Chapter 123 Chapter 123 Wait!
After reviewing the coroner's autopsy records, the complainant's statement, and other evidence, Xiao Yunzhan and Qin Liang rushed to the crime scene.
The yamen runners who were originally guarding the scene have been replaced by imperial guards in black and gold armor.
Upon seeing the two arrive, they clasped their hands in greeting and said, "Greetings, Your Highness; greetings, Lord Qin."
"No need for formalities." Qin Liang looked around, his gaze finally settling on the tightly closed door.
"Is there anything unusual at the scene?"
"Reporting to Your Excellency, since I took over the guard, no one has approached, and the house remains exactly as it was when the incident occurred."
Xiao Yunzhan raised his chin, signaling the guards to open the door.
The wooden door creaked open, and a strong smell of blood wafted out.
Even though four or five hours had passed since the incident, the strong smell of blood still indicated that the victim had lost a great deal of blood.
There were still some dark red bloodstains on the floor inside the room, and a few splattered blood droplets on the wall.
Before the two even stepped inside, a burly figure flashed into the scene from behind.
The man was dressed in the same style of close-fitting clothing as the other guards, and his build was similar to that of ordinary guards.
She stood at the spot by the door where no trace had been left, and looked around carefully, trying to catch any clues that had been deliberately erased.
Upon seeing this, Qin Liang instinctively wanted to look around, but as soon as he tilted his head, he realized that his unusual behavior would attract attention, so he forced himself to look into the room.
Xiao Yunzhan, however, appeared calm and composed. He approached the burly guard and asked in a low voice, "Why did you get here so quickly?"
The guard raised his head slightly, revealing a familiar face—it was Pei Zhiwei, dressed in guard's uniform.
"I came here using my light-footed skills from home. It didn't take much effort and was even faster than riding a horse."
Xiao Yunzhan looked at her noticeably stronger figure and her sudden "growth" and couldn't help but feel curious.
"If I didn't know it was you who came to inspect the scene, I wouldn't have recognized you just by looking at your back."
What are you wearing?
Pei Zhiwei didn't stop what she was doing. She rubbed a little dried blood between her thumb and forefinger and smelled it under her nose.
"Fortunately, it was winter, so my mother stuffed several thick cotton robes into my clothes. I wrapped myself in them layer by layer, and then put on the guard's uniform on top. I looked much stronger."
The boots were worn by my mother when she was young. They had three layers of felt padding at the heel, and because guards' boots are typically large, the flaws were completely invisible from a distance.
Qin Liang stood near the door the whole time, keeping a close eye on Pei Zhiwei's every move.
He wore his usual serious expression, but a closer look would reveal that his breathing was more rapid than usual.
Xiao Yunzhan glanced at him and teased him in a low voice, "Lord Qin, don't be so nervous. Your upright and incorruptible reputation is more effective than any token in the court."
No one will suspect you of playing tricks.
Upon hearing this, Pei Zhiwei nodded vigorously at Qin Liang and said earnestly, "Even when I saw you outside the Ministry of Justice prison just now, my heart was in my throat."
I thought you wouldn't agree to let me inspect the scene.
Qin Liang's tense expression eased slightly, but he remained vigilant and whispered a reprimand to the two men: "You guys don't know how to handle things properly."
At such a critical moment, how could the prince not send more guards to protect Pei Lin secretly, instead of only sending two?
Arrogant!
Xiao Yunzhan's smile faded slightly, replaced by a hint of self-reproach: "It was indeed my oversight. I never expected these people to dare to cause such a commotion in the capital, right under the emperor's nose."
Qin Liang snorted coldly, "Fortunately, Pei Lin was lucky this time, and his calculations came true."
Plus, you guys are pretty quick to receive messages.
Otherwise, Pei Lin would most likely have ended up committing suicide out of guilt today.
How dare you be so reckless?
Xiao Yunzhan explained, "Actually, before we went to the capital last night, Lord Pei and I had already discussed it."
