His words were crude but sincere, unlike some people who say one thing but do another.

Fu Tingyun’s nose tingled with emotion as she smiled and said, “I was just worrying about what to do if Zuo Junjie wouldn’t cooperate. Fortunately, Uncle Yang has given me a good suggestion!”

Yang Yucheng and Jin Yuanbao were stunned, both staring at Fu Tingyun.

Fu Tingyun’s gaze was clear and bright, her expression serious and sincere, making it obvious to anyone that she meant what she said.

The two men couldn’t help but exchange smiles.

Zuo Junjie, whose head was buzzing from Yang Yucheng’s slaps, had a face swollen like a steamed bun as he curled up and moaned.

Yang Yucheng stepped forward and kicked him several times. “Stop your nonsense and get up to answer questions.”

Zuo Junjie stiffened his neck and called out, “Fu Tingyun…”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Yang Yucheng delivered several kicks.

Zuo Junjie was in so much pain that he broke out in a cold sweat, begging repeatedly, “Stop hitting me, stop hitting me, I won’t dare again, I won’t dare again…”

“You have no shame,” Yang Yucheng spat on his face. “If my sister-in-law didn’t need to question you, do you think you’d still be breathing?” After saying this, he placed his foot on Zuo Junjie’s face and ground it in. “Speak properly. If you dare say anything out of line again, I’ll let you taste what a real beating is!”

The rough sand and stones of the cellar floor scraped against Zuo Junjie’s face, leaving several shallow and deep bloody marks that stung him.

Zuo Junjie opened his eyes wide, staring fixedly at Fu Tingyun.

Fu Tingyun merely smiled faintly, her expression revealing a hint of disdain. “Zuo Junjie, why did you frame me?”

“I didn’t frame you,” Zuo Junjie glared at Fu Tingyun, a flash of venom in his eyes. “The undergarment was a gift from you, nothing more than ‘a gentleman yearns for a beautiful lady’… If you don’t want others to know, I’ll keep my mouth sealed. Why do you say I framed you?”

Fu Tingyun’s face turned red with anger.

Yang Yucheng stepped forward to kick him again.

But Fu Tingyun stopped him.

She coldly looked at Zuo Junjie. “Do you know that because of you, Mo Xiang died, Zhe Liu died, Jian Cao died, and even Xue Rong, who hadn’t been properly named yet, died! Yet until now, you still don’t think you’ve done anything wrong, still carelessly slandering others. How could our Fu family have raised such a disgrace?”

“Why would the Fu family raise a disgrace like me? You should ask your uncle.” Zuo Junjie’s mouth twitched, a trace of mockery appearing on his face. “If not for the sake of maintaining a reputation for chastity, would your Fu family have provided for my food and clothing? Would they have supported my education? Stop being hypocritical here. What the Fu family gave me wasn’t even one-tenth of what my elder sister sacrificed. You don’t need to use that condescending tone. This was what I deserved, what my elder sister exchanged with her entire life.”

“As for the deaths of those maids, was it because of me? It was because of you! If you hadn’t been so proud of your status and refused to marry me, how would these people have been implicated and met with such misfortune? When you accuse me, shouldn’t you also reflect on yourself?”

Looking at Zuo Junjie, who was so completely distorting the truth, Fu Tingyun felt anything else she might say would be superfluous.

Yu Wei, however, couldn’t help but jump out, pointing at him and cursing, “You’re truly shameless!”

“I’m speaking with your young mistress. When did a lowly maid like you get the right to interrupt?” Zuo Junjie snorted coldly. “Has your young mistress fallen so low that she can’t even maintain these basic proprieties?”

“You bastard!” Yu Wei stepped forward, ready to fight with him. “How dare you insult the madam…”

“Yu Wei,” Fu Tingyun called to her, “when someone has no shame, they’ll do anything. He’s already lost his dignity; anything you say to him is useless.”

Yu Wei looked at Zuo Junjie’s face, which showed no remorse, and stomped her foot in frustration before turning away.

Fu Tingyun then asked him, “Zuo Junjie, have you made up your mind not to talk?”

“I’ve said everything I should. What else do you want me to say?” Zuo Junjie laughed coldly. “Do you want me to help you frame someone else? Unfortunately, I, Zuo Junjie, am not that kind of person. You’ve miscalculated!”

“How glib you are!” Fu Tingyun sneered. “But it’s you who has miscalculated! Don’t think that if you don’t talk, I have no options. Don’t forget, my cousin’s wife is still in the Fu family! And I heard from people at home that my aunt was very angry that my cousin’s wife secretly released you, so she made her move to Tingxiang Pavilion in the back garden. You grew up in the Fu family, so you should be familiar with Tingxiang Pavilion. It’s surrounded by water on three sides, cold and damp in winter, plagued by mosquitoes in summer, and even the more respectable elderly servants wouldn’t live there…”

Zuo Junjie remained unmoved.

Fu Tingyun felt someone tugging at her sleeve.

She looked over to see Jin Yuanbao watching her.

“What is it?” she asked softly.

Jin Yuanbao hesitated, his lips quivering before finally murmuring, “Sister-in-law, this Zuo Junjie is heartless and unprincipled. No matter how you question him, I’m afraid it will be difficult to get anything out of him. I think we should try a different approach…”

“A different approach?” Fu Tingyun asked, puzzled. “What kind of approach?”

Jin Yuanbao and Yang Yucheng exchanged glances, their faces showing some embarrassment as Jin said softly, “Perhaps… perhaps we should use torture…” As he spoke, he carefully observed her reaction.

Fu Tingyun felt a warmth in her heart.

