Princess, something terrible has happened! The prince consort has attempted suicide again!

Not long after.

Zhang Xiaomeng, leading a group of disguised Imperial Guards, escorted Liu Wanfu, whose mouth was full of blood, and brought them to a steady stop in front of the Marquis of Yongwu's residence.

Zhang San, a servant on duty at the gate, peeked out when he heard the noise and saw more than a dozen people blocking the gate. His heart skipped a beat.

Upon recognizing Zhang Xiaomeng as the leader, he instantly straightened his back, losing all his former awe, and raised his head, displaying the arrogant demeanor of a servant.

"Young Master... no! You were expelled from the Marquis's mansion long ago, yet you dare to return to cause trouble? Are you asking for a beating!"

Zhang Xiaomeng didn't even bother to lift his eyelids, his tone indifferent and cold:

"Break his legs and throw him far away."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Imperial Guards behind him stepped forward.

Click!

With a sharp crack followed by a piercing scream, Zhang San was kicked to the ground. The excruciating pain from his broken leg caused him to roll around on the ground, howling incessantly.

Passersby on the street stopped and stared at the sight.

No one expected that the deposed heir who had been driven out of the Marquis's mansion would actually lead his men back to kill his way back.

"Who dares to be so insolent in front of the Marquis's mansion!"

Upon hearing the commotion, all the guards inside the mansion rushed out, their momentum fierce.

But when they saw that it was Zhang Xiaomeng, they were all stunned, and no one dared to make a move rashly.

Zhang Dongda, the head of the guards, frowned and said in a deep voice, "Young Master, please leave immediately. We do not wish to cause you any trouble."

Zhang Xiaomeng knew that he was an old man from the Marquis's mansion, loyal and upright, and one of the few people in the mansion who had treated him sincerely in the past.

Therefore, he softened his tone slightly and said, "Uncle Zhang, call Liu Ru out."

"I cannot comply." Zhang Dongda shook his head slightly. "You have been removed from the Marquis's list and have no right to issue orders."

Zhang Quan, a young guard who had long disliked Zhang Xiaomeng, seized the opportunity to step forward and shout at him.

"Why waste words with a discarded pawn! Daring to gather a crowd and besiege the Marquis's residence, seize him and hand him over to the Marquis for punishment!"

This person has always been attached to the second young master Zhang Ling, and has always looked down on and made things difficult for the original owner.

Zhang Xiaomeng's gaze suddenly turned cold: "A mere lackey dares to bark at this young master?"

"Still daring to act like a prince! I'll teach you a lesson!"

Zhang Quan roared and charged forward, his heavy fist aimed straight at Zhang Xiaomeng's face.

The next instant, Wang Dongjian stood in front of Zhang Xiaomeng and swept out with a side kick.

Bang!

A heavy, muffled sound rang out.

Zhang Quan was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily to the ground and unable to get up for a long time.

Everyone was horrified.

The person Zhang Xiaomeng brought today is no ordinary person, capable of taking down the top guards in the manor in one move!

Zhang Xiaomeng stood with his hands behind his back, exuding a calm and composed aura.

"Uncle Zhang, I'm saying this one last time: call Liu Ru out. Don't force me to break into the Marquis's residence."

Zhang Dongda stared intently at Wang Dongjian's face, growing increasingly alarmed. His pupils suddenly contracted, and he was about to speak to verify Wang's identity when Zhang Xiaomeng coldly interrupted him.

"Don't say what you shouldn't say, just send a message."

Zhang Dongda was greatly shocked, knowing that today's events were anything but simple, and immediately ordered someone to enter the mansion to report.

After a while.

A group of maids and servants escorted Liu Ru, whose face was gloomy, as she hurried over.

She glanced at the doorway and saw that Zhang Xiaomeng was unharmed. She was shocked and incredulous.

He's still alive?!

Upon glancing at Liu Wanfu, who lay on the ground with his mouth full of blood and looking utterly disheveled, a strong sense of unease instantly rose in his heart.

Liu Ruqiang suppressed her panic and launched a stern attack:

"Zhang Xiaomeng! The Marquis has already ordered you to stay away from the capital! How dare you gather a crowd to besiege the Marquis's residence and detain my Liu clan members? What exactly are you trying to do?!"

