WFWC Chapter 108

The Whole Family Went Crazy After Reading My Mind Chapter 108: The Witness Was Beaten to Death

Here, Emperor Yu instructed the palace maid Xiaozhu to repeat what she had just said in front of the Third Prince. It was incredibly easy for a mere palace maid to be bribed; such people were extremely timid, and with torture, wouldn’t they reveal the truth?

His Yuan’er had always been innocent and kind; how could he possibly do such a thing?

Confronting him in front of everyone was simply to give the Ji family an explanation.

Thinking this, Emperor Yu gestured for the maid to speak.

Xiaozhu seemed frightened by Emperor Yu’s unpredictable expression, and her words became incoherent towards the end. “No, no, no, the poison was given to me by the Third Prince, and the rumors weren’t spread by me. No, no, the rumors were spread by me. The poison was given to the Imperial Advisor by the Third Prince to put in Marquis Ji’s wine cup.”

The crowd grew increasingly confused, but no matter how the order was reversed, both events were related to the Third Prince.

Who was the Third Prince? Even if Emperor Yu personally handed him the throne, he would refuse, citing his impending death. What reason would such a person have to poison Lord Ji?

But the two young masters of the Ji family were different; their faces clearly showed their belief.

Ji Linfeng even stepped forward angrily to question Bei Hengyuan: “Third Prince, why did you poison my father? Tell me! Why? What has my Ji family ever done to offend you? My father devoted half his life to Sheng Yu, never doing anything to betray the people of Sheng Yu. My eldest brother even had his Achilles tendon severed by bandits while saving the future crown prince, resulting in a lifelong disability. Why did you still harm my father?”

Thinking of Ji Hua’s inner thoughts, and the final fate of the Ji family, Ji Linfeng truly wanted to punch this wolf in sheep’s clothing to death. He really wanted to tear off that hypocritical mask and crush it.

At this moment, Ji Linfeng was roaring from the bottom of his heart for the dead Ji family.

Now, they were like reborn individuals, reliving their past experiences while knowing the ending.

Ji Linfeng perfectly portrayed a filial son deeply concerned for his father.

The ministers standing by were dumbfounded. Had the Second Prince Ji actually believed the palace maid’s story? How could that be? The Third Prince had been suffering from a strange poison for six years; every day he lived was a luxury. How could he possibly poison Marquis Ji?

Seeing Emperor Yu’s grim and terrifying expression, the Crown Prince hurriedly stepped forward and pulled the agitated Ji Linfeng back from the brink of losing his temper. He advised, “Second Master Ji, please calm down. This may not necessarily be the work of your Third Brother. He is kind-hearted and physically weak; there’s no need for him to make enemies.”

Disrespecting the emperor in front of the palace was a provocation against the royal family. Seeing this, Eunuch De also rushed down to help the Crown Prince support the agitated Ji Linfeng. “Second Master Ji, calm down, calm down! This is before the Emperor; don’t anger His Majesty.”

Prime Minister Lu echoed the Crown Prince’s words, stepping forward to advise Ji Linfeng not to act rashly at this moment.

In everyone’s eyes, Ji Linfeng was inherently unruly. With Lord Ji’s death, it was already a miracle he hadn’t stormed the palace.

How could Ji Linfeng remain calm after such a catastrophic event? He knelt on the ground, pounding his fists repeatedly, his face contorted with hatred as he angrily questioned the Third Prince, “Why? Why?”

Then, as if realizing something, he appeared utterly terrified: “Could it be…could it be that he’s been faking it all these years? His purpose was to find an opportunity to eliminate my father?” Ji Linfeng’s voice, neither too loud nor too soft, was heard by the three men who had come to pull him away.

Instantly, all three were shocked.

The Crown Prince’s brows furrowed deeply.

Even the Third Prince, who maintained his composure, trembled upon hearing Ji Linfeng’s words.

Ji Linfeng saw this and inwardly sneered: “I’ll scare you to death.”

