"Su Chenyang, you evil, jealous woman! You burned to death Ye Ziyuan out of spite. Evidence as well as witnesses all point to you, do you dare to deny it?"
The cold, disdainful voice resounded in her ears.
Who was talking?
Su Chenyang struggled to open her heavily-lidded eyes. Shadows swam in front of them, and her hands burned with intense pain.
She widened her eyes and looked down at her hands.
Her hands, if they could be called that, had swollen beyond recognition. Each finger was cracked and bloody, a horrifying sight. Fresh blood dripped from the tips, each falling drop landing on the bluestone ground.
The ground was drenched with two pools of blood, a jarring, striking red.
Su Chenyang stared blankly at the blood.
"Su Chenyang, you wicked woman, confess! Surely, you don't want to endure more physical punishment?"
Another voice sounded in her ears, full of pain, yet brimming with anger.
Su Chenyang turned towards the sound. Her gaze landed on a face, filled with fury but no less handsome, as a barrage of unfamiliar, confusing information rushed in.
Su Chenyang, the legitimate eldest daughter of Prime Minister Su Qianming of DaChu, sixteen years old. Her mother, He Zhiyuan, is the daughter of the wealthiest man south of DaChu city.
Originally, a government official's son and a merchant's daughter were not considered a good match. However, because Su Qianming's father had embezzled a huge sum of money, he had to pursue He Zhiyuan in order to mend his family's financial situation, banking on his wife's wealth for his family’s rise.
Ten years have passed. The once impoverished government official has risen to be the kingdom's chief minister and the Emperor's favorite, unmatched in prestige.
Meanwhile, the once wealthy He family was gradually declining, losing all their wealth and shrinking in size, far from their past splendor. Su Qianming, who now held a high position, looked down upon his merchant wife. Now that he had achieved success, he considered his past to be a disgrace. If he could, he would erase her and their daughter from his life completely, leaving no traces behind.
Coincidentally, his wish was granted yesterday.
Yesterday marked the sixtieth birthday of the Su Family's old master, to which hundreds of officials came to congratulate. The atmosphere was lively.
Who would have expected that on such a festive day, a tragic death would occur.
The deceased, Ye Ziyuan, was the precious daughter of Ye Yongzhao, a Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice. While attending the banquet with her parents, she inexplicably burned to death in the Longcuixuan of the Su Residence.
When people rushed over upon realization, the tender young girl was already reduced to a charred corpse, beyond recognition.
The only one at the scene was Su Chenyang, dressed in bloody clothes, holding a sharp weapon, her behavior frantic as if mad.
She had an argument with Ye Ziyuan before the incident, naturally, she was perceived as the prime suspect.
Su Qianming found his own daughter cumbersome. He did not hesitate to exploit the situation, neither hiding nor protecting, instead carrying out ruthless justice.
His own daughter had to be condemned, yet he still had to keep up the facade of being a loving father.
Su Qianming persuaded his daughter to confess with tears streaming down his face.
"You unruly girl, it would have been fine if you only expressed your temper by beating servants or killing a couple of cats or dogs!"
"But this was a human life! How could you just... kill her?"
"What a tragic disaster! You are as cold-blooded as your late mother!"
Su Chenyang tilted her head and after staring at him for quite a while, snorted, bursting into laughter.
"She... she's actually laughing?" Whispers filled the crowd.
"How despicable! Carrying out such a vile act and still having the audacity to smile!"
"He's absolutely ruthless! Haven't you heard what Lord Su said? He's fond of killing small animals like cats and dogs, with such a cruel nature, it's only a matter of time before he starts killing people!"
"It's a good thing he's been caught this time! Otherwise, who knows, he might end up like that notorious 'Floral Serial Killer' in the future."
Upon mentioning the Floral Serial Killer, everyone present shivered instinctively.
Even the speaker regretted his loose tongue.
After uttering those words, a chill swept up from the back of his head. He subconsciously glanced around and covered his mouth.
The Floral Serial Killer emerged in the city of Chu half a year ago, specifically targeting women.
To date, more than a dozen women have fallen victim to him.
After each murder, the killer would gouge out the victim's heart and place a blooming red flower where the heart once was.
Red petals would fill the victim's mouth.
His way of committing the crime was extremely twisted and bizarre which made the locals dub him as the Floral Serial Killer.
In the past six months, the Floral Serial Killer has been wreaking havoc in Chu, repeatedly committing these horrifying crimes.
The authorities have been investigating day and night, but up until now, not a single clue has been found.
Therefore, people in the city of Chu have been living in fear, terrified of becoming the next victim of this serial killer.
Upon hearing the name, 'Floral Serial Killer', a slight change also came over Lord Su's face.
Su Chenyang keenly noticed his slight hesitation, the smile on her face deepened.
"Wicked girl! And you're still laughing!" Su Qianming shouted angrily.
The Ye Yongzhao couple standing by were gnashing their teeth in anger, yelling at Liu Xuan, the Mayor of Jingzhou, "Sir, please use a heavier sentence to skin this evil woman alive for the sake of my poor daughter!"
Liu Xuan immediately ordered to carry out the punishment. The bailiffs next to him, as fierce as a wolf and as brutal as a tiger, took action.
Su Qianming covered his face with his sleeves, stumbling away, while wailing mournfully, "I just can't bear to see it..."
Onlookers outside kept sighing.
"The fatherly love in Minister Su's heart must be in great pain now!"
"Exactly! Raising such a daughter is really a suffering."
Seeing that he was about to leave, Su Chenyang stepped forward and extended her battered hands, blocking his path.
