Chapter 52: Choice
Qian Deng, however, remained silent, his gaze slowly shifting from his anxious face. He then truthfully answered the Minister of Justice, "On the second day after the incident, I was searching for clues by Qujiang Pond. I did pass by where Prince Mingjiu was roasting lamb. I saw... charcoal embers piled in the river bend, and I also saw a few scorched banana leaves."
As soon as these words were spoken, the Mingjiu, which had been staring at her eagerly, suddenly widened its eyes in shock. The helplessness and anxiety in its eyes gradually faded away, and turned into indignant anger, staring at her intently.
The Minister of Justice raised his hand and signaled the bailiffs to go to the riverside immediately to collect evidence.
Mingjiu leaped up and grabbed Qiandeng's hand. "Xianzhu! Why are you trapping me like these people? I was clearly roasting sheep, and you're talking about big leaves covering the charcoal ashes? That's nonsense!"
Seeing his terrifying expression and eyes full of rage, Qiandeng knew that he was extremely angry, but she was only telling the truth about what she had seen at the river bend that day and it was impossible for her to hide any unfavorable evidence for him.
Seeing Mingjiu being rude to her in court, the Crown Prince beside her immediately stood up and held Mingjiu's hand, his expression slightly gloomy. "Prince, please respect yourself. The truth will be known when the yamen runners return. Why embarrass the Princess of Lingling?"
Seeing that the guards around the prince had also come forward, Mingjiu angrily shook off Qiandeng's hand, but his eyes were still fixed on Qiandeng.
Qiandeng avoided his gaze and returned to his seat with a calm expression. He raised his hand and gently rubbed his wrist, which was bruised and swollen, under his sleeve.
Soon, the bailiffs came back on horseback and presented a few charred banana leaves still stained with charcoal ash.
"There are indeed the banana leaves and charcoal ashes that Lingling County Lady mentioned by the bend of Qujiang Pond. Due to the wind and rain these past few days, there aren't many banana leaves left. These few were pressed under the charcoal ashes, and there are indeed signs of being buried and roasted."
Mingjiu's face was ashen, and he spoke a few rapid strings of Uighur language. The interpreter wiped the sweat off his face as he translated, "Prince Mingjiu believes that someone must have framed him. He didn't pick any banana leaves when he roasted the sheep."
As for the curses interspersed among them, which accused the Tang officials of colluding to frame and bully the foreigners who had made meritorious contributions to them, he of course chose to ignore them.
"After Princess Gao's accident at Qujiang Lake, the area was immediately cordoned off for investigation. The sandy area at the river bend is rarely visited, and no one except Prince Mingjiu has ever grilled anything there." The Minister of Justice raised a charred banana leaf and demanded in a deep voice, "The evidence that Princess Lingling witnessed after the incident has now been presented to the court. Does Prince Mingjiu believe that we would fabricate evidence in such a short time to frame our friendly guest?"
Qiandeng rubbed his swollen and painful wrist, and a thought flashed through his mind: Why did the court make such a choice?
As the investigation progressed to this point, how could she not know that the three judicial officials were determined to make it an ironclad case that Mingjiu had killed the princess.
"Princess Lingling, the evidence that Prince Mingjiu committed the crime has been revealed. Based on various indications, among the many people present at Qujiang Pond that day, his motive, method, timeframe, and physical evidence are all present. Do you have any additional evidence?"
"This case..." She started with difficulty. She was about to say that according to the investigation, some clues pointed to Mingjiu, but there were also many doubts. If Mingjiu was the murderer, it would be inexplicable.
Putting aside other things, how did Mingjiu know that he would meet Princess Gao who was relaxing in Qujiang Lake, so that he could bring the stolen gold foil and pearl flowers in advance and put drugs in them to lure her into the water?
But before she could say the rest, she saw the look in the prince's eyes, which contained worry and hope, and she knew what he wanted her to say.
Which is more important: the truth before us, the disputes at the border, or the suffering of the people?
Just as she was about to speak, she heard the prince call her softly, "Lingling."
She subconsciously pursed her lips and turned her head slightly towards the prince.
She heard the prince's voice, low and inaudible, yet clear and distinct: "I will protect your grandfather's old subordinates... Don't go to the Huihe to marry."
The words that were about to come out were stuck in Qiandeng's throat.
She suddenly understood why the court needed the Uighur prince to bear this crime.
The imperial court needed both dignity and stability. It could not abandon the people on the border, nor could it provoke disputes with the Uighurs.
This is the best outcome.
If she ruined this outcome, Mingjiu, who had been cleared of the charges, would achieve her goal smoothly and without hindrance. She would also be disliked by the emperor and empress, and would become the candidate for marriage to the Uighurs, with no room for maneuver.
What's more, my father and grandfather's old subordinates are still in urgent need of a result.
Like her, the eight hundred and sixty-two loyal veterans all hoped that the flag of Prince Changhua would continue to fly high in the territory of the Tang Dynasty, and that the glory of her father and grandfather would be praised longer and more widely by people all over the world.
Qinghui Pavilion was silent, and everyone seemed to be waiting for something.
Finally, Qian Deng's voice reached him, a bit hazy, yet incredibly real: "I did find tools for climbing over the wall in Prince Mingjiu's residence. Meng Lanxi did indeed lose 'Dream Sleeping', and footprints that looked like Prince Mingjiu's were found at the scene."
As soon as these words were spoken, some people in the hall took a deep breath, while others breathed a sigh of relief. The expressions of the young men varied, but in the end, they all focused on Mingjiu.
Ming Jiu stared at Qian Deng with a fierce look as if he wanted to dig out her heart.
Qiandeng lowered her eyes to avoid his gaze, but the words were already out. A sense of self-abandonment made her subsequent words even more fluent. "Also, Prince Mingjiu, please don't lie and claim Princess Gao's gold foil and pearl flowers as mine. I'm in mourning for my mother and never wear gold or silver jewelry."
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