Zhang Xiaomeng, too lazy to beat around the bush, said coldly, "Stop playing dumb. You instructed Liu Wanfu to hire someone to assassinate me for a hefty sum. Today, I've come here specifically to demand an explanation."

boom!

The onlookers erupted in a frenzy, with gasps and discussions filling the air.

Did the mistress of the Marquis's mansion secretly hire someone to kill the former heir? If this is true, it's absolutely shocking!

Liu Ru, a seasoned and shrewd woman, remained calm and immediately rebuked him sternly.

"Don't you dare slander me! I treated you like my own child, and even my strict discipline was for your own good! You harbored resentment after being expelled from the Marquis's mansion, and then you publicly defamed your mistress, showing disobedience and filial impiety! You are utterly heartless!"

Their rhetoric of distorting the truth is extremely skillful; they attempt to pinpoint the crime first and suppress public opinion.

"Still being stubborn, huh? I'll tear off your ugly face today."

Zhang Xiaomeng's eyes were indifferent as he waved his hand:

"Bring up the witnesses!"

Wang Dongjian yanked Liu Wanfu, who was slumped on the ground, to his feet and demanded an explanation in a stern voice:

"Confess truthfully! Who ordered you to hire someone to assassinate me? If you dare to conceal this, your crime will be compounded!"

Liu Wanfu had learned the truth from Zhang Xiaomeng along the way: these people were all Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) sent by the Emperor to assist him in the case.

In his desperate attempt to save his life, he pointed at Liu Ru and, despite the excruciating pain in his mouth, managed to utter a few words with great difficulty.

"It was her! She was afraid that Prince Zhang would block her son Zhang Ling's position as heir, so she gave me five thousand taels of silver to hire someone to ambush and kill Prince Zhang."

Five thousand taels!

Zhang Xiaomeng's face darkened.

I said, how could my life be worth only five taels of silver? My feelings have all been embezzled by this fat man.

As soon as Liu Wanfu finished speaking, the entire room fell silent for a moment, before erupting into an even more turbulent uproar.

Liu Ru felt a pang of panic, but she forced herself to remain calm and screamed shrilly.

"You're talking nonsense! You must have taken bribes from him to frame me! How could I, the mistress of a marquis's mansion, possibly spend five thousand taels of silver to hire someone to kill someone?!"

The people hesitated slightly upon hearing this.

Five thousand taels is indeed an astronomical figure, something an ordinary family couldn't earn in several lifetimes.

But the next second—

Wang Dongjian took out a land deed and a bank's silver exchange receipt from his pocket and slammed them heavily onto the bluestone ground.

Liu Wanfu immediately pointed to two items and revealed the entire story of their shady dealings.

"You're saying I'm framing you? The five thousand taels of silver notes you gave me were your personal savings, not part of the Marquis's official accounts. To exchange these notes for cash at a money exchange, your personal seal must be verified, so the owner of this money can only be you."

"I was greedy for a moment and only spent five taels of silver to pay off the assassin. I pocketed the rest and used it to buy a house. The bank receipt and the house deed are here, and the dates on them prove that I am not lying."

The onlookers craned their necks to look, and sure enough, the times for withdrawing the money and signing the contract matched perfectly.

Now no one believed Liu Ru anymore; all eyes were fixed on her.

Contempt, ridicule, and scorn overwhelmed her like a tidal wave.

Zhang Xiaomeng demanded sharply, "Liu Ru, the evidence is overwhelming, what else do you have to say!"

Liu Ru never expected that Liu Wanfu would embezzle the money and even leave behind the bank transfer receipt, effectively sealing up all the evidence.

She could no longer deny it. Her hands and feet turned ice-cold, and her whole body trembled violently. She stood there, stunned and at a loss.

The servants in the manor were terrified; it seemed that the Marquis's manor was about to undergo a major upheaval.

Just now.

An official sedan chair appeared ahead, heading towards the residence of the Marquis of Yongwu.

"The Marquis is back!"

The servants in the mansion recognized the official sedan chair at a glance.

A glimmer of hope immediately ignited on Liu Ru's despairing face.

Only the Marquis of Yongwu could save her now, so he rushed to her side. Before the official sedan chair even hit the ground, she started crying out.

"My lord, you must do me justice!"