Chapter 607: Chapter 607: The Truth from That Year Leng Yu Yan offered a faint smile, “It was all thanks to Old Madam Lai’s matchmaking that Father King and Mother ended up together by a twist of fate, and thus I came into this world.” “Old Madam Lai’s original plan was to have her son and daughter-in-law conceive a child, and even more so, to have Prince Zhenbei found in a pigsty, thereby ruining his reputation and image.” “That two birds with one stone plan seemed flawless to Old Madam Lai.” “However, she did not take into account the nature of the Poisonous Insect in Wine, which is that people would only seek out others with similar levels of the poison in their bodies.” “Father King had only drunk one cup of that wine, and my mother had also drunk just one cup, thus the levels of Poisonous Insect in Wine in their bodies were equal.” “Leng Zongfa drank a lot, and so did the blessed pig; therefore, the levels of the Poisonous Insect in Wine inside Leng Zongfa and the blessed pig were also equal.” Upon hearing this, Leng Zongfa found it unbelievable—what had he actually slept with that night? Was it not Mrs. Zhang? “You’re spouting nonsense!” Leng Zongfa pointed at Leng Yu Yan, his eyes fiery as he demanded, “It’s all your own words; where is the evidence?” “The best witness would be Old Madam Lai,” Leng Yu Yan responded with a light smile. “She regretted it immediately because when she led people to the pigsty to catch the culprit, she was shocked to find her own son embracing a pig.” Ye Yiheng coolly interjected, “The people Old Madam Lai brought with her were her confidants, and as confidants, they can testify.” With that, he gestured with his hand, and Mo Chen immediately brought in an old crone. The old crone trembled as she knelt and kowtowed, “This humble subject greets the Emperor!” Upon seeing this person, Old Madam Lai’s eyes narrowed sharply, and disregarding spewing blood foam, she shouted fiercely, “I don’t recognize her; her words cannot be trusted!” The newcomer was indeed her old maidservant—how was she still alive? Seven years ago, she had clearly sent assassins to kill her. Leng Zongfa recognized the old crone before him; however, his mind was muddled at the moment, and he had no recollection of the events of that night. Had he truly committed such a disgraceful act? Lai Zonghui, who had been silently standing in a corner, suddenly stepped forward, “Emperor, this old crone indeed served in the residence. At that time, she was the personal maid of Old Madam.” With Lai Zonghui’s testimony, Old Madam Lai’s face alternated between pallor and flush. She contorted her face and cursed, “Lai Zonghui, you ingrate, your heart is so cruel, how can you be so ungrateful!” “I was barely alive when my birth mother bore me, and you talk about leaving mother and keeping the child,” Lai Zonghui sneered. “When it comes to cruelty, no one can match you.” The Emperor’s expression darkened and he sternly told the old crone, “Tell the truth about what happened that year.” “Yes, Your Majesty!” the old crone said, kneeling with her head bowed. “Before the grand assembly at the Leng Family Ancestral Hall, Old Madam indeed had numerous interactions with a Jianghu sorcerer and acquired the Poisonous Insect in Wine from him, which she put into the wine. That night of the grand assembly, three people drank this wine, along with a blessed pig.” “According to Old Madam’s plan, the blessed pig was to ruin Prince Zhenbei’s reputation. To Old Madam’s surprise, when we went to the pigsty to catch the perpetrator that night, we found Mr. Lai—now Marquis Ningyuan, Leng Zongfa—sleeping in the pigsty.” “The blessed pig was carefully selected, and if Leng Zongfa had been found sleeping in the pigsty, such behavior would have resulted in his expulsion from the family and removal from the family register.” “Old Madam had us pull Leng Zongfa from the pigsty right there and then, cleaned him up, and sent him to Lady’s bed. The grand assembly at the Leng Family Ancestral Hall was being held at the old Leng residence, with every household staying quite close.” “As we were walking to the room, Old Madam saw someone coming out of Lady’s room and was so shocked that she stood frozen in place. Meanwhile, we were only focused on supporting Leng