Chapter 558 No Evil
The three-court trial officially began.
Qin Yuwei sat behind the screen, her palms already covered with a thin layer of sweat.
She had no idea what the final outcome of today's trial would be.
Will Chang Yunxiao help her?
In the court, Li Yao was brought up first.
She still retains her status as a royal concubine, so she is not wearing shackles.
As soon as Li Yao saw Yan Xiuyun, she immediately burst into tears out of grievance, her eyes were filled with pity.
Yan Xiuyun looked away.
Chang Yunxiao took the lead in asking Li Yao several questions that he had asked before, including when the steward of the imperial kitchen asked her about the recipe of salmon soup and whether there were any other witnesses at the scene.
Li Yao answered all of them one by one, and they were completely consistent with his previous confession.
The second person to be brought up was the steward of the imperial kitchen, and his testimony matched Li Yao's in every way.
He also mentioned that he heard Dong Zhu say that the Queen wanted to eat salmon soup.
When Yan Xiuyun heard this, his eyes changed slightly.
Chang Yunxiao then summoned Dong Zhu and asked her to confront the