A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 188 The Truth Revealed to the World (66)

Liu Pei knew from a young age that he had a shameful past, and he resigned himself to his fate, willingly submitting to Liu Changqing's control for the sake of his mother and younger brother. But at the same time, he understood that he had no choice in his birth, and that it was not his mother's fault that she was humiliated by bandits and despised by Liu Changqing. Both his mother and he were victims.

Therefore, his willingness to accept Liu Changqing was mixed with a degree of resentment.

Yesterday, he learned that his mother had been wronged, that he was not a bastard, but a legitimate descendant of the Liu family. Even if Liu Changqing did not acknowledge him, he felt at peace.

But fate kept playing tricks on him. He was like a withered leaf falling into the mud. A gust of wind blew him, and he swirled in the air before falling back into the mud, or even deeper, until the whole leaf was covered by mud and no sunlight could shine through it anymore.

"So, when Liu Changqing was abusing me, you not only knew about it, but you also stood by and watched. You weren't just saying you were powerless; you tacitly approved and supported it, right?"

Liu Pei was finally able to face it calmly, his heart no longer stirred by any ripples. How much lower could someone who had already humbled himself to the dust go? Once he had finished playing out the play of this life, in the next life, he would just be a spectator.

Madam Liu nodded.

This day was bound to come sooner or later, and she had long been mentally prepared. But for some reason, when faced with Liu Pei like this, she felt a lump in her throat and couldn't speak.

Liu Pei then asked, "Every year on your birthday, you secretly give me gifts to win me over and make me devoted to you, right?"

“Yes.” Madam Liu pinched herself secretly, finally managing to open her mouth and utter the words.

Liu Pei remained silent for a few moments before concluding: "So, you never loved me. You gave birth to me only to use me as a tool to get revenge on Liu Changqing, right?"

“…Yes.” Madam Liu’s nose suddenly felt sore and dry. She didn’t know what was wrong with her. There was a sudden emptiness in her heart, and it hurt terribly.

Liu Pei slowly broke into a smile, devoid of hatred, resentment, or pity. His smile was like the first snow after a storm, his eyes filled with relief and liberation.

He said, “Lu Ruyue, thank you for giving me a life as insignificant as an ant, trampled upon by everyone. From now on, you only have one son left. In this life, the path I had to walk and the debts I had to repay are all over. I pray that in the next life, we will never meet again. Liu Changqing, I return the surname 'Liu' to you, and we are even.”

After saying this, he faced Song Shuyu and bowed deeply, saying, "This sinful man begs Lord Song that after my death, my body be crushed and my bones scattered to the winds, without erecting a monument or a tomb, so as to warn the world and let them take my case as a warning."

"Do not--"

Madam Liu suddenly let out a heart-wrenching scream. She scrambled toward Liu Pei, embracing his cold body, tears streaming down her face. "Pei'er, I was wrong, I'm so sorry! Please don't leave me, okay? I was blinded by hatred. I shouldn't have treated you like this, I shouldn't have..."

Liu Pei was like a living dead person, showing no reaction whatsoever.

Song Shuyu lamented, "If only we had known this would happen, why did we do it in the first place? The grudges of the previous generation must have dragged the next generation down with them. The children are innocent!" Liu Changqing seemed to have been drained of his senses until Liu Xiao asked, "What about me? Does my background also conceal malice?"

Liu Changqing suddenly woke up, his face full of tension.

Madam Liu wept uncontrollably, saying incoherently, "After giving birth to Pei'er, I secretly took contraceptive medicine. I was determined not to bear children for Liu Changqing. However, even the best-laid plans can go wrong. For a while, a new maid made a mistake with the medicine, causing me to become pregnant unexpectedly and eventually give birth to Xiao'er. After that, I simply took sterilization medicine to completely cut off the possibility of getting pregnant and giving birth."

Liu Changqing wanted to curse her as a "poisonous woman," but after circling his lips twice, he swallowed it back.

Liu Pei finally pushed Madam Liu away, unwilling to be tainted by any more of the sordid emotions involved.

Liu Xiao received confirmation that he was indeed Liu Changqing's son, but his heart remained heavy.

At this moment, Mu Qingcheng threw the question back, "Madam Liu, let's go back to the beginning. Why did you help Li Yunyao to her death?"

"There's no particular reason, I'm just tired of it and don't want to play with Liu Changqing anymore. He killed so many people, it's time for him to pay with his life. As for Li Yunyao, she's a restless person. If she could just stay obediently in the Liu family and leave it to fate, I wouldn't bother with her. But those two, mistress and servant, tried every means to find out my background and overheard many secrets that I shouldn't have heard, such as Pei'er's background."

Madam Liu wiped her eyes, her emotions gradually calming down. "Xia Yu said I was pretending to be mute, but I was happy to watch the show. Whether it was Li Yunyao and Huang Yiyi fighting, or Liu Changqing dealing with Li Yunyao, I couldn't be bothered. Liu Changqing chose Huang Yiyi as the medicine subject, and I didn't question it either, because I know Liu Changqing's sweetheart has connections everywhere. Even if it wasn't Huang Yiyi, it would have been someone else. Your life is life, and her life is life too. Who can I save? It's just a matter of seeing who has better luck. As for that child..."

She looked at Liu Xiao with pity in her eyes, "So what if I told you beforehand? Your father killed her father and arranged for Xie Da to kill her. For that sweetheart, your father has already turned into a heartless demon from hell. Do you understand?"

Liu Xiao was speechless, stunned.

Madam Liu paused for a moment, her gaze sweeping over the people in the courtroom, before readily admitting, "The poison in my body was something I gave myself! In the past two years, Liu Changqing has become increasingly bloodthirsty. Seeing him spare no effort in serving his beloved, I thought every day about how to kill him to vent my hatred! But letting him die quietly would be too easy for him. So, I coldly watched Li Yunyao fight him in secret, and once he was dead, I was too lazy to live anymore. So, I bribed the physician to give me a slow-acting poison, thinking that perhaps at a crucial moment, it could still confuse him and make him believe that his beloved had done it."

Upon hearing this, Song Shuyu summoned the physician again. The two confronted each other, and the physician finally confessed, admitting that the mastermind was Madam Liu.

"I have confessed to all the crimes I committed."

The heavy weight that had been pressing on Madam Liu's heart for many years was finally lifted. She kowtowed and bowed, her tone solemn, "This humble woman begs Lord Song to show leniency to Pei'er! All the crimes Pei'er committed were caused by this humble woman, and this humble woman is willing to bear all the blame for Pei'er!"

"No need!" Liu Pei said, "Lord Song, my mind is made up. I beg you to make a quick judgment!"

Song Shuyu frowned deeply. "Do you take the laws of my Great Zhou Dynasty for granted? You think you can just kill someone whenever you want, or have someone else take your place?" He then asked Xia Yu, "Regarding Li Yunyao's suicide case, is there anything else you're hiding?"

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(End of this chapter)