allonlinenovel Chapter 104 The Truth Behind the Arson at Fanghua Pavilion
Chapter 104 The Truth Behind the Arson at Fanghua Pavilion
When Lüqiao had the food brought up, it took another hour for the couple to come out of the dormitory.
Cheng Yan was quite frank, while Qin Yizhen, though pretending to be calm, had a slightly flushed face and didn't dare to look at anyone.
After the food was reheated and served, Cheng Yan had just ladled half a bowl of silverfish soup for Qin Yizhen when Granny Jin delivered a letter:
“Song Nian from the outer courtyard sent this over, saying it was for the Marquis and the Princess to see.”
"Show me?" Qin Yi was surprised and was about to reach for it when Cheng Yan pushed her hand away. "Aren't you hungry? Eat something first, and I'll tell you what I've seen."
Qin Yizhen hadn't eaten anything since returning from the lantern festival last night, and she was indeed hungry. Hearing this, she didn't force him, and instead drank the silver fish soup from the bowl with the painted golden lotus, letting him look at it first.
Cheng Yan took out the letter, quickly read through what was written, and then frowned.
"what happened?"
"This is news from the Dali Temple. The results of the arson attack on Fanghua Pavilion are in."
Although Zhang Hui had a death wish, the punishments at the Dali Temple were so severe that he felt like he was dying. After two nights of enduring the torture, he finally relented.
"who is it?"
"You recognize this person too? He is the King of Xiliangze, Liang Xize."
"Liang Xize?" Qin Yizhen frowned deeply, and even the silverfish soup she had made with chicken and ham today didn't taste good anymore. "How could it be him?"
“A few days ago you spilled a cup of tea on him at Wanshi Tower. My men and the men from the Court of State Ceremonial beat him up and threw him into the Ministry of Justice prison for three days. Naturally, he held a grudge.”
"Fanghua Pavilion and Yachun Pavilion had a conflict, so he thought of taking the opportunity to take revenge and use Zhang Hui to frame you and Huizhen."
Qin Yizhen sensed something was amiss: "How could Zhang Hui possibly agree? Did Liang Xize offer Zhang Hui some kind of benefit?"
It should be noted that at the time there was no concrete evidence pointing to Qin Yizhen and Princess Huizhen. If Zhang Hui wanted to smear them, the only way was to die, leaving Qin Yizhen and Princess Huizhen unable to defend themselves and unable to clear their names.
"Liang Xize promised that if things went well, he would send the younger generation of the Zhang family to Xiliang. Zhang Hui was naturally willing to risk his life for the sake of his family's descendants."
Empress Dowager Cheng, Cheng Yan, and the Cheng and Zhang families are mortal enemies. Even if the two of them don't take action themselves, there are plenty of people who will suppress them and curry favor with Empress Dowager Cheng and Cheng Yan. They can even bully them however they want now that they have fallen out of favor with the higher-ups.
In just four years, the Zhang family has gone from being a once glorious mansion of a high-ranking official to a pariah, with Zhang Hui, the son of a high-ranking official, reduced to working as a shop assistant to make a living.
It can be said that as long as Empress Dowager Cheng and Cheng Yan are alive, the Zhang family will never have a chance to rise again.
With no hope for the future, all that remains is to have one's bones crushed and trampled into the mud, a life worse than death.
Zhang Hui wanted to use his life to exchange for a future for the younger generation of the Zhang family, to leave Dongqin and start anew in Xiliang. He wanted revenge, he wanted the Zhang family to stand in this world again, and never again live this inhuman, ghostly life.
Qin Yizhen remained silent for a long while after hearing this.
Cheng Yan gripped the letter tightly, his chin slightly tense: "Don't you think my sister and I are too ruthless and heartless?"
"How could that be?" Qin Yizhen immediately shook her head. "In this world, good deeds always lead to good results, and bad deeds lead to bad results. It is because the Zhang family is backing her that she can so recklessly harm your mother."
How vicious Zhang was! When Lady Mingguo gave birth to Cheng Yan, she made the midwife push the newborn child into the womb until Lady Mingguo bled to death. Lady Mingguo suffered endless pain and torment in her death, and died with her eyes wide open in disbelief.
Empress Dowager Cheng was held down by Zhang's men and forced to watch the entire process from the sidelines.
Empress Dowager Cheng and Cheng Yan harbored deep hatred for the Cheng family, the Zhang family, and even the Zhang family as a whole. Now that the tables have turned and Empress Dowager Cheng and Cheng Yan have gained power, they want to avenge their mother. It is the Zhang family that has received its just deserts.
and......
“You and the Empress Dowager are my closest relatives. I am heartbroken that you and Lady Ming have suffered so much. If the Cheng and Zhang families were not already in such dire straits that I had no way to deal with them, I would have kicked them a few times to avenge you.”
"You say I am kind and tolerant towards people, but that would never include my enemies. As for my enemies, I would like to get rid of them as soon as possible and eliminate them completely."
For example, Fang Shixin.
She also wished she could just kill the person.
Cheng Yan felt his heart gradually warming up, a warm feeling as if the March sunshine had dispelled all the gloom in his heart.
His grip on the envelope tightened slightly: "Really?"
Qin Yizhen found it absurd: "How could this be fake? Do you think I would sympathize with them? Do I look like a fool?"
"It's quite similar."
"Cheng Yan!"
"Alright, alright, I misspoke. My wife will naturally share my hatred and will only feel sorry for me."
Qin Yizhen snorted and reluctantly let him go: "There's just one thing I don't understand. I remember Liang Xize and Fang Shixin had a good relationship, right? They were even said to be friends. How could Liang Xize possibly have someone set fire to Fanghua Pavilion?"
Cheng Yan scoffed at this and picked up a piece of bamboo shoot with his chopsticks to give her: "There are millions of people in the world. The princess is kind and tolerant, but she also has a clear sense of right and wrong. However, some people are evil to the core."
"Take Liang Xize for example. When he was still in Xiliang, he was favored by the Liang Emperor and didn't care about human life at all. Countless innocent people died at his hands."
“When Xiliang sent him as a hostage, I had the people of the Court of State Ceremonies tell the Xiliang envoy that if he dared to cause a death in Dongqin, Dongqin would chop him up and feed him to the dogs.”
"Let alone burning down Fanghua Pavilion, he would dare to kill Fang Shixin if necessary."
Qin Yizhen felt a chill run down her spine as she listened, and asked him again, "How will the Dali Temple handle this matter? By the way, shouldn't Miss Fang know about this?"
"That day she swore that it was my elder sister and I who wanted to harm her, and that we should compensate Fanghua Pavilion for its losses. Now that the truth is in front of her, do you think she and Liang Xize will become enemies?"
"If the two of them were to fight like dogs, it would be quite a spectacle."
Qin Yizhen narrowed her eyes slightly at the thought of that scene, filled with anticipation.
Moreover, if Fang Shixin and Liang Xize become enemies, they probably won't join forces again in the future, so is Cheng Yan's tribulation over?
"Cheng Yan, could you send someone to tell this aggrieved party?"
Cheng Yan reached out and pinched her cheek, amused, "Don't rush, don't rush. This matter concerns Liang Xize, and the Dali Temple probably has other arrangements. When the time is right, they will naturally inform Fang Shixin."
"You just need to wait and see the show."
Upon hearing this, Qin Yizhen also felt that it made sense. Fortunately, she was quite patient and could wait.
"Then I will wait. I hope Miss Fang will not disappoint me."