Chapter 97

Chapter 97

After Han Zhang figured out the old skeletons in the Dingbei Marquis's household, he wasn't all that shocked.

After all, with modern information being so developed, what crazy, over-the-top crap hadn't people heard of or seen?

Human beings just keep finding new ways to be messed up. As long as you lived long enough and saw enough, you'd realize there's no low people won't sink to.

Forget a marquis's title—people will go to war with their own siblings over a damn tree in the front yard!

Once the truth was clear, stirring the pot was a piece of cake.

This time, Han Zhang didn't get cute with it. He just scribbled a letter in charcoal laying out the whole sordid history of the Dingbei Marquis's household and sent it to Kang Zhanxun.

First, to avoid getting directly involved and causing trouble for himself;

Second, to size up Kang Zhanxun's skills and methods, so he could figure out his future recruitment plans;

The simplest approach is the best one—brutally simple.

And so, two days later.

When Kang Zhanxun went out, a beggar bumped into him and slipped a piece of paper into his hand.

"Young master, are you alright?" his servant stepped forward in concern. "That beggar really needs to watch where he's going..."

"No harm done. The young master's in a good mood today, so I won't waste my time on trash like that. Come on, let's hit the tavern for some drinks."

Kang Zhanxun clutched the paper in his hand, quietly stopping his servant from going after the beggar, and pretended to be in a great mood, strutting along with a swagger like a crab.

Once he was in the private room at the tavern, he sent the servants away and made sure no one else was around.

Only then did Kang Zhanxun open the paper to read it.

The note didn't say much, but it was enough to lay out the whole sordid history of the Dingbei Marquis's household.

"So that's how it is... so that's how it was..." He was shaking all over. "No wonder I could never find evidence... I was going down the wrong path from day one."

"No wonder my father—no, that old bastard—always putting on that loving-father act on the surface, while all he did was wreck my future and clip my wings, while calling me a useless piece of trash every day to break my spirit..."

"And grandmother—if she truly cared for me, how could she stand by and watch that..."

By the time he finished reading, Kang Zhanxun's eyes were bloodshot.

So his father had been dead all along, his mother really was murdered by his uncle and aunt, and the reason he'd been getting more and more uncontrollably violent as he got older? He'd been poisoned.

All for a damn title—his own uncle could do that to family. What a monster.

"You want the title? You want to bleed my branch of the family dry? You old bastard, just you wait... For everything I've suffered, for my parents' blood, I'll make you pay—with interest. Blood for blood!"

Kang Zhanxun's eyes were blood-red, his jaw clenched so tight it hurt.

He sat alone in that private room for a long time, thinking about a lot of things.

He didn't just want revenge—once he got the title back, he had to hold onto this goldmine too.

His parents died for this title, so it had to stay in the eldest branch's bloodline. Otherwise, his parents would have died for nothing.

The fact that Kang Zhanxun had sensed something was off in the household all these years proved he had some brains—he wasn't just some clueless rich kid living for pleasure.

He'd actually been quietly digging into the affair between his "father" and his aunt, and the truth about his mother dying in childbirth, and he did have his own people working for him.

The reason he'd never found anything was that he'd been looking in the wrong direction.

Now that he had the right direction, no matter how well Second Master Kang and his wife had covered their tracks, Kang Zhanxun still dug up leads and evidence.

So Kang Zhanxun didn't go confront anyone. He grabbed the evidence and went straight to the yamen to beat the drum and demand justice!

His reputation was already in the gutter—he didn't give a damn about face anymore. If the family scandal blew up, sure, people would gossip, but everything else would work in his favor.

The ones who should be ashamed, who should hide their faces, who should be shamed by everyone—those were the murderers.

"Boom! Boom! Boom—"

Kang Zhanxun pounded the grievance drum at the yamen entrance so hard it thundered.

He'd also arranged for people to spread the word and get a crowd gathered, making sure to blow the whole thing up, catching his enemies off guard with no room to wriggle out.

