On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

Each and every charge, like a heavy hammer, hits the heart of every villager!

When reading the fourth and fifth articles,

When the words "Zheng Yuande, Liu, confessed under torture, framed, died unjustly, chaste woman brought to shame, raped, pushed into a dry well and drowned" were read, the crowd erupted in uncontrollable sobs!

Many old people covered their faces and cried, while young people clenched their fists with tears in their eyes!

Mrs. Zheng was standing in the front row of the crowd and she cried so hard that she almost fainted!

"Today! The investigation has confirmed the facts! The evidence is irrefutable! Chen Changli's crimes are extremely heinous! They are too numerous to list! According to Daqian law, he deserves the death penalty for multiple crimes! He will be escorted to the capital, where he will be reviewed by the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple and then sentenced!"

Li Chongwen's voice suddenly rose, filled with grief and solemnity:

"Also! After a joint re-investigation by the Jizhou Provincial Surveillance Commissioner and the Cangzhou Government Office, the case of Zheng Yuande and his wife, the Liu family, from Xilin Village in the 17th year of the Tianbao era was a complete frame-up! It's truly an unjust cause that will be remembered for ages!"

He spun abruptly, pointing his spear at the massive memorial archway. His voice, like a bell, resounded through the heavens: "Zheng Yuande, loyal and hardworking, filial and fraternal, is absolutely not a patricide! Liu, chaste and virtuous, gentle and managing her household, is absolutely not guilty of adultery or incest! They are innocent and have suffered injustice for twenty years! Today—I hereby declare this to the world! I will exonerate him! I will restore his innocence!"

"This memorial archway is evidence of Chen Changli's framing of loyal and honest people and tarnishing their innocence. It is a disgrace to Cangzhou and a disgrace to the laws of Daqian! Today, by order of the Crown Prince, it must be publicly demolished! To comfort the innocent souls! To set the record straight!!"

"destroy--!!!"

As Li Chongwen's last word fell like a thunderclap!

Dozens of strong soldiers (border troops personally dispatched by Zhao Huaian) who had been waiting around the base of the archway, holding huge hammers and steel chisels, roared in unison!

"boom--!!"

“Bang!!”

The heavy hammer, carrying the anger and strength that had been accumulated for twenty years, smashed hard into the base of the huge stone pillar!

The steel chisel wedged into the cracks in the stone, prying the cornerstone that symbolized injustice and shame!

The first hammer fell, stone chips flew everywhere! The huge impact made people tremble!

The second hammer strike sent cracks spreading like a spider web, making a teeth-grinding "crunch" sound!

The third hammer! The fourth hammer!

The hammer shadows flew and the steel chisel pried!

The soldiers went into battle shirtless, sweat mixed with stone powder flowing down their faces. They put all their strength into every swing of the hammer, as if they wanted to completely smash the humiliation of the past twenty years!

Amidst the deafening crashes and the loud noises of cracking stones, and under the gaze of countless tearful, excited, and expectant eyes, the huge stone archway that had stood for twenty years, suffocating the entire Xilin Village and even the people of Cangzhou, began to shake violently!

Let out a heart-pounding groan!

The stone beast on the top seemed to be wailing!

“Rumble——!!!”

at last!

Accompanied by a loud earth-shaking noise!

The huge stone plaque engraved with eight bloody characters, along with the supporting pillars, collapsed in the smoke and dust, like a giant beast with its spine severed!

It fell heavily to the ground, splashing dust all over the sky!

The gravel flew and rolled all over the ground!

Dust billowed, obscuring half the sky! The massive structure that symbolized endless humiliation and injustice was completely reduced to a pile of shattered rocks!

“It fell! It fell!!”

“The archway collapsed!!”

"Zheng Dalang! Sister Liu! Did you see that?! The archway collapsed!!"

“God, please open your eyes!!”

The crowd erupted in deafening cheers and cries!

Many people knelt on the ground and cried bitterly towards the ruins!

