Chapter 191: Entering the Confrontation Hall, the Crime of Sheltering
Yue Zhu looked at Bailipu and saw that he was staring at Xiao Qinggu.
"Master Baili, what do you think of Her Royal Highness the Princess?"
Yue Zhu suddenly asked the question, but Bailipu stroked his gray beard as if he had expected it.
There was an unclear look in his eyes, "Her Royal Highness is fine."
Yue Zhu was about to continue asking when he heard Bai Li Pu say, "Better than the prince."
"......" Yue Zhu suddenly fell silent.
In the first written test, what did Xiao Qinggu write on the answer sheet?
Or, did Bailipu find out something?
On the other side, Shang Yuwan was taken to the confrontation hall outside the Dali Temple by Cheng Xunzhi.
In the previous three days, Cheng Xunzhi had teamed up with the Grand Chamberlain and the Censorate to interrogate everyone in the Eastern Palace and Prince Qi's Mansion. The two sides had different stories and the evidence was ambiguous.
They also sent people to investigate the people in the sixteen places of Snow Wolf Village as quickly as possible. Facts proved that what the two people said was true. Five years ago, it was indeed Mingshu who took Xiao Qingxu's "private seal" and used local merchants and landlords to seize almost all the land.
Mingshu pretended to be frightened and revealed the "truth", and accidentally revealed a "witness" hidden in Snow Wolf Village, which naturally "sold out" Xiao Qingxu. He said that Prince Qi had made him a spy in the Eastern Palace, using his private seal to seize the land of the poor, and ordered him to steal the prince's private seal to make a fake land deed and hide it in the Eastern Palace to frame the prince.
The reason why King Qi did not kill him was because of the "witness" that could not be found, so he was able to survive until now.
Cheng Xunzhi had interrogated the man, and the testimony of the "witness" was almost identical to what was said in the book. Under pressure, the merchants and landlords also revealed the "truth," which seemed to indicate that it was indeed Prince Qi.
But Xiao Qingxu's private seal disappeared at this time. Cheng Xunzhi sent people to search the Prince Qi's Mansion from top to bottom three times but still couldn't find it.
All the witnesses, evidence and testimonies clearly pointed to Xiao Qingxu, but Cheng Xunzhi had a hunch that things couldn't be that simple.
If it was really done by King Qi, the two common people who came to beat the drum to report the crime would have died outside the capital long ago. How could such insignificant people escape King Qi's sharp eyes?
Cheng Xunzhi remembered that Xiao Qingxu reminded him to find Shang Yuwan on the first night he was imprisoned, so he brought him here.
Shang Yuwan is a close friend of Xiao Qingxu. If he had not been teaching the princess how to play chess in the princess's mansion under the order of Emperor Chengming, Cheng Xunzhi would have taken him away for interrogation long ago.
After Shang Yuwan signed the "Gan Jie Zhuang", she looked up at Cheng Xunzhi.
There was a faint dark spot under Cheng Xunzhi's eyes, and it was obvious that he had not slept well in the past few days.
After all, the land deed matter implicated the Crown Prince and Prince Qi, and it also concerned the Xiao royal family's prestige and reputation in the eyes of the world. She was brought in for questioning in just three days. It seems Cheng Xunzhi had already completed his investigation of both the Eastern Palace and Prince Qi's residence, which is why he sought her out.
A hint of deep thought flashed across Shang Yuwan's eyes.
Or was it Xiao Qingxu who was secretly pushing Cheng Xunzhi to come to her early? According to the time she and Xiao Qingxu had originally estimated, Cheng Xunzhi should still be examining other people today.
Inside the Dali Temple's confrontation hall, the red lacquer on the beams and pillars was mottled, and the candlelight flickered. The firelight reflected on Shang Yuwan's face, and her calm and indifferent expression was tinged with a hint of coldness, which unexpectedly sent a chill down Cheng Xunzhi's spine.
Rumor has it that Shang Yuwan is the replacement for Princess Qi, brought back to the capital by Prince Qi, and is also his indispensable advisor. But why does this advisor... always exude a subtle sense of hostility?
Cheng Xunzhi frowned slightly, and couldn't help but think of Emperor Chengming's special treatment of this person, as well as the extermination of the Shang family.
Logically, if he wanted to interrogate Shang Yuwan, he would have to investigate her background, but to his surprise, he found nothing except a name. Later, Emperor Chengming secretly ordered them not to investigate her background any further.
To be able to receive such a special treatment from the emperor, and to be the "substitute princess" of Prince Qi...After Yue Zhu returned to the capital, something seemed to be wrong?
The Imperial Censor and the Chief Justice sitting next to him looked at Cheng Xunzhi, not understanding what he was staring at Shang Yuwan.
"Master Temple Minister." Shang Yuwan sat on the low stool in front of the desk and waited for a while. Seeing that Cheng Xunzhi's thoughts were far away, he spoke lightly, tilting his head slightly, "Aren't you going to start yet?"
If she returned too late, she didn't know how worried Her Royal Highness and Qi'er would be. With Emperor Chengming's order, she could leave after Cheng Xunzhi finished his questions. After all, matters concerning the princess were now considered a major matter.
Cheng Xunzhi came back to his senses and gently knocked the gavel on the table. With a "pop" sound, the candle in the lamp followed suit, making a slight crackling sound.
Cheng Xunzhi looked at Shang Yuwan with his mouth slightly opened. The Imperial Censor and the Chief Justice of Dali both raised their pens and heard him say:
"Miss Shang, please correct your posture."
What kind of girl do you look like sitting with your legs apart?
Assistant Censor: “…” Has the Grand Court Minister been too busy these past two days?
Dali Sizhi: “…” The master’s old problem has come back again.
Shang Yuwan: “?”
