Phi-Fic Chapter 1365 It’s her
Chapter 1365 It’s her
Susan was speechless after Zhan Miao's words. Her face flushed red and then turned pale. In front of all the guests, she couldn't find a single word to refute him.
She had intended to use the word "evidence" to suppress the matter and save face for the Su family, but she did not expect Zhan Miao to be so straightforward and unconventional.
The noble ladies around them whispered among themselves, their eyes darting between Zhan Miao, Susan, and the gray-clad servant on the ground, their eyes filled with amusement at the spectacle.
Seeing this, Madam Su quickly tried to smooth things over: "Miao, today is Shan'er's birthday banquet. If this continues, it will spoil the guests' enjoyment. In my opinion, this servant was probably just watching the fun and lost his composure for a moment."
Zhan Miao raised an eyebrow, slowly walked up to the servant, and looked down at him. "Just now, when you saw Miss Su holding the embroidery, your hands were so wet from gripping the hem of her clothes. After Miss Su was unharmed, you turned pale and almost collapsed. This loss of composure makes it seem as if you were hoping for something to happen to Miss Su."
The servant trembled, cried even harder, and kowtowed repeatedly: "This servant didn't! This servant is just cowardly and afraid of such a scene! Miss Zhan, you can't make false accusations!"
Zhan Miao said sarcastically, "Do you really think I have no evidence? You applied arsenic to that picture, the deadly poison that can cause skin to ulcerate if even a tiny bit gets on it. If I'm not mistaken, you accidentally bumped your wrist, didn't you?"
She suddenly grabbed his wrist and lifted it up, revealing a festering wound to everyone.
The guests were all taken aback and gasped.
Everyone knows how dangerous arsenic is.
Susan was also stunned. Looking at the servant's panicked appearance, she suddenly realized what was going on.
It turns out that Zhan Miao's earlier statement that there was no evidence was a trap he deliberately set, waiting for the servant to slip up.
She bit her lip, feeling both angry and anxious, but she had to admit that Zhan Miao's move was truly brilliant.
Master Su's face was so dark it could drip water, and he shouted sternly, "You audacious servant! How dare you cause trouble at the Su family's birthday banquet! Quickly reveal the mastermind behind this!"
Upon seeing this, the guards immediately stepped forward, grabbed the servant's shoulders, and pressed the hilts of their swords against his neck. The servant was terrified, tears and snot streaming down his face, but he clenched his teeth and cried out, "I'm innocent!"
Zhan Miao knew that this servant must have been held accountable and would rather die than reveal who was instigated.
She didn't press him, but simply said calmly, "Lord Su, there's no need to be angry. He has his reasons for not speaking. Today's events have managed to expose this pawn, so our efforts haven't been in vain."
As she spoke, she turned to look at Susan, a faint smile playing on her lips: "Miss Su, I'm truly sorry for disturbing your birthday banquet today. However, after this incident, I'm afraid no one will dare to resort to such underhanded tactics in front of you again."
Looking at her composed demeanor, Susan's anger inexplicably subsided, and she felt a flush rise to her face. She opened her mouth, but only managed to utter, "Thank you for today."
Zhan Miao nodded slightly, then frowned and said, "Since this servant is here for the Zhan family, I will have to take him back to the Zhan Yi Marquis's residence for questioning. I wonder if Lord Su would agree?"
Lord Su naturally agreed; he couldn't wait to get rid of this hot potato.
He smiled, his eyes narrowing, "Of course I agree. I'll send more guards to escort Miss Zhan home, just in case anything goes wrong on the way!"
Zhan Miao did not refuse, and had his servant drag the servants away quickly.
By the time she returned to the Marquis of Zhanyi's residence, it was already completely dark.
Lin Yiwan rushed over upon receiving the news, asking worriedly, "Miao'er, are you alright?"
Zhan Miao shook his head: "Mother, I'm fine. Luckily, I noticed something was wrong in time. Otherwise, the Su family would be at odds with our Zhanyi Marquis's family by now!"
Lin Yiwan was also terrified. She wasn't afraid of causing trouble; she was only worried that Zhan Miao would get hurt.
Fortunately, she returned safely.
She said in a low voice, "I'll take the servant away for questioning first; he must know something!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the two guards immediately escorted the servant who had been detained by Zhan Miao to the torture chamber in the side courtyard.
Lin Yiwan followed closely behind, and Zhan Miao frowned and quickly caught up as well.
The torture chamber was chilling, with chains, branding irons, and other instruments of torture hanging on the walls. The flickering firelight cast shadows that were sometimes bright and sometimes dark.
The servant was pressed onto the cold torture bench, his hands and feet shackled with iron chains. His face had long lost the composure he had shown in Zhanmiao Courtyard, leaving only uncontrollable panic.
"Madam, spare me! I know nothing!" The servant cried out as soon as he saw Lin Yiwan enter, his body trembling like a leaf.
Lin Yiwan sat upright in a chair to the side, her fingertips lightly tapping the table, her gaze as cold as a blade fixed on the servant: "Spare my life? Why didn't you spare her when you tried to frame our Zhanyi Marquis's eldest daughter?"
The servant's face paled, and his eyes darted away: "I didn't, Madam has misunderstood!"
Lin Yiwan sneered and gestured to the guards beside her, "Since you refuse to talk, then use torture."
The guard responded, picked up the branding iron beside him, and heated it until it was red-hot in the charcoal fire, with wisps of blue smoke rising from the tip.
The servant, terrified at the sight of the red-hot branding iron, screamed, "I'll talk! I'll talk! Madam, please don't torture me!"
Lin Yiwan raised her hand, and the guard stopped what he was doing. The branding iron was suspended in mid-air, and the heat made the hairs on the servant's face curl up.
"Explain clearly, who sent you, and what your purpose is." Lin Yiwan's voice was devoid of any warmth.
The servant was panting heavily, cold sweat streaming down his forehead, his lips trembling as he said, "A young lady sent me."
Lin Yiwan frowned. "Miss? Who is she? What's her name? Where does she live?"
"I don't know her name!" The servant hurriedly shook his head, his voice trembling. "She gave me fifty taels of silver and told me to wait for Miss Zhan's carriage on the road. While she was on her way to rescue someone, I stole her birthday painting, coated it with deadly poison, and wanted the unsuspecting Miss Su to die at her hands!"
Upon hearing this, Zhan Miao clenched his fists in anger: "Despicable!"
Lin Yiwan's expression was also solemn as she asked in a deep voice, "What does that girl look like? What are her features?"
The servant struggled to recall, his brows furrowing: "She was wearing a plain white dress, extremely beautiful, with a cool and aloof air about her, and a small beauty mark under her left eye. Oh, and when she spoke, her voice was very soft, with a slight Jiangnan accent."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhan Miao gasped, a look of shock flashing in his eyes.
Lin Yiwan's heart sank suddenly, and she stopped tapping the table with her fingertips.
“Rong Zhiyu!” Lin Yiwan murmured the name, her tone filled with disbelief.