She was buried alive at the start, but she's determined to smash her ex-husband's head in

Vice Minister Yang was caught in a dilemma. It wasn't that he didn't trust Lin Qingwei, but he couldn't afford to offend anyone involved in this matter! When he came from the Ministry of Justice, Marquis Zhongyi already knew about his daughter's death.

If he doesn't give someone an explanation before Marquis Zhongyi arrives, he might not even be able to keep his position as Vice Minister!

No sooner said than done, Marquis Zhongyi arrived.

Marquis Zhongyi was over fifty years old when he finally had this little daughter, whom he cherished dearly. As soon as Song Miaoyan came of age, he went to the palace to ask Emperor Xuande for the rank of county princess for her.

At first, upon hearing the news of her daughter's death, she thought it was just a rumor in the palace. It wasn't until she met the princess's personal maid that she realized Song Miaoyan was really dead!

Overwhelmed with grief, his hair turned half-white, and he coughed up blood, nearly fainting. Ignoring the doctor's advice, he insisted on rushing to the palace to bring his daughter's body back for burial.

"You are Lin Qingwei?" Marquis Zhongyi walked in tremblingly, his voice low and hoarse, his eyes bloodshot.

Upon seeing Marquis Zhongyi, Consort An could no longer remain seated. The matter had escalated too much and would be difficult to resolve; if it were to spread, it would also damage her reputation. So she immediately stepped forward.

"The Marquis has arrived! Quickly! Offer him a seat!"

Marquis Zhongyi raised his eyes and bowed to Consort An, saying, "Your Majesty, there's no need for such formalities. I'm not here to cause trouble; I just want the truth! Where is my son?"

In his early years, Marquis Zhongyi had followed Emperor Xuande in suppressing rebellions and had contributed a great deal of effort. Even Consort An had to show him some respect and deference. So she immediately got up and went to Marquis Zhongyi's side.

She said, "I know that the Marquis is not here to cause trouble. I will have the truth thoroughly investigated! As for Miss Song's body, I will immediately send someone to send it back to the Marquis of Zhongyi's residence."

With keen insight, Granny Sun was about to lead a few palace maids to dispose of Song Miaoyan's body. If Marquis Zhongyi were to see his daughter die so tragically, it wouldn't just be a matter of whether or not he would cause trouble.

But the Marquis of Zhongyi's men stopped them, and Consort An's face turned very ugly for a moment.

If she were to catch that assassin in the palace, she would tear him to pieces! Such audacity! He's brought such a huge disaster upon her! He's really going to get her killed!

"What do you mean by this, Lord Marquis?" she asked, forcing a smile.

The Marquis of Zhongyi ignored her and instead stared at Lin Qingwei, saying, "You are Lin Qingwei?"

"Yes, this humble woman is indeed Lin Qingwei."

Lin Qingwei knew a little about this Marquis Zhongyi. He was a father who loved his daughter dearly. In his previous life, he almost gave up the entire Marquis's mansion as dowry so that Song Miaoyan could marry Qi Yanzhi.

However, Qi Yanzhi refused to arrange a marriage with the Marquis's family, which angered Marquis Zhongyi.

At that time, the Crown Prince lost power, which implicated the Duke's mansion. Marquis Zhongyi made it almost impossible for the Duke Mu's family to survive in the capital.

If she cannot clear her name tonight, given how much the Marquis of Zhongyi loves his daughter, he will likely make her suffer a hundred times more pain than Song Miaoyan did before her death.

Before she could even finish speaking or offer any explanation, a cold, menacing sword was pressed against her neck.

The sword was too fast; it sliced ​​through her skin almost the instant it touched her neck, and hot blood flowed out, soaking half of Lin Qingwei's shoulder.

Lin Xiuyao and Zhao Yanyan were almost scared to the point of screaming, but Lin Shuhui, who was kneeling on the ground with her head down, was surprisingly calm. If you looked closely, you could vaguely see a hint of joy in her eyes.

Consort An naturally dared not stop her. It was her duty to handle this matter well, but if she handled it poorly, His Majesty might have to punish her to appease Marquis Zhongyi. She did not want the Empress to take advantage of the situation.

“I have heard your name from Miaoyan’s mouth. You killed my daughter.”

Every wrinkle on his face exuded a chilling aura. The passage of time had made this already dignified man feel oppressive with every gesture. His eyes were like those of an eagle, fierce and full of malevolence.

"Miaoyan was indeed a bit spoiled, but she wasn't a bad person at heart. You actually killed her over some trivial matter?"

Lin Qingwei's lips turned pale with pain, but she remained calm: "Your Excellency must have heard about this on your way here. The fact that you didn't kill me with one sword means that you still have doubts. Since you have doubts, why not give me some time to defend myself?"

Why should I, a mere girl, believe you?

"My life or death is of no importance, but the county princess cannot die in such an unclear way," Lin Qingwei said. "It is a small matter for the Marquis to kill me, but it would be much more dangerous to let such a vicious person roam the palace."

Marquis Zhongyi stared at her, then after a while sheathed his sword and said, "Eloquent tongue."

Lin Qingwei covered her still-bleeding wound and said with a faint smile, "Thank you, Lord Marquis, for giving me the opportunity to prove myself."

She glanced at Lin Shuhui kneeling on the ground, then looked at Minister Yang: "Just now, Minister Yang examined the county princess's wounds and found the murder weapon and a handkerchief used to wipe the blood near my room, is that right?"

“Not bad.” Vice Minister Yang nodded.

“Then I have another question,” Lin Qingwei said. “Where did the dagger come from? You know, the five of us entered the palace as companions to Princess Yuanjia. We were thoroughly checked inside and out before entering the palace. Dangerous things like daggers are absolutely not allowed to be brought into the inner palace.”

If I killed the county magistrate, then how did I obtain this dagger?

Lin Shuhui's heart skipped a beat, and she secretly clenched the hem of her clothes.

Vice Minister Yang frowned and immediately re-examined the dagger: "This dagger is exquisitely crafted, inlaid with gemstones, and looks like an object from the palace..."

He presented it to Consort An with some uncertainty, and Consort An nodded and said, "It is indeed the style of the palace."

Lin Qingwei said, "Since it is an item from the palace, there must be some trace of it. I would like to ask Your Highness to send someone to investigate the origin of this dagger."

Consort An waved her hand, and Granny Sun immediately took a dagger and went to investigate.

During this time, Lin Qingwei helped Lin Shuhui, who had been kneeling on the ground, to her feet. Her hands were covered in blood, which smeared all over Lin Shuhui's clean and tidy clothes. Lin Shuhui remained timid and cowered.

"My sister and the county princess are the closest. Didn't you go to see the county princess after you arrived at Yongning Palace?"

"I, I, I've been tidying up my room. Yingyue can vouch for me!"

Startled by the mention of her name, Yingyue glanced at Lin Shuhui and was about to say something when Lin Qing interrupted her with a smile.

"I was just asking, why are you in such a hurry, little sister? Although the county princess is the least wary of you, you have no grudge against her. Unless you were instructed by someone else, how could you possibly attack the county princess? Right?"

Lin Shuhui looked at the bloodstains on her body and said, "Yes, only my sister has the biggest grudge against the county princess."