After being sentenced to death, she came to her senses.

Unexpectedly, Fang Xiaoran was so well prepared. Wang Shi, who was tightly gripping Fang Zhengyong's clothes, slumped back down in despair and let go.

As she painfully closed her eyes, she seemed to remember something and suddenly looked up at the old lady, only to see the old lady's icy eyes staring straight at her, like two sharp swords that seemed to pierce her body.

Wang was startled and immediately moved away.

"Wu Guicheng, bring Suiyun up here," Fang Xiaoran instructed. Just as Wu Guicheng was about to leave, Fang Zhengyong stopped him, saying, "No need. I've already read the testimony, and it's indeed impeccable, practically flawless. I never expected you to be so meticulous."

"Father, your praise is too much for your daughter to bear. This is all based on their retelling, written word for word, without any additions or alterations. If you don't believe me, you can interrogate them yourself. Your daughter may not have much else, but she has plenty of witnesses."

Fang Xiaoran remained calm and unfazed by Fang Zhengyong's sarcastic remarks. She also named other witnesses. Wang Shi, unaware of how much leverage Fang Xiaoran held over her, dared not speak for a moment, and Fang Zhengyong was speechless.

Seeing that things were not going well, Fang Menghe pleaded, "Father, Mother has devoted herself to the Fang family. Even if she did this, she had no other choice."

"So you really think all of this was done by your mother?" Fang Zhengyong raised his voice, his face cold and stern. These words startled Fang Menghe, who quickly denied it. "No, that's not what I meant! It must be her! Fang Xiaoran threatened Granny Qian and the others to frame my mother. Back then, it was Chunfang who testified that Madam poisoned Grandmother. Now she's suddenly saying it was my mother. Doesn't Father find that strange? Besides, these people were all brought here by Fang Xiaoran. It's hard to say whether what they're saying is true. They might have been coerced by her!"

Fang Zhengyong frowned slightly upon hearing this, seemingly pondering something. Seeing an opportunity, Fang Menghe continued, "Fang Xiaoran has always harbored resentment towards Mother, so she has tried every means to target her. Father, think about it, the Fang family has been at peace for so many years, so why have so many things happened since she came back? Can you say that none of these things have anything to do with her?"

“Of course it’s not unrelated, after all, I’ve been a victim from beginning to end.” Fang Xiaoran said calmly, interrupting Fang Menghe.

"Don't talk like you've suffered some great injustice. Back then, when my grandmother was poisoned, it caused a huge uproar. Everyone knew it was your mother who did it. Now you're suddenly dragging so many people into this mess to smear my mother. Do you think this will cover up your mother's crimes?"

Fang Menghe was clearly trying to provoke Fang Xiaoran, hoping to get her to argue with her and turn the matter into a debate between the two of them. This way, Wang Shi could find an opportunity to extricate herself from the predicament.

But Fang Xiaoran refused to fall for it. She knelt down resolutely, her voice filled with sobs and grief, "The witnesses are all here. Please, great-grandfather, do justice for my mother!"

In an instant, everyone turned to look at the great-grandfather sitting in the main seat. He had a cold expression, a livid face, and his eyes flashed with a cold light, his hidden anger about to burst forth.

He asked in a deep voice, "Mr. Wang, do you have anything else to say?"

Madam Wang's voice trembled as she stammered, "I have no way to defend myself. I just want to say that this matter is not as Sixth Miss thinks. Although Xiaochun and Granny Qian are my people, what they did has nothing to do with me. I did not ask them to frame Madam."

“How can you say that, Madam? It was clearly you who…” Xiaochun was eager to explain, but was pulled hard by Granny Qian. She immediately flew into a rage, “Don’t pull me! You are loyal to Madam, but she may not treat you as a loyal servant!”

Xiaochun knew Wang's character all too well. She was just trying to pin all the blame on the two servants. As long as Wang didn't back down, Fang Zhengyong and the old lady would definitely protect her. Even if the evidence was right in front of her, she could still escape this predicament.

Hearing Xiaochun's sharp words, Madam Wang's expression returned to calm, and she looked at her indifferently, "Xiaochun, I know you have always resented Madam. Back then, you were almost taken into your second uncle's household, and it was Madam who ruined your promising future. That's why you have always resented her and wanted to take revenge on her."

