Chapter 405 Let it Go
After Wen Zhiming gave the order, Meng Xixian's eyes were filled with even more despair. He kept shaking his head and trying to get rid of the rag in his mouth and plead for mercy.
Wen Zhiming had no intention of communicating with him further and turned to give the order.
“All those who are not involved are hereby released without charge. Each person will receive ten taels of silver upon release to be used for medical treatment and compensation.”
Upon hearing this, the other Meng family relatives and friends were overjoyed and immediately knelt down, praising the Emperor's wisdom.
Only Meng Xicheng knelt tremblingly to the side, waiting for Wen Zhiming to pronounce his death sentence.
"The criminal Meng Xicheng allowed his brother to commit the crime and then covered it up. All the adult male members of Meng Xixian's family were negligent in their duties and have been imprisoned. The verdict will be announced after this case is concluded."
Wen Zhiming did not want to implicate innocent people, but Meng Xixian's crimes crossed his bottom line, and his punishment of Meng Xixian was too bloody and ruthless. In order to prevent his family from retaliating with underhanded tricks, he had to take special measures.
Upon hearing this, Meng Xicheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing how cold the emperor was to his second brother, he thought he would surely lose his head as well. In the end, being detained was much better than he had expected.
As Meng Xicheng knelt to express his gratitude, Wen Zhiming had already left the interrogation room, and Meng Xingyuan quickly followed.
"Your Majesty, when I came here, I had not heard of any murder on Donglin Street! Moreover, Meng Xixian should be willing to reveal the mastermind behind it all now, so why won't you let him speak out?"
Meng Xingyuan lived not far from Donglin Street. If there were two tragic deaths, it was impossible for him not to have heard a word about it.
Wen Zhiming stopped, not wanting to explain too much.
"After this incident, most of the Meng family's relatives and friends will keep their distance from the Meng family. However, there will inevitably be some people with ulterior motives or those who are genuinely sincere, who will become even closer to the Meng family than before. The Empress is filial to her parents and often returns to her parents' home. I hope that Father-in-law can see through people's character and distinguish between truth and falsehood, and not invite just anyone to the mansion, so as not to put the Empress in danger again."
Ever since Meng Xingyuan came to him begging him to release the suspects, he had developed a rift with his father-in-law.
A father-in-law who doesn't consider things from his wife's perspective doesn't deserve his complete sincerity.
Wen Zhiming's words were both public and private, making Meng Xingyuan feel uneasy. He was racking his brains for a suitable answer when Wen Zhiming left without waiting for his reply.
Looking at the tall, imposing figure in front of him, Meng Xingyuan recalled Wen Zhiming's ruthless treatment of Meng Xixian and his obvious aloofness and indifference when speaking to him, and felt a cold sweat break out on his back.
He seemed to have never truly understood his son-in-law.
After leaving the Ministry of Justice, Wen Zhiming did not return to the palace, but went to No. 17 Donglin Street.
He didn't need Meng Xixian's final confession; part of the reason was that he wanted Meng Xixian to die with unspeakable suffering and regret.
More importantly, he had easily extracted the information he wanted from the other witnesses.
Meng Xixian's wife and children were of course not dead.
While Wen Zhiming was accompanying Meng Lingge during childbirth, his bodyguards not only interrogated the suspects, but also searched all the information on the prime suspect, Meng Xixian, and found his hidden home outside.
Not to mention that the mastermind behind the scenes wouldn't dare to easily alert the enemy, even if he wanted to make a move, he would be walking into a trap.
However, Meng Xixian didn't trust the mastermind very much to begin with, and Wen Zhiming's slight fright made him completely believe him.
Wen Zhiming knew the real culprit, but he still went to the interrogation room to make the person who dared to hurt his wife and children suffer pain, be physically and mentally damaged, and regret his actions.
So far, this step of the plan has been completed quite well.
However, Wen Zhiming hesitated about what to do with Meng Xixian's wife and children.
His beloved wife is gone, and she almost lost her life.
Why are the murderer's wife and children safe and sound, without a scratch?
But Meng Xixian's wife and children were unaware of his heinous acts. To not even spare unarmed women and infants is undeniably cold-blooded.
After much deliberation, Wen Zhiming still couldn't make up his mind, so he decided to go in person.
No. 17 Donglin Street is located deep in the alley; it is just a dilapidated little building.
Pushing open the creaking wooden door, a woman dressed in light clothing huddled in a corner, holding a child wrapped in layers of brocade quilts.
He has a handsome appearance and looks honest and gentle, not like a bad person.
Upon seeing Wen Zhiming, the woman knelt down.
"Sir, I know my husband has committed a grave error. If you must arrest someone, arrest me. Please, spare this child's life. Send him to a charity or a family without children. He's not even a year old yet and knows nothing. Please, spare him."
The man before her had an extraordinary air about him. Having seen a lot in the brothel, she could tell at a glance that he was someone who could make decisions.
Wen Zhiming looked around the room and saw that the furnishings were simple and the only two new clothes were for the children, which showed that this woman had not enjoyed any good life while following Meng Xixian.
Her gaze fell on the child. The woman was thin, but the child was well-fed and chubby, and looked exceptionally pleasing.
The image of Huai Qian flashed through Wen Zhiming's mind, and a murderous intent suddenly appeared in his eyes, scaring the woman into immediately hiding the child behind her back.
The woman took two deep breaths, as if she had made up her mind, and then spoke.
"My lord, this child is not Meng Xixian's son. I became pregnant by accident while I was in a brothel, and I didn't even know who the father was. Coincidentally, Meng Xixian was interested in me at the time, so I lied to him and asked him to redeem me. The child was born at full term, but I bribed the midwife to tell you it was premature. This is absolutely true, and I wouldn't dare lie to you. This child is not Meng Xixian's, and Meng Xixian's mistakes have nothing to do with us. I've told you everything you want to know. Please, my lord, spare our lives!"
She was very clever and knew that it was Meng Xixian's mistake that had implicated them, so she immediately tried to find a way to sever ties with Meng Xixian.
It's not unusual for her to be a courtesan, but it's also possible that she made up the reason on the spot to protect herself.
It's easy to find out if she's lying.
The answer can be found by checking the date Meng Xixian redeemed her from her servitude and the date her child was born, or by asking the midwife.
However, Wen Zhiming did not intend to send anyone to investigate, because regardless of whether what the woman said was true or not, he knew he couldn't bring himself to do it.
His wife would not agree to him harming orphans and widows.
It's better to just believe this explanation and let each other go.
Wen Zhiming looked down at the woman, his tone cold.
“Meng Xixian has committed a serious crime and is certain to die. Since this child is not his, it's best not to give him his surname to avoid being implicated. He has made too many enemies; if you continue to stay here, you will not have peace.”
The woman immediately understood what he meant and nodded.
"The child will take my surname from now on. I'm leaving now. I'll take the child away from Beijing and go far away, never to return."
Seeing that she was sensible, Wen Zhiming stopped dwelling on the matter. He went out and gave instructions.
"Send her out of the city."
Two dark figures emerged from the shadows, entered the room to help the woman pack her luggage, and in less than a quarter of an hour, they threw the two of them and their luggage into the carriage and quickly left.
Jiang Lin, who was hiding on the roof, saw that there was no one else around before jumping down and landing next to Wen Zhiming.
"Your Majesty, what should be done with the mastermind behind this?"
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