After hearing the report from the messenger—Chief Justice Huang smiled, as if grasping something extremely significant. Then he walked before Zhao Quanzhi and said righteously: “This official has ordered people to make a trip to Yanjing City overnight to investigate the various medicine shops. The result is that one medicine shop sold mountain grass seeds and thin-heart leaves three days before Minister Li’s birthday! These two items appear to be medicinal herbs for treating illness, but when mixed together and made into pellets, they become a slow-acting poison. This poison can make dogs lose their nature and produce a violent disposition! This substance was also sprinkled on the corpse and given to the dogs at the villa! That’s why those dogs went mad and ate people!”

Zhao Quanzhi’s face was extremely rigid.

“And the medicine shop owner said the person who bought the mountain grass seeds and thin-heart leaves… was you, Young Master Zhao.”

Eh!

Clearly the evidence was sufficient!

At that moment, Zhao Quanzhi subconsciously covered his arm.

This was precisely seen by Luo Yang.

So Luo Yang immediately pointed at his arm and said: “Young Master Zhao, when you fed the dogs the mountain grass seeds, you were bitten. The wound is on your arm.”

The elite soldiers on the side understood immediately and stepped forward to grab Zhao Quanzhi, pulling up his sleeve before everyone’s eyes.

Revealing the wound on his arm!

Obviously a dog bite!

Now he had no choice but to admit it!

Zhao Quanzhi didn’t know where the strength came from. He broke free from those two elite soldiers and forcefully yanked down his rolled-up sleeve, covering the bite mark on his arm.

Chief Justice Huang stepped forward: “Zhao Quanzhi, your family raises many dogs, so you know better than anyone what consequences mixing mountain grass seeds with thin-heart leaves would produce. You had long planned to kill Wang Huai!”

“I…”

“Now the evidence is laid out before you one by one. You cannot make excuses!”

“…” Zhao Quanzhi’s expression panicked.

Everyone couldn’t have guessed that the killer was actually Wang Huai.

When everyone misunderstood that Li Shiyan was the murderer, Zhao Quanzhi repeatedly defended and explained on his behalf. Who would have thought that such a person who valued loyalty and righteousness would turn out to be the real culprit!

Su Ziluo, who had been silently observing and choosing silence, spoke up timely at this moment: “So that night, the person Wang Huai was going to meet was you, Young Master Zhao!”

Things had reached this point. Zhao Quanzhi knew he could no longer conceal it. His face ashen, he gave a cold laugh, his gaze sweeping over everyone, as if seeing sharp arrows from everyone’s eyes, about to pierce his heart with ten thousand arrows in an instant.

Yes!

At this moment, everyone wanted him dead.

Especially those who usually opposed him in Yanjing City!

They probably couldn’t wait to tear him limb from limb and scatter his ashes.

In the current situation, no one would help him. He had become the target of everyone’s arrows.

“Yes! The person Wang Huai went to meet that night… was me!” He admitted it.

He didn’t want to make excuses anymore.

He wanted to preserve the last shred of his dignity.

And these words silenced the entire hall.

Zhao Quanzhi’s face was pallid, his gaze looking at that blood-stained sachet, the corners of his mouth spreading with a trace of bitterness: “I obtained this sachet two years ago. I’ve always kept it with me and never been without it! But somehow Wang Huai picked it up. He knew I valued this sachet, so he wanted to use this to force me to do things for him—to act against the heir. But I didn’t agree, so he refused to return the sachet to me no matter what. He even insulted me, saying I was a dog, a dog who only knew how to obey the heir’s commands! Later, knowing we would go together to Ning’an Villa for the birthday celebration, and knowing there were many dogs at the villa, I thought… I’d feed the dogs some mountain grass seeds and also put some on his body. I’d arrange to meet him behind the artificial mountain at night, just wanting those dogs to teach him a good lesson for me, then take back that sachet! But I didn’t expect the heir would also come, and he happened to push Wang Huai. So after the heir left… I took advantage of the situation and killed him! Not long after, the heir suddenly returned. I had to hide to the side. After the heir left, I carried Wang Huai’s corpse away from the artificial mountain, planning to move it to the back courtyard and let those dogs bite his body clean. I took off his clothes and burned them, letting those dogs bite hard, preferably until not even bones remained! But I didn’t expect that sachet to also be stained with blood then, and didn’t expect the pattern to be imprinted on the artificial mountain. I was careless!”