"I..." Xiaochun opened her mouth, unable to refute.

Madam Wang turned to look at Granny Qian, paused slightly, and continued, "And you, you were harsh to the maid and were severely punished by the madam. You have long harbored resentment towards the madam, which is why you conspired with Xiaochun to do this."

Granny Qian stared at her blankly, remaining silent.

Seeing that neither of them offered any explanation, Madam Wang immediately knelt down, her shoulders trembling, her voice hoarse, and tears streaming down her face. "My lord, you see, it was all their doing. It has nothing to do with me. It was my fault for not disciplining them properly. I am willing to accept the punishment."

"So the poison was given to Chunfang by Granny Qian to frame her, and the real poisoner was Xiaochun?" After saying this, Fang Zhengyong turned around and bowed to his grandfather. "Grandfather, this matter is clear. I will handle it myself. It is getting late, and you are too old to be tired. I will send someone to take you back."

“Yong’er, as an official appointed by the court, how can you so manipulate the system, abuse your power, and distort the truth? How can you expect the people to trust you, and how can you expect His Majesty to value you?” Taigong said with a pained expression, his eyes filled with disappointment and helplessness.

These words struck Fang Zhengyong like a heavy hammer blow to his heart. He had always been honest, upright, and impartial in enforcing the law, and had never made a mistake. He could not accept being treated this way by his grandfather. He said in a deep voice, "This is a family matter and should not be confused with other matters."

"So just because it's a family matter, you can be unfair, biased, and indiscriminate? If you do that, you'll only break your children's hearts!" The old man coughed violently, his face turning red, his eyes wide with anger and disappointment.

His hand trembled as he slammed his palm on the table, making a sharp, resounding sound. The sound was like a thunderclap, seemingly causing the entire room to tremble slightly.

"Yong'er, you have really disappointed me." His voice became hoarse with emotion, and his eyes were filled with anger and disappointment.

Fang Zhengyong was afraid that his great-grandfather would get sick from anger, so he quickly stepped forward to help him up, but his great-grandfather pushed him away, saying, "Ran'er, today your great-grandfather will definitely stand up for you."

As he spoke, he pointed forcefully at Madam Wang and said angrily, "This kind of poisonous woman must not stay in the Fang family any longer. If you, Yong'er, are unwilling to deal with her, then I will have to do it myself. Men, drag this poisonous woman out and sell her off."

"No, no! It really wasn't me, it wasn't me, sir, please save me..." Madam Wang was completely panicked, pleading incessantly, sobbing uncontrollably. Fang Menghe also panicked and begged the old man to show mercy. Instantly, several servants rushed in, ready to take Madam Wang away.

Madam Wang knew very well that once she was taken away, she would never have the chance to return to the Fang family. So she deliberately showed off her somewhat deformed legs. Fang Zhengyong immediately felt guilty, and the old man also hurriedly spoke up: "Father, no matter how many faults Madam Wang has, she has also given birth to children for the Fang family and has managed the Fang family for many years, running the Fang family in an orderly manner. Now that Hong'er's wedding is imminent, if you deal with his birth mother like this, how will the Zhou family view us and Hong'er?"

“Yes, great-grandfather, my brother is getting married soon. If my sister-in-law finds out about this after she marries into the family, it will damage the reputation of our Fang family. Our granddaughters will also have to get married in the future. Once our reputation is damaged, who will dare to marry us?”

Fang Zhengyong added, "Grandfather, Zhiyu lost both legs to save me back then, and I cannot let her down."

Fang Xiaoran watched calmly as they pleaded for Wang Shi, feeling no sorrow whatsoever. She was already used to being treated differently, but she never expected that even with the evidence right in front of her, Fang Zhengyong and the old lady would still be protecting Wang Shi.

Thinking of her mother's situation back then, Fang Xiaoran couldn't help but burst into laughter. "How interesting! My mother had the same experience back then. Tell me, which of you stood up to plead for her? Father, did you? And Grandmother, did you even plan to take my mother's life? If it weren't for my great-grandfather's protection, my mother would probably have been executed on the spot."

"What execution? I only asked for a divorce. Don't exaggerate!" the old lady said sternly.