Chapter 235 Where is Granny Jin?

It turned out that Chu Yanluo wanted to steal the credit.

Shen Wantang finally understood why Xiao Qingyuan had come. She looked up and saw Chu Yanluo walking in with her chin raised behind Xiao Qingyuan.

She exuded confidence, as if she were certain of victory because of her rebirth.

A faint smirk appeared on Shen Wantang's lips. Did Chu Yanluo really think that knowing the outcome would allow her to capture him?

In his previous life, the Ministry of Justice had suspected Xiang Meng, but even after being arrested and tortured, Xiang Meng insisted that he was innocent.

The Ministry of Justice had no evidence, and Granny Jin and her family cried in the streets every day, claiming that their son was innocent and that the Ministry of Justice had arrested the wrong person and was trying to force a confession. They went everywhere begging for justice.

Moreover, Xin Huailin wanted the real culprit. He didn't want the Ministry of Justice to just grab a scapegoat to appease him. Without sufficient evidence, he refused to admit that Xiang Meng was the murderer.

Otherwise, if the wrong person is arrested, it wouldn't matter if Xiang Meng dies, but if the real culprit goes free, Xin Huailin would feel sorry for his deceased relatives.

Later, Shen Wantang found the key evidence. Faced with the irrefutable evidence, Xiang Meng knew that it was futile to continue protesting his innocence, and he finally confessed to his crimes.

"Your Highness."

Shen Wantang spoke calmly: "How did Aunt Chu know that it was Jin Mama's son who killed the thirteen members of the Xin family? Does she have any evidence?"

"this……"

Xiao Qingyuan turned around and looked at Chu Yanluo: "Do you have any evidence?"

Chu Yanluo said matter-of-factly, "What evidence do we need? I'm absolutely certain that the murderer is Jin Mama's son, Xiang Meng! The Crown Princess is asking me for evidence, are you trying to destroy it and cover up the fact that your dowry maid's son committed murder?"

Huo Yunzhou, standing to the side, couldn't help but frown: "For such a big case, of course there needs to be evidence to arrest people. Isn't it normal for the Crown Princess to ask you if you have evidence?"

Even his first reaction was to want evidence, which is the most basic reaction of a normal person, so it is reasonable for Shen Wantang to ask this question.

But this Chu Yanluo seems to have a rather unusual thought process!

“It’s normal for others to ask this, but for the Crown Princess to ask it like this is highly suspicious of covering up. As I’ve already said, this Granny Jin is the Crown Princess’s dowry maid, and our relationship is very special. In fact, she may have known all along that Xiang Meng killed thirteen members of the Xin family, but deliberately covered it up for him.”

Shen Wantang's face turned cold: "Aunt Chu, you have no evidence whatsoever, yet you slander me without even asking. I think you have ulterior motives. I asked you how you knew Xiang Meng was the murderer, but you couldn't give a coherent answer. Instead, you said that my relationship with Granny Jin is different. Where did you get that idea?"

"Oh dear, Your Highness, what are you saying? Granny Jin was your dowry maid and your confidante. Of course, our relationship is different. Is there any need to say more?"

Xiao Qingyuan hesitated for a moment, then looked at Shen Wantang: "Where is Granny Jin? I've been to your courtyard so many times, but I don't think I've ever seen her before?"

Shen Wantang's voice was cold: "Has the young master never met Granny Jin?"

"Yeah, I've never seen it before."

"The young master has never even met her, and Aunt Chu has visited me less often than he has. So where did she see that my relationship with Granny Jin is unusual?"

"this……"

Xiao Qingyuan was also bewildered. He finally realized a problem: "Yanluo, where did you see Granny Jin? And where did you see her son Xiang Meng? And how did you determine that he was the murderer?"

Chu Yanluo opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

She looked around, and faces came into view, but none of them matched the image of Granny Jin from her memory!

She broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly looked at everyone again, but still couldn't find Granny Jin.

"This is impossible! Where is Granny Jin? Shen Wantang, where did you hide Granny Jin?!"

Shen Wantang gave a cold laugh: "What do you mean by hiding her? Didn't Aunt Chu swear that my relationship with my dowry maid was extraordinary? Since we have such a good relationship, why would I hide her? Shouldn't I keep her by my side every day, as my right-hand woman?"

Chu Yanluo's face turned pale; she had been careless!

She forgot that Shen Wantang was not Shen Mingxuan. Shen Wantang was cunning and resourceful, and had definitely already made arrangements for Granny Jin!

Looking at Chu Yanluo's pale face, Shen Wantang asked again, "How did Aunt Chu know that my dowry maid's surname is Jin? You seemed to have been looking for her just now. So, have you seen her?"

"I--"

Chu Yanluo only managed to utter one word before realizing she couldn't continue, because she had never actually met Granny Jin in her entire life!

Shen Wantang stood up, walked to Xiao Qingyuan's side, and gave him a cold look: "Didn't the young master ask why he hadn't seen Granny Jin in my courtyard? The reason is simple. On our wedding night, Granny Jin made a big mistake and I sent her to the outer courtyard to work as a lowly maid."

Xiao Qingyuan felt a little uneasy when he recalled that night of their wedding, when he refused to lift the veil and left Shen Wantang behind.

He noticed that Shen Wantang's gaze was unusually cold towards him at this moment, and he asked her with a hint of caution in his tone, "What mistake did Granny Jin make? Wasn't she your dowry maid? It's nothing to make a small mistake, so why was she sent to the outer courtyard to work as a lowly maid?"

"Naturally, it's because she made a serious mistake."

Shen Wantang said calmly, "On our wedding night, Granny Jin tried to sow discord between us. She scolded me for not keeping the young master, saying that I should have made a scene so that the young master would know that I was not someone to be bullied. She said that if I swallowed my anger, the young master would only treat me as a pushover and bully me at will."

"Your Highness, tell me, should I keep such a wicked servant? Just because she was my dowry maid, does that give her the right to incite me to cry, make a scene, and threaten suicide?"

Chu Yanluo, who was crying, making a scene, and had even attempted suicide, suddenly looked grim. Shen Wantang was clearly making a veiled attack on her!

She retorted through gritted teeth, "No one can testify to what you're saying! Maybe that Granny Jin didn't do anything wrong at all. You just knew that her son killed thirteen members of the Xin family, so you deliberately drove Granny Jin away!"

Shen Wantang glanced at her. Rebirth did indeed bring Chu Yanluo a slight advantage. She had guessed half the reason correctly.

She did know all along that Granny Jin's son was the murderer, so when Granny Jin made trouble, she immediately sent her away. However, even if she didn't know that Granny Jin's son was the murderer, she would still have driven Granny Jin away. After all, she was a spy that her stepmother, Madam Qi, had deliberately planted by her side, a ticking time bomb.

"Why is Aunt Chu suddenly asking me for witnesses? Who was it that said we didn't need any evidence?"

Shen Wantang smiled coldly: "However, Aunt Chu has no evidence, but I have witnesses who can prove why Granny Jin was driven away."