Wu Shi suddenly gripped her handkerchief tightly and lowered her eyes, saying, “I don’t know who Sanniang is referring to? We… our whole family is safe and sound…”

Zhao Hanzhang sneered and called out toward the ancestral hall, “Bring the physician forward.”

Zeng Yue pushed open the ancestral hall doors and had someone lead the physician inside.

Zhao Ji and the others waiting outside immediately recognized the physician—he was their family’s doctor who had been treating the Zhao family for years.

During the chaos in the capital back then, he had also fled, but later found his way back on his own. In these difficult times, following the Zhao family offered at least a thread of hope for survival.

Over two years ago, he had been the first to examine Zhao Hezhen after her fall from the horse.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t seen Zhao Sanniang in over two years. The young lady who had once been steady yet also somewhat cunning had now grown up, more imposing and domineering than before. The physician only lifted his head to glance at her once before kneeling down, honestly keeping his head lowered as he responded.

“Tell her about my injuries when I was carried home.”

The physician stated truthfully: “At that time, Third Young Lady seemed to have injured her head. When she was brought back, she had stopped breathing at one point. This humble one thought Third Young Lady wouldn’t survive.”

Wu Shi’s face turned deathly pale.

Zhao Hanzhang looked into her eyes and said, “I was already dead at that time.”

Wu Shi was so frightened that her hands and feet went weak, and she immediately collapsed to the ground.

Zhao Hanzhang crouched down, looking directly into her eyes and said, “I went to the underworld, lingering at the entrance, unwilling to move on. My heart was filled with resentment. First Aunt, Grandfather had long chosen First Uncle as his heir. Erlang is simple-minded and could never inherit the Zhao clan. Our main branch had already retreated again and again—why wouldn’t you let us go?”

“I, I didn’t…”

“In my unwillingness, I suddenly came back to life,” Zhao Hanzhang smiled at her and said, “As you can see, heaven never closes all doors. When it blocks one path for me, it always opens a window elsewhere unexpectedly. After coming back to life, I understood many things.”

“But what’s been done cannot be erased. First Aunt is also well-versed in poetry and classics—you should understand the principle of repaying grievances with justice, shouldn’t you?”

Wu Shi trembled as she spoke: “No, it wasn’t me. It was, it was First Sister. She had a lapse in judgment and wanted to play a trick on you siblings. She never meant to harm your lives. You, you should spare her…”

Zhao Hanzhang couldn’t help but laugh out loud. She turned her head toward the tightly closed ancestral hall doors: “Big Sister, did you hear that? First Aunt says you were the mastermind.”

Zeng Yue pushed open the door. Outside, Zhao Hewan had collapsed on the ground, looking at her mother inside the ancestral hall with utter disbelief.

Wu Shi avoided her gaze, trembling lips unable to speak.

Zhao Ji couldn’t help but become angry: “Zhao Hezhen, what exactly are you trying to do? Wu Shi is your elder, and First Sister is your older sister!”

Zhao Hanzhang stood up, glancing at him with contempt and saying, “First Uncle, in this household, anyone has the right to speak before me—except you.”

“You, you’re simply arrogant!”

Zhao Hanzhang sneered: “It seems Great-Uncle has protected First Uncle very well indeed, to the point where he hasn’t heard the gossip from outside. Otherwise, how would you dare open your mouth before me?”

“On the southern flight, you abandoned our main branch and fled, discarding Grandfather’s coffin—this matter is known throughout the land. You must know this, surely? Ever since you inherited the title of Earl of Shangcai, the court has never summoned you. Do you think you know why?”

Zhao Ji’s face instantly turned as pale as snow. “You, you…”

“Third Sister,” Zhao Yi stepped forward, blocking his father and sisters, and asked, “What do you intend by calling us here today?”

“I seek to know the truth. I seek to right the wrongs,” Zhao Hanzhang looked at this young man who was only a few months older than her and said, “Some matters must be debated to be clarified, must be sorted to be understood.”

Zhao Hanzhang turned back to look at Wu Shi kneeling on the ground and sneered: “Although First Uncle is foolish and incompetent, he is extremely cowardly. As long as my grandfather lived, there would always be a mountain pressing down on him. He would never dare scheme against my and Erlang’s lives.”

Even Zhao Zhongyu had lived in Zhao Changyu’s shadow, let alone Zhao Ji.

After Zhao Zhi’s death, Zhao Changyu had intentionally cultivated Zhao Ji. Although he ultimately didn’t succeed, Zhao Ji had indeed been tutored by Zhao Changyu, spending no less time at his side than with Zhao Zhongyu.

Therefore, he feared this great-uncle even more than Zhao Zhongyu did, and he likewise understood Zhao Changyu well. If he dared make a move against Zhao Hezhen and Zhao Erlang, Zhao Changyu would rather select another heir from the clan than pass the title to him.

So Zhao Ji truly had been unaware of that incident at the time.

It was precisely because of this that Zhao Changyu had been willing to minimize the matter back then, because Zhao Zhongyu, Zhao Ji, and even Zhao Yi had all been ignorant—it was something that had erupted from the inner chambers.

Zhao Changyu had resented Wu Shi, but he blamed Wang Shi even more. He felt this daughter-in-law couldn’t even properly watch over her own children, so at the time he had directed his anger at Wang Shi.

Zhao Changyu would blame Wang Shi, but Zhao Hanzhang would not—that was her mother!

Zhao Hanzhang said, “It doesn’t matter if First Aunt won’t admit it. In judging a case, besides the criminal’s confession, witnesses’ testimony is even more important. Someone, bring them up.”

Zeng Yue personally went down, and shortly after, he dragged three people up.

Seeing who was being dragged up, Wu Shi, Zhao Hewan, and Zhao Hewen all cried out in alarm.

Fanggu, the most capable steward at Wu Shi’s side and also her dowry servant; Caiyun and Caiyu were respectively the maids serving Zhao Hewan and Zhao Hewen. Just moments ago when they had come to the ancestral hall, everyone had been fine, merely left outside the courtyard. In such a short time, all three were covered in blood, looking terrifyingly gruesome.

Especially Fanggu—there wasn’t a trace of blood color on her face. She appeared to have more breath going out than coming in.

The three were thrown outside the ancestral hall doors, directly facing Wu Shi inside the hall.

Wu Shi was so frightened she shuffled backward several steps, but her back suddenly hit the altar table, making her even more panicked. “You, how could you privately torture them…”

Zhao Hanzhang paid her no mind. She walked before the three and said, “Speak.”

All three trembled violently without opening their mouths.

Zhao Hanzhang crouched before Fanggu, using her handkerchief to cushion her fingers as she lifted the woman’s chin. Seeing her face white as paper, she chuckled: “Unwilling to speak with me? Then shall I have the one who just administered the torture come up to ask?”

She said gently, “Although I only know how to kill with a single stroke of the blade, I have many talented and capable people under my command. Among them is one extremely skilled in torture methods. He can hook out a person’s tendons, stretch them out long, and the person will still remain conscious and alive. I also have skilled physicians in my army. I can guarantee that after he’s used one hundred and eight torture methods on you, you’ll still be alive and well.”

Fanggu trembled all over, tears streaming down.

The entire Zhao family, old and young, were thoroughly frightened. Even the usually confident Zhao Ji stood there with trembling legs, saying nothing.

“I, I’ll speak…” Fanggu held back her tears, about to confess.

But Zhao Hanzhang placed her finger before the woman’s lips and said, “But think carefully before you answer. Whether what you say is truth or lies, I can distinguish. I don’t have just you three as witnesses. Since I dared come directly to First Aunt and confront you all, naturally I already know the entire truth.”