Chapter 367: Zhong Shan Forces the Culprit to Reveal Himself

Chapter 367: Chapter 367: Zhong Shan Forces the Culprit to Reveal Himself

Ying Ning's soul had vanished. She could no longer clarify the matter for Princess Qian You, nor could she testify for Zhong Shan. Yet, Zhong Shan wasn't anxious—in fact, he was quite satisfied.

For Zhong Shan had already determined the true culprit: Marquis Qi Tian. Moreover, with Ying Ning's recent appearance, Marquis Qi Tian's composure had been thoroughly disrupted.

Once the rhythm is disturbed, the heart follows, leading to a chaotic mind. And now, it was time to draw him into Zhong Shan's own rhythm.

"Your Majesty, esteemed members of the Gu clan, and honorable ministers, please direct your attention to this Fengshen Bow and Fengshen Arrow!" Zhong Shan declared, grasping the green Fengshen Bow and Arrow.

Everyone's eyes turned towards him.

"These are the murder weapons in the Ying Ning case—the Fengshen Bow and Fengshen Arrow. Just now, Marquis Qi Tian claimed that Princess Qian You used them to kill Ying Ning. If so, how did she bring them into the mansion? On that day, the mansion was crowded with guests. Who saw Princess Qian You carrying such a bow and arrow?" Zhong Shan asked, scanning the crowd.

No one responded; all remained silent.

"The Fengshen Bow and Arrow are ninth-grade treasures imbued with spirit. Treasures containing spirits cannot be stored in spatial rings. Princess Qian You has only just reached the Emperor Extreme Realm, as many are aware. In such a short time, it would be impossible for her to refine and merge these treasures into her body. Therefore, it is absolutely certain that the bow and arrow were not carried by Princess Qian You," Zhong Shan stated with conviction.

The ministers nodded in agreement, and the Gu clan members on the periphery also acknowledged Zhong Shan's words. Indeed, what Zhong Shan said made sense.

"Haha, if Princess Qian You didn't bring the bow and arrow into the mansion, perhaps they were hidden there before? Or maybe someone else brought them in?" Marquis Qi Tian countered swiftly, evidently realizing the flaw in his previous accusation against Princess Qian You.

"Hidden in the mansion before? Princess Qian You hadn't visited Ying Ning's mansion for years prior to the incident. Over several years, no one found such a conspicuous bow and arrow hidden in the mansion? Brought in by someone else? I've reviewed the list of gifts from that day. Only one person delivered a large package to Lady Ying Ning, and that was Lord Ma Zhuiyi," Zhong Shan explained.

"Zhong Shan, how dare you slander me! I was the first to discover the crime scene. How could it possibly be me?" Ma Zhuiyi exclaimed, his eyes widening in panic.

"Perhaps you conspired with Princess Qian You?" Marquis Qi Tian quickly turned to shift the blame, seizing the opportunity to sacrifice Ma Zhuiyi to sustain his own narrative. As long as Princess Qian You was convicted, he had no qualms about throwing Ma Zhuiyi under the bus—even though Ma Zhuiyi was his uncle.

"Marquis Qi Tian, you—!" Ma Zhuiyi glared in outrage.

"It wasn't Lord Ma Zhuiyi. His package contained five ice toads for Lady Ying Ning's pets, and it hasn't been unwrapped to this day. Moreover, the package wasn't large enough to contain a bow as tall as a person. The Fengshen Bow is simply too long," Zhong Shan interjected, dismissing the accusation.

"Thank you, Lord Zhong Shan!" Ma Zhuiyi expressed his profound gratitude towards Zhong Shan. In the midst of this court confrontation, with the Emperor presiding over the judgment, any adverse outcome could spell his doom. He had never imagined his own nephew would accuse him at such a critical moment.

Marquis Qi Tian's mind was in turmoil, his previous calmness entirely vanished. Now, he was filled with an overwhelming agitation, with one singular goal in mind: to ensure Princess Qian You's conviction, no matter the cost.

The ministers watched in silence, finding the case increasingly complex and baffling. The charges against Princess Qian You seemed to grow more tenuous by the moment, especially since the Fengshen Bow and Arrow were clearly not brought in by her. Rread latest chapters at novelhall.com

"If Lord Ma Zhuiyi didn't bring them in, then how did the Fengshen Bow and Arrow end up in Ying Ning's mansion?" Marquis Qi Tian demanded, fixing his gaze on Zhong Shan.

"The Fengshen Bow was already in the mansion, just as Princess Qian You stated, it was brought out by Ying Ning. As for the Fengshen Arrow, it was naturally kept by the real murderer," Zhong Shan asserted with utmost confidence.

