Chapter 50 Clues
After being summoned into the palace, everyone gathered at Qinghui Pavilion.
This place is strategically located. Officially, it's flanked by the Jiaofang and Taiye Lake, where one might even spot palace ladies enjoying themselves. But closer inspection reveals its proximity to the Linde Hall, the Hanlin Academy, and not far from the Zichen Hall, the seat of the inner court, giving it a distinctly imperial atmosphere.
Qian Deng suddenly understood that the emperor and empress were planning to deal with the matter privately, trying to end it as low-key and smoothly as possible without making it public in the court.
Though the chosen venue was modest, the reception was a grand affair. The venerable and virtuous Dali Temple Minister, who had been retired at home for years, now occupied one of the principal seats, alongside the Minister of Justice and the Chief Censor. High-ranking officials from the three judicial departments were present, and the crown prince sat in the main seat. It seemed likely that he would preside over today's trial.
Mingjiu was a Uighur prince, and Qiandeng was a second-rank county lady of the imperial court. Naturally, someone arranged seats below the crown prince for them to sit down and listen to the trial.
Mingjiu sat down beside Qiandeng and asked her with a puzzled look on his face, "Xianzhu, what are all these old men doing here?"
Qiandeng shook his head, feeling confused and uneasy.
This commotion... Has the imperial court already figured out who the real culprit in this case is?
She went over in her mind everything she had investigated over the past few days, but no, she really had no idea who the murderer was.
Although some clues have surfaced, they still need to be further investigated and confirmed. As for the men in her backyard, it seems that everyone is possible, but no one is possible.
Not long after, all the young men in the palace's backyard were summoned one by one. With the exception of Shangluo, who had disappeared, and Ling Tianshui, who had no time to commit the crime, all the other young men who had appeared in Qujiang Lake were included.
At this moment, their expressions were different: Xue Xiyang, who was watching the show with his hands folded, Yan Penglai, who was daydreaming, Jin Tang, who was nervous and uneasy, Meng Lanxi, who looked innocent, and Ji Linyou, who was on high alert...
If Qian Deng had not been able to confirm that the murderer was one of them, he would not have seen anything abnormal about them.
The Minister of Justice presided over the trial. Seeing that everyone had arrived, he coughed lightly and spoke with authority, "Today, the three judicial organs are hearing the case of the murder of Princess Gao in Qujiang Pond. Princess Gao was the eldest sister of the late emperor and the current emperor's aunt. She was a noble woman, but her drowning in Qujiang Pond shocked the world. After a joint investigation by the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Court, and other yamen, it is clear that this case was no accident and there is indeed a hidden cause. Now, we have all the witnesses and evidence, clues and motives. However, due to the seriousness of this matter, we will not hear it in the yamen. We have gathered you here to clarify the facts and handle it confidentially."
When they heard the words "handle it secretly", everyone's eyes unconsciously fell on Mingjiu.
After the Minister of Justice had spoken, he immediately got to the point: "Where is the Siwei of Princess Gao's mansion?"
Su Wan, who had been waiting nearby, immediately stepped forward and bowed her head in greeting. "I am Su Wan, the female official of the Gaoguo Princess's residence, waiting to hear your question."
"You and the Princess's Commander have come together to report that you have important clues to the princess's murder?"
"Yes, the evidence has been submitted to the Ministry of Justice. I hope the court will make a fair and just judgment."
The clerk of the Ministry of Justice opened a small box and placed it on the table. Inside the box was the gold foil and pearl flower that had been crushed to pieces by the eagle.
The eagle craned its neck to take a look, and its expression suddenly changed: "What does this mean?"
Su Wan was terrified by his rebuke, but she still spoke with a brave face, "This is a gold leaf and pearl flower that the Huihe prince accidentally dropped on the polo field. Since it was confirmed to be from my princess's mansion, he returned it to us. I am a maid in the mansion, in charge of the princess's clothing and jewelry. When I was sorting this flower out, I found something unusual about it."
As soon as she finished speaking, the clerk took out the pearl flower, tore off a piece of black paper, and knocked the gold foil pearl flower on it.
It was visible to the naked eye that some yellowish powder was escaping from the pearl flower.
Everyone in the room was stunned, and the Minister of Justice waved his hand and asked the two imperial doctors waiting nearby to come forward and check what the powder was.
The imperial physician tried to pick up the powder with his fingertips and smelled it, then immediately put down his fingers and wiped his hands clean, obviously afraid of what was on it.
"Gentlemen, although this powder is small, it is undoubtedly a drug called 'Dream-Sinking'. Used as an incense, it can induce sleep. Oral or inhaled powder can cause trance. Please be careful when handling it."
Qiandeng was stunned for a moment, and his eyes glanced at Meng Lanxi who was standing beside the hall.
He looked at her with confusion, obviously knowing that this was most likely made by him, and no matter who stole it, they would be implicated this time.
When Mingjiu saw the two imperial doctors acting as if they were facing a formidable enemy after smelling the powder, he couldn't help but feel disgusted when he thought about how he had once been obsessed with this pearl flower.
The Minister of Justice was gloomy and asked, "How could there be such a drug in the princess's jewelry?"
Su Wan immediately said, "There's no such harmful thing in the Princess's mansion. It must have been caused by bandits who broke into the mansion that day!"
"Oh? A thief broke into the princess's mansion? When did it happen?"
"This happened two days before the Grand Princess's death. A thief sneaked into my princess's mansion, beheaded the princess's most beloved horse, and threw it next to the Grand Princess's pillow..."
Ming Jiu snorted beside him, and a look of satisfaction appeared on his face when he saw that the good things he had done were finally made public.
Unexpectedly, Su Wan continued, "The bandits not only killed the horse, but also stole many gold, silver and jewels from the palace, especially the princess's favorite sets of jewelry, all of which were taken away... Even the duck-cheeked feather cloak that had been hidden deep in the winter wardrobe is gone."
"Nonsense!" Mingjiu couldn't help but speak immediately, "Who stole anything? Who would steal your slap princess's rags?"
Su Wan's eyes were red as she stubbornly said, "After the incident that day, the princess's inner chambers were indeed in a mess, and many treasures were stolen. However, the princess ordered us not to make any noise, so we never reported it to the authorities. Later, when the princess got into trouble, I also reported the theft to the authorities. It's absolutely true, and everyone around the princess knows about it."
The Minister of Justice pointed to the gold-foiled pearl flower and asked, "So, this pearl flower was lost at that time?"
"Yes, gold leaf and bead flowers are fragile and easily broken, and can easily be lost while riding or feasting. That's why the princess has a whole box full of them, always with twenty or thirty in reserve. Although the princess didn't allow us to take inventory after the jewelry was stolen, this style of gold leaf and bead flowers was specially ordered for our mansion. No one else has it. It must have been stolen that night along with the other jewelry!"
This kind of thin jewelry is indeed easy to lose. Every year during the Lishan Tour and Qujiang Outing, after the nobles leave, there is always a group of people who go to try their luck and pick up jade, which has become a grand event.
Princess Gao's family was wealthy and powerful, so they could wear a whole box of golden flowers without any concern.
"So, whoever possessed this pearl flower must have been the one who broke into the princess's residence that night?" The Minister of Justice said, looking at Ji Linyou. "Captain Ji, were you inspecting the curfew with the capital's defense guards that night?"
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