“So it was you.”
The Empress’s naturally imposing face darkened, revealing her deep hatred for this criminal.
The culprit raised her head, her gaze fearlessly fixed on the Empress. “That’s right, it was me.”
As soon as these words were uttered, everyone present was surprised.
Even Zhuyan in the crowd nearly dropped her jaw to the ground. “This…”
Lu Chuichui tightly grasped Zhuyan’s trembling arm, his face full of confusion. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell again?”
“No.” Zhuyan didn’t know how to explain to Lu Chuichui. “How could this be? It’s Madam Tang!”
Lu Chuichui didn’t understand Zhuyan’s meaning, but he could guess about seventy or eighty percent from her shocked expression.
“Could it be that she’s not the culprit you had imagined?”
Zhuyan didn’t respond to Lu Chuichui’s words. She rubbed her brow. Lu Chuichui had limited involvement in this case and didn’t understand the details.
But Shen Du had been following the case’s progress. How could he…
Zhuyan couldn’t make sense of it. She quietly moved to Shen Du’s side and tugged at his sleeve.
Shen Du turned, seeing his wife sneaking up beside him like a thief. His serious face suddenly curved into a slight smile.
Seeing that Zhuyan had something to say to him, Shen Du glanced around, took a step back, and blended into the crowd with Zhuyan.
“What is it?” Shen Du lowered his voice, while Zhuyan stood on tiptoe and whispered in his ear, “Did you arrest the wrong person?”
Shen Du furrowed his brow slightly, and in the next moment understood Zhuyan’s thoughts. He explained to her, “I’m surprised too, but she is indeed the culprit.”
Zhuyan frowned deeply. “It’s unbelievable. Our guesses were all wrong. The culprit wasn’t in the Liang family, but Madam Tang.”
“In any case, the culprit has been caught. Your husband’s head is still firmly attached to his neck, so your wish to become a widow will have to be disappointed again.”
“Hmph…” Zhuyan glared at him and pouted.
This man, Shen Du, would feel uncomfortable if he didn’t tease her at least once a day.
She must have been blind. How could she have been infatuated with such a person when she was young?
Without dwelling on it further, Zhuyan turned her attention back to the case. The Empress personally presiding over this case surely meant that no one would dare to discuss it carelessly.
The culprit’s identity was even more surprising. Even the Ministry of Justice probably wouldn’t have the authority to handle this case.
Madam Tang’s status was unique. Although she was a widow, her husband had been no ordinary man.
Madam Tang had been married twice. After her first husband passed away, she married Tang Chengyi, the son of Tang Jian, one of the Twenty-Four Meritorious Officials. Tang Chengyi had also been her suitor.
Tang Chengyi was not only the descendant of a meritorious official, but he had also died for the country. The Empress was deeply saddened and subsequently granted him a posthumous title to ensure his family’s honor and prosperity.
Madam Tang was the primary beneficiary, and as the wife of a hero, it was understandable that her glory remained intact.
But what no one had expected was that this seemingly friendly and fragile woman would turn out to be the deranged killer who murdered people and dug out their hearts.
Inside the temple, in the Buddha hall, the Buddha statues stood solemn.
They had thought Madam Tang would be repenting before Buddha for her murders, but unexpectedly, she appeared righteous and showed no signs of regret.
Even so, Empress Zhou Zhao, as the ruler of the nation, could see the aura of death emanating from Madam Tang.
“Why did you do this?” the Empress asked, her authoritative voice echoing in the Buddha hall.
“Heh…” Madam Tang let out a cold laugh, clearly disdainful of the Empress’s question.
Seeing Madam Tang’s cold laugh, the Empress suddenly recalled some previous matters and turned her gaze to Princess Yong’an standing nearby.
“I remember you were quite close to this Madam Tang. Now that she’s the culprit in this murder case, does the Duke of Ying know any inside information?”
Hearing the question, Princess Yong’an’s face turned pale. She quickly knelt. “Mother Empress, please see clearly. Although I had some association with Madam Tang, I truly knew nothing about her murders. If I had known she was a murderer, I would never have been so close to her.”
“It has nothing to do with the Duke of Ying.”
Before the Empress could ask further, Madam Tang spoke up voluntarily. “Everything I did, the Duke of Ying knew nothing about. Her Highness was merely a close friend of mine. But even close friends don’t tell each other everything. The Duke is kind-hearted; if I had told her about these things, I’m afraid she would have been unable to bear it long ago.”
The Empress lowered her eyes slightly. Madam Tang’s words made some sense. Although the Duke of Ying was intelligent, she was timid and didn’t like to meddle in affairs.
It was understandable that she might not have known about this matter.
“If that’s the case, why did you kill so many people?”
The Empress’s question made Madam Tang’s expression change. She then shook her head and said, “I didn’t kill anyone. I captured Madam Shen and that male corpse only because my sect required it. Murder is a capital offense. Your Majesty, please don’t wrongly accuse me.”
“Amitabha.” Master Jingkong, the abbot of Ximing Temple, stepped forward. “Dead bodies have repeatedly appeared in this sacred Buddhist place, all related to you. I don’t know if it’s because our Buddhist disciples have offended you, or if you harbor hatred towards Buddhism. Why do you harm innocent people like this?”
“Bah!” Madam Tang was furious at Master Jingkong’s words, as if she harbored a deep resentment towards these matters of gods and Buddha. “Me, harming the innocent? I said I didn’t kill anyone, and that means I didn’t kill anyone. Even if you pin the crime of murder on me, I won’t admit to it. Haha… Moths flying into flames, living and dying in a day. I am an immortal being. None of you can kill me. You can’t kill me!”
Seeing Madam Tang shouting like a madwoman in the Buddha hall, everyone around wore grim expressions.
“It seems this Madam Tang won’t confess until she sees her own coffin,” Zhuyan muttered to herself, but her words were caught by Shen Du.
“What are you planning to do?” Shen Du asked, his instincts telling him that this woman was about to cause trouble again.
“Don’t you see Madam Tang spouting nonsense? She’s said everything except admitting to the murders. Right now, the only thing that can make her confess is evidence and deduction. Are you going to step up, or should I?”
“…” Shen Du was speechless. The court was complex, and he didn’t want Zhuyan to get involved. Couldn’t this woman see that?
As the situation seemed to be reaching a stalemate and the Empress’s face grew increasingly dark, with Lai Luo itching to act, Shen Du remained motionless. Zhuyan took the initiative to step forward.
“You say you didn’t kill anyone. Then how do you explain the appearances of those dead women?”
Hearing these words, everyone turned their attention to Zhuyan. Even the Empress furrowed her brow as she looked over.
Lu Chuichui was so frightened that he retreated behind the crowd to serve as cannon fodder, not daring to have any connection with the bold Zhuyan.
Shen Du also clenched his fists. This woman was too reckless. Was this the time for her to show off?
The Empress had no impression of Zhuyan and was slightly confused by her appearance. “And who might this be…?”