The old people supported each other, tears streaming down their faces; the young people waved their arms excitedly and shouted loudly; the children watched ignorantly, but also felt the belated tragedy and relief.

Mother Zheng threw herself before the ruins, her hands trembling as she stroked the broken stones, crying heartbreakingly: "Da Lang! Sister Liu! You...you can rest in peace now! The memorial archway has collapsed! Your grievances have been washed away!!"

Cheng Xuan stood on the outskirts of the crowd, looking at the collapsed archway, the flying dust, and the villagers around her who were crying in excitement.

She didn't cheer, nor did she cry.

Just stand there quietly, letting the torrent of noise and sorrow and joy rush past.

She slowly raised her hand and gently pressed it on the sword at her waist.

The cold touch remained, but the violence and despair in my heart, which had nowhere to vent because of the archway, seemed to have quietly dissipated a little with the collapse of the ruins.

She raised her head and looked at the gloomy sky.

The thick clouds seemed to crack, and a faint but extremely firm ray of sunlight penetrated the clouds and fell on the shameful land that had just been smashed, illuminating the complex and incomprehensible but no longer confused light in her eyes.

The injustice has been redressed and the stigma has been removed.

But the road ahead... is still long.

......

In the capital, the Prince of Zhenbei’s Palace, the east wing of the inner courtyard.

The atmosphere in the side room where You Meng lived was quiet.

She sat upright in a simple elm armchair, her back habitually straight, like a sword ready to be unsheathed at any time.

The afternoon sun shone through the carved window lattices, casting mottled shadows on her dark blue, almost purple, outfit, and also illuminating her handsome yet slightly cold profile.

A young woman dressed in a short gray cloth, dressed like an ordinary girl, stood before her with her hands hanging down. Her voice was extremely low, but each word was clear, like pearls falling on a jade plate. "Urgent news from Cangzhou, Sister Youmeng. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has personally gone to Xilin Village."

"Is he really gone?" You Meng's fingers holding the teacup tightened slightly, almost imperceptibly, and a slight ripple appeared on the surface of the water in the cup.

She remained calm, just nodded slightly, indicating that the other party should continue.

"Yes! The prince visited several elders in the village, including Mrs. Zheng, and then went straight to the Cangzhou government office to interrogate that bastard Chen Changli!"

You Meng asked anxiously, "Mrs. Zheng? She used to be my maid. How is she doing? Tell me more about it."

The girl's voice was filled with a subtle excitement, and her speech speed quickened:

"Well, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince reviewed the files from that year! He exposed Chen Changli's heinous crimes of corruption, collaborating with the enemy, supporting bandits, and framing loyal officials! He also found evidence that the corrupt official had someone murdered Old Madam Zheng!"

Youmeng's breathing suddenly stopped!

Those eyes as sharp as an eagle suddenly raised up and stared at the girl!

Her vague grandmother, who had fallen into the well before she and her brother escaped, was also killed by Chen Changli?!

Good, she died well. I was wondering why I couldn’t find her when I wanted to kill her.

It’s a pity that he didn’t die in my hands.

This news was like a cold poisonous sting, piercing deeply into her dusty memory!

The girl felt the pressure in that gaze, and her voice became even lower, but with a sense of relief:

"His Highness, the Crown Prince, took drastic measures, apprehended Chen Changli on the spot, confiscated his property, and even summoned Cangzhou officials and countless civilians beneath the memorial archway at the entrance of Xilin Village! He read out the charges in public! He announced them to the world—"

The girl took a deep breath, her voice trembling with excitement:

"Zheng Yuande and the Liu couple are innocent! They have suffered wrongful injustice for twenty years! Today, their injustice is redressed!!"

"boom--!"

It was like a silent thunder exploding in Youmeng's mind!

"Bang!" A crisp sound!

The warm white porcelain teacup in her hand fell and shattered on the blue brick floor!

The scalding tea splashed onto her skirt and boots, but she was completely unaware!