Chapter 400 Suspicion
The interrogation room of the Ministry of Justice.
Wen Zhiming had his guards interrogate the people from the Meng family because he didn't want to make a big fuss, since most of them were innocent and were all relatives of Meng Xingyuan.
He simply wanted the secret guards to find the person behind it all, so that the wronged would be held accountable and the guilty would be punished severely.
But everyone in this group claimed they were innocent, and even withstood the brutal beatings from the guards.
No wonder he showed no mercy.
Early in the morning, he ordered his guards to transfer all the suspects to the Ministry of Justice, where there was a full set of interrogation tools. He would personally interrogate them, and he was sure he could get the murderer to talk.
When Wen Zhiming arrived, three suspects were already hanging on racks, and the remaining dozen or so were limp on the ground.
The guards used considerable force, and these men were already covered in wounds and their bodies were mangled.
They were only injured in the flesh, which looked serious, but in fact they would recover about 70-80% in a few days.
Once these tools of the Ministry of Justice are used, any one of them can make them wish they were dead.
Wen Zhiming had already heard the details of the collision in the backyard of the Meng residence from the secret guards. Meng Lingge had also specifically instructed him to focus on interrogating a man named Meng Xixian.
Although he did not participate in the interrogation yesterday, while his bodyguards were conducting the interrogation, he also sent other people to investigate the backgrounds of these suspects, including who they had recently been in contact with, where they usually worked, and whether they had committed any crimes before.
We have a basic understanding of these people's situations.
Upon seeing Wen Zhiming arrive, the suspects immediately became agitated and shouted that they were innocent.
"Your Majesty, we are just here to offer our congratulations and join in the fun. Even if you gave us the courage, we would never dare to harm the Empress."
"Yes, Your Majesty, it is an honor for our Meng family to produce an empress. We are too busy protecting her to be crazy enough to harm her."
“We don’t want this kind of accident to happen either. The Emperor cannot abuse his power and kill innocent people just because he is sad.”
"..."
They felt deeply wronged.
They went out to have a good time and have some fun, but ended up causing such a big disaster.
It's bad enough that I got beaten up for nothing, but now it seems my life is in danger.
Who can they complain to?
Wen Zhiming looked at them, his dignified gaze sweeping over them, and the noisy crowd immediately quieted down.
“I do not wish to abuse my power and kill innocent people. But some of you have deliberately plotted to harm the Empress and the prince, causing my Empress to almost lose her life and my prince to suffocate during premature birth. I will not be able to eat or sleep until this person is found.”
"How can I speak up for the people and govern the country if I am not in good health? I cannot even protect the Empress and my son, how can I protect my subjects and be a wise ruler? Therefore, I must find the mastermind behind this. If you know anything, please expose this person as soon as possible. If we find the real culprit, I will naturally release the innocent."
"If you really can't find it, then I'll have to let you experience the torture instruments of the Ministry of Justice. If anyone can't endure it and loses their life, don't blame me. Blame the mastermind behind it all. If he hadn't committed such a grave mistake, how could you have been implicated?"
Upon hearing this, the suspects knew his determination and attitude to find the real culprit. They were all terrified, their faces changing drastically, and two of them seemed hesitant, their eyes darting around.
Wen Zhiming's gaze fell on the two people. Just as he was about to ask a question, a jailer came to report.
"Your Majesty, Lord Meng requests an audience."
Wen Zhiming frowned and waved his hand as if to say he didn't want to see her.
Fearing that Meng Xingyuan might not be able to see him and would have to beg Meng Lingge for help, his eyes turned cold, and he nodded in agreement.
Meng Xingyuan didn't actually want to come.
Meng Lingge was carrying the Empress's legitimate son. If this incident hadn't happened, he would most likely have been named Crown Prince, thus securing his daughter's position as Empress and further elevating his status as the Emperor's father-in-law.
Some in the court had long anticipated that after the Empress gave birth to a prince and made him the Crown Prince, the Emperor would certainly grant Meng Xingyuan a title.
Now that the prince has died young, Meng Lingge's health has been damaged, and of all things, the incident happened in the Meng family residence. What should have been a joyous occasion has been turned into this; he is filled with deep regret.
If he hadn't invited those nephews to make a scene at the wedding, this wouldn't have happened.
With his title gone, it's uncertain whether Meng Lingge will be able to conceive and have children in the future.
If the Empress cannot give birth to a prince, no matter how deep the Emperor's feelings for the Empress are, he cannot continue to favor one person exclusively.
It is very likely that his daughter's marital relationship and the favor she received in the harem will be completely ruined because of this incident. Therefore, Meng Xingyuan also hates this mastermind behind the scenes, hating him for taking advantage of his trust and bringing such a disaster to the Meng family.
The problem is that no one knows who the perpetrator is. There are only one or two culprits, and the remaining dozen or so people are all innocent.
People came to help, but ended up in this unexpected disaster. Their families are all very worried and upset. After the incident yesterday, these people's families came to him to plead for them.
Although these relatives were far less powerful and wealthy than him, Meng Xingyuan never bullied them and treated them fairly well. Their relationship was generally harmonious.
The men at the scene were all younger members of these relatives' families, representing the hope and future of the entire family.
So these relatives knelt, wailed, and sang, doing everything they could to beg him to plead with the emperor, saying how innocent and timid their child was, and begging the emperor to release him as soon as possible.
Meng Xingyuan's biggest flaw is that he is soft-hearted.
Seeing these elderly relatives humbling themselves for the sake of their children, their hair turning white overnight, he quickly felt pity for them. He had endured it all night yesterday, but upon hearing that the Emperor had brought the suspects to the Ministry of Justice today, he could no longer restrain himself and rushed over immediately.
Upon entering the execution ground, he saw that all of Meng's relatives and friends had been beaten until their skin was torn and their flesh was covered in blood. He couldn't bear it and immediately knelt down to beg for mercy.
"Your Majesty, the Empress suffered a difficult childbirth, and the Prince died young. I know you are grieving and eager to find the culprit and punish him severely, which may have led you to use harsh methods. However, the children of my relatives are all honest and law-abiding people. The interrogation lasted all night without any results. Perhaps this was truly an accident. You are a wise and benevolent ruler who is diligent in governing and cares for the people. You must not use extreme torture to extract confessions out of grief and anger!"
Wen Zhiming felt sorry for Meng Lingge, so he was particularly kind and tolerant towards her family. Except for the morning court session, he exempted Meng Xingyuan from kneeling at other times.
He had intended to beckon Meng Xingyuan to rise, but after hearing what Meng Xingyuan said, he lowered his hand.
The group of suspects, upon hearing Meng Xingyuan's words, felt as if they had seen a savior.
The two people who had been hesitant just moments before immediately changed their expressions to look aggrieved and joined the others in protesting their innocence.
"Lord Meng is absolutely right. We have no grudge against Her Majesty the Empress and are even under the protection of the Meng family. How could we possibly harm Her Majesty the Empress?"
"Lord Meng, help! The Emperor is going to torture us severely. We can't take it, we can't endure it! Please persuade the Emperor to seek justice for us..."
"It was Lord Meng who invited us there. If we're talking about suspicion, the Empress's incident happened at the Meng residence, so isn't the Meng family the prime suspects?"
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