Having calmed down, Ji Linfeng knelt on the ground with a thud, pleading for forgiveness. “Your Majesty, I lost my temper for a moment. Please punish me.”

His current composure was a stark contrast to his earlier agitation, making it seem as if the person who had just acted so recklessly wasn’t him at all.

The Crown Prince’s brows furrowed even deeper. Was Ji Linfeng’s action trying to tell him something?

Emperor Yu’s face darkened with anger. If he didn’t want to bear the infamy of killing loyal officials in a fit of rage, he would never have allowed a mere youth to act so presumptuously before the Emperor.
How could he publicly punish a filial son who sought justice for his father? At this moment, he could only act as a benevolent emperor who loved his people like his own children.

Emperor Yu suppressed his anger and said, “I fully understand the Second Son Ji’s feelings. However, there are many suspicious points in this matter, and we need to investigate further. But I assure you, no matter who it is, I will definitely seek justice for the Ji family.”

Emperor Yu asked Bei Hengyuan with a stern face, “Yuan’er, tell me the truth, did you do this?”

As Emperor Yu expected, Bei Hengyuan shook his head firmly, “Your subject sympathizes greatly with the Ji family’s plight, but this was not done by your subject.”

Upon hearing this, Emperor Yu was very satisfied. He then turned to the palace maid and angrily said, “You audacious lowly servant, who exactly ordered you to throw dirty water on the prince? Confess the truth!” Emperor Yu slammed his hand on the table, making the palace maid tremble uncontrollably.

Suddenly, the palace maid’s eyes lit up, as if she had suddenly remembered something and said smugly, “This servant remembers, it was this servant who spread the rumors, and it was the Third Prince who had the Imperial Advisor administer the poison. This servant is truly not mistaken this time.”

The Imperial Advisor was perceived by outsiders as having extraordinary abilities, and administering poison without anyone noticing was a piece of cake for him. This time, the palace maid was not incoherent, but spoke clearly and distinctly. She even seemed delighted to have remembered. She didn’t seem to be lying at all.

Emperor Yu was furious.

“You insolent fool, daring to make false accusations! Guards, beat her until she tells the truth!” In his anger, Emperor Yu ordered his men to act.

Immediately, two imperial guards waiting outside rushed into the room. Emperor Yu gave the two men a look, signaling them to know their limits; if they were beaten to death, there would truly be no way to find the cause of death.

The two men understood the implication and immediately pinned the woman to the ground, raising the paddle high before bringing it down hard—a seemingly forceful but mostly intimidating act.

“Spare me, Your Majesty! Every word I’ve spoken is true. I dare not deceive Your Majesty!” Xiao Zhu cried out hoarsely. Emperor Yu, however, did not believe her and ordered the two imperial guards to continue the beating. Everyone present frowned. Seeing

Xiao Zhu’s buttocks stained with blood, she still insisted on telling the truth.

“I…I truly dare not deceive Your Majesty. Every word I’ve spoken, every sentence, is the truth.”

“The truth? The so-called truth is revealing the mastermind behind it all, only then will I spare your life. You’d better think carefully.” Emperor Yu’s gaze towards the palace maid was full of threat.

The Crown Prince’s gaze fell on Emperor Yu’s face, his fist clenching in his sleeve. At this moment, he seemed to understand something.

Emperor Yu thought, a few more blows, and she’ll finally give in and confess. Little did they know, she wouldn’t speak even after spitting blood; she was a tough nut to crack.

She couldn’t die before revealing the truth; torture wouldn’t work, so they had to find another way.

Thinking this, Emperor Yu raised his hand to signal a halt. But then, Xiao Zhu, who had only received eighteen strokes of the cane, suddenly tilted her head back and coughed up blood. Turning to look at the Third Prince, her words were filled with anguish.

She said, “Third Prince, didn’t you promise me that if anything happened, you would protect me? But now, you are completely unmoved.” As soon as she finished speaking, she breathed her last.

Just like that, she died so suddenly?

Ji Linfeng seized the opportunity, his expression changing, and shouted, “It was clearly you! What else do you have to say?”