And he picked a day when all the academies in the capital were on break, with students out and about socializing.

So unsurprisingly.

When the drum started pounding, not only did the common folks swarm over, but a bunch of scholars and students showed up too.

"What's happened? Someone actually came to beat the grievance drum!"

"Whenever the grievance drum sounds at the yamen, it means a great injustice!"

"Hey, look at the one beating the drum—that seems to be Prince Kang of the Dingbei Marquis's household."

"Prince Kang of the Dingbei Marquis's household? The one whose legal wife once accused him of 'favoring a concubine over his wife'?"

"Yes, that's him! What great grievance could this dandy possibly have that he's come to beat the grievance drum?"

The crowd buzzed with discussion, extremely curious.

Because the one beating the grievance drum was actually the heir of a marquis's household, even more people came running to watch—especially the political enemies of the Dingbei Marquis's household, who sprinted over with sparks flying from their heels.

Han Zhang naturally came along with Shen Huaizhi and the others to watch the excitement.

Once the yamen officials and runners, the onlooking crowd, and the marquis's household members who had rushed over upon hearing the news had all gathered.

The capital's prefect slapped the gavel and began the trial:

"Who kneels below? For what reason do you beat the grievance drum? What injustice do you claim? State it all truthfully at once!"

Kang Zhanxun wasted no words. He presented the evidence directly, tears and snot streaming down his face as he cried out in accusation:

"Your Honor, I accuse my second uncle Kang Qixiao and second aunt Du Wanxin of murdering my father and mother, usurping their place like a cuckoo in a magpie's nest, and fraudulently inheriting the title of Dingbei Marquis!"

"I accuse the legal wife Du Ruorui and my cousin Kang Zhanhong of illicit relations, passing off their illegitimate child as my Kang Zhanxun's legitimate bloodline to scheme for my branch's family fortune!"

The moment these words were spoken, the entire hall erupted in uproar.

"Kang Zhanxun's second uncle? Wasn't that man already dead for many years?"

"Killing his elder brother and sister-in-law, falsely claiming the title... Could it be that the current Dingbei Marquis is actually a fake?"

"Prince Kang's wife had an affair with his cousin? Madam Du has always been proper and decorous, and once even went to court to prove her innocence. If she truly had something to hide, how could she be so righteous?"

The courtroom buzzed with murmurs, like a pot of boiling water.

Meanwhile, a chill seized the Dingbei Marquis household, their faces turning pale—

How on earth did Kang Zhanxun learn the truth?

Second Master Kang forced down his panic and barked angrily, "You unfilial wretch! What nonsense are you spouting now? Do you really intend to destroy our house's century-old reputation?"

Second Madam Kang also wore an indignant, wronged expression: "Kang Zhanxun, what have I, your aunt, ever done to wrong you, that you would slander my reputation and besmirch the honor of our house?"

His cousin Kang Zhanhong shot back angrily, "Cousin, how can you accuse Uncle and my mother like this, and cause a scene in court?"

"True gold doesn't fear the fire, and justice lies in people's hearts..."

Du Ruorui, without a shred of guilt, even tried to turn the tables with a sneer: "Kang Zhanxun, today I'd like to see what other absurd tales you can spin for the sake of your precious concubine."

She wasn't the least bit nervous, after all, every elder in the household stood on her side, and all the loose ends had been taken care of.

Her son was, in fact, blood-related to Kang Zhanxun, so even a blood test wouldn't give her away.

No matter how much Kang Zhanxun argued, he could never prove the child's true parentage.

Seeing Du Ruorui dare to twist the narrative, Kang Zhanxun was so infuriated he laughed at her audacity.

"Justice in this world doesn't rest on public sentiment, but on irrefutable evidence!"

Kang Zhanxun didn't waste his breath arguing with them. He turned on his heel and bowed solemnly to the magistrate:

"Your Honor, the man before you claiming to be the 'Dingbei Marquis' is not my father, but my uncle, Kang Qixiao."

