Su Yunmo saw through his thoughts, lightly brushed the dirt off herself, and said, "What if I kill you?"
"There must be more than just the Marquis who despaired and took their own lives in prison. Even the Duke of Ying, who was once so powerful, committed suicide out of guilt, wasn't that the case?"
Lin Ze'qu's body stiffened abruptly.
Su Yunmo leaned down to look at him, tilting her head and curving her lips, "What? Did you forget what you personally did, Marquis?"
Cold sweat beaded on Lin Ze'qu's palms, and veins bulged on his forehead. "You came to see this Marquis because you want me to implicate Luo Yin Feng as well?"
Although he had known this girl was not kind-hearted, he hadn't expected her to be so ruthless!
Given Luo Yin Feng's temperament, if he knew he had been betrayed, not only would he not be left with a whole corpse, but he would likely end up wishing he were dead!
"The Marquis is indeed intelligent." Su Yunmo didn't hesitate to clap her hands in applause. "Luo Yin Feng's matter is very important, but my mother's matter cannot be left unresolved either. I still want to know what the Marquis did to my mother back then."
Lin Ze'qu gritted his teeth tightly. "What use is it for you to know now?"
The dead cannot be brought back to life. Even if she wanted revenge, how far could she go? He was imprisoned now, and His Majesty would order his execution sooner or later.
By the time he was escorted to the execution ground, her revenge would be served, whether she got it or not!
The playful smile on Su Yunmo's face gradually faded, revealing a hint of coldness. "Father, I believe it is necessary for me to know."
Lin Ze'qu was startled by this address, then took a deep breath. "Apart from concealing from you that your mother killed her parents, I did nothing else."
"I guess you should already know the real reason I married your mother. I married her for the Glazed Lock, so naturally, I had to please her."
"In the beginning, we could be considered 'harmonious couple.' It's just that she insisted on returning to the manor earlier that day. If I hadn't been caught by her in the act and forced to act against my will, I wouldn't have killed her."
It was a pity that he hadn't found the Glazed Lock when that woman was alive, and he still hadn't found it after her death.
Although Su Yunmo had guessed this was the case long ago, hearing Lin Ze'qu say it himself made her anger surge.
"So, you're justifying your murder?"
Lin Ze'qu looked at Su Yunmo with a heavy gaze for a moment, then gave a sarcastic smile. He struggled to stand up and said, "If it were you, you would do the same. I had no feelings for your mother, and she was merely my pawn."
A chess player would never grieve or regret losing a piece.
"Since we've reached this point, I'm not afraid to tell you. Did you think I led the army to attack Southern Xinjiang alone back then?"
"Luo Yin Feng had been eyeing Southern Xinjiang for a long time, but he used me as his blade. I was after the Glazed Lock, and he was after the treasure."
"I had promised him that if he helped me ascend to the throne of the King of Southern Xinjiang, I would give him the royal treasure of Southern Xinjiang. Those weapons hidden in the cave were not mine; they were his."
Su Yunmo frowned fiercely, astonished and shocked.
If Lin Ze'qu was telling the truth, and Luo Yin Feng was the mastermind behind everything, how deeply must this man have hidden his intentions!
Su Yunmo was shocked but maintained a calm expression.
"Does the Marquis really take me for a child? Luo Yin Feng isn't a fool. How could he report to His Majesty to send troops to Southern Xinjiang with just a verbal agreement? War isn't as simple as buying snacks for children."
Lin Ze'qu snorted, "Then you underestimate that man. For him, war is that simple."
If the Luo family hadn't been so dominant back then, how could they have overthrown even the Duke of Ying, who was most trusted by His Majesty?
"Moreover, he used a trick back then, falsely reporting military intelligence that Southern Xinjiang troops had provoked on the border. In His Majesty's eyes, sending troops to suppress them was normal."
"Besides, I wasn't just making a verbal agreement with him then. I brought him a treasure map... although that treasure map was fake."
Su Yunmo blinked in surprise. "The treasure map on me?"
So, Southern Xinjiang really had treasure. She had always thought it was a rumor.
Lin Ze'qu looked at her deeply, then sat back down in the corner.
What he had longed for all his life, he never obtained, yet this girl gathered it all so easily. It was truly ironic.
Su Yunmo furrowed her brows in thought for a moment, then turned to leave.
Seeing her about to leave, Lin Ze'qu frowned. "You're just leaving like this?"
Did she come all this way just to listen? Did she not want him to betray Luo Yin Feng?
Su Yunmo stepped out of the prison cell. "Some things are not for me to do. Someone will come to make you write down what you just said."
She paused, then added, "But given that we are father and daughter, if you have any requests, feel free to tell me, and I will do my best to fulfill them."
Lin Ze'qu squinted at Su Yunmo's retreating back, then laughed self-mockingly. After laughing enough, he said with full vigor, "Good! You truly are my daughter!"
Now that things had come to this, she could still help him one last time. He hadn't raised her in vain.
Su Yunmo exited the prison.
Ye Jingyu stood waiting for her outside the prison. "How was it?"
"The groundwork has been laid. Now it depends on your people's interrogation skills." Su Yunmo's expression was not good.
Although Lin Ze'qu was imprisoned, he was not the only one responsible for her mother's death.
Without Luo Yin Feng's instigation, so many things wouldn't have happened later.
It seemed she wasn't unlucky with the royal family, but with the Luo family!
From Luo Yun'e to Ye Jingcheng, and now Luo Yin Feng, there wasn't a moment of peace for her!
Ye Jingyu signaled Ying Xiao to take the Ministry of Justice personnel inside.
The Ministry of Justice personnel seemed to have received Ye Jingyu's instructions long ago, entering with paper and pens, full of confidence.
A moment later, Ying Xiao emerged from inside and whispered a few words to Su Yunmo.
Su Yunmo sneered. "He just wants to live. Tell him I agree. As long as he's willing to write down what he just said, I'll find a way to keep him alive."
Ying Xiao bowed and said "Yes," then stepped inside.
A while later, Ying Xiao emerged again with people, carrying a stack of papers on a tray. "Your Highness, it's done."
Su Yunmo looked up at Ye Jingyu in surprise. "What did you tell them to say to Lin Ze'qu?"
It was one thing for Lin Ze'qu to tell her, and another for him to willingly write it all down.
Ye Jingyu flicked his sleeve. "I didn't say much. I just told him that the Empress in the palace had hanged herself, shortly after Luo Yin Feng entered the palace."
At these words, even Su Yunmo was stunned. "Luo Yun'e is dead?"
Luo Yin Feng was truly heartless. That was his own sister!
"What about Ye Jingcheng?"
Ye Jingyu didn't speak, but simply picked her up from behind. "I'll handle matters in the palace. You've been running around for days; it's time to go back and rest."
Ying Xiao had prepared a carriage.
Ye Jingyu carried the little dumpling into the carriage.