The princess was ordained by Heaven.

Chapter 158 Turning the knife that was pointing at him towards the enemy

Song Zhiling was stunned: "What?"

"Wasn't I going to get revenge for you? Let's go now."

"no……"

Zheng Xun had already stood up, ready to leave, but upon hearing this, he turned back to look at her: "What's wrong? Is there still something you're wondering about?"

"Shouldn't we make some preparations?"

Zheng Xun thought for a moment and said, "Indeed."

She gestured to Zheng Shi.

Zheng Shi moved extremely fast, and in the blink of an eye, he was standing in front of them.

Song Zhiling: !!!

Where did this person come from? Could this be the legendary secret guard?

Good...that's awesome!

"Go and call Le Zhenghong over. Remember to have him bring a few more men, and also, prepare more chains."

Zheng Shi lowered his head, but his eyes were shining.

Every day with the princess is so wonderful!

Because there's juicy gossip to be had every day!

After receiving the order, she left decisively.

But Zheng Xun always felt that she seemed to be radiating pink bubbles.

She seems very happy?

Inexplicable.

Well, her bodyguards are all so clueless, so it's normal that she can't understand their thoughts.

Zheng Shi was very fast; in less than half an hour, she arrived at the alley entrance with Le Zhenghong and a group of yamen runners.

The people in the alley were a little flustered when they saw such a big scene.

"I told you that kid Song was unlucky! Look, I bet he's the one who brought these people here!"

"Tch, we've watched Song grow up, everyone knows what kind of person he is. Don't you usually like talking to him? Now you're starting to call him that!" The speaker was an old lady with a full head of silver hair, neatly combed.

She seemed to have some prestige in the alley, so when she spoke, the others didn't dare to say much.

As she spoke, she seemed to get a little angry: "You lot are always idling around, gossiping about this family and that family, doing nothing productive, just stirring up trouble and spreading rumors over trivial matters!"

She stood with her hands on her hips, her voice slightly raised, her eyes sharp, as if every deep wrinkle on her face carried an air of authority: "Since you're so good at crowing, why don't you come live in my chicken coop tomorrow and crow for my rooster?"

Song Zhiling and Zheng Xun had actually been listening for quite a while.

At this point, they couldn't help but burst out laughing.

The voice attracted everyone's attention. Song Zhiling smiled and looked back at the old lady who had spoken up for her: "Grandma Shen."

Grandma Shen clearly liked Song Zhiling very much; upon seeing him, her face immediately lit up with a smile: "Hey! Young Song is here?"

Her gaze shifted to Zheng Xun beside her, a look of surprise on her face.

She had seen Zheng Xun once from afar, never expecting that such a high and mighty person would one day appear before her.

She stammered out two syllables: "Princess... Princess..."

Zheng Xun had no intention of concealing his identity, so he nodded and accepted the title.

At this moment, Le Zhenghong led two people into the alley.

Upon seeing Zheng Xun, they quickly bowed.

This gesture of respect startled the onlookers in the alley.

Princess?

Princess Yuanjia?

Good heavens! They've met royalty and nobility now?

After the initial excitement, doubts began to surface.

Why would a princess come to this godforsaken place?

And that little old man, Yue Zhenghong, they know him, he's the Prefect of Chengtian Prefecture!

What kind of wind could have blown these two over here?

Is there some murderer hiding here? Or has someone committed a serious crime?

A thousand questions swirled in everyone's minds, yet remained unanswered.

But it's okay, Zheng Xun loves helping people solve their problems.

After everyone around had paid their respects, Zheng Xun helped Granny Shen and Le Zhenghong up.

She was determined to give them a good scare, so she didn't call out to the others.

Le Zhenghong saw through her thoughts and cooperated by saying, "This time, the princess and I have come to investigate a long-standing case."

He shook his somewhat loose official robes, glanced at Zheng Xun, and subtly gave him a wink.

What should we do next? Princess, you should at least tell him!

Zheng Xun: ...

If it weren't for her having the system, who would know what that look he gave her meant?

She coughed lightly and said in a low voice, "Come with me."

She pulled Le Zhenghong to the corner and explained the matter concerning Song's mother.

When Le Zhenghong heard that Song's mother had not received the compensation, his face darkened.

After hearing everything that followed, his anger was on the verge of exploding.

Zheng Xun guessed that if she hadn't been there, he probably would have rushed out and kicked her.

She coughed lightly, signaling him to calm down.

Seeing that he was finally no longer furious, she read out a few names.

These are the names of the people who bullied Song's mother at the beginning.

They all knew she was a respectable woman, and they were the ones who spread the rumor that Xu was a prostitute.

Le Zhenghong had a good memory; after Zheng Xun explained it twice, he remembered it pretty well.

The two walked in front of the crowd again, and most of them had already knelt until their legs were numb.

