Chapter 79: Chapter 79 - 79 079 Struggling Even at Deaths Door Fifth Master Adds

Chapter 79: 079 Struggling Even at Death’s Door? Fifth Master Adds a Stab (4 more chapters) Chapter 79: 079 Struggling Even at Death’s Door? Fifth Master Adds a Stab (4 more chapters) The police brought He An over, and naturally, the case they were talking about had something to do with him. Zhang Liyun involved in a crime? That’s a lot to take in…

There was a moment of deafening silence inside the shed, which was abruptly broken when a man cursed, and all hell broke loose below.

“He An was messing with Tang Wan, wasn’t he? And then his stepmother got involved with him…”

“I was wondering who He An had offended that they wanted to ruin him like this. If someone touched my daughter, I would fight them to death!”

“So it’s an inside job, and they wanted to do away with Miss Tang…’Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned’ couldn’t be more fitting here.”

“Think about when she was interviewed before, how evasive she was when asked about Miss Tang. Now it seems she played both sides and was such a hypocrite.”

…

“Mom?” Tang Mo was also dumbfounded. She thought the police were coming for her, but to think… “Officers, you must be joking.”

How could a scumbag like He An be linked to her mother when they had barely exchanged a few words?

Zhang Liyun had a blank mind, “Could you have made a mistake?”

“Zhang Liyun, right?” The police confirmed her identity.

“Yes.”

“Then we’ve made no mistake. He An has already explained everything to us. He wants to plead guilty and seek a lenient punishment, claiming that for the incident before, you were his accomplice.”

“No, I wasn’t!” Zhang Liyun denied too quickly, her voice loud and anxious, her haste to disassociate herself only making her more suspicious.

Normally so composed, she couldn’t help but panic in this situation.

“If you were, or not, we’ll find out as soon as you come with us.” The police didn’t have time for idle talk.

“How can you trust anything He An says, don’t we all know what kind of person he is?” Zhang Liyun tried to vindicate herself by throwing all accusations back on He An.

He An was also known for his temper. Even though a few days in custody had worn him down, he exploded at her words.

“Zhang Liyun, what the hell do you think you are to talk about me?” If the police hadn’t held him back, he might have charged at her.

“I admit, I’ve done a lot of shitty things and indeed am no good, but here, you have the absolute least right to judge me!”

“Even if Tang Wan isn’t your biological daughter, you’ve lived together for so long. For the sake of your own daughter, you colluded with me to destroy her. I was temporarily blinded by lust, but you are truly selfish and malicious.”

“He An, you’re full of shit!” Zhang Liyun, now livid, had cooled off slightly from her initial shock.

“If I were really your accomplice, why didn’t you say so earlier?”

“Now that you come forward, are you sure nobody put you up to this?”

Zhang Liyun gave Tang Yunxian a bleak smile, “Heh—I see.”

“The two of you, did you strike some secret deal? If He An points the finger at me, will you let him off the hook? If I’m gone, I won’t have a say in the divorce or property settlement, right?”

“The property will be protected, and you’ll still score points with the He Family. Tang Yunxian, you truly live up to being a businessman, incredibly calculating. What a strategy.”

…

The audience was baffled. Not having an omniscient point of view and being in the dark, the conspiracy theory about Tang Yunxian sent a chill down everyone’s spine.

Could it be Mr. Tang’s trap?

Because, indeed, He An is not a good person, and everyone was skeptical about what he said, so they were really confused for a moment.

Tang Yunxian, however, just laughed it off with indifference, “It turns out some people’s sense of shame can be endlessly renewed!”

“I’m willing to cooperate with the police investigation, but if you’re going to accuse me, you need evidence. Otherwise, fabricating charges in front of all these people—I’ll sue you for defamation!”

Zhang Liyun had always been careful when meeting with He An, so she was certain they had no evidence.

“I have a witness!” He An gritted his teeth.

“It wouldn’t happen to be someone close to you, would it? Officer, can that count as a witness?” Zhang Liyun asked sarcastically.

He An hadn’t immediately told Tang Yunxian at the time because he was shocked and confused. He had been all pumped up to cause trouble but got his nerve wrecked by Jiang Jinsang’s sudden appearance, and then Tang Yunxian showed up, and the police took him for questioning. He was genuinely flustered.

