Chapter 68 Crown Prince Qi Heng
"It's none of our business... have mercy... sob sob..."
"Master, please think of something...Master..."
The concubines chattered and cried, making a huge fuss.
Aunt Ye was among them, protecting her protruding belly, looking nervous and flustered, and trying to minimize her presence in the crowd.
This action attracted a large crowd of onlookers.
The guards remained expressionless in the face of their shouts and simply led the men to the courtroom.
Upon seeing Gao Shaoguang standing in the center, Yang Zhengxian immediately shouted, "Sir, what exactly is going on? This humble subject has not done anything."
"I reported this to the police to catch the real culprit who murdered my wife, so why are you arresting my entire Yang family?"
His tone was anxious and tinged with obvious fear.
Chen Jinghe scratched his ears, which were numb from the noise, and couldn't stand it anymore. He walked straight to the desk and slammed the gavel down with a loud bang.
The entire room fell silent instantly.
Why do you talk so much?
He said impatiently.
"Let me ask you, do you know her?"
He walked up to Yang Zhengxian, who was kneeling on the ground, raised his chin, and gestured for him to look at Tao Tao who was walking over.
She stopped and said, "Take a closer look."
Yang Zhengxian looked at the young woman with a puzzled expression, completely unfamiliar with her. He stared at her quietly for a while before shaking his head.
"I've never seen it before."
Upon hearing this, Gao Shaoguang stepped forward and said, "Examine carefully again. If you dare to utter even a single lie, I will not let you off lightly."
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned to look at the mournful concubines of the Yang family.
"Take a look too, do you recognize her?"
Without exception, they all shook their heads and said they didn't know them.
"As you can see, I don't know them, and they don't know me. I have absolutely no motive to kill anyone."
Tao Tao spread her hands and looked helplessly at Gao Shaoguang.
"The Yang family and I have absolutely no connection. The so-called paper doll murder is just someone framing me."
"I think after last night, you should know who it is."
Hearing this, Yang Zhengxian finally realized who she was and asked in surprise, "You're the young lady from the Tao family?!"
She nodded: "Yes, it's me."
"So who told you that I made that paper figure?"
Yang Zhengxian looked at Butler Wang, who was kneeling to the side, and everyone followed his gaze.
Butler Wang seemed to sense something, looked up, and seeing their expressions, hurriedly cried out, "No, it wasn't me! It was..."
"His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived! Why are you all kneeling to welcome him?"
Suddenly, a loud announcement came from outside.
Everyone was shocked, especially Chen Jinghe, whose brows furrowed and whose face was somewhat grave.
Thinking to himself, "Why would a prince of such high standing come here? That shouldn't be the case."
"Greetings, Your Highness. May Your Highness enjoy boundless blessings."
Everyone present bowed their heads and knelt down, shouting loudly.
Before Tao Tao could react, everyone around her knelt down. She looked up at the Crown Prince, who was strolling leisurely toward her.
The moment their eyes met, she immediately knelt down.
The leading man wore a white brocade robe with a four-clawed golden dragon, a rhinoceros horn and gold belt around his waist, and had a tall and straight figure with the bearing of a dragon and the grace of a phoenix. He had gentle and noble eyebrows and eyes, and a smile on his lips.
Qi Heng walked up to Tao Tao and personally helped her up.
She heard a gentle voice above her head: "Get up, Tao."
Chen Jinghe frowned upon seeing this, and even Gao Shaoguang looked surprised.
He never expected that this young lady from the Tao family not only had a close relationship with the Privy Council, but even the Crown Prince seemed to have a very close relationship with her.
Otherwise, why would he have walked up to her alone and condescended to help her up?
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Seeing Tao Tao stand up, he glanced indifferently at the people around him and said, "Everyone, get up."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Everyone stood up.
Qi Heng walked to the lower left of the desk and sat down. She waved to Tao Tao, who was standing there, and said with a smile, "Come and sit down."
Even high-ranking officials of the imperial court were not qualified to sit and stand on the same level as the crown prince, let alone an insignificant commoner.
After he finished speaking, everyone's attention once again turned to her.
There was doubt, shock, scrutiny, and a profound, inexplicable meaning.
They all seemed to be wondering how this young lady had gotten involved with His Highness the Crown Prince, that such a small case could alarm the Crown Prince to come and support her.
That's unbelievable.
Chen Jinghe saw everything and thought to himself that this matter was not simple.
So he summoned someone and whispered something in their ear.
The man nodded, stepped back, and left silently.
Shen Lin, the personal guard beside the Crown Prince, noticed this and leaned down to whisper something in his ear.
He understood, turned his head to glance at the silent Chen Jinghe, and stroked the thumb ring on his right thumb with a thoughtful expression.
Seeing Tao Tao standing to the side, he suddenly smiled.
"I have heard that the Yang family in the north of the city has been using paper figures to commit murder for revenge. I am very curious and have come to see for myself how the paper figures kill people."
Gao Shaoguang hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, the truth of the matter of the paper doll killing people still needs to be verified. Last night, I guarded the Yang family all night but did not see the paper doll."
"The rumor that the paper doll killed people came from Xiaoyu, the night watch maid of the Yang family. She was outside the house on the night that Madam Yang was murdered, and she said that she saw the appearance of the paper doll with her own eyes."
"But I suspect that someone is using superstition to incite panic and then commit murder."
Upon hearing this, Qi Heng said, "If that's the case, then what does it have to do with Tao Tao?"
Gao Shaoguang looked at Tao Tao: "The portrait painted by the artist based on the maid's description is exactly the same as the paper figures in Tao Tao's shop."
"I had no idea that you, young lady, possessed such abilities? To bring paper figures back to life? With such spiritual powers, I should have recommended you to accompany me on the trip to the imperial tombs, so that I and His Majesty could have a proper conversation with our ancestors."
He didn't care about the paper doll killing people, and even had the mind to mock it.
With a "pfft".
Tao Tao couldn't help but laugh.
Everyone was stunned, and for a moment they didn't know what to say.
"If there are truly ghosts and monsters causing trouble, our Celestial Empire has great generals who slay ghosts to protect our land. What is there to fear from insignificant little ghosts and monsters?"
"I'm afraid it's just some unscrupulous people spreading rumors and trying to shake the morale of the people of the Celestial Empire."
“Murder is murder. Don’t let others confuse you. If you investigate in the wrong direction, you’ll just waste time trying to solve the case.”
Qi Heng's words were firm and resolute, displaying the full authority of a crown prince, leaving no room for others to object.
Compared to Buddhism, Taoism was more prevalent in China, and the Demon Slayer General came from Taoism; he was a deity who exorcised evil spirits and demons.
Gao Shaoguang clearly sensed the displeasure in his words and knelt down with a thud: "Your Highness is right, it was I who was foolish."
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