“I am here to see you, sir.” Zhao held Mo Lin on her left hand and Yuan’er on her right hand, and knelt down with the children. “I am still mourning for my husband, but when I heard about this big event at home, I was worried about the two elders, so I came to see you together.”

Zhao was dressed in mourning clothes and had no jewelry on, which made her look particularly pitiful.

This newly widowed woman, an elderly couple who have lost their orphan, and a pair of young children who have lost their father, seem to have already gained the upper hand in terms of public opinion.

Ah’s guess was correct. A noisy voice gradually arose in the hall, and many people spoke up for the Mo family.

“The child is still so young and has lost his father.”

“How pitiful.”

“Yes… this woman doesn’t look very old, but she has become a widow. I heard that the Mo family only has one son. How are they going to live without him?”

There must be something hateful about a pitiful person.

Ah-yi leaned back, and Yun Cheng stepped forward with a sharp look, “Your Highness.”

“Tell someone to prepare it.” She said softly.

If trafficking in human beings is not considered a serious offense, then forcing living people to be buried alive is murder, which violates the seven sins of death and is a serious crime that must be severely punished.

“So what if they are my biological children?” Fang Lian stood up uncontrollably when she saw the two children, her eyes red. “Since I was forced to consummate my marriage with the foolish young master of the Mo family and gave birth to Lin Er, the child has never been by my side for a single day. Now you ask this child, are you willing to call me mother, are you willing to let me hold you?”

Perhaps her voice was a little loud. Although Mo Lin was afraid, he still held Zhao’s hand tightly. Yuan’er was young and was frightened by her and started crying. She turned her head and shrank into Zhao’s arms.

“Mother…Mother, I’m scared…”

Fanglian looked at her little daughter who instinctively shrank into Zhao’s arms and smiled sadly, “That’s my daughter.”

Zhao was a good foster mother. Even though she was sent by the family, she treated the two children sincerely. Fanglian could tell from Lin’er’s chubby face and Yuan’er’s neat bun.

So she had no complaints against Zhao, but she actually used the child as a bargaining chip to sue her in court.

The law is in the court, and it cannot be influenced by human feelings.

“Silence!” Su Yun slammed the gavel again.

Although the Mo family couple sold people privately, they were both over 60 years old and had a child in old age, so they should be treated leniently according to convention. Su Yun was very hesitant at this time. He knew that the princess did not want to be lenient to the Mo family, but if he handled it impartially, he was afraid that he would only be exempted from exile and only fined 100 strings of cash.

“Sir, sir, please have mercy! We didn’t know Fanglian was a commoner and not a slave. It was her father who deceived me! I know my crime, please be lenient to me because my wife and I lost our son in our old age and we have orphans and widows at home!”

Mr. Mo weighed the matter and thought that the people outside had talked enough, so he immediately knelt down and confessed his guilt.

The two people on the right remained silent, and Fanglian did not dare to assert herself. No one objected for a while, and Su Yun had no choice but to make a judgment immediately.

“Wait a minute, sir! I have objections!”

A man broke through the guards’ obstruction and rushed into the court. He was dressed in rags and was dirty, looking no different from a beggar outside.

“Who are you?” Su Yun relaxed and asked slowly.

The man who came was Wang Feng. Although he was in rags, he managed to escape.

Since he brought the token down the mountain, the Mo family took the token and coaxed him into a drink, knocked him unconscious and brought him back to Jiannan Taoist and imprisoned him. Wang Feng tried every means to sneak out when no one was paying attention.

I had no money along the way, so I was hungry and cold, and lived like a beggar for a while.

Hengzhi had been sending people to follow him, waiting for him to suffer. When the time was right and he had suffered enough, he would take him back to Shuyang City.

Wang Feng had evidence that the Mo family had forced Fang Lian to commit suicide, and he was also a witness, so it was perfect for him to expose the crime.

“Sir, I am Wang Feng, Fanglian’s elder brother!” Wang Feng was trembling when he saw Shi Shao in the court. However, he was filled with anger, thinking that his gang wanted to send Fanglian back to the Mo family, but they locked her up and she almost died, so he could not care less.

“Ten years ago, in order to raise money for my bride price, my father found a marriage for my sister Fanglian. He was Mo Quan, the eldest son of the Mo family in Jiannan Road. At that time, they said that Mo Quan was a fool and couldn’t find a wife, so they wanted to spend more money to find a poor family, and then they found my sister. It was agreed that she would marry Mo Quan, and the shopkeepers of the silk and satin shop in Qingheng County can all testify to this!”

“But who would have thought that after ten years, my sister came back and cried that she was not only forced to be a concubine, but also had to raise her nephews and nieces. My parents and I realized something was wrong. My sister finally escaped, but the Mo family came to our house and gave my father twenty taels of silver to buy my sister’s life to accompany that short-lived Mo Quan! They also knocked me out and kidnapped me to Jiannan Road. As a result, I rushed back to Shuyang today. My lord, please understand! Please make the decision for my sister and me!”

With these words, Wang Feng completely distanced himself from the hunter’s previous relationship with Fang Lian in seeking wealth. No one had taught him these words, but Wang Feng had come up with them bit by bit on his way back to Shuyang, relying on his own half-baked knowledge.

This was indeed beyond Ah’s expectation. She opened her eyes a little wider and looked at Wang Feng differently.

Su Yun immediately asked, “Do you have any evidence?”