Although they were ordinary people, they rarely had the opportunity to see such a high-ranking official, so their ability to kneel was even less than Zheng Xun's.

Perhaps because Le Zhenghong's anger was so palpable, they were in great distress but dared not utter a single word.

Le Zhenghong's gaze swept over the crowd, and finally he called out a name.

"Liu Liuzi!"

Upon hearing his name, Liu Liuzi shuddered in fright, buried his head tightly, and bit his lip, not daring to make a sound.

Le Zhenghong raised his voice and called out again.

Liu Liuzi tried to pretend he hadn't heard, but the people around him, afraid of being implicated, quietly pushed him from behind.

Caught off guard, Liu Liuzi lunged forward.

He lay prostrate on the ground, forcing a smile that was more like a grimace: "Sir...Sir...I...I am Liu Zi, a commoner!"

He seemed to be trying to smile ingratiatingly, but he was too afraid and couldn't manage a smile no matter how hard he tried.

Le Zhenghong walked up to him and asked, "Liu Liuzi, where were you at 9:00 PM on the twelfth month of the first year of Zhaoyuan?"

Liu Liuzi's gaze was somewhat lost.

So much time has passed that he has long forgotten the poor woman he humiliated while drunk.

He didn't think he had done anything wrong, so he treated it as just another ordinary evening.

[Hmph, it seems he doesn't care at all about the evil I've done.]

Zheng Xun stepped forward and whispered something in Le Zhenghong's ear.

Liu Liuzi had no idea what was going on. The yamen runners and the Qinglong Guards were watching him intently, and he dared not speak. He could only wait for his trial in despair.

He's not young anymore, his physique has started to shrink, and he's no longer as strong as he was in his youth.

Looking at him curled up like a stray dog, Song Zhiling suddenly felt a sense of irony.

This is the person who bullied her mother so much that she couldn't even lift her head. Even though she was the worst soldier in the patrol guard, she could still fight him to a draw back then.

He was so weak that he only dared to bully women who were powerless to even kill a chicken.

After Zheng Xun finished speaking, Le Zheng Hong said sternly, "Forgot? Then I can tell you."

He said slowly, "That day you won two taels of silver gambling, so you invited your friends over for drinks that night."

"You got drunk, bragged to them for a long time, and finally picked up a jug of wine and prepared to go home."

"As you passed by Xu's house, you suddenly realized that she was a lonely, pregnant woman with no one to rely on."

This Ms. Xu is Song Zhiling's mother.

Having said that, many people have already guessed what's coming next.

Liu Liuzi's mother was extremely anxious, but she didn't dare to step forward herself, so she kept poking Liu Liuzi's wife.

Liu Liuzi's wife had long been fed up with this good-for-nothing man who only knew how to eat, drink, gamble, and whore. She wished he would die sooner, so how could she possibly speak up for him?

So she lowered her head meekly, crying pitifully, but she wouldn't move an inch.

As his memories returned, Liu Liuzi instantly recalled everything that night.

How can it be?

How could this have been exposed?

He was once smug because of Xu's silence, but he never expected that something that had happened more than ten years ago would be brought up again.

He swallowed hard, trying to reassure himself: It's alright, it's alright. These are all Lord Yue's guesses; he has no evidence.

However, what Lord Yue said next made him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

"So you climbed over the dead tree by the wall and into the yard. There was a little dog in the yard, and you thought it was barking too loudly, so you kicked it out, cursing it as bad luck..."

It all makes sense now, everything is in sync.

Lord Yue recounted those details that he himself had forgotten.

At that moment, he knew clearly that he was finished.

Lord Yue did not describe the specific circumstances in detail, as the princess had specifically instructed him to do so, hoping that everyone would focus on the case itself rather than the suffering of the victims.

Le Zhenghong felt that this was wrong. If people don't see the suffering of the victims, how can they arouse the pity and anger of others? The evil deeds done by such beasts should be announced to the world, and then they should be condemned by everyone.

That way, they will realize that doing such a thing is despicable.

But the princess said that they should know that the mistake should not be the suffering of others, but the law and the price they would pay.

He was convinced and immediately called on the next person's name: "Huang Wu..."

Zheng Xun listened quietly as Le Zhenghong recounted their mistakes. In a voice only she and Song Zhiling could hear, she said, "Zhiling, do you know why your mother suffered so much?"

Song Zhiling knew she had something to say, so he didn't answer and just listened quietly.

“The main reason is that those people are wicked, because there are always some morally bankrupt beasts, but…” she said calmly, “it’s also because they know that there will be no consequences for hurting her.”

Because she was cowardly, because she was disciplined to care too much about her reputation, and because she dared not rebel.

"Resisting is difficult, but not that difficult. She should let everyone know that provoking her will come at a price they cannot afford, only then will they be safe."

"She must have the courage to risk everything, the determination to destroy the evildoers, and she must be strong enough to turn the knife that was pointing at her against the enemy."