So he had admitted everything!

The truth was truly lamentable.

It sent chills through people’s hearts!

Such a person who seemed to value loyalty and righteousness—no one could imagine he would do such a thing.

Extremely twisted!

The Marquis of Kangding pointed angrily: “Then why did you frame Shiyan?”

“Hehe! Why?” Zhao Quanzhi laughed coldly, his face filled with hatred and jealousy. “Everyone says I’m a dog under him. No one respects me at all. Even he is the same—he never treated me as a brother! Not only that, he also took… the person I like.”

After saying this, he looked at Zhu Yao!

Zhu Yao was startled!

Everyone eagerly listened as he continued.

Zhao Quanzhi’s face was full of distress. He walked step by step to Zhu Yao, his eyes reddening as he said: “Miss Zhu, do you know who saved you from the water two years ago? It was me! I was the one who pulled you from the water! Li Shiyan only carried you up, yet you’ve kept him in your heart for two years. Actually, I wanted to ask my father to propose marriage several times, but my father and yours are at odds in court. He would absolutely never agree to our marriage! But heaven had to mock us—it actually arranged for you and Li Shiyan to marry. And that sachet—I picked it up two years ago when I saved you. I’ve kept it for two years. No matter how worn it is, I can’t bear to throw it away. Miss Zhu, Li Shiyan doesn’t love you at all. He won’t marry you either. The one who truly cares about you in his heart is me—me, Zhao Quanzhi!”

The last few words, he roared with force!

Now everyone understood why he protected that sachet so much!

So it was for the woman he loved!

And just like Zhu Yao, he had hidden someone in his heart for two years. So in this aspect, they were the same type of people.

Zhu Yao also couldn’t help but feel sour inside, tears constantly welling up in her eyes…

She felt terrible!

She said: “But that’s not a reason to kill someone!”

Zhao Quanzhi smiled: “Then just consider me mad!”

Yes, he had truly gone mad!

With the truth revealed, Chief Justice Huang immediately ordered his arrest. Two elite soldiers seized him.

He no longer struggled!

At this moment, Minister Wang angrily walked over: “Good boy! You killed my nephew, so you must pay with your life! Even if your father, the Governor-General of Jiangguang, were here, he couldn’t protect you!”

Zhao Quanzhi laughed loudly: “Death is death. I don’t care anyway. After all… someone will accompany me!”

“What do you mean?”

“At this very moment… Li Shiyan is probably already dead.” His face was ferocious.

Eh!

The Marquis of Kangding was shocked: “What did you say?”

“I said your precious son is probably already dead now.”

“Impossible!”

Hearing these words, Zhu Yao nearly couldn’t stand steady: “What… do you mean?”

He looked at the woman he had liked for two years: “Miss Zhu, don’t blame me. What I can’t have, Li Shiyan shouldn’t expect to have either. And when I die, I’m taking him with me.”

Just as these words finished—

A voice came from outside the hall: “Then I’m afraid your plan will fail!”

Huh?

Looking toward the sound, they saw Li Shiyan walking in safe and sound.

Where was the death?

Zhao Quanzhi was extremely surprised, his lips turning white, shaking his head: “No… impossible. Didn’t you already…”

Li Shiyan walked before him with a face full of disappointment. His former good brother had become like this, so those emotions stirred in his heart, making him extremely uncomfortable: “You thought I was already dead, didn’t you?”

“Didn’t you…”

“No, I didn’t drink that jar of wine.”

“…”

“You put aconite poison in that jar of osmanthus wine, intending to poison me to death! But you never expected that as soon as I brought that jar of osmanthus wine to my room, it was knocked over. And by chance, a cat wandered in and drank a few sips of the osmanthus wine. As a result, early this morning that cat died. After examination by the coroner, that cat died from aconite poisoning, with residue of osmanthus wine still in its body! Zhao Quanzhi, oh Zhao Quanzhi, I, Li Shiyan, have always treated you as a brother, yet you schemed so carefully for my death. Fortunately, heaven had eyes and spared my life!”

Zhao Quanzhi laughed loudly!

He knew he now stood at the edge of a cliff with no chance to turn back.