"Next, the fourth daughter of the Fang family, come in. The rest of you, continue." With that, Wei Huaixu turned and went back into the courtyard.
Once he left, the others began to whisper among themselves:
"What does Your Highness mean by this?"
"What else could it mean? Of course, it means we should keep eating."
"Really? But he doesn't look too good,"
"Why don't we see what the Crown Prince has to say first?"
They all looked over, and Wei Dongchen was picking a piece of cooked meat out of the pot and putting it in his mouth, eating it with slurping noises. When he realized that everyone around him was looking at him, he blinked in confusion, "Why are you all looking at me? Eat as much as you want!"
Everyone then relaxed and started eating.
After a hearty meal and drinks, Wei Huaixu's interrogation was over, and they were now working diligently to compare the testimonies and conduct thorough checks.
In the end, Wei Huaixu kept a few people: Ma Yu, who was named Zhang Hong, Zhou Yao, Feng Ruilan, and Liu Qingying.
The rest of you can leave now.
People scattered like birds and beasts, leaving only Wei Dongchen to clean up the mess and wait for Qingying.
Those whose names were called were invited into the courtyard. The gate was closed, and Wei Huaixu stood in front of them, watching them.
Qingying couldn't help but sigh, Wei Huaixu was really quite patient. He was able to interrogate so many people in great detail and narrow it down to just a few people in no time.
The only thing I don't understand is why I'm also a suspect?
However, Wei Huaixu quickly told her the reason: "Zhou Yao said she saw you in this courtyard today. What were you doing here then?"
"So that it's easier to ride in and change clothes."
"Does changing clothes take the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn?"
"Is there a problem with taking a little longer to redo your makeup so you can see your sweetheart?"
Wei Huaixu was momentarily speechless, then said helplessly, "There's no problem."
He turned his gaze to Zhang Hong, who was standing at the very edge, and before he could speak, Zhang Hong knelt down with a thud.
"What's the rush?" Wei Huaixu sneered, walked over, looked down at him, and said, "You told me that you changed shifts this afternoon, but someone said that they saw you near the stables at noon. Why are you lying?"
Zhang Hong said tremblingly, "This servant did not mean to deceive Your Highness. It's just that I suddenly remembered that I had left something in the stable, so I went back to get it."
"If that's the case, why didn't you say so before?"
"This matter is not worth mentioning, and I have already forgotten about it..."
"Forgot?" Wei Huaixu scoffed. "Do you think I'd still believe that?"
Having said that, he ordered him to be dragged away and tortured "until he tells the truth."
Zhang Hong was dragged into a corner room by two tall and burly guards. Soon, a shrill wail came from inside, followed by muffled sounds, indicating that his mouth had been gagged.
Upon hearing this voice, the women all flinched in unison.
Wei Huaixu turned his attention to Zhou Yao and asked, "Your husband said he saw Liu Qingying today. You two were together the whole time. Why did he say he saw her, but you said you didn't?"
Zhou Yao and her husband entered one after the other, and had no time to exchange information. She had no choice but to confess honestly: "We did indeed encounter Miss Liu and Prince Yu's son."
"Why did you say no before?"
"When Your Highness asked that question before, I thought she had gotten into some trouble and was afraid of being implicated, so I said I didn't see it."
Qingying rolled her eyes without any attempt to hide it, and muttered under her breath, "Idiot."
Zhou Yao turned and glared at her, "Who are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about you, you idiot!" Qingying retorted without backing down.
"You... Liu Qingying, what are you so arrogant about? You're nothing but a daughter born to a mistress, not even listed in the Liu family's genealogy. If it weren't for Madam Liu's kindness, you'd probably be worse than a first-class maid in the Liu family!"
Qingying frowned slightly, not because she was hurt by her words—she had heard such things countless times and no longer took them seriously—but simply because she found it somewhat strange. Only the Liu family knew about the family genealogy; the Pan and Luo families had no connection with Zhou Yao; although Liu Chengfeng was currently estranged from her, he probably wouldn't speak of it; and although Liu Chenglin had always been at odds with her, he wasn't one to gossip. Therefore, the most likely culprit was Liu Shushu.
When did Zhou Yao and Liu Shushu become so close?
At this moment, Wei Huaixu spoke up: "What? Do you think I don't exist?"
Zhou Yao immediately shut her mouth.
However, Qingying was right about one thing: Zhou Yao was so stupid that she would never think of using the Soul-Losing Grass to harm Liu Shushu.
In the end, only Feng Ruilan remained.
"Where did you go today? So far, no one can testify for you. I asked them, and they said you left the stables alone. Where did you go?" Wei Huaixu asked.
Feng Ruilan, who had been enjoying watching the show, was stunned for a moment when she didn't expect the blame to be shifted onto her so quickly.
"I...I..." She clasped her hands tightly together in front of her, twisting them back and forth, unable to utter a coherent sentence for a long time, her face and ears turning red from the effort.
Such suspicious behavior drew the attention of the others.
Wei Huaixu said coldly, "Tell the truth!"
Feng Ruilan shrank back in fright and quickly said, "Please believe me, Your Highness. According to seniority, I am Shushu's aunt. How could I possibly harm her!"
Qingying said, "Even brothers and sisters kill each other for their own interests, let alone a distant relative like you."
"You...you're making false accusations!" Feng Ruilan glared at her fiercely.
Whether I am making false accusations or not is a matter for His Highness the Crown Prince to decide.
Wei Huaixu rubbed his temples in frustration and turned to ask the guard, "Did the stable boy confess?"
The guard hurriedly went into the room to check on things, and came out after a while, saying, "He just fainted from the pain, but we've woken him up with cold water."
On such a cold day, after being tortured, having a bucket of cold water poured on you—just thinking about it hurts.
The three of them couldn't help but shrink back again.
Wei Huaixu looked at Feng Ruilan again, his eyes sharp. "Tell me honestly what you did today. If you don't, you'll go in and suffer the same torture as him."
“Speak, I’ll talk…” Feng Ruilan trembled with fear, lowered her head, hesitated for a moment, and then slowly said, “I’ve been secretly hiding in the shadows all day…”
The more Wei Huaixu looked at her, the more suspicious he found her.
Feng Ruilan's face turned completely red, and she couldn't continue speaking.
Wei Huaixu's patience was about to run out, and he was about to order the man to be dragged away when a guard from the side room rushed out and said, "Your Highness, he says he is willing to confess."
So he ordered his guards to bring the man out.
Zhang Hong had been beaten so badly that his skin was torn and bleeding, and there wasn't a single good piece of flesh on his body. Because of the cold weather, the blood and clothes quickly congealed into one piece, leaving the clothes tattered and mangled.
He knelt at Wei Huaixu's feet, wanting to beg for mercy. His hand trembled as he reached out, but then stopped, afraid of soiling Wei Huaixu's shoes. His voice was hoarse and barely audible, repeatedly saying, "This servant knows his mistake, this servant knows his mistake..."
This scene made Qingying and the others tremble with fear.
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