Chapter 69
Upon hearing this, the Princess of Zhennan was so frightened that she immediately knelt before Prince An, her heart filled with boundless terror.
"Your Highness Prince An, Minister Xie, this is a false accusation! Someone must be fabricating this out of thin air," the Prince of Zhennan blurted without hesitation.
The Princess of Zhennan thought to herself that if this crime were truly pinned on her, not only would her husband’s safe return be in jeopardy, but the entire Zhennan Estate might soon face ruin.
This was absolutely not a consequence she, as a mere woman, could bear.
Moreover, with the Xie family and the Yongning Marquis Estate now involved, the fury unleashed would be something the Zhennan Estate could never withstand.
"A misunderstanding? Just moments ago, I saw you chatting quite amiably with them. They’ve already confessed—they are your people from the Zhennan Estate," Xu Heming said in a low voice, yet his tone made the Princess of Zhennan feel as though she were facing a demon from the underworld.
"Your Highness Prince An, I am not acquainted with them!" the Princess of Zhennan exclaimed, realizing now that encountering the Luo family had brought nothing but trouble.
"I do not know what they have done to you, the young prince, or the other young masters, but I swear on my husband’s life that I never instructed anyone to harm the heir of Prince An, the heir of Yongning Marquis, or the eldest son of the Xie family. I beg you to investigate thoroughly!"
Her mind raced—she never imagined the Luo family would dare to plot against Prince An’s estate, the Yongning Marquis’s estate, and the Xie family.
It seemed the Luo family had a death wish.
Thinking of her son’s stubborn insistence on marrying Luo Yingying, that utterly worthless woman, as his future princess consort, she had long since lost all hope in the Luo family.
Now, the Luo family had the audacity to use the Zhennan Estate’s name to harm others—and no less than some of the most powerful nobles in the capital!
Having such in-laws was nothing short of a curse upon the Zhennan Estate.
At this thought, the Princess of Zhennan quickly made her decision.
Rather than letting the entire Zhennan Estate suffer for this, it would be better to sacrifice her own foolish son.
"Your Highness Prince An, I have already divorced Luo Yingying. She has nothing to do with me anymore, and the Luo family’s actions are no longer connected to the Zhennan Estate," Zhou Fenghua declared without hesitation, kneeling before Prince An with trembling fear.
The Princess of Zhennan had initially intended to declare that Zhou Fenghua would also be cut off from the Zhennan Estate, but seeing her son so quick to disavow the Luo family, she held back for now. Whether to expel him from the estate would depend on his behavior.
"Husband?" Luo Yingying widened her eyes in disbelief, staring at Zhou Fenghua, who had once sworn he would marry no one but her—only to now claim he had already divorced her.
Besides, when had the Luo family ever harmed Prince An?
Could it be that someone from Prince An’s family wanted to marry Zhou Fenghua instead?
"My lord, you accuse the Zhennan Estate of plotting against the heir of Prince An, the heir of Yongning Marquis, and the eldest son of the Xie family—do you have proof? Or are you just taking their word for it?" Luo Yingying sneered, casting a disdainful glance at Prince An and the others.
She thought to herself that her mother-in-law was a fool to believe whatever others said without question—even swearing on her father-in-law’s life!
Such weak-mindedness.
It seemed the Zhennan Estate would fall apart without her.
"You wretched woman, how dare you speak such nonsense?" Zhou Fenghua panicked, his face flushing red.
Did this woman want the entire Zhennan Estate to be buried with her?
"Husband, it’s understandable that Mother is soft-hearted, but you are the heir of the Zhennan Estate—its future master. With Father away, you should be the one upholding the estate’s dignity!" Luo Yingying spoke as though she were the epitome of wisdom, lecturing Zhou Fenghua.
Beside her, the Princess of Zhennan watched with a mocking expression, too furious to even speak.
If the estate were to have such a mistress in the future, it might as well not exist.
"You idiot! Shut your mouth! Today, I will divorce you!" Zhou Fenghua’s eyes burned with rage as he struck Luo Yingying across the face.
His actions weren’t born of wisdom—only sheer terror of Xu Heming.
"Son-in-law, there’s no need for violence. Can’t we discuss this calmly?" Madam Luo said disapprovingly, eyeing the red mark on her daughter’s cheek.
"Who’s your son-in-law? A nobody like you dares to cling to our Zhennan Estate? Whatever you’ve done, don’t drag us into it!" Zhou Fenghua was desperate to sever ties—he had already abandoned Luo Yingying, let alone her family.
"Enough!" Minister of Dali Temple Fang Deyou, having caught Xu Heming’s signal, slammed his gavel and snapped, "This is a court of law, not a marketplace for your squabbles!"
"Now, who will explain to me what started this matter?" He then turned to Prince An, waiting for him to have a servant or attendant recount the events.
"My lord, allow me to explain!" Little Xu Qingshi stepped forward with unwavering determination.
Fang Deyou was momentarily stunned before nodding in approval.
Truly, the son of Prince An was worthy of his father’s legacy!
"And us!" Xie Yanzhi and Jiang Yu also stepped forward.
The three children recounted the events at the academy that day in full detail.
Jiang Hanhai, who had just arrived, was astonished by his son’s composure.
But seeing the injuries on Jiang Yu’s face, his brows furrowed—who dared lay a hand on his son?
"Where is the teacher of Rushan Academy?" Fang Deyou called out, turning to Teacher Feng, who had been standing silently like a quail.
"This humble one, Feng Qingwen, greets Your Honor." Teacher Feng inwardly lamented—he could already foresee the academy’s downfall.
But why had Prince An’s son chosen his academy of all places?
Feng Qingwen regretted ever aiding Luo Jing'an in bullying other students.
If not for that, today’s disaster could have been avoided. But there was no cure for regret.
"Feng Qingwen, do you have anything to say in response to the young prince’s account?" Fang Deyou eyed Feng Qingwen’s cowering demeanor and thought, how could such a man, supposedly the top scholar, be fit to teach?
He was nothing but a disgrace to education—no wonder the academy had students who bullied others.
Still, he couldn’t fathom why Prince An had bypassed all the prestigious academies to send his son to the worst one.
Was it because Prince An was about to take a new princess consort and wanted to distance his firstborn?
But then why had the sons of Yongning Marquis and Minister Xie followed suit?
"This humble one has nothing to say." Feng Qingwen wanted to argue, but as a mere nobody, he dared not.
"Luo Jing'an, do you have anything to say?" Fang Deyou then turned to Luo Jing'an, who had been sulking in silence.
Luo Jing'an was still reeling from the shock of his brother-in-law striking his sister.
He hadn’t noticed Zhou Fenghua’s declaration of divorce, nor had he paid attention to Xu Qingshi’s testimony.
When Fang Deyou questioned him, his mind was still fixated on how to get revenge.