Wang Feng nodded, “I kidnapped a servant from the Mo family. He can testify that it was the Mo family who insisted that my sister be buried with Mo Quan. The owner of the silk and satin clothing store, the man in charge of Qingheng’s household registration documents, and me, we are all witnesses!”

Master Mo’s face flushed with anxiety. “Sir, this kid knows nothing. He is just making it up. You can’t believe him!”

As he said this, he was about to pounce on the table, but was held back by several bailiffs holding long sticks.

Zhao couldn’t say anything at this time.

Before coming here, her family told her that if she could save them, she would do the Mo family a favor. If she couldn’t save them, she could let them die, which would be considered as the plan being fulfilled earlier.

She went to look for Wang Wan under the pretext of doing so, but in reality she stayed in an inn on another street for a few days, secretly observing the situation.

The Mo family must have offended someone this time, otherwise how could they have such comprehensive evidence and let Wang Feng come back alive?

This is my fate.

She plucked up her courage and glanced at the elegantly dressed woman sitting on the right, only to find that she was also looking at her with interest. While Su Yun was examining the evidence and questioning the witnesses, Ah-yi carefully looked at this Zhao.

She was pretty and looked like a good-looking person. She had secretly met with Wang Shi of Yunchuan, the person sent by her mother’s family, in the inn many times without any precautions.

Otherwise, Wang Xuan would not have been able to seize this opportunity and deal with Wang Shi as well.

“Mr. and Mrs. Mo, now that the evidence is irrefutable, what else do you two have to refute?”

It was past noon. They had been trying this case for more than two hours. They were exhausted and were under strict surveillance. Even if they wanted to find a solution, it would be of no avail.

Mr. Mo and his wife collapsed on the ground, both with dull eyes, unable to refute.

As long as these two people were put in jail, Wang Xuan would be able to carry out his mission. So, it was almost over.

“The Mo family couple trafficked in human beings and forced living people to be sacrificed. This is considered murder and punishable by death. Come here, sign and seal your name, and go to prison first. This case will be investigated and concluded in detail!”

The wooden token fell to the ground with a dull thud, which frightened Zhao and the two children so much that they trembled all over.

Ah’ao straightened her robe and stood up.

“I have been listening to the trial for such a long time, so I cannot interrupt. But logically, since Lord Su has already reached a conclusion, I have to make some plans for Wang Fanglian out of consideration.”

Su Yun immediately stood up, walked down from the hall, bowed and folded his hands, “I will obey your orders, Your Highness.”

Everyone present looked over in astonishment.

Ah-yi ignored the looks around her and walked over to Zhao. “The children are innocent, so it’s time to send them back to their biological mother, right?”

Seeing Fanglian’s concerned look towards the two children just now, A’an also knew that even though she did not raise them herself, she was full of maternal love for her children.

Then be a good person to the end. It is naturally a good thing for mother and son to be reunited. Even if she is unwilling, Fanglian’s wish should be fulfilled.

The peasant woman watched from the side. This was the first time she saw her grandson and granddaughter. It was obvious that they were unwilling to get close to Fanglian and kept hiding behind Zhao, which was also heartbreaking.

“No, no, I want my mother, I want my mother.” Yuan’er cried softly with tears in her eyes.

Mo Lin was older, and even though he had never heard of Fang Lian before, he had always heard some rumors that said she was not Zhao’s biological daughter.

As soon as he had Yuan’er, he began to realize that something was wrong.

Zhao had never given birth, nor did she see any signs of a bulge in her abdomen. When the Master came to visit, he asked her about this. The Master thought it was just a child’s curiosity, so he explained the reason.

Little did people know that Mo Lin, at such a young age, had already been very thoughtful.

He listened to his sister crying beside him, and he couldn’t bring himself to leave Zhao. After all, Zhao had taken care of him since he was a child and had never failed to do so.

Fanglian’s eyes were filled with tears. Seeing the children’s silence, she understood a lot.

Friendship is something that cannot be reasoned with. Since this is the case, I have put aside all my worries and can now devote myself to running the academy.

“Thank you for your kindness.” Fanglian turned to look at Ah’an, smiled and wiped away her tears, “Since the child doesn’t want to, I have no intention of forcing her.”

“In this case, I hope Madam can put aside the past grudges and treat Lin’er and Yuan’er with leniency, as you have done in the past, and raise them as your own children. I will be very grateful.”

Fanglian knelt down in front of everyone and said these words to Zhao. With everyone’s witness, Zhao had to bite the bullet and agree to her.

“It’s…natural.”

Zhao looked pale.

She never thought that Fanglian was so lucky that she actually met Princess Xuancheng who was traveling to Qingheng Mountain.

Now it’s troublesome.

The case was closed and the trial naturally ended.

Zhao took the child and walked out in a daze.

We must find a way to tell my mother’s family as soon as possible. This person is a man who can even kill the deposed emperor with his own hands, and he will definitely not let them off easily.

“Mrs. Zhao, please stay.”

Ah-yi understood her anxiety very well, so she said slowly, “If I were you, I would stay in the inn obediently these days and not cause myself any trouble. What about you?”

Now that things have been said, it is up to her whether she listens or not.

Ah’ao stood there and breathed a sigh of relief.

The latter stepped forward and put his arm around her shoulders, “Let’s go eat. The food has been heated up three times.”

Ok.

A’ao held his hand.

(End of this chapter)