Chapter 260: Chapter 260: Execution After Autumn

Everyone present was stunned by the sudden turn of events.

Before anyone could react, Nanny Lin let out a wail and threw herself at the man on the ground. "My son! Who beat you like this?"

SLAM! Ouyang Lei struck his gavel forcefully on the desk. "Guards! Nanny Lin has repeatedly caused a disturbance in this court and is suspected of perjury. Drag her out and give her ten heavy strokes of the paddle!"

Soon, both Nanny Lin and her son were dragged out.

The courtroom fell silent once more.

Lying on the floor, Lu Lan, who had just thought the tide was turning in her favor, now had an ashen face. Her eyes were fixed in a deathly stare on the suddenly appeared Huan’er.

Li Bingcai was also quite shocked.

’How is this Huan’er still alive?’

"You are Lu Lan’s personal maid, Huan’er?" Ouyang Lei looked at Huan’er and asked in a grave voice.

"Replying to Your Excellency, I am indeed Huan’er, the personal maid who serves Miss Lu, Lu Lan." Huan’er kowtowed to him.

"Is what you just said true?" Ouyang Lei asked again.

Zhi Wan, Lady Wei, and the others all watched Huan’er, waiting to hear her answer.

Huan’er nodded emphatically. "Everything I said is true..." At this, she suddenly burst into tears. "My family and I just escaped death’s door. I absolutely dare not hide anything else! It was Miss Lu who murdered Aunt Xu..."

"You wretched slave! I treated you well, yet you dare to slander me? Have you fed your conscience to the dogs?" Lu Lan’s face was filled with resentment. If not for her injuries, she probably would have lunged forward to tear at Huan’er.

At her sharp rebuke, Huan’er instinctively flinched, her shoulders shrinking in fear.

After all, this was the mistress she had served for many years. Before Lu Lan’s life was upended, she had been decent to her. But ever since her reputation was ruined, her temperament had changed drastically.

On the surface, she was still the weak and timid Fourth Miss of the Lu Family, but in private, she was sinister and cruel, beating and cursing Huan’er at the slightest provocation. She would even stick her with needles and forbid her from crying out.

She was instinctively terrified of Lu Lan.

But the thought of how her family had barely escaped death last night made her clench her fists. Angrily, she retorted, "The one who fed her conscience to the dogs is clearly you, Miss!" With that, she rolled up her sleeve. "What is this? Whenever you were the least bit displeased, you would use needles to stab me. There isn’t a single patch of unscathed skin on my body."

Hearing this, everyone looked towards her arm.

On the young girl’s thin arm were dense clusters of pinpricks, a sight that made one’s scalp tingle.

"Lu Lan, you’re not even human!" Zhi Wan said angrily.

"Do you need to stand there and play the saint? Yes, I admit I abused Huan’er. So what? She’s just a lowly maid." Lu Lan said nonchalantly, then looked at Ouyang Lei. "Your Excellency, Huan’er resents me, so she conspired with the real murderer to frame me. Her words cannot be trusted!"

Huan’er stared at her in disbelief. "Miss, I have never resented you! But this time, you’ve truly gone too far! And every word I’ve said is true. You are the one who killed Aunt Xu!"

"Hmph. If you’re looking for a reason to accuse someone, you’ll always find one," Lu Lan said with contempt.

"Did you see that, Old Madam? This is the precious granddaughter you’ve been protecting. She’s this sinister and vicious in private, and you still want to protect her?" Lady Wei looked at Old Madam Lu, her face full of scorn.

Old Madam Lu’s expression stiffened, but she had always been stubborn and refused to admit defeat. She muttered, "She’s just a lowly servant."

Hearing this, Lady Wei didn’t want to spare her another glance.

"And what is this about escaping death?" Ouyang Lei continued to question.

Huan’er wiped away her tears and replied, "Yesterday morning, following the Miss’s orders, I was to report to the Government at 10 AM sharp that a death had occurred in the Duke Dingguo Mansion and that they should come and arrest someone. She also said that if I did as she asked, she would give me a sum of silver.

I was terrified, because the night before, the Miss and Aunt Xu had an argument. I don’t know the specifics of what was said, but Aunt Xu was crying all night. She said that in this life, she was just here to repay a debt—a debt to her child. Once it was repaid, she would be free. She also said that as long as her daughter could be happy, it didn’t matter if she died, as she had had enough of this life anyway...

I was very confused at the time. So the next day, when I went to the Government office as the Miss instructed, the more I thought about it, the more something felt wrong.

’Could it be that the person the Miss wanted to kill was Aunt Xu?’

I was scared, but I also felt I was overthinking it. Aunt Xu was her biological mother, after all. The Miss could never be so cruel.

As I waited near the Government office, I was tormented and frightened, terrified of getting into trouble. In my panic, I decided to file the report early.

After filing the report, I secretly returned to the Duke Dingguo Mansion and learned that Aunt Xu had died in Yaoguang Pavilion. I was so scared that I immediately fled back to my hometown.

I thought that would be the end of it, but last night, in the middle of the night, my house suddenly caught fire. The blaze was enormous.

If the Princely Heir hadn’t risked his life to save us, my entire family would have perished in the flames...

I haven’t made enemies with anyone. After thinking it over, the only person who would want to kill my family is the Miss. She’s clearly trying to silence me..."

At this point, Huan’er was sobbing uncontrollably. The ash on her face, streaked by her tears, made her look even more filthy and wretched.

When Zhi Wan heard this, her heart sank. ’That phrase Huan’er used, "the Princely Heir risked his life to save us," could it be...’

Realizing this, she hurriedly looked at Jiang Shi. "How is my cousin?"

Lady Wei’s heart also tightened as she looked at Jiang Shi.

It was Jiang Shi who had just thrown Nanny Lin’s son into the hall.

Facing the gazes of the Madam and the Miss, Jiang Shi felt immense pressure. He forced himself to say, "The Princely Heir... is not seriously injured."

Seeing his hesitation, Zhi Wan knew he was lying. She said anxiously, "How can you still hide things from us at a time like this?"

"Jiang Shi, what happened to Ah Zhan?" Lady Wei was also very worried.

Jiang Shi was in a difficult position. The Princely Heir had ordered him not to reveal the extent of his injuries to the Miss and the Madam, fearing they would worry.

But the fact that the Princely Heir was injured couldn’t be hidden forever. The Miss and the others would find out sooner or later.

With that in mind, he said cautiously, "The Princely Heir only burned his arm. He has already seen a doctor. The Madam and the Miss need not worry."

Neither Zhi Wan nor Lady Wei believed him. They knew he was hiding something, but there was no use in panicking in the middle of a courtroom. They could only wait until the case was over to go find Lu Zhan.

"Mr. Chen, do you recognize this Huan’er?" Ouyang Lei asked, turning to Mr. Chen.

Mr. Chen scrutinized Huan’er carefully, then nodded affirmatively. "It’s her. Yesterday, during the si-hour, she was the one who came to the Government office to file the report!"

Upon hearing this, Ouyang Lei slammed his gavel and announced loudly, "The case of Lu Lan murdering her biological mother, Xu Yumei, and framing Zhi Wan is closed! The evidence is conclusive, and her crime is an offense against heaven and reason. Guards, take the criminal Lu Lan into custody. She is to be executed after the autumn assizes!"