Chapter Seventy
"Luo Jing'an!" Fang Deyou smacked the magistrate's gavel again, displeased as he watched Luo Jing'an standing there dazed.
He was irritated—how dare Luo Jing'an play dumb in the middle of a court hearing?
"Jing'an!" Madam Luo nudged her son, her heart uneasy. The attitude of their in-laws and son-in-law had already made their stance clear.
And the families of those children... they were clearly not people they could afford to offend.
Without the backing of the Zhennan Prince's household, this matter...
Madam Luo cast a pleading look at her daughter, Luo Yingying. Unfortunately, Luo Yingying was too preoccupied with figuring out how to convince Zhou Fenghua not to divorce her.
She recalled how, back then, even when the Prince and Princess of Zhennan had opposed Zhou Fenghua marrying her, he had stood firm and brought her into the Zhennan household.
How could he possibly divorce her now over some childish squabble?
Besides, this had nothing to do with her—it was all her mother and brother’s doing.
If the An Prince's household wanted to press charges, they should go after the Luo family. She was a married daughter now.
"Your Honor, this matter was entirely Madam Luo and Luo Jing'an's doing. It has nothing to do with the Zhennan Prince's household!" Luo Yingying blurted out before Luo Jing'an could even speak.
The courtroom fell deathly silent.
Madam Luo stared at her daughter in disbelief, while Luo Jing'an, snapping out of his daze, turned to glare at his sister.
What did she mean by that?
She wasn’t just refusing to help—she was throwing him under the carriage?
Madam Luo looked at her daughter, heartbroken.
If the Princess of Zhennan and Zhou Fenghua’s refusal to intervene had already chilled her, her daughter’s words made her momentarily forget that this entire mess had been caused by their own arrogance and abuse of power.
"Yingying, how could you say that? Even if you won’t save me, Jing'an is your own brother!" Madam Luo sobbed, wiping her tears.
"Magistrate Fang, I have no interest in watching their performance." Xu Heming’s thoughts were with Li Zhiwei, still recovering from her injuries back at the manor. He had no patience for this spectacle.
"Luo Jing'an, do you admit to the charges brought by Prince An's heir? Who instructed you to bully those children?" Fang Deyou dared not delay, striking the gavel again as he questioned.
"I didn’t bully them! I just made them clean the classroom!" Luo Jing'an panicked, but he clung to his original intent—he had only wanted them to sweep the floor.
It was only when they ignored him that he got the idea to make them kneel and polish his shoes, to force them to submit.
Other children had always obeyed him in the past—why wouldn’t these ones?
His gaze darkened as he glared at Xu Qingshi and the others.
"What are you staring at? Since when does sweeping the floor mean crawling on the ground? And polishing your shoes? You’re not worthy!" Xu Qingshi snapped.
"Magistrate Fang, the facts are clear—this man oppressed my son." Xu Heming’s voice was icy.
"Understood!" Fang Deyou broke out in a cold sweat. Dealing with the Luo family was one thing, but the Zhennan Prince's household...
"Magistrate Fang, my son has already declared his intent to divorce Luo Yingying. This matter has nothing to do with the Zhennan household—it was the Luo family who sought to harm the two heirs and Eldest Master Xie." The Princess of Zhennan spoke without hesitation.
"Nothing to do with you?" Xu Heming was far from satisfied.
If the Zhennan household hadn’t allowed them to exploit their influence, where would they have gotten the audacity to target his people?
His thoughts turned to Li Zhiwei, still bedridden.
"Magistrate Fang, my wife lies injured because of them!" Xu Heming’s words sent another chill down Fang Deyou’s spine.
The Princess of Zhennan shot Zhou Fenghua a venomous look. She had just been considering keeping him in the household, but if he had never married Luo Yingying, none of this would have happened.
"Prince An, the Zhennan household admits fault, but we never intended harm against your heir or your princess. Please spare us!" The Princess of Zhennan regretted not cutting ties with the Luo family sooner.
"Spare you? And who spared my family? If they acted under your household’s influence, how can you claim innocence?" Xu Heming sneered at the Princess of Zhennan and Zhou Fenghua.
Zhou Fenghua trembled under his gaze.
"Prince An, this truly has nothing to do with me! I’ve already decided to divorce her! It’s her family—the Luo family—who abused our name!" Zhou Fenghua pleaded.
"Your Honor, this has nothing to do with the Luo family! That woman is no longer my wife—I’ve divorced her!" A voice rang out from the entrance as Luo Wenchang, father of Luo Yingying and Luo Jing'an, strode in.
"Husband!" Madam Luo was stunned. She had never imagined she might face divorce.
"Madam Liu, the crimes you and your son committed are yours alone. Do not drag the Luo family into this." Luo Wenchang’s tone was a warning.
Madam Liu laughed bitterly.
When disaster struck, everyone fled. But back when their daughter had married into the Zhennan household, this old fool had sung a different tune.
"Magistrate Fang, whatever they did to my family, I will repay tenfold. As for the rest of you—just wait." Xu Heming had no more patience for this farce.
Their fates were sealed, regardless.
Divorce or not, it no longer mattered. Right now, he just wanted to return to Li Zhiwei.
The Princess of Zhennan staggered back, collapsing onto a bench. It was over.
"This is all your fault! You brought ruin upon our household!"
Chaos erupted in the courtroom.
Xu Heming and his party didn’t look back at the commotion.
Xie Jincheng held Xie Yanzhi’s hand, silent, wondering how he would explain today’s events to his wife, Lady Yao.
Jiang Hanhai looked at his son’s bruised face, heart aching. He whispered, "Plead for me in front of your mother, alright?"
With Madam Jin’s temper, he’d be punished for sure. And with her pregnant... he needed his son’s help.
"Father, didn’t you teach me that one must face the consequences of their mistakes?" Jiang Yu gave his father a disdainful look. He couldn’t fathom what his mother saw in him.
The man was an embarrassment.
When Xu Heming and Xu Qingshi rushed back to the manor, they found Li Zhiwei had already returned to West Willow Lane.
"She left? With her injuries, she should have rested longer!" Xu Heming’s chest tightened. He should have returned sooner.
"Her family came to fetch her." The Old Princess hesitated.
Should she tell him that her in-laws hadn’t looked pleased?
