Chapter 184 Conclusive Evidence
The next morning, the entrance to the Ministry of Justice's office where the case was being heard was already crowded with people.
Aside from the Shangguan family members dressed in mourning clothes, there were only students from the two major academies and ordinary people who had just returned to the capital yesterday.
The area in front of the government office was packed with people.
Everyone wanted to see for themselves how Prime Minister Lin and Minister Ye would handle the case, and whether the culprit they believed, Prince Wu, would really be tried.
When the time came, Prime Minister Lin and Minister Ye took their seats in the main hall.
The gavel struck, and everyone fell silent.
From the officials and jailers on duty at the Ministry of Justice prison that day to the Right Vice Minister of Justice who had always followed the King of Wu, everyone was examined in court.
Gradually, everyone understood.
It turns out that the jailers and officials working in the Ministry of Justice those days were all under the command of the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, who could also be considered as the King of Wu's men.
After the initial incident of the privately made dragon robes, the Ministry of Justice was now in charge of these matters, all of which were handled by the King of Wu's men.
Everyone realized that from the very beginning, the King of Wu was the one who caused trouble...
After interrogating those people, we quickly moved on to the most important matter of the day: interrogating the King of Wu!
...
King Wu walked into the main hall of the Ministry of Justice with a blank expression.
The Shangguan family and the students looked at the King of Wu with eyes that seemed to be poisoned.
The people also pointed fingers at the King of Wu, their eyes filled with disgust.
Lin Xiang did not prepare a seat for the King of Wu, but he also did not make the King of Wu kneel to reply.
"Your Highness, why did you arrest Lord Shangguan?" Prime Minister Lin asked directly.
"Yang Zhengtong himself admitted that the case of privately made dragon robes was the one that Shangguan Laoda arranged for him to do those things."
According to the laws of Chongqing, all those involved in the case must be investigated!
"I have informed Lord Shangguan that I acted in accordance with the laws of the Great Yu Dynasty, and I have done nothing wrong!" King Wu said calmly.
The onlookers were immediately enraged. As the noise around them grew louder, Prime Minister Lin had no choice but to slam his gavel.
"The laws of Chongqing stipulate that all those involved in a case must be investigated."
But it wasn't someone who was randomly implicated by the person making the false accusation.
Isn't it wrong for Your Highness to summon Lord Shangguan without verification?
"Also, you said that Yang Zhengtong implicated Lord Shangguan, so where is Yang Zhengtong now?" Prime Minister Lin asked.
King of Wu...
"He also died suddenly in the Ministry of Justice prison, is that right? Then let me ask you another question, Your Highness: who implicated Yang Zhengtong?" Prime Minister Lin pressed.
"Yang Zhengtong's brother-in-law, those dragon robes were also made in Yang Zhengtong's family embroidery workshop."
"These all have confessions and signatures!" King Wu said immediately.
Lin Xiang waved his hand.
"Your Highness, wasn't Yang Zhengtong's brother-in-law... someone you arranged?"
The King of Wu's eyes froze.
"Prime Minister Lin, you need evidence to support your claims..."
Before the King of Wu could finish speaking, a man was brought in by officials.
King Wu looked closely and realized that the man was actually the eldest son of the Ruan family.
"Cousin...cousin...you have to save me! I did everything you asked!" The eldest son of the Ruan family scrambled toward the King of Wu, but was dragged back by two officers.
The King of Wu was a bit dumbfounded.
He was completely unaware that the Ruan family had been arrested.
Lin Xiang ignored the King of Wu's expression and instead had another person brought up.
"This person is the manager of Qianjinfang. It's better to say some things in public!"
"Speak, tell me everything you've seen," Lin Xiang said calmly, looking at the new man he had brought with him.
The manager of Qianjinfang immediately stepped forward.
"In response to your question, sir, in the days leading up to the case of the privately made dragon robe, Qian Datong was frequently gambling at Qianjinfang."
The eldest son of the Ruan family was always by his side.
When Qian Datong gambled away all his money, the eldest son of the Ruan family gave him some silver.
"This went on for five days in a row. Later, I found out that the eldest son of the Ruan family had given Qian Datong a full five thousand taels of silver," the manager of Qianjinfang said honestly.
Once these words were spoken, how could the onlookers not understand?
Isn't this just setting a trap for them?
This forced them to do certain things because they owed a lot of money.
"Prime Minister, Prime Minister, I only gave you money! I didn't do anything else. I would never do anything immoral or unethical," the eldest son of the Ruan family cried and protested his innocence.
Lin Xiang ignored the eldest son of the Ruan family, and simply raised his hand to order the officials to take him away.
"Your Highness, so this means that Qian Datong was actually bribed by you to act in a play, right?"
As for later implicating Yang Zhengtong, was that at your suggestion?
"And another thing you mentioned, Yang Zhengtong implicated Lord Shangguan. Is there a signed confession?" Prime Minister Lin continued to ask.
The King of Wu did not say a word.
Lin Xiang sighed.
Since the King of Wu wouldn't speak and torture couldn't be used on him, the only option left was to interrogate him directly.
"So, Your Highness deliberately took this opportunity to arrest Lord Shangguan, didn't you?"
Then Lord Shangguan died in prison.
"Your Highness, you were the last to see Lord Shangguan. Don't you have anything to say in your defense?" Prime Minister Lin looked at Prince Wu.
The King of Wu knew that the situation was hopeless, and that anything he said would be in vain.
"Yes! I invited Lord Shangguan to the Ministry of Justice prison."
But that was also for the purpose of confronting Yang Zhengtong.
Who knew Yang Zhengtong would die so suddenly!
"Furthermore, I didn't kill Lord Shangguan; it has nothing to do with me." This is the only point King Wu can stick to now.
"If it wasn't the prince who did it? Then who could it be?"
The Ministry of Justice's prison is staffed entirely by princes and the Right Vice Minister; no one else can get involved.
Lord Shangguan died in the Ministry of Justice prison, yet you say this has nothing to do with you?
Your Highness, I have interrogated the other prisoners who were detained in the Ministry of Justice's jail that day.
They all told me that you had a conflict with Lord Shangguan when you met with him.
They could vaguely hear things like "it's unfair" and "just you wait and see."
Furthermore, there were also scratch marks on the front of Lord Shangguan's official robe.
Wasn't it because you were enraged and attacked Lord Shangguan that he died?
The old man was murdered at the very time you were in the Ministry of Justice prison.
No one was allowed into the prison at that time.
"Your Highness, do you have anything else to say?" Prime Minister Lin stared intently at King Wu.
The King of Wu's anger flared up instantly.
"I didn't kill him! If I wanted to kill him, would I need to go to such lengths? I could have just sent two people to do it. Why did I have to do it myself?"
"Perhaps you're hoping to get something useful out of Lord Shangguan!"
But the old man was of unyielding integrity and unwilling to betray his master for personal gain, which is why you decided to kill him.
"If Your Highness still refuses to acknowledge it, then may I ask Your Highness, under those circumstances, who else could lay a hand on Lord Shangguan!" Prime Minister Lin asked coldly.
"It was him! It must have been him! He killed himself to frame me."
It has nothing to do with me.
"Or perhaps he thinks he doesn't have many days left to live, which is why he's trying to frame me," King Wu roared.
“But it was you who arrested Lord Shangguan and put him in jail,” Prime Minister Lin said immediately.
King of Wu...
"Your Highness, you said that the old master committed suicide. Then let's talk about why the old master would commit suicide when he was perfectly fine."
Is it all just to frame you, a prince?
"Bring him in!" Lin Xiang said, then looked out of the hall.
Soon, a group of scholars who had attended the Shangguan family banquet that day entered.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
