After traveling through time, I was raised by a little brat

At this critical moment, there was a crisp "crack" as Tang Wenshu slammed the gavel, a sound that resonated like thunder in the courtroom. Huang, who was originally immersed in her chaotic thoughts, was startled by the sudden sound and instantly snapped out of her wandering thoughts.

She raised her head tremblingly, looking in the direction of Tang Wenshu in panic, praying silently in her heart, hoping that the terrible things she had just imagined in her mind did not exist at all.

At this moment, Tang Wenshu's face was as gloomy as water, his eyes as sharp as a knife. He stared at the maid and demanded in a stern voice, "Tell me the details of how we started our feud!" Then, he pointed to the other people who had gone to the Zhenwei Pavilion that day and continued, "And you, each of you, tell me what happened in the Zhenwei Pavilion that day, and what you experienced after returning. Remember, if you tell even a single lie or make any mistakes, I will not forgive you and will punish you with thirty strokes of the cane!"

These words struck everyone like a hammer, causing them to gasp. Hearing they would face such severe punishment, how could the individuals involved dare to conceal anything? So, they rushed to recount their experiences of the day.

It turned out that, from the very beginning at the Zhenyi Pavilion, the two had only had a few arguments over trivial matters. Furthermore, it was Liu Xinya who had always been the provocative and aggressive one towards Tang Wenshu, while Tang Wenshu had always been extremely magnanimous and forgiving. Not only had he not argued with her, but he had also offered her gentle advice and even generously invited her to lunch. It could be said that they were treating each other with courtesy and harmony.

If that was the case, could it really be true, as the outside world had said, that Liang Ping had simply been unable to bear the momentary rage and had brutally murdered his master? This question hung like a heavy dark cloud over the hearts of everyone present, making the situation even more confusing...

Tang Wenshu pointed at the servant who had come to report the crime. His eyes were as sharp as a sword, staring straight at him and sternly demanded, "Tell me! Who instructed you to inform Liang Ping to leave the mansion?"

The servant was frightened by the sudden question and trembled all over. He replied timidly, "Yes...it's the butler."

As soon as he finished speaking, a man dressed in fine clothes and with a dignified expression walked quickly into the courtroom. This man was the steward of the Liu Mansion. He stood there expressionlessly and bowed slightly to everyone in the courtroom.

Seeing this, Tang Wenshu immediately pressed the issue, "Since you were the one who arranged for this servant to act, then I'd like to ask, why did you expel Liang Ping from the mansion? Was it because of Miss Liu Xinya's orders?"

The housekeeper shook his head and said in a deep voice, "That's not the case. This matter has nothing to do with the young lady. I happened to pass by the courtyard that day and overheard a few maids chatting. They said that keeping a cripple in the mansion was really damaging to the reputation of the Liu Mansion. As the housekeeper, I naturally couldn't sit idly by, so I ordered people to expel Liang Ping from the mansion."

Tang Wenshu frowned and continued to ask, "Even so, when you led people to expel Liang Ping, why did you say it was Miss Liu Xinya's idea?"

Tang Wenshu's face was solemn at the moment. Though the small official uniform she wore was slightly smaller, it lent her a certain dignity to her petite frame. She straightened her back, her hands on her hips, and fixed her piercing gaze on the steward, as if to see through his eyes to his true innermost thoughts.

She then asked the housekeeper again, "So, which master do these maids serve?" The servant scratched his head in confusion and stammered, "I don't know why I spoke so much nonsense back then! Perhaps I was just being impulsive and thought of provoking him by saying, 'The young lady wants to expel him from the mansion.'"

At this point, the servant suddenly slapped his forehead, as if remembering something important. He exclaimed, "Oh no, that's not the eldest young lady, it's the second young lady! That was said by the maidservant next to the second young lady. It's said that anyone the young lady disdains will eventually be driven out of the mansion. I didn't think it through at the time and mistakenly thought it was the eldest young lady."

At this moment, the steward's mind flashed back to the maids he had spoken with that day. After some reflection, he suddenly realized, "Oh, so that's how it is. Now I remember, those maids were just the ones helping with the kitchen fire. That's why I didn't doubt what they said at first."

After further investigation and questioning, the group finally learned the truth from the maids. It turned out that they had spoken those words at the behest of the head maid in the concubine's room. Furthermore, each of the maids even produced ten taels of silver as evidence. By this point, the entire incident was largely clear, but the only puzzling question was what motive had motivated the concubine to be so certain that Liang Ping would murder Liu Xinya?

According to the confession of Concubine Su of the Liu family, she and Liu Jiaqi were cousins ​​who had known each other since childhood and shared a deep affection for each other. Back then, they were inseparable and had a profound bond. However, fate, as fate would have it, saw the Su family fall from grace, losing their former prosperity. Consequently, Concubine Su was unable to become the principal wife of the Liu family.

After Liu Jiaqi married Huang, it was a year before he took Concubine Su into his family. This was all thanks to the powerful connections of Huang's family. It was through these connections that Liu Jiaqi secured a position as a clerk in the imperial court. Although Huang only gave birth to a daughter, the support of her family meant that even though Liu Jiaqi doted on Concubine Su, he dared not overtly elevate her status.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, Liu Xinya was already five years old. That same year, she was fortunate enough to be betrothed to the young master of the Marquis's mansion. From that moment on, Liu Xinya's status within the mansion grew ever more prestigious, virtually unchallenged. Master Liu doted on his precious daughter, pampering her like the apple of his eye. Perhaps this excessive pampering had bred Liu Xinya's willful and capricious temper, but at the same time, her playful and adorable demeanor made her hard to dislike.

However, faced with this situation, Concubine Su refused to give up easily. She chose to remain silent and dormant, patiently waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike back. Finally, when Liang Ping was in trouble, Concubine Su seized her opportunity and took action. She secretly dispatched her men to Liang Ping's residence daily, nagging and pestering him, causing him great annoyance. Among the servants sent to expel Liang Ping from the mansion were naturally some of Concubine Su's own men. Among them was the man who had found Liang Ping's mother's belongings and cruelly smashed them to pieces.

"How can you be so sure Liang Ping has the ability to kill Miss Liu?" Tang Wenshu asked, his face filled with confusion. Concubine Su's lips curled up slightly, revealing a sly smile. "Actually, I'm not entirely sure, but so what? We don't need to kill her! We can just disfigure her, or spread some unpleasant rumors... Hehe, I'm sure everyone knows that in our time, the standards for women are extremely strict. Once your appearance is damaged, forget about finding a suitable husband!" At this point, Concubine Su paused, her eyes slowly sweeping over the crowd, her eyes filled with pride.

At this moment, someone suddenly interrupted and said, "According to the laws of Zhao State, if someone instigates others to commit murder or intentionally injure others, he will be sentenced to exile to the border for up to ten years!" Upon hearing this, Aunt Su, who had originally looked relaxed, turned pale in an instant, and a layer of fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

"If that's the case, then exile her to Youzhou." Tang Wenshu, who had been silent until then, finally spoke, his tone firm and unquestionable. Hearing this, Aunt Su was completely panicked. She quickly knelt on the ground and begged bitterly: "Master, please have mercy! Please betroth our second daughter to the young master of the marquis."