She looked down at her legs, then tilted her neck back to look at Cheng Xunzhi.
"My Lord, I have long legs."
She was not as tall as twelve, but she was not a short girl either. If she did not spread her legs apart when sitting on the locust wood stool, her waist would be bent and she would not be able to sit steadily.
Rather than hunching his back in front of others, Shang Yuwan would rather sit with his arms and legs spread out, so that he would look more imposing and not appear timid.
Cheng Xunzhi thought about it and finally gave up on this issue.
"Prince Qi has illegally seized the people's land in sixteen remote areas. Do you know?"
Shang Yuwan shook her head. "I don't know. His Royal Highness Prince Qi wouldn't do that either."
Cheng Xunzhi pointed at the land deeds on the table. "Sixteen in total were found within Prince Qi's mansion. Each one was forcibly purchased from the poor by local merchants and landlords, and then transferred to Prince Qi's name. All of them bear Prince Qi's personal seal. How can you refute this?"
"You should be aware of the consequences of the crime of harboring a criminal."
Shang Yuwan said, "If the evidence and witnesses were sufficient, why would Your Excellency have to interrogate so many people?"
Without waiting for Cheng Xunzhi to speak, she continued, "Your Highness's private seal, has Your Excellency not found it yet?"
"Oh?" Cheng Xunzhi's expression changed. "It seems you know the whereabouts of the private seal?"
"I don't know." Shang Yuwan shook her head, her expression indifferent. She had dared to go against so many important figures, so how could she be afraid of Cheng Xunzhi's stern face?
Cheng Xunzhi choked at her words. After a moment, he held up a land deed and said, "Take a good look at it. Is this the seal of Prince Qi?"
Shang Yuwan looked at it carefully, then shook his head again.
"That is not the private seal of my Highness."
Cheng Xunzhi felt a little depressed.
He had interrogated everyone in Prince Qi's mansion, and most of them said they didn't know if it was Xiao Qingxu's private seal. They defended Prince Qi by saying that if it fell into the hands of others, it could be forged. Before he interrogated Shang Yuwan, only General Li, Lu Heying, and Ji Suxian had said it wasn't Prince Qi's private seal.
Now, a fourth person denied that it was not Prince Qi's private seal.
Cheng Xunzhi opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Shang Yuwan took the lead.
"The private seal was chipped when Your Highness was eleven years old. It has never been repaired, so it is impossible for it to be so square."
The three of them had already stated this reason.
Cheng Xunzhi asked, "Why not repair it?"
Shang Yuwan blinked, "That is the private seal carved by the Xu family's eldest master, your Highness's maternal grandfather. It is very important to your Highness."
"Sir, if your deceased wife left you something, would you be willing to let someone else's scent be contaminated on it?"
Cheng Xunzhi tightened his grip on the gavel.
His wife died of illness when she was young. At the funeral, Cheng Xunzhi's eyes didn't even turn red. He came in a hurry and then hurried back to the Dali Temple in a short while.
Cheng Qi was only seven or eight years old that year, and because of this, he gradually distanced himself from his indifferent father, spending his days playing with his friends and not working. Cheng Xunzhi knew he felt guilty towards his son, and since the child was the only legacy left to him by his late wife, he never treated Cheng Qi too harshly.
A hint of regret flashed across Shang Yuwan's eyes.
Unfortunately, what Cheng Xunzhi didn't understand was that Cheng Qi hated the way he didn't care about anything at home the most, and hated him even more for treating the Dali Temple like his home.
Cheng Xunzhi was fully focused on the trial of the case in the Dali Temple. Although he felt guilty towards his son, he tried not to interfere too much with Cheng Qi's freedom and did not care what kind of friends he made outside. Instead, he ignored what Cheng Qi lacked and needed the most.
accompany.
What Cheng Qi lacks most is the company of his family.
Before Shang Yuwan died in her previous life, she once heard Cheng Qi say something.
If he's willing to come home more often and go to the Dali Temple less often, I'd be willing to stay in the study and read for a month.
Unfortunately, the father and son were both busy with official duties, while the other was a bit arrogant and unwilling to lower his dignity and confide in his father like an ignorant child. Thus, the two of them remained at a stalemate, and their relationship became increasingly distant.
Cheng Xunzhi was worthy of being the Chief Justice of Dali Temple. He did not divert his attention directly because of Shang Yuwan's words. Instead, he pulled himself back at the moment of distraction.
He looked at Shang Yuwan with a serious gaze, thinking that this man was extremely cunning and seemed to know a lot about his family affairs.
Who is she...?
"Young Master." In the Cheng family's study, a servant bowed his head and saluted the man in green.
The man looked lazy and was standing at the desk writing.
The handwriting on the paper was neither vigorous nor graceful. It looked more like the handwriting of a seven or eight-year-old child, somewhat childish and a bit stiff - after all, he was not really a seven or eight-year-old child.
If Shang Yuwan and Xiao Qingxu saw the handwriting of this man, they would be shocked to recognize that it was exactly the same as the letter in the handwriting of Shang Mingqi.
The servant behind him called him and whispered, "Our people sent word that that person seems to be very protective of that person."
The man responded lightly without finishing his words. As soon as he finished speaking, he pinched the paper in his hand and put it on the candle flame, burning it into black ash.
"Cheng Qi."
A man walked out from the darkness, followed by a servant with a sword at his waist. The blade of the sword was normal, but the hilt was hooked, and the person holding the sword could easily injure themselves if they were not careful.
If Shang Yuwan and Xiao Qingxu could see this sword, they would definitely recognize that this servant was Liu Que who had disappeared for a long time.
And the person in front of Liu Que was calling Cheng Qi's name.
It was Zhao Xiang, who had been silent for a long time.
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