They wanted to help her, knowing she was using the wrong method, yet fearing they might leave her with an impression of cruelty. That’s why they were so hesitant. But despite this, they ultimately chose the method that would be best for her.

Without the slightest hesitation, she immediately said, “Then let’s do as you suggest—use torture!”

Jin Yuanbao and Yang Yucheng brightened, saying, “The cellar is cramped and small. Please, sister-in-law, go upstairs and rest. Whatever you want to ask, just tell us, and we’ll handle it.”

They were so considerate of her that she felt she couldn’t retreat now.

Besides, this was her matter.

Fu Tingyun gathered her courage: “Let’s question him together!”

“How can we allow that?” Yang Yucheng urgently objected.

But Jin Yuanbao pondered briefly and said, “Alright, let’s interrogate Zuo Junjie together!”

“Jin Yuanbao!” Yang Yucheng glared at Jin Yuanbao with displeasure.

Jin Yuanbao solemnly said, “Capturing Zuo Junjie is just the beginning. There are some things we can help sister-in-law with, but others she must face alone. Through this experience, the sister-in-law can also build her courage.”

Yang Yucheng said nothing more.

Fu Tingyun was filled with gratitude.

Yang Yucheng thought for a moment, then went to get a bench and a pair of pliers before coming back down. He reattached Zuo Junjie to the bench.

When Jin Yuanbao had pulled at Fu Tingyun’s clothes, Zuo Junjie’s heart had already begun to race.

He knew that, having fallen into Fu Tingyun’s hands, he couldn’t expect a good outcome.

But judging from Fu Tingyun’s dress, where she lived, and her manner of speaking and acting, Jin Yuanbao and Yang Yucheng were probably men who worked for her husband. His only chance now was to deny everything and hope that Jin Yuanbao and Yang Yucheng would repeat his words to her husband, making him suspicious of her and causing her to lose her husband’s support… then he would have confidence in escaping.

Zuo Junjie strained his ears, trying hard to hear what they were saying. Unfortunately, Yu Wei and A Sen were blocking his view, and they were speaking too softly for him to hear anything.

When he saw Yang Yucheng return with iron pliers, he immediately sensed trouble. When Yang Yucheng tied him to the bench, this feeling became even stronger.

He couldn’t help but struggle: “What are you doing? Let me go! Don’t be deceived by this woman Fu Tingyun…”

Hearing this, Yang Yucheng slapped Zuo Junjie’s face hard, making it immediately turn bright red. “I told you, answer only what my sister-in-law asks. If you don’t answer well, I’ll show you what a beating means.” As he spoke, he smiled somewhat carelessly and said, “Now I’m preparing to beat you!”

That smile, along with the strange way he was tied up, made Zuo Junjie panic.

“No, no, no!” he cried out in terror. “Everything I said is true, I’m not lying…”

“I never said you were lying,” Yang Yucheng raised his eyebrows, looking at him with a “you’re an idiot” expression, then picked up the iron pliers and snipped them in the air a couple of times.

Zuo Junjie felt a chill run down his spine.

Yang Yucheng had already smiled and said, “Sister-in-law, you can start asking now.”

Fu Tingyun didn’t know what he was planning to do, but since he said she could begin, it meant he was ready.

“Zuo Junjie!” she frowned. “I’ll ask you one more time, why did you frame me?”

Zuo Junjie looked at the iron pliers in Yang Yucheng’s hand and hesitated for a moment.

If he changed his story now, wouldn’t that prove he had been lying?

Zuo Junjie gritted his teeth and said, “I didn’t frame you…”

Before he could finish, Yang Yucheng crouched down, grabbed his hand, and with a “snap,” cut off the tip of his little finger.

The fingers are connected to the heart.

Zuo Junjie let out an agonizing scream.

Fu Tingyun had never witnessed such a scene. Her heart raced, and she couldn’t help but close her eyes. Then, remembering her earlier determination, she immediately opened them again, though she dared not look at Zuo Junjie’s hand.

Yu Wei’s face turned deathly pale as she trembled and held onto Fu Tingyun’s arm.

However, Yang Yucheng, Jin Yuanbao, and A Sen remained composed. Yang Yucheng even said calmly, “I’ve heard that without a thumb, one can’t write. I wonder if that’s true?”

“Don’t cut off my thumb, don’t cut off my thumb!” Zuo Junjie was so frightened that he kept begging for mercy.

“Then hurry up and answer my sister-in-law’s question!” Yang Yucheng exploded, standing up and stomping on his back. “Let me tell you, people without thumbs may not be able to write, but at least they can still walk. But if I crush your spine, you’d better be prepared to spend the rest of your life lying in bed for all your needs!” As he spoke, he pressed down hard with the toe of his foot.

Zuo Junjie screamed miserably.

“I’ll talk, I’ll talk!” He was like a drowned dog, completely losing the confidence he had earlier. “This matter wasn’t my doing. It was the eldest young master Yu, that’s the top scholar Yu Jingxiu from the Jiaxu examination year. He asked me to do it.”

Fu Tingyun stood there in shock.

Yang Yucheng and Jin Yuanbao looked at each other in bewilderment.

“You’re lying,” Yu Wei shrieked. “How could it be, Young Master Yu? How could it possibly be Young Master Yu?”

Yang Yucheng crouched down again, but before he could do anything, Zuo Junjie cried out harshly, “It’s true, it’s true! Young Master Yu wanted to break off the engagement with the ninth miss. His family elders would never agree to it. He had no choice but to think of this method. And he also promised that after the plan succeeded, he would ensure I passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi…”