"Haha! When Qian You's biological father died, Ying Ning was only three years old. Are you saying that a three-year-old Ying Ning had the ability to hide the Fengshen Bow?" Marquis Qi Tian retorted, staring at Zhong Shan.

"The Fengshen Bow wasn't obtained by Ying Ning back then; it was given to her by the murderer," Zhong Shan responded, fixing his gaze on Marquis Qi Tian.

Under Zhong Shan's scrutinizing eyes, an inexplicable panic seized Marquis Qi Tian's heart. But having endured the earlier ordeal with Ying Ning's soul, he wasn't about to be cowed by Zhong Shan's gaze now.

"You keep harping on the murderer. If it's not Qian You, then who do you think the real culprit is?" Marquis Qi Tian demanded, taking a deep breath to steady himself.

"The murderer is—" Zhong Shan's voice drew out, echoing through the hall as he surveyed the court from side to side.

As Zhong Shan's words hung in the air, almost everyone felt their hearts tighten with anticipation. Finally, the moment of revelation was at hand.

Marquis Qi Tian, seeing Zhong Shan's deliberate pace, swallowed nervously. Anxiety gnawed at him; who was Zhong Shan going to accuse? As the real culprit, Marquis Qi Tian desperately wanted the matter settled, his heart clamoring for an end to this tension.

Zhong Shan's gaze swept across the room, then abruptly fixed on Marquis Qi Tian as he thundered, "You, Marquis Qi Tian!"

"The Eight Immortals Brew? On that day, the mansion's banquet had all kinds of drinks, but not the Eight Immortals Brew," Zhong Shan said, narrowing his eyes.

Marquis Qi Tian's face froze. Panic surged within him.

In reality, if Qi Tian had been calm, he could simply have claimed to have brought the wine himself. But his mental clarity was already stretched thin.

"Did you bring it yourself?" Zhong Shan asked again.

"Yes, I brought it myself. I was drinking my own wine," Marquis Qi Tian replied hastily, almost fearfully, as if afraid of not responding in time. His thoughts were completely ensnared by Zhong Shan.

"Why did you bring the Eight Immortals Brew? Did you know the banquet wouldn't have it, or do you have a habit of bringing your own wine to parties?" Zhong Shan asked relentlessly.

"I, I, I... Why should I answer that?" Marquis Qi Tian finally seemed to muster some resistance, his voice tinged with anger.

"Indeed, why should you answer? Making a fool of yourself!" Zhong Shan mocked, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Zhong Shan, you...!" Marquis Qi Tian glared at Zhong Shan, his anger and anxiety palpable.

"And you're sweating even more!" Zhong Shan remarked, his face displaying an almost innocent curiosity as he pointed to the sweat streaming down Qi Tian's face.

Qi Tian instinctively wiped his face, panic written all over his features.

"You've been burning incense at Ying Ning's shrine every day. Did she visit you in your dreams? What did she say to you?" Zhong Shan continued his relentless questioning.

Unable to bear it any longer, Marquis Qi Tian turned desperately to the Emperor. "Your Majesty, I...!"

"Please, finish your story first. Everyone's eager to hear. What exactly were you doing at noon that day?" Zhong Shan cut in with a sly grin, steering the conversation back.

"I already told you! I was drinking at the Western Pavilion!" Qi Tian shouted, his fear causing him to nearly scream. His chest heaved with anxiety as he fixed his eyes on Zhong Shan, feeling more cornered than ever.

Zhong Shan shook his head. "I wasn't talking about the noon on the day she was killed. I meant the day before!"

Without thinking, Qi Tian, in his agitated state, blurted out, "The day before she was killed, at noon, I was...!"

A collective gasp echoed through the hall.

"Whaaaaaa..."

"Whaaaaaa..."

"Whaaaaaa..."

The court erupted into chaos. Officials and members of the Gu clan alike were astounded, their voices filling the room with shocked whispers and exclamations. Qi Tian had admitted it? He had confessed to killing Ying Ning? The specifics of what he had been doing the day before noon became irrelevant; what mattered was that he had acknowledged killing Ying Ning. He had killed his own sister, right in front of the Gu clan and the entire court.

As soon as Qi Tian spoke, Zhong Shan's face grew solemn—he had succeeded. Without wasting a moment, he grabbed the green Wind God Bow and Wind God Arrow beside him.

Qi Tian stood there, frozen mid-sentence, his mind unable to process what had just happened.

"The day before she was killed?"

"The day before she was killed?"

"The day before she was killed?"

How could he have said that? How could he have admitted it?

The truth had been exposed, and it had come straight from his own mouth.