Although we currently have evidence that the Zhang family colluded with some powerful families in Jiangnan with Silla, we still have a lot of crucial evidence that we can only obtain after Lord Cui arrives in the capital.
During this period, these aristocratic families certainly wouldn't be idle.
If we guard against them strictly and leave them no loopholes, they might become desperate and do something detrimental to the Emperor and the court.
It would be better to deliberately leave some loopholes, making them feel that there is an opportunity to take advantage of them. In this way, they will not take people's lives easily, but will only think about invalidating all the evidence obtained during this trip south.
His Majesty's suspicions and the provisions of the law are the first tactics they will employ.
In fact, the other party's plan was not wrong at all.
However, they overlooked the most important point: the position of Prince Rui in His Majesty's heart.
According to the rules of the Great Liang Dynasty, no one, including the Crown Prince, may enter the palace after the palace gates are locked unless summoned. However, this prince is the only one who is exempt from this rule.
So last night he secretly went into the palace to discuss countermeasures with His Majesty, and everything today is proceeding according to plan.
However, the appearance of Zhou Ping and Li Lin was indeed unexpected.
So when Zhiwei learned in advance that her father had an accident, she and Madam Pei were really shocked, thinking that things had changed.
That led to her later action of intercepting Xie Ji.
After all, Xie Shizi was supposed to make a scene at the scene first, and then go to the Pei residence to report the news, according to the plan.
"His Majesty's plans are truly flawless." Xiao Yunzhan's tone was tinged with admiration.
"Knowing that Lord Qin was standing here, even that old bastard Wang Yongnian, the Minister of Justice, was willing to let us investigate the scene ourselves in order to dispel everyone's suspicions."
If it were anyone else, he would have followed them everywhere, keeping a close watch on them every step of the way.
Qin Liang snorted coldly again, saying disdainfully, "Does that old scoundrel Wang Yongnian really think I'm so upright that I'm utterly foolish?"
However, even so, I will never allow you to fabricate evidence. If you dare to play any tricks, I will be the first to punish you.
Pei Zhiwei happened to be inspecting the window when she heard this. She straightened up and said earnestly to Qin Liang, "Don't worry, Lord Qin."
Although I arrived earlier than you, the guards at the gate can testify that I did not enter the venue beforehand.
Besides, it wasn't my father who killed him. Even if these people were deliberately framing him, they would have left traces if they had done it; there was no need to fabricate evidence.
Xiao Yunzhan steered the conversation back to the topic, "Not to mention them, even I didn't expect this."
Lord Qin would offer to oversee the trial, and might even agree to allow Lady Pei to examine the scene.
Qin Liang's gaze fell on Pei Zhiwei, and his expression softened: "Just as Madam Pei said, I have witnessed her ability to conduct investigations."
If it weren't for her meticulousness in handling my daughter's case back then, perhaps things would still be...
He paused at this point, a fleeting look of grief crossing his eyes.
"And it's very easy to find out if she's showing favoritism."
Firstly, I was watching her closely. After she left the scene, I also arranged for a female officer to search her to ensure that she would not take the evidence away.
Secondly, she can verify the findings with Constable Li Lin, who came to investigate earlier. There won't be any obvious evidence that she can discover but the other constables can't.
At most, they are tiny traces, or traces that can only be detected with extremely careful attention.
As she spoke, Pei Zhiwei had already walked to the corner of the wall, the very spot where her father, Pei Lin, had been sitting when he was discovered.
She crouched down, carefully scanned every inch of the ground, then leaned close to the corner of the wall to sniff it carefully, and examined a mark in the corner closely.
"By the way," Pei Zhiwei asked without looking up.
"What did my father say when you saw him today?"
And what did the person who reported the case say to the police?
Please tell me everything carefully, the more detailed the better.
Xiao Yunzhan: "Lord Pei said he was drugged in his carriage on his way to court..."
***
The next day at Chenshi (7-9 AM), the area outside the Ministry of Justice was packed with people, so crowded that it was impossible to move.
"Have you heard? Today they're trying Pei Lin, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, for murder. He killed Zhang Qifeng, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and his son!"
