Chapter 136: The Prince of Jing’s Family Is Not to Be Trifled With

"Your Highness, Princess, please, I beg you, spare me! Please!" Yan Hong refused to give up. Even as the bailiffs pinned her down, she crawled toward Su Jingluo, desperate to seize one final chance.

"It is a virtue to remain humble in prosperity and self-reflective in adversity. I have been soft-hearted before; I offered you both your freedom despite your disrespect, yet you did not cherish it. I am no villain who delights in evil, but neither am I a spineless fool who swallows every injustice. You have no more chances." The end for those who are overly good is always miserable, consisting of nothing more than repeated injuries and an inability to protect oneself. Su Jingluo would not be such a fool.

The bailiffs dragged Chun Hong and Yan Hong away. Amidst the bustling market, the tide of public opinion shifted. What began as accusations of the Princess bullying the weak and the Prince’s estate disregarding human life slowly transformed into murmurs of wicked servants falsely accusing their virtuous mistress. People began to whisper that the punishment was too light, that justice was manifest, and that even the heavens could no longer turn a blind eye to such deceit.

Zhang Yi observed Su Jingluo’s methods with immense admiration. He finally understood why the court had been set up in the heart of the market; with justice on her side, she had cleansed her reputation, leaving the common folk with no reason to believe that Prince Jing had used his power to cover up the truth.

This woman was far from simple. Zhang Yi cast a profound look at Prince Jing, Xiao Jingxuan, and Su Jingluo. It seemed that in the future, Su Jingluo would not only cease to be a burden to Xiao Jingxuan but might even become a formidable asset. He realized he would need to find time to speak with his mentor about this.

"The Princess is truly..."

"There is no need for such praise, Prefect Zhang. The rights and wrongs are clear to any discerning eye. If anyone else claims to have committed suicide or if more servants wish to lodge complaints against me, I hope you will handle it with greater diligence, Prefect. Do stop sending bailiffs to block my gates. Every time a case arises, you target me; I am faint of heart, and these troubles make me anxious." Having cleared the matter without any loss of life, Su Jingluo felt a sense of relief. Only then did she recall the schemes the Prefect had played against her and Xiao Jingxuan.

"Hearing the Princess speak thus, this official is truly filled with shame." Zhang Yi’s face flushed red. He had originally acted this way to avoid getting his own hands dirty, assuming that since Xiao Jingxuan had always been too lazy to explain himself or stand up for his reputation, the Prince’s estate would simply shoulder the blame as it had so many times before. Over time, the capital had come to believe Prince Jing was overbearing, and the Emperor, for his part, had been happy to let the world heap dirt upon him. He had never expected that the Prince’s household would refuse to play by the rules today, catching him completely off guard.

"Investigating cases is the duty of your office. Today, it was fortunate that my Princess took matters into her own hands to prove her innocence. But this falls under your jurisdiction. Learn to be practical; stop playing these bureaucratic games." Seeing Zhang Yi rendered speechless by Su Jingluo’s mockery, Xiao Jingxuan was immensely pleased. He looked at his wife with pride—she was truly capable, outshining even the Prefect.

Xiao Jingxuan stood up from his chair and walked toward Su Jingluo. Her performance today had increased his admiration for her even further.

Zhang Yi felt quite sullen. The Prince’s estate was truly unreasonable. Was it that he did not want to try the case? The Princess hadn’t given him a chance; she had launched into the interrogation herself, leaving him no room to even interject. Now, he was being blamed for inaction. Yet, what could he say? He could only nod repeatedly in agreement, inwardly resolving that the Prince and his wife were not to be trifled with, and that he would keep his distance from them in the future.