Zongfa, so we didn’t get a clear look at who came out.” “Ten months after the grand assembly had ended, Mrs. Zhang went into labor, and Old Madam valued Mrs. Zhang’s pregnancy highly.” “Old Madam once told me that if Mrs. Zhang’s child was Leng Zongfa’s, she would not mention the situation created by her previous poisoning. Moreover, since Mrs. Zhang believed that it was Leng Zongfa with her that night, Old Madam felt that the past was the past.” “The household lacked a male child, and Old Madam still hoped that the child Mrs. Zhang would bear would be a boy, preferably Leng Zongfa’s.” “But the fact was that Mrs. Zhang gave birth to a girl. As time passed, this girl grew increasingly beautiful and resembled someone more and more. It was as if a fishbone was stuck in Old Madam’s throat—she needed to clean house.” “After the eldest young master died, Old Madam could no longer tolerate Mrs. Zhang and conspired with Mrs. Feng to poison her to death.” “Old Madam hated the girl’s face the most. After Mrs. Zhang’s death, she ordered us, her trusted servants, to throw the girl into the mountains. It was cold, the ground was covered in thick snow, and the girl was dumped in front of a ravine, her body already severely poisoned, damaged not only in appearance and physique but also with fatal poison.” “Everyone thought it was Mrs. Feng and her daughter who, because the girl was beautiful, destroyed her face, but little did they realize that it was Old Madam who desired to ruin her face the most.” “Mrs. Zhang, the late Madam, never knew that the girl she bore wasn’t Leng Zongfa’s. The late Madam also never knew that her respected mother-in-law had intended to kill her from early on.” The old woman suddenly sneered, “Of course, we, her trusted servants, didn’t expect that after throwing the girl into the mountains, before we even returned to the capital to report back, Old Madam had already sent assassins to kill us to silence us. Only I escaped their clutches.” At that moment, Ruofeng brought forward a group of witnesses, pointing one by one, “Emperor, these are the servants who attended the event at Leng Family Ancestral Hall that year. This one heard Old Madam say they brought their own brewed wine, this one can confirm that Prince Zhenbei indeed drank the wine Marquis Ningyuan had poured, and this one saw Marquis Ningyuan enter the pigsty, this one saw Marquis Ningyuan being carried out reeking…” Together, the people proclaimed, “Emperor, we can all testify.” The Emperor asked in a deep voice, “Now, what else does Old Madam Lai have to say?” Old Madam Lai’s lips trembled, blood continuously seeping from the gaps in her front teeth. After the ancestral hall assembly, she had consulted a sorcerer who told her that those poisoned by the Poisonous Insect in Wine would completely forget the events of that day, especially matters induced by the aphrodisiac. She thought the Poisonous Insect in Wine was quite powerful, and this matter could remain hidden forever. Little did she expect that Leng Yu Yan would have the capability to restore everything as it happened. What’s more, the Crown Prince’s people also brought so many witnesses. Seeing Old Madam Lai’s silent figure, the Emperor slammed his hand on the imperial desk, “You are the chief culprit of this incident!” “You, vile woman with your sinister mind, schemed against an important official of the court seventeen years ago; this crime deserves execution! Now send her to the Capital Mayor Mansion and let the governor thoroughly investigate what other atrocious acts she has committed over the years, and await execution in autumn.” Hearing this, Old Madam Lai trembled violently; the Emperor’s so-called investigation was merely to select the type of cruel punishment. Leng Zongfa’s mind raced, and he suddenly knelt, “Emperor, my mother is evil to an outrageous extent and deserves the appropriate punishment!” “My mother is utterly malicious, scheming even against me, her own son.” “Mrs. Zhang was my wife, and Yu Yan, this child was at least raised in our household for ten years.” “And there’s Zonghui’s mother, whom I saw in my early years; she was a wonderful woman.” He wept bitterly, “I humbly ask the Emperor to resolve this matter, and let me sever all mother-son ties with this vile woman!”