state.

Xiao Jingfan hadn't expected such a twist in the matter, and couldn't help but glance at Li Yuwan a few more times.

Such a resilient spirit is unmatched even by many men.

Pity.

He tossed the flying needle onto the table, stared at the Marquis of Loyalty and Courage, and said in a voice so cold it could freeze: "Loyalty? Your so-called loyalty is nothing more than illegal iron mining, forming cliques for personal gain, and massacring villagers to silence witnesses?"

"Your subject..." Marquis Zhongyong opened his mouth, unsure how to refute.

If there were no witnesses, he could say whatever he wanted, but unfortunately there is a witness.

He couldn't help but regret his impulsiveness; he shouldn't have acted rashly towards Li Yuwan.

It's all Xie Hui's fault!
If Xie Hui hadn't interfered, he would have silenced that rebellious woman long ago.

Thinking of this, he felt a surge of anger in his throat, wishing he could tear Xie Hui, that troublemaker, to pieces.

Some officials from the Marquis of Zhongyong's faction wanted to plead for leniency, but the emperor had already accused them of "forming cliques for personal gain," so they dared not risk their lives and were afraid of getting themselves implicated.

The hall was completely silent, the atmosphere terribly oppressive.

"Since you can't answer, I'll ask you something else." Xiao Jingfan glanced at Marquis Zhongyong, his slender fingers lightly tapping the table, his eyes filled with murderous intent. "You've been illegally mining iron ore for five years, yet the ledgers only record less than half of it. Where did you transport the rest?"