How could Zhou Wen believe it!

Marquis Kang said, “Since I knew early on that the child wasn’t mine, and if I had truly been heartless, I would have caused the child to die in the womb back then. I would never have let him live for two years.”

“Impossible…”

The diary in Zhou Wen’s hands fell to the ground. His eyes were vacant, his expression dazed.

This sudden truth caught him completely off guard. More precisely, he could never have imagined that the person who killed his own biological son would actually be his Wen’er.

Naturally, he couldn’t accept it.

“You only need to find the physician who treated my wife back then and ask him to know the truth. And at this moment, you are already a prisoner—I have no need to lie and deceive you.”

“Why? Why is it like this? Why…”

He asked over and over, tears falling, his vision growing increasingly blurred.

“My son… was actually killed by Wen’er’s own hand?”

He laughed again as if mad, that laughter extremely desolate.

However—

In the next moment, before everyone could react, Zhou Wen suddenly snatched a sword from the hands of a residence soldier beside him and raised it to his own neck.

“Zhou Wen!” Marquis Kang cried out in alarm, wanting to stop him.

“Don’t come closer.”

“Put down the sword!”

Zhou Wen smiled. At this moment, he had completely broken down.

He said, “Regardless of whether what you said is true or false, today I will certainly die. Back then, you saved me and gave me a life. Today, I return it to you. I’ve already lived for over twenty years. It’s time for me to go see Wen’er and my child.”

“Don’t…”

There was no time at all to stop him!

Zhou Wen’s speed was very fast. With both hands gripping the sword hilt tightly, he slashed to the side, forcibly cutting a bloody gash across his neck.

“Clang!”

The sword slipped from his palm and fell to the ground.

Blood overflowed from Zhou Wen’s neck, the blood almost instantly flowing all over his body.

His body sagged, both knees hit the ground. His eyes stared straight ahead. After trembling on the ground a few times, his body pitched heavily forward.

He collapsed on the ground.

Dead!

Everyone stared at the corpse lying in a pool of blood and sighed endlessly.

Some turned their eyes away, not daring to look directly.

Some sighed wordlessly.

…

Marquis Kang stood in a daze, looking at Zhou Wen’s blood-soaked corpse for a long, long time…

Not saying a word!

But those eyes were filled with tears…

Muruo came forward at this time and said, “Marquis, let Mu check your pulse to see what poison you’ve been affected by.”

Marquis Kang shook his head!

“I didn’t drink that cup of water.”

After speaking, he crouched down and picked up that blood-stained diary.

He left!

This night, although the Marquis’s residence had not been peaceful, it also seemed to have become peaceful.

After Ji Yunshu returned to her room, her heart felt stifled. She had clearly solved the case and should be happy, but when she thought of those who had lost their lives for wealth, and Zhou Wen’s motive, she couldn’t feel happy.

Jingrong noticed her expression and held her cold hand.

“Don’t think so much.”

He always seemed to be able to see through her thoughts.

Ji Yunshu said, “I’m not overthinking, it’s just…”

She didn’t finish speaking.

Jingrong understood and comforted her, “You should think in a positive direction. At least the case is solved and the Marquis’s residence has peace. Regardless of why Zhou Wen created so many incidents, he killed people, and ultimately one life must pay for another. As the saying goes, pitiful people must have hateful aspects.”

Being consoled by him like this, Ji Yunshu’s heart felt somewhat better.

Muruo in the room interjected, saying, “That Zhou Wen truly deserved to die. He killed so many people. When he goes down to the underworld, the one who should never be reborn should be him.”

Upon this statement, Tang Si became unsettled. Half her body leaned toward Muruo’s direction as she said, “You can’t say it like that. He killed people and indeed deserved to die, but ultimately it was for his Wen’er and his own child. If that Wen’er were you, I would do the same.”

Muruo gave her a look. “If you don’t speak, no one will think you’re mute.”

“I…”

“Shut up.”

Hmph!

Tang Si became sullen!

Ji Yunshu suddenly said in a deep voice, looking toward the door, “Tomorrow, we should be able to set out and return to the capital.”

“Are you worried about Wei Yi?” Jingrong asked.

“I don’t know how he is right now. If it really was Jing Yi who captured him, I hope he’ll be alright.” She inquired further, “Is there any news from the capital?”

“Not yet, but don’t worry—Wei Yi will be fine.”

That was all they could think!

That night, everyone related to this incident at the Marquis’s residence was imprisoned in Jingzhou Prison.

Many in the residence were implicated. Besides those dozen or so people who had been burned alive, there were over twenty more people.

There were young servants, maids, gatekeepers, and some residence soldiers.

This caused all of Jingzhou to begin discussing the affairs of the Marquis’s residence.

Some said it was related to that great fire at the Marquis’s residence that night!

Some said it was because of ghosts and spirits!

Others said that fire was set by Marquis Kang, who had gone mad!

…

All kinds of stories spread, rumors distorting the truth.

At this time, Marquis Kang had locked himself in his room for an entire night.

The sky had just brightened when the old steward brought in food.

He saw Marquis Kang sitting inside in an extremely dejected state, holding that blood-stained diary in his hands.

“Marquis, the matters in the residence have all been resolved. You should eat something.”

No response.

“Marquis, you should first…”

“Get out.”

The old steward looked troubled and could only leave.

But as soon as he stepped out carrying the items, he ran into Jingrong.

“Prince.”

“Where is the Marquis?”

“Inside.”

Jingrong nodded and went in.

The Marquis still sat there, flipping through the diary in his hands page by page.

Upon seeing Jingrong enter—

He said, “Back then, at the foot of Kunshan, I encountered Zhou Wen, who was about to starve to death. At that time he was only ten years old. I brought him back to the residence and gave him the name Zhou Wen. For these several decades, he’s always been by my side. I’ve always treated him as family. If back then he had told me that he and my wife were in love, I definitely would have helped them, and today’s various incidents would never have happened.”

Sighing deeply, filled with regret.

Jingrong stood silently in the center of the room, being a listener.

Marquis Kang sighed heavily.

He put down the blood-stained diary in his hands, slowly raised his head, and struggled to stand up. He walked in front of Jingrong.

“Since the matters in my residence have been investigated, I should also fulfill what I said and help the Prince return to the capital.”

Jingrong waited quietly for him to continue.

“Before the Prince came to Jingzhou City, you should have known about those people in the forest, right?”

“I know. Weren’t the Marquis’s people also in that forest for those people?” Jingrong pondered, “Could it be that this Prince’s return to the capital has some connection with those people?”

Marquis Kang nodded. He silently took out from his sleeve a brownish-yellow scroll and handed it to him, saying, “This is an edict left behind by the late Emperor.”

“The late Emperor’s edict?”

“That’s right, an edict issued by the late Emperor when he was alive.”

Huh?