On the day when the Court of Judicial Review tried Feng Wan for kidnapping Kong Jiao, the entire Kong Mansion was dressed in mourning. Anyone passing by their front gate could hear the endless wails of grief.
As for how much of this grief was genuine, that was open to interpretation.
Inside the mourning hall, Kong Ren was still wearing the same clothes he had on when he returned the previous day. At this moment, he was half - lying on the coffin. The light had completely faded from his eyes, and his tears had long since dried up.
"Su Juan, I'm sorry. I failed to protect our child. It's all my fault, all my fault!"
Actually, before Kong Ren married his current wife, he already had someone he liked. However, due to her low status, he could only take her as a concubine. They did have a happy period together.
But their happiness was short - lived. During the concubine's pregnancy, she faced numerous hardships. After giving birth to Kong Jiao, she passed away.
After that, Kong Ren transferred his affection to his youngest son. Unfortunately, Kong Jiao also seemed to have a bad fate. An accident left him a fool, and now he had even lost his life.
"Jiao'er, don't worry. Father will surely avenge you!"
Feng Wan. He would definitely make her pay!
"Someone, prepare the carriage."
Everyone in the mansion knew that the master was in a constant state of extreme anger and could take someone's life at any moment. They had to be even more vigilant than usual, so they harnessed the carriage extremely quickly.
Otherwise, they would end up like Fuzi, the servant girl beside the mistress.
"Please calm down, mistress. Don't ruin your health!"
Lin Zi placed the cold tea beside Lady Kong's hand and gently placed her palm on her back to help her calm down.
"Calm down? How can you expect me to calm down?" The tea cup clinked against the saucer, making a crisp sound as if it would crack at any moment. Lady Kong clutched her handkerchief, and her expression was distorted.
"He killed the person beside me right in front of everyone without a care. He's slapping me in the face. How can I manage this household in the future?"
"Please have some tea, mistress. Calm down, calm down!"
Lin Zi offered the tea to her again and tried her best to soften her tone.
"Mistress, you know how important the young master was to the master. Now that he's gone, the master... has his reasons."
Lady Kong was not an unreasonable person. On the contrary, she came from a noble family. So after Lin Zi's repeated consolations, her emotions finally gradually calmed down.
"I understand what you're saying. It's just a pity about Fuzi."
Lady Kong sighed. "Later, have someone prepare some silver for her parents. It's to show our master - servant bond over the years."
"Yes."
For a moment, there was silence. The room returned to quiet. Seeing that the mistress had no other orders, Lin Zi tactfully withdrew.
Lady Kong leaned on the couch, propping her temple with one hand. She looked exhausted, but she couldn't rest.
With Kong Jiao's death, Kong Ren had completely lost control. She had to find a way to protect herself and make sure Yuan Yuan wasn't implicated.
Just as she was thinking, she suddenly heard faint whispers outside the window.
"Is it true? Is the Assistant - Regent really going to abandon Lord Kong?"
"You're so stupid!" The person who replied sounded frustrated. "If the Assistant - Regent still valued Lord Kong, why would Lord Kong have been imprisoned in the Court of Judicial Review for so many days before being released? The Assistant - Regent holds the power of the entire court. Releasing someone is just a matter of his word."
"But I heard from people outside that Lord Kong was imprisoned because he wanted to... kill Miss Feng?"
"Then let me ask you. If Lord Kong really wanted to kill Miss Feng, why was he released yesterday?"
"This..."
"After all, the Assistant - Regent just doesn't want to save Lord Kong. And I also heard that," as if sensing something, the person lowered their voice secretly, "the young master's death might very well be related to the Assistant - Regent!"
"No way?!"
The voices that followed were even lower. Lady Kong couldn't hear them clearly at all, but most of the worry on her face had disappeared.
Regardless of the intention of the person who arranged this, at this moment, she had to thank them!
"Miss Feng, I advise you to tell the truth. Otherwise, the punishment..."
With a "pop", Kong Ren's words were interrupted. Lin Zihan gave him a warning look: "Lord Kong, if I remember correctly, I'm the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review."
After losing his youngest son, Kong Ren had completely lost all scruples and didn't take his warning to heart at all.
"Lord Lin is young and lacks experience. It's only right for me to assist from the side."
"Thank you for your kindness, Lord Kong, but I don't need it."
The gavel struck again, and the courtroom returned to silence. Below the dais, Feng Wan knelt in prison clothes. The former brilliance had faded from her eyes, but there was a faint smile on her lips.
Kong Jiao was dead, and she had no more regrets. She just felt sorry for her father and mother for not repaying their years of upbringing and teachings.
Above, Lin Zihan spoke: "Feng Wan, someone accuses you of kidnapping and killing Kong Jiao, the son of the Minister of Rites. Do you plead guilty?"
Bowing her head, Feng Wan's smile remained: "I plead guilty."
"Feng Wan has pleaded guilty?"
Lu Yinxi almost dropped the ice - shaved dessert in her hand. She quickly placed it on the table edge. "Does your master know about this?"
Hong Mei nodded. "He should know. But the master asked the young lady not to worry. He said he would ensure Miss Feng's safety."
She had already pleaded guilty. How could she still be safe?
The young girl couldn't figure it out, so she simply stopped thinking. Standing up and tidying her clothes, she let out a soft sigh: "Go and get the embroidered purse I made. Let's go and see mother."
Her mother and Lady Mei were childhood friends. Now that something had happened to their friend's daughter, the young girl was afraid that her mother would be worried too.
"How is it going?"
In the Jing Prince's Mansion, Shang Luoshu didn't go out today. The rainy season in the south was approaching, but the local authorities hadn't made the corresponding preparations yet. He was worried about this matter.
"Your Highness, Feng Wan has pleaded guilty, but Lord Kong doesn't seem satisfied."
"It would be strange if he was satisfied,"
The man sneered. "His most beloved son is dead. How could just Feng Wan's life satisfy him? He will surely take further actions."
Putting away his pen, the man glanced at the paper on the table and continued: "Tell General Feng that their family should stay at home as much as possible these days, especially their second son. Keep him confined at home for a few days."
General Feng of the Cavalry - Riding Army had two daughters and one son. Now the eldest daughter had committed suicide, the youngest daughter was in prison, and the only remaining child was the second son, Feng Lixin. If something happened to him, the Feng family might really not be able to bear it.
"What about Miss Feng?"
Chen Guang hesitated. If he remembered correctly, the fourth young lady seemed to have special feelings for Feng Wan. Was the master not going to save her?
"First, send a few people to secretly protect her. She won't be in danger for now."
Just as Shang Luoshu had thought, having killed his most beloved son, how could Kong Ren only make Feng Wan pay the price? He wanted the entire Feng family to be buried with Jiao'er!