"The evidence lies in the fact that years ago, after my mother became pregnant, a maidservant in her chambers deliberately seduced my father and administered the wrong medicine, leaving him impotent from that day on."

"This matter was kept secret, known only to my father's trusted steward and my mother's personal maid from her dowry. Though both later met untimely, mysterious ends, they left clues before their deaths... The physician who secretly treated my father is still living and can bear witness."

"Therefore, a simple medical examination will reveal whether the current 'Marquis' is genuine or not."

The words hit like a thunderclap—

Second Master Kang's head spun at these words. He never imagined his elder brother had such a fatal weakness!

This was all too easy to verify. Second Madam Kang's face went white as a sheet.

The couple was at a complete loss for words.

But Kang Zhanxun pressed on with his accusations: "My mother did indeed die in childbirth, but it's also a fact that the household deliberately over-nourished her during pregnancy. I have detailed records of her pregnancy tonics and the household's purchase ledgers as proof..."

"As for the affair between Du Ruorui and Kang Zhanhong—since Kang Zhanhong and I are blood relatives, a father-son blood test can't distinguish between us. However, if this child were truly mine, he'd carry my mother's bloodline and should be compatible with my maternal relatives' blood."

"I, this heir, humbly request Your Honor to summon my maternal uncle to court for a blood test with the child!"

At these words, the crowd found his reasoning quite sound.

But Du Ruorui and the others were instantly thrown into a panic.

Second Madam Kang forced herself to stay composed, hastily defending her niece: "Blood tests have always been between parent and child. What sense does it make to drag in a maternal uncle? The bloodline is already several degrees removed—who knows what errors might occur!"

Du Ruorui also forced calmness: "When you previously doubted my son's parentage, I already complied with your request and brought the prenatal physician and midwife to testify. Raising old matters today is just finding a pretext to frame me!"

Just then.

The old Madam of the marquisate finally arrived, hobbling into the courtroom with her cane, casting a look of bitter disappointment at Kang Zhanxun as she reproached him, defending the Second Branch.

"Enough! Zhanxun, your wild behavior within the household is one thing, but now you drag us into a public court... Even if your grandmother dotes on you, I cannot tolerate such foolishness—listening to slander, fabricating falsehoods, and destroying our marquisate's century-old legacy!"

With that.

The old Madam turned to the magistrate and said sorrowfully: "Your Honor, this old woman has failed to discipline her grandson properly and has caused you trouble. What this wayward grandson said about the title being usurped is utterly baseless. As his own mother, how could I fail to recognize my own flesh and blood? I have evidence to prove it."

"As for Xu'er..."

The old Madam closed her eyes with a long sigh, her face tinged with grief: "He is indeed the son of Ruorui and Zhanhong, but not born of an illicit affair. Rather, it was decided by the entire Kang clan that he would serve as heir to both branches."

"It was because Zhanxun, in his reckless youth, mistakenly consumed 'Wushi San' and damaged his constitution, rendering him permanently incapable of fathering children."

"The family feared he could not accept this, so we consulted with the clan elders and devised this plan—keeping it from him while having Zhanhong continue the bloodline... All the Kang clan elders can testify to this arrangement."

As she finished.

Second Master Kang, his wife, Du Ruorui, and Kang Zhanhong all breathed a silent sigh of relief, a flicker of fortune passing through their eyes.

The old fox was indeed the craftiest—thank goodness Grandmother had prepared a backup plan.

However.

Kang Zhanxun did not fly into a rage upon hearing this. Instead, a cold smirk curled at the corner of his lips.

His dear grandmother had finally shown up.

Good.

If she hadn't come, how could he, as the younger generation, send this "kindly grandmother"—who had watched her eldest daughter-in-law be murdered and her eldest grandson be harmed, shielding and indulging the culprits—on her final journey as well!