Later, when the lawyer from the He Family arrived and he calmed down, he explained the whole situation, and the lawyer suggested he not rat out Zhang Liyun yet.

Whether it was a crime committed on impulse or premeditated makes a difference in sentencing. If Zhang Liyun were to be exposed, it would show intent, and though it may not matter much to drag someone else down, he feared a heavier sentence for himself.

And since Zhang Liyun was a Tang Family member at that time, if she were an accomplice and feared exposure, she might have helped him, perhaps even convincing Tang Yunxian not to pursue the matter. But now they were in the middle of a divorce, and she couldn’t help him at all.

The He Family had recently also pulled all sorts of strings and sought favors, urging people to plead on their behalf, but Tang Yunxian was unmoved, intent on crushing them to the ground, impervious to any form of persuasion.

Yet now that he needed to deal with the Zhang Family, if He An could lend him a hand, there might still be room for negotiation, and proactively cooperating to identify co-conspirators could warrant leniency, which is why he decided to step forward.

He hadn’t expected Zhang Liyun to be such a tough nut to crack.

“It was you who came to me because of Tang Mo’s incident, begging me to spare her and saying you’d help me connect with Tang Wan…” He An nearly explained.

“Where’s the evidence?” Zhang Liyun spoke with confidence and without fear.

Tang Yunxian didn’t have any evidence on hand, but he wasn’t worried, because once the police were involved, a trail would be left, surely revealing some clue or other.

Even if the police couldn’t find anything, the He Family, in their attempt to obtain leniency for He An, would desperately search for leads!

Thus, finding evidence was never a concern of his.

The Tang Family was in such disarray; it would be foolish for He An to come out and make a mess at such a time, and the He Family wouldn’t allow it.

“Fuck, have you no shame?” He An burst out, enraged.

…

Both parties stood their ground, at an impasse, when someone emerged from the shadows.

“Ms. Zhang, you’re looking for evidence, right?”

That person’s voice was gentle and light, like the soft snow falling upon the lake’s surface, pleasing and piercing to the ear yet carried a hint of coldness that reached the heart.

The crowd turned to look, only to see the figure was slender, barely making out his carefree posture, tall and graceful. Those who were near enough might even see his skin, pale white without a trace of blood color.

The place was barely touched by the studio’s light; in the interplay of light and shadow, it was as if he stood between Buddha and demon.

Those unfamiliar wouldn’t know him, but those who had dealings understood – this was –

The fifth master of the Jiang Family!

Zhang Liyun knew the shadowy figure to be Jiang Jinsang and immediately feared the worst.

As expected…

In the studio, full of recording equipment yet little else, the recording of Zhang Liyun and He An’s premeditated conversation quickly began playing from the studio’s ceiling for all to hear.

…

“What do you want to do then?”

“Who’s on the night shift at the hospital tonight?”

“You can’t be thinking, this is a hospital…”

“I’ve made the arrangements, just leave her alone tonight.”

…

“That’s it, our conversation from that time!” He An immediately jumped in.

The crowd was shocked; Zhang Liyun had brought this upon herself, and this hammer blow was a heavy one, seemingly sufficient to crush her.

Jiang Jinsang didn’t step forward, content to stay in the shadows. He didn’t need to show off, nor did he need to reveal himself publicly – as long as Tang Yunxian knew he was the doer, that flicker of presence was enough.

The Jiang Family could only comment in amazement:

The fifth master’s knife had struck fiercely indeed.

If Zhang Liyun wasn’t fatally stabbed by it, she was likely left barely breathing.

**

Meanwhile, inside a hospital ward

The sun shone warm and gently as Jiangjiang played with his newly acquired toy, his head bowed, Qi Zeyan looked utterly disheartened, glancing at the small child, then toward the empty hospital bed.

They all went to watch the show; why should he be the one left behind to coddle a child?

At the same time, a car had stopped steadily at the entrance of the television station, its speakers still playing the latter half of the storytelling of “The Replacement of the Prince by a Civet Cat,”

Just as they were recounting Bao Zheng tracing the roots, investigating the case, a palace catastrophe about to erupt…