Lady Hou is reborn and, by pampering her illegitimate son, reclaims her life of wealth and privilege

“Lord Zhang, I have a witness who can clear my son’s name. She can testify that Mai Yufeng and the other two conspired to frame my son.”

"Bring her forward."

With her face veiled by a light gauze, Jiaoyue entered the hall with light steps, knelt down slowly, and said in a soft and mournful voice, "This humble woman, Jiaoyue, pays her respects to Your Excellency."

Lord Zhang, with his sharp eyes, scrutinized the veiled woman and said in a deep voice, "Those kneeling below, remove your veils immediately."

Jiaoyue gently removed her veil, revealing a delicate and pitiful face.

Liang Mo was astonished and exclaimed, "Jiaoyue, what are you doing here?"

Seeing Liang Mo's expression, Mai Yufeng couldn't help but wonder if this woman was Liang Mo's newly acquired concubine. He felt flustered and quickly searched for a way to deal with her.

Seeing Mai Yufeng's expression, Jiang Huaiyu sneered and said, "Lord Zhang, this woman is Liang Mo's new concubine, Jiaoyue. She heard Liang Mo instruct Mai Yufeng to frame my son, promising to give her five hundred taels of silver if the deed is done."

Lord Zhang frowned, his tone serious: "Is this true? How do you know? Tell me in detail."

Liang Mo looked anxiously at Jiao Yue, his heart filled with extreme anger.

Jiaoyue lowered her head, her voice as soft as silk: "On our wedding night a few days ago, I asked my husband where the money came from. He was drunk at the time, and in his drunken stupor, he revealed the truth."

Although Liang Mo had doubts, he was indeed completely drunk that night, and it was understandable that he would say something inappropriate while drunk. Just as he was about to question Jiao Yue about why she had betrayed him, Mai Yufeng interrupted him abruptly.

“Reporting to Lord Zhang, I suspect that what this woman said is untrue. Perhaps she has been bribed by the Lady of the Marquis and is deliberately fabricating this story.”

Jiang Huaiyu immediately retorted: "You're making accusations based on mere speculation. I think you're the mastermind behind secretly bribing others."

Lord Zhang was extremely anxious at this moment. Both sides had their own version of events, but the evidence for both was insufficient, making it difficult for him to make a decision.

Bathed in moonlight, Jiaoyue's eyes revealed a poignant sadness. Her voice trembled slightly, carrying an undisguised bitterness: "The reason I exposed Liang Mo's actions is because I have no affection for him whatsoever. He forced me into his concubine."

At this moment, Mai Yufeng stepped forward without missing a beat and retorted righteously, "Lord Zhang, it is obvious that Jiaoyue harbors resentment towards Liang Mo. She is deliberately fabricating facts to frame a loyal official."

Liang Mo stared at Jiao Yue in shock, a surge of indescribable pain welling up in his heart. He questioned her painfully, "You despise me so much that you would resort to such a method to frame me?"

Jiaoyue gently shook her head, her tone firm: "I did not frame you. Every word I said came from the bottom of my heart."

Mai Yufeng sneered and said in a scathing tone, "Your Excellency, what this woman said is untrue. I suggest that she be subjected to finger torture so that she can reveal the truth in pain."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Huaiyu's face immediately darkened, his eyes widening in anger as he rebuked, "Outrageous! You are blatantly forcing an innocent person to confess!"

The Ministry of Justice was known for its ruthless methods, and its punishments were even more cruel than those of the Court of Judicial Review. Torture and forced confessions of prisoners were commonplace.

As the heir of a marquis's family, Wei Fengyun was naturally not someone the Ministry of Justice dared to easily take action against, but Jiaoyue was just a commoner, and Lord Zhang was not afraid of her at all.

Immediately, he decisively issued a command token.

"Execute immediately."

Jiang Huaiyu was agitated and said sternly, "Lord Zhang, you are forcing an innocent person to confess! She is just a frail woman who came here merely as a witness, yet she has to endure such harsh punishment. How can she bear it?"

Lord Zhang, however, appeared unusually calm, as if this were just a routine matter, and said lightly, "Madam Hou, there is no need to worry. This is just a routine method in the interrogation process and will absolutely not endanger your life."

Two bailiffs, holding instruments of torture, slowly approached Jiaoyue.

Jiaoyue trembled like a leaf in the wind. She knelt on the cold ground, retreating step by step. Although her heart was filled with endless fear, the thought of spending the rest of her life with Feng Sangli and being united in heart and soul made her grit her teeth and her determination unwavering. She would never reveal the truth no matter what.

Jiang Huaiyu gazed solemnly at Jiaoyue, who was about to suffer extreme punishment, his heart filled with a mixture of sympathy and worry. His anxiety that Jiaoyue might reveal the secret grew stronger with each passing day.

However, he severely underestimated Jiaoyue's deep love for Feng Sangli. She remained silent, then resolutely donned the shackles. With a sudden yank from two rude bailiffs, the shackles dug deep into her flesh.

"what--!"

The bright moon let out a heart-wrenching scream, but she remained tight-lipped and did not utter a single word.

Seeing this, Jiang Huaiyu felt pity and quickly called out to stop him, "Lord Zhang, this is enough."

Lord Zhang still gave Lady Hou face, turning to Jiaoyue and asking, "Were your words just now truly from the bottom of your heart?"

Jiaoyue was in so much pain that her face turned as pale as paper, and beads of sweat the size of soybeans rolled down her pale forehead. "Every word I have said is true."

Lord Zhang let out a cold snort, "Continue."

Jiang Huaiyu was extremely anxious and almost rushed forward to pull the constables apart.

"Stop!"

Suddenly, a strong, clear male voice came from outside. Everyone's eyes turned to the doorway, where a middle-aged man in a python robe from the Sword Subduing Division and a young man in a flying fish robe stepped in side by side.

This person was none other than Yao Dingtian, the highest commander of the Fujian Division, and Xie Yushen, Mai Yufeng's direct superior.

Upon seeing this, Mai Yufeng felt a sense of foreboding.

Minister of Justice Zhang immediately stood up and bowed respectfully to Yao Dingtian, saying, "Commander Yao."

The Minister of Justice held the rank of second grade, while Yao Dingtian was a first-grade official, directly under the Emperor's personal guard, the Fujian Division, wielding immense power.

Lord Zhang hurriedly offered his seat to Yao Dingtian. After Yao Dingtian sat down, he glared at Mai Yufeng with sharp eyes and angrily rebuked him: "Mai Yufeng, how dare you slander the heir of the Marquis of Jiaxing!"

Upon hearing this, Mai Yufeng immediately knelt down. He might not have to kneel before the Minister of Justice, since according to the law, those with official ranks and titles were not required to kneel in court.

However, in front of Yao Dingtian, he dared not disobey in the slightest. Cao Wei and Liang Mo also trembled and knelt down one after another.

Yao Dingtian subtly gave Xie Yushen a wink, signaling him to begin his remarks.

Xie Yushen bowed solemnly and said seriously, "Your Excellency, Mai Yufeng and the others are all under my jurisdiction. Recently, I issued an order for them to conduct an inventory of the treasury where the stolen money is hidden the following day. It is understood that the Commandant of the Guards is suspected of stealing two silver notes with a face value of ten thousand taels."

As soon as he finished speaking, his gaze turned to Mai Yufeng, who was lying prostrate on the ground.

Mai Yufeng replied respectfully, "What you say is true, sir."

Xie Yushen gave a cold snort, his tone stern: "Mai Yufeng, how dare you abandon your post, embezzle public funds, and even try to frame Wei Xiaowei."

Everyone was astonished by this sudden turn of events. Mai Yufeng was particularly puzzled; he had clearly returned the silver notes intact, so why was he now suspected of being a thief?