"Hey, I heard that Lord Pei is a good official who has solved many wrongful cases, so how could he commit murder? Could there be some hidden story behind this?"
"Who knows? There are witnesses and physical evidence. Maybe we can only know a person's face but not their heart..."
"Keep your voice down, or the adults inside will hear you and charge you with disturbing the peace!"
The atmosphere inside the courtroom was solemn and dignified.
Wang Yongnian, the Minister of Justice, sat upright in the presiding judge's seat, dressed in a purple official robe, his face stern.
The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review sat to one side, his face expressionless, seemingly lost in thought.
Qin Liang and Xiao Yunzhan sat on the judge's bench, their sharp eyes scanning everything in the hall.
Pei Lin, dressed in prison clothes, was escorted to the center of the hall by two yamen runners. Despite being imprisoned, he remained upright and composed, showing no sign of panic.
"Bang!" Wang Yongnian slammed his gavel down, and the murmurs in the courtroom instantly ceased.
He stared intently at Pei Lin and said in a deep voice, "Pei Lin, you murdered Zhang Qifeng, the Vice Minister of Revenue, and his second son, Zhang Yanzhi. There are witnesses and physical evidence to prove your guilt."
Pei Lin raised his head slightly, his voice steady and powerful: "I don't acknowledge it."
"Insolence!" Wang Yongnian roared in anger, slamming his hand on the desk.
"Pei Lin, the evidence is overwhelming, how dare you still try to deny it?"
I see you won't shed a tear until you see the coffin!
Summon witness Luo Yao!
The bailiffs announced loudly, "Summon witness Luo Yao to the court!"
Soon, a man who was not yet thirty years old strode into the courtroom.
He was about the same height as Pei Lin, and dressed in coarse cloth. As soon as he entered the room, he knelt down with a thud and kowtowed repeatedly to the officials in the hall.
"This humble citizen, Luo Yao, greets all esteemed officials."
Wang Yongnian: "Luo Yao, tell me, what were the circumstances at the time of the incident?"
Luo Yao: "Your Excellency, on the day of the incident, at dawn, I was at home preparing to go to work."
Suddenly, a loud shout came from the neighboring courtyard, shouting, "You actually killed my son!" The voice was urgent and angry.
The commoner was startled when he heard the word 'murder' and quickly ran over to see what was going on.
But when they got to the door and pushed it open, they found that the door was locked from the inside by the latch.
The commoner pounded on the door for a long time, but no one answered. Then, a man's scream came from inside, followed by silence.
He swallowed hard and continued, "I was so scared I almost lost my soul. I shouted loudly, which attracted my neighbors. When I saw them running this way, I felt emboldened and kicked the door open."
As soon as the door opened, the commoner saw blood everywhere inside the house, with two men lying in pools of blood.
And he…
Luo Yao pointed at Pei Lin, "He was sitting blankly on the ground in the corner, holding a bloody dagger tightly in his hand, and his body was covered in blood. It was obvious that he killed those two people!"
The commoner remembered hearing from a storyteller that one shouldn't just go in like that, so he and his neighbors surrounded the house to prevent him from running away and to prevent others from going in.
Someone reported the case to the police.
Then the police arrived.
Wang Yongnian nodded and ordered the constables, "Bring the murder weapon here!"
Two bailiffs carried a tray into the hall, on which lay a bloodstained dagger, the blood on the blade long since congealed and turned black.
Wang Yongnian pointed at the dagger and asked, "Luo Yao, take a closer look. Was this the dagger Pei Lin was holding back then?"
The bailiff handed the tray to Luo Yao.
Luo Yao squinted and examined it carefully for a moment, then said decisively, "That's right, it's this dagger!"
Wang Yongnian nodded in satisfaction, turned to Pei Lin, and said with a hint of smugness, "Pei Lin, the evidence is overwhelming, what else do you have to say?"
Now that the evidence is irrefutable, if you continue to refuse to confess, don't blame me for using torture on you!
"My lord, wait! There are suspicious points in this case!"
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