Chapter 262 Evidence

Most of the guests present had attended the wedding banquet of Shin and the previous prince Shang, and knew about their storybook-like marriage:

Prince Shang, who went to the southwest to search for rare camellias, accidentally got a hexagonal camellia. However, after transplanting it from the mountains into a pot, the camellia tree became withered.

Hearing that there was a young lady from a local wealthy family who was good at growing camellias, he used his connections to visit her and ask for help in keeping the camellia plant alive.

This lady is Shen.

Shen only took care of Camellia for a few days before she recovered. Prince Shang thanked her personally and fell in love with her at first sight. After informing his father, he sent a matchmaker to propose marriage.

The Shen family agreed to the marriage, and soon after, the two got married in the capital.

But no one expected that less than two years after the marriage, Prince Sang died unexpectedly, and his son also died of illness soon after. It is said that Shin was so grief-stricken and mentally devastated that she was unable to complete Prince Sang's funeral.

They never saw Shen again after that.

I thought it was because Shen stayed indoors and remained a widow, but I didn't expect there was such an injustice.

Seeing everyone casting sympathetic glances at Shen, Shang Zhichun hurriedly said, "Please do not believe my eldest sister-in-law's nonsense. My nephew's body was burned long ago during her spell. This corpse may have been accidentally killed while she was unconscious and then buried in the flowerpot."

This corpse was hidden in a flowerpot, exposed to mud and water every day. Even if it was wrapped in oil paper, the flesh would have rotted away long ago. Who can prove that it is Shang Chen?

No one can prove it.

Luo Yiwan pretended to wipe away her tears with a handkerchief and said sadly, "Ever since my eldest brother and Chen'er passed away, my eldest sister-in-law has been living in her own fantasy all day long. No one else can comfort her. Every time I see her like this, I feel so sad."

"Stop crying wolf here!"

Shen's face was filled with rage. She stood up and was about to rush over and tear her apart.

Feng Qingsui grabbed her arm.

"Madam, please don't be angry. You haven't completely cleared your mind yet, so don't get angry. Since you've already reported this matter to the prince, he can handle it."

Shen's expression softened slightly: "Thank you."

She turned and looked at Ji Changqing.

"Every word my wife said is true."

"My son died in mysterious circumstances, and I was poisoned. The Crown Prince's death was also suspicious. Camellias don't attract poisonous bees, so why was he stung by a bee while admiring them?"

"Your Majesty, please investigate the truth and bring the culprit to justice."

Ji Changqing said calmly, "Whether what you said is true remains to be verified. However, since someone has died in the Shangguo Mansion, we must open a case and investigate."

He then said to Shi An, who was waiting beside him, "Go to the Dali Temple and report this case to the Dali Temple Minister. Ask him to immediately send someone to the Shangguo Mansion to take the relevant people back to the Criminal Justice Department."

Shi An took the order and left.

Shang Zhichun frowned and quickly gave a wink to his servant, asking him to call his father over.

The servant nodded and was about to turn and leave when he heard Ji Changqing say, "To prevent anyone from destroying evidence, from now on, everyone in the Duke's Mansion must remain where they are and refrain from making any rash moves. Otherwise, you will all be considered suspects."

Guests: “…”

Consciously straighten your bent leg.

Shang Zhichun clenched his fists. "Just because there's an unidentified corpse in a flowerpot, His Majesty is going to treat everyone in the Duke's Mansion, and even the guests at the banquet, as criminals?"

Ji Changqing said calmly, "Then tell me, whose body is this? Why didn't it appear in someone else's house, but in a pot of camellia in the courtyard of a demented lady in your Duke's Mansion?"

Shang Zhichun: "I really can't answer your question, Your Highness, but the fact that this corpse appeared in our mansion doesn't mean it was hidden by someone in our mansion. It could also be that an outsider broke into our mansion and secretly buried it."

Ji Changqing: "Where is the evidence?"

Shang Zhichun: "..."

"If you don't have evidence, wait for the Dali Temple to investigate." Ji Changqing said expressionlessly, "If you keep blocking me here, I will only think you are guilty."

Shang Zhichun was so blocked that he couldn't say a word.

The Dali Temple Minister soon arrived in person with his subordinates.

Ji Changqing said, "The body was dug out from a flowerpot. The flowerpot belongs to Shen's courtyard. The people in her courtyard are the most suspicious. Arrest them all first."

After giving the order, he asked Shen: "Do you still remember those servants who stopped you from leaving the hospital?"

Shen nodded: "I recognize it."

Then he mentioned the names of those people.

Ji Changqing said to the Dali Temple Minister, "These people also need to be tried."

The Dali Temple Minister said hello.

Soon, Shen, the corpse, the people in her courtyard, and the servants were all taken to the Criminal Court.

Luo Yiwan's heart was in her throat.

What she was worried about was not Shen's testimony. The matter was done secretly and the consequences had been dealt with long ago. Apart from the slight flaw of ordering people to watch Shen and not let her leave the hospital, the rest of the matter was not a big deal.

What she was worried about was today's setup.

If those servants revealed that the maid in her courtyard had brought them wine and food, the people from the Criminal Justice Department would probably arrest the maid and torture her. The maid would then betray her, and it would be difficult for Shen to justify her escape from the courtyard today.

She had to get rid of that maid first.

However, Ji Changqing had people guarding the area and would not let them leave at all. What should she do?

She was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, wishing she could turn into an ant and sneak away.

Just as she was looking into the distance anxiously, she suddenly caught a glimpse of someone peeking over here from the corner of the corridor across the lake.

That person was none other than Cai Gu, the most useful girl to Aunt Zhuang.

I immediately felt at ease.

She secretly glanced at Ji Changqing and Feng Qingsui, and seeing that they were not paying attention to her, she kept winking at Cai Gu.

Cai Gu was a smart person and would definitely guess that she had something urgent to trouble her with. As long as she reported it to Aunt Zhuang, given her cleverness, she would definitely go to her courtyard to inquire about it as soon as possible.

After finding out that Juer was involved in Shen's escape, I will definitely find a way to deal with Juer.

She would be able to clear herself of the suspicion of setting up a plot to murder Qi.

Cai Gu quickly met her eyes, nodded at her, and turned away.

Luo Yiwan breathed a sigh of relief and was about to put her mind at ease when she suddenly heard Feng Qingsui say, "There's someone sneaking around in the corridor across the street. Yan Chi, go check it out."

Yan Chi was waiting for orders on the other side of the lake. Upon hearing the words, he jumped onto the roof. After a while, he picked up a person and jumped in front of Feng Qingsui.

Luo Yiwan: “?!”

Was Feng born to be her unlucky?

"Who are you?" Feng Qingsui asked, "Why are you walking around even though you know the prince has forbidden people from leaving the palace?"

Cai Gu said with a look of panic, "I serve Madam Zhuang. I just went to the bathroom and didn't hear the prohibition you mentioned. I saw the guests standing still by the lake, so out of curiosity I took a few more glances."

Feng Qingsui raised his eyebrows: "Then why are you nodding this way?"

Cai Gu kept shaking her head: "I didn't nod. Maybe I lowered my head unconsciously, so you misunderstood me."

-

Feng Qingsui looked at her quietly for a few moments, as if he believed her words, and did not ask any further questions.

Luo Yiwan's heart fell back to its original place.

She glanced at the guests and saw that some of them could not stand standing for a long time. They found a rock by the lake and sat down. She said slowly, "Your Highness, the wind is strong by the lake. It's okay for us young people to stand for a long time, but the old ladies can't stand the cold. Why not let them sit in the banquet hall for a while?"

When the old ladies heard her words, they immediately looked at Ji Changqing eagerly.

Ji Changqing was listening to the interrogation results that Zhuying had brought back from the Criminal Justice Department. Upon hearing this, he asked the guests, "The banquet is over, but we have yet to watch the acrobatics. Would you like to stay and watch the show?"

All the guests shook their heads.

Today's big shows are one after another, they have seen enough, what else do they want to watch?

Ji Changqing nodded and said, "In that case, everyone should return home first."

The guests, as if pardoned, said goodbye to Qi, Ji Changqing and Feng Qingsui, and headed towards the main gate impatiently.

Luo Yiwan, who had originally wanted to use the elderly guest to put pressure on Ji Changqing so that she could move to another place and wait for an opportunity to contact her confidant to deal with Juer, said: "..."

Shang Zhichun came over and whispered, "The more you do, the more mistakes you make. Don't act rashly."

Luo Yiwan: “…”

If I don't move, wouldn't that just leave her sitting there waiting to die?

If Ji Changqing caught her plotting to murder Qi, who knew what would be waiting for her?

After the guests left, Ji Changqing took Feng Qingsui to the other side of the lake and told her the results of the Dali Temple's investigation and interrogation.

"The coroner examined the corpse and found three rusty iron needles in the skull. The bone age matches Shang Chen's."

"The people in Shen's courtyard only know that Shen went insane after her son died. They don't know about the corpse or that Shen was poisoned. However, there are two fewer people in her courtyard than in the previous two years."

"One is Shangchen's wet nurse, and the other is a maid named Mi'er."

"Mi'er was Shen's maidservant who came with her as a dowry, responsible for taking care of Shang Chen. About half a month after Shang Chen's death, she drowned in a well in an empty courtyard of the Duke's Mansion."

"The Shang family's steward reported it to the government office, and the officers came to investigate. They closed the case as a fall."

"The maid who shared a room with Mi'er said that before the accident, Mi'er had made a purse and a pair of men's shoes. She always had a smile on her face. She might have had a lover in the mansion, but she never revealed the name of that person."

"After Shang Chen died, the wet nurse quit her job and returned home. On the way, she bought a bowl of fermented rice balls and died after eating them. The vendor who sold the fermented rice balls has never been apprehended."

"As for the servant who guarded Shen's courtyard and prevented her from leaving when Shang Chen died, she was ordered by Shang Zhichun to keep an eye on her because Shen's behavior was abnormal and she was afraid of offending the guests."

"The reason they let Shen escape today was because Ju'er, the maid from Luo Yiwan's courtyard, sent them some wine and meat and invited them into the house to eat together. They were so carried away that they were careless for a moment."

After Feng Qingsui finished listening, he asked, "Has the maid named Ju'er been taken away by the Dali Temple people?"

Ji Changqing shook his head; "Not yet, I'm just about to take her over."

"I have an idea."

Feng Qingsui took two steps closer and whispered his idea to him.

The two of them were too close and the air was too cold. Ji Changqing only felt that the hot breath from her lips was like an invisible feather, gently tickling his ear.

It made him itch from the tips of his ears to the tip of his heart.

He glanced around silently and saw that they were blocked by a tall lake rock. He quietly reached out and held someone's hand.

Feng Qingsui: (_)

"Did you hear what I said?"

"I heard you." Ji Changqing said gently, "I'll do as you say."

Feng Qingsui: “…”

Did you really hear it clearly?

She glared at the man and pulled her hand back.

"Work hard and don't be distracted."

Ji Changqing: “…”

With a sullen face, he returned to the other side of the lake and said to Shang Zhichun, "The case is still under investigation. Until it is closed, everyone in the Duke's Mansion must report in and out."

After saying that, he said to Qi: "Mother, let's go back home first."

Qi immediately stood up from the stone and responded readily, "Okay."

Then he took Feng Qingsui's hand and left.

Luo Yixuan, who didn't even get a glance from her: "..."

Luo Yiwan couldn't believe it until Ji Changqing and others completely disappeared from her sight.

"They just left like that? Not investigating further?"

Shang Zhichun rolled his eyes.

"How can we continue the investigation? With no evidence, how can they pin the murder on us?"

Luo Yiwan said nothing.

There's still a hint of uneasiness in my heart.

Luo Yixuan stepped forward and said with an apologetic smile, "Brother-in-law, I'm sorry for causing you trouble today. Please forgive me for the sake of the Luo family."

Shang Zhichun already understood that today's incident was all caused by this seventh sister.

This seventh sister, who has always been smart and clever, somehow got so upset that she wanted to take advantage of Ji Changqing.

Did he think that the Cheng'en Marquis Mansion was strong enough to withstand Ji Changqing's investigation, or did he feel that his clansmen had treated him badly and he wanted to send them to hell?

He said nonchalantly, "Seventh sister, listen to your brother-in-law's advice. Don't look at the pot while eating from the bowl. Hold the bowl properly, because you will have meat to eat."

The Luo family already has a little emperor, why would they still want a regent princess?

Luo Yixuan smiled and said, "Thank you for your guidance, brother-in-law. I'm grateful for your guidance."

After saying that, he said to Luo Yiwan, "Sixth sister, I'm going back home too. I'll come see you and Baoer another day."

Luo Yiwan nodded and said yes.

After bidding farewell to Luo Yixuan, Luo Yiwan ordered the steward to remove the acrobatics and returned to her own courtyard, exhausted both physically and mentally.

The nurse brought the child over. She had no intention of playing with him. She just glanced at him and said, "Take him back to his room and let him rest early."

"Yes, ma'am."

The wet nurse quickly retreated.

Luo Yiwan drank a cup of tea and then remembered that she had something to deal with. She hurriedly asked the maid beside her, "Where is Ju'er?"

The maid said, "He was in the courtyard just now, but now I don't know where he has gone. I will go and look for him."

Unexpectedly, after searching the entire Duke's Mansion, they still couldn't find the person.

"Madam, Ju'er is not at home."

Luo Yiwan was horrified.

"If he's not in the house, where is he? Go ask the gatekeeper if he left the house without permission."

The maid took the order and left.

After a long while, she replied, "I have walked through all the doors of the mansion, and no one has seen Ju'er leave."

After a pause, he continued, "Could it be that he was among the servants in the Madam's courtyard and was taken away by the Dali Temple yamen runners? When the yamen runners came to the door, the gatekeeper didn't dare to look too much, so maybe he missed it..."

"impossible!"

Luo Yiwan flatly rejected it.

If the Dali Temple had arrested Ju'er, would Ji Changqing have let her go? He would have arrested her long ago.

"Look carefully, maybe the little bitch has hidden himself."

After saying this, he seemed to have thought of something and said, "Look for the wells in the mansion too."