Chapter 248 Witness

The two clean rooms here were specially for guests, so all six of them were drinkers. One of them even recognized Minister Shen and Cheng Maoming, and greeted them respectfully as soon as he arrived.

This person was a minor official in the Ministry of Revenue, and his surname was Wang.

"The four of you, tell me when you will go to the toilet." Minister Shen said seriously.

"I went there around noon and entered the toilet on the left..."

"I went there around 2:30 in the afternoon and entered the toilet on the left..."

"I went there not long after I entered Wuweizhai. It was just after noon, and I went into the left side of the toilet..."

Only the head of the Ministry of Revenue said something different: "I went there at noon and entered the right toilet. As I was going to the toilet, I happened to see someone walking towards the left toilet."

"Which one did you see?" Cheng Maoming asked, pointing at the three people who had entered the toilet.

Director Wang carefully glanced at the three of them, his expression becoming increasingly hesitant: "It seems none of them are..."

"Are you sure?" Cheng Maoming's tone became more serious.

Director Wang nodded and said, "Although I only saw that person's back, he was tall and thin, giving off a very young vibe, completely different from these three."

Among the three drinkers who had been to the toilet, one was short and fat, one was burly, and only one was thin with gray hair, which did not look young at all.

"Could it be that some of the drinkers who went to the toilet have already left?" asked Minister Shen.

This time it was Qi Shuo who spoke: "Wuweizhai is a high-end restaurant. People who come here to eat usually don't just eat a few bites. It's not time for them to finish their meal and leave yet. Even if there are people, they should be very few. The waiters may remember them."

Sure enough, when I asked the waiter in the lobby, I found out that only two tables of customers left from the time the restaurant opened at noon to the time when the prince had the accident at the end of the afternoon.

The high-end status of the restaurant means that most of the customers who come here are repeat customers. The waiter can even tell the identities of the two tables of customers who finished their meal and left during this period of time.

"Come here immediately," Cheng Maoming ordered.

"When did you go?" While waiting for someone, Minister Shen asked the remaining two people.

"I didn't pay attention to the time, but it must have been past noon. I found both bathrooms occupied, so I went back to the lobby."

Another person gave the exact time: "I saw the wooden sign on the bathroom door indicating someone was there, so I went back to the lobby and casually asked the waiter what time it was. He said it was exactly three quarters past noon."

This statement was immediately confirmed by a waiter: "The distinguished guest asked me the time, and I took a look at the clepsydra. It is indeed 12:30 noon."

Cheng Maoming looked at Yang Zhe and Han Baocheng: "Did you guys go to the bathroom together and pay attention to the time?"

Both of them shook their heads.

Cheng Maoming then ordered his men to summon Zhang Liangyu and the other two, as well as the Eastern Palace guards, for questioning. One of the guards gave the time: "When Yang Xiuzhuan and Han Jinshi left, I noticed the time, and it was exactly one quarter past noon."

By now, the situation was clear. The left sanitation room had been occupied since Wang Zhushi saw someone go there, which was around noon. The right sanitation room had been occupied from the time Yang Zhe and Han Baocheng went there until the prince's accident.

But this cannot determine whether Yang Zhe is lying or not.

If he was not lying, the murderer took advantage of Yang Zhe's coma to poison the prince, and then escaped calmly under the pretext of going to the purification room for the second time. He would probably have escaped in the chaos long ago.

If he was lying, he could ensure that no one was in the purgatory by not turning the wooden sign over when he left the purgatory for the first time. After poisoning the prince, he could return to the purgatory before the poison took effect and use a self-torture trick to fabricate a "murderer".

There is a master of disguise who has not yet been apprehended. In fact, Cheng Maoming's heart has long tilted towards the real murderer. However, this matter involves the crown prince and cannot be taken lightly. No conclusion can be made without solid evidence.

It's really a headache.

He pinched his eyebrows and subconsciously looked at Qi Shuo.

The young man's eyes were calm, and no one knew what he was thinking.

"Grand Commander, everyone has been brought here."

There were five drinkers brought back by Jinlinwei. They were all confused and nervous.

"Would you all five of you like to have lunch at Wuweizhai today?"

Cheng Maoming's question made the five people even more nervous, and they nodded hesitantly.

"You don't have to be afraid. Just answer the questions truthfully and you'll be able to leave soon." Minister Shen said soothingly.

You definitely can't leave, you have to keep the person stable first.

"Have the five of you gone to the clean room?"

The five nervous people were stunned when they heard this question.

Cheng Maoming's face darkened. "Why, is this question so difficult to answer?"

The five people were frightened and shook their heads hurriedly: "No."

"You didn't go?" Cheng Maoming frowned. "Someone saw us. If they point it out later, we won't be able to question you here anymore."

After being frightened, the five people shook their heads even more vigorously.

"I really didn't go. No matter how good the clean rooms in this restaurant are, they are not as convenient as home. When I'm away from home, I try not to go."

This caused the others to nod.

Who would want to use the toilet if they really couldn't help it outside?

Three of the five people were at the same table, and the other two were at another table, so the possibility of them lying was not high.

Cheng Maoming asked the five people to turn around and asked Wang to identify them.

Master Wang looked from the first to the last and slowly shook his head.

Minister Shen pointed at one of them and said, "This person looks thin and tall from behind. How can you say he's not her?"

Director Wang looked embarrassed: "It feels different from my impression——"

"Wait a minute!" Cheng Maoming suddenly interrupted, pulling Yang Zhe over, "Master Wang, take another look."

Director Wang's gaze fell on Yang Zhe's back, and his eyes suddenly tightened: "It's him!"

His eyes widened, and he pointed at Yang Zhe with an increasingly firm tone: "It's him!"

The scene suddenly became quiet.

Cheng Maoming stared at Wang, his eyes burning. "What time did Wang go to the toilet?"

"Noon." This question has already been answered by Director Wang.

The expressions of Han Baocheng and others changed.

"The guard just said that when Yang Zhe and I went to the toilet together, it was one quarter past noon!"

The other three confirmed, "Yes, we were all drinking together before this, and no one had ever gone out."

When Wang Zhushi went to the bathroom at noon, he saw someone who looked like Yang Zhe. At that time, Yang Zhe was drinking with them. This means that there really was someone disguised as Yang Zhe, and that person must be the real murderer of the prince!

This discovery excited Han Baocheng and others.

Having been friends for so long, they understood Yang Zhe and did not believe from the bottom of their hearts that Yang Zhe would harm the prince.

Cheng Maoming was emboldened by this discovery and immediately asked the restaurant owner and waiter, "Did anyone notice anyone resembling Yang Xiuzhuan leaving between 15:00 and 15:00?"

"Except for those two tables, no one paid and left."

This answer made Cheng Maoming frown tightly.