Because so many things were stolen, the matter even alarmed the Dali Temple, which sent people to investigate. Since it concerned the interests of the Prince of Liang, no one dared to neglect it. As a result, a group of people worked up a ruckus for several days, but still found no clues.
There were no signs of forced entry on the locks, inside or out. The best locksmiths in the world came to inspect them and finally assured us that they had been tampered with.
"This door has never been pried open, I swear on my life!"
Since there was no lock picking, the thief entered the Buddhist hall openly and honestly.
But the old lady herself said that there was only one key to the Buddhist hall, and it was on her.
She did want to shift the blame, but in front of the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, her old heart couldn't take the scare and she could only tell the truth.
There's no way something so sinister could happen. The door lock wasn't pried open, and the entire Buddhist hall has no windows, so it's impossible for anything inside to be stolen.
But the matter had already become common knowledge throughout the city, and even His Majesty had mentioned it in court.
Now, Yu, the Minister of Justice, who had only offered assistance out of respect for the Prince of Liang, suddenly felt pressured.
His Majesty is watching; this matter concerning the Duke's mansion must be thoroughly investigated, no matter what.
As the days passed, the Duke's mansion had been searched dozens of times, but nothing was found. Finally, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review came to a conclusion.
"This theft was not committed by an outsider; there is a traitor within the household."
Everyone in the mansion panicked.
If it's an inside job, everyone in the Duke's mansion will be suspected.
The most important thing now is to find out whether the theft occurred before or after Jin Shu moved out.
After all, since Jin Shu left, there were very few people left in the manor. She took so many people with her at once. If the theft had happened before she left, those people who left the manor would have to be brought back and held accountable.
The old lady insisted that the items were lost before Jin Shu moved out, and when asked to produce evidence, she couldn't. In the end, Jin Shu and her group were summoned to the yamen, and the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review personally interrogated her.
As soon as Jin Shu arrived, she saw the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review sitting high at the head of the table, his eyebrows and eyes dignified and his aura sharp. The entire Lu family was kneeling beside him, and the old lady was lying on the ground, because she had suffered a stroke and collapsed after the family property was stolen last time.
Besides the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, a brightly dressed young man was sitting on the judging panel next to him. Jin Shu glanced at him and realized that it was none other than the Eleventh Prince.
This person is unforgettable at first glance, not only because of their face, but also because of their cutting-edge fashion sense, making them hard to ignore.
Why is His Highness the Eleventh Prince here?
Oh right, Jin Shu heard from her brother that His Majesty arranged for the Eleventh Prince to train at the Dali Temple, intending for him to get involved in court politics, so it's normal for him to be here.
"Jin Shu, kneel down now."
"It's a yamen runner standing to the side," he said coldly.
Jin Shu is a woman who knows when to yield and when to stand firm; she knows when to kneel and when not to cause trouble for herself.
Just as she was about to kneel down, the Eleventh Prince suddenly said something in a low voice.
"They're just here for questioning, not as prisoners, why should they kneel?"
After he finished speaking, he looked at Jin Shu and said gently.
"Get up, you don't need to kneel."
At this moment, Deng Qiao, who had been kneeling for a long time, saw this scene and almost ground her teeth to powder.
Jin Shu isn't a criminal, so does that mean they are?
Is there any justice left in this world?!
However, the court was solemn and the atmosphere was oppressive. Deng Qiao dared not show her anger, but could only clench her fists silently and try to straighten her back as much as possible to show her innocence.
Since the Eleventh Prince had spoken, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review did not say anything more and continued to the next step of the process.
"Jin Shu, when you left the Lu family that day, did you take anything with you?"
“I went shopping on the street the day before I left. The next day, the whole Lu family came to drive me away. I didn’t have time to take anything else, so I only took some clothes and the jewelry I had with me when I got married.”
The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review looked at Lu Mingqian.
Is what Jin Shu said true?
Lu Mingqian nodded slightly, his stiff neck stiff. He dared not lie. This Minister of Justice was really capable; he could see through any ulterior motives Lu Mingqian might have.
"Since you suddenly drove Jin Shu away, how could you have taken away thousands of kilograms of valuables from the Buddhist hall?"
The old lady herself said that the items that were missing were missing, and she even made a detailed list. There were hundreds of items on the list, not counting the silver and silver deeds, but the gold and silver jewelry was countless. Putting aside how Jin Shu managed to steal so many things right under the old lady's nose, the Duke's mansion only had two doors that could be used to transport things, and it was a half-incense stick's walk away from the Buddhist hall. How could Jin Shu, a weak woman, have done it?
The old lady insisted that it was those treacherous servants who helped transport it.
All the servants who followed Jin Shu that day came. After they arrived, they each took turns recounting everything Jin Shu had done over the years.
One by one, these incidents were recounted by those who witnessed them, leaving the listeners feeling both heartbroken and indignant.
"No one would say a bad word about our mistress! Back then, the Duke's mansion was in such a state of decline that the old lady was clamoring to sell the shops. In the end, the mistress took out all her dowry. She, a young lady of noble birth, ran around every day, begging her father and grandmother to attract customers for those shops!"
You must know, before our mistress got married, she was a well-known lady from a prominent family in the capital! When had she ever suffered such grievances!
Without the mistress of the house, the Lu family would have been finished long ago! Would Master Lu and that concubine still be able to cause trouble here?
She thought that with the master's return, the mistress's suffering was finally over, but in the end, the master kicked her out for the woman he had been keeping for ten years!
Before being driven out, the mistress was only wearing an old, worn-out dress, and had nowhere to even step! If it weren't for her brother's help, we don't know where we'd be begging right now!
Ayu spoke with tears streaming down her face.
It wasn't acting; it was all genuine emotion.
Because over the years, no one has known Jin Shu's hardships better than her.
She almost lost her life for the Lu family, but in the end, she was not only kicked out of the house by the unfaithful man, but now she is also being wrongly accused of being a thief!
This is trampling on her young lady's reputation and face!
Everyone present fell silent, even the usually composed Minister of the Court of Judicial Review showed reluctance.
Ayu knelt before him and kowtowed deeply.
"Please, Your Excellency, see the truth! Please stand up for my mistress! She gave away so much of her dowry back then, how could she possibly covet this little bit from the Lu family!"
Moreover, a large portion of the lost items must have been the mistress's dowry. Today, I want to help the mistress seek justice and make the Lu family return those dowry items from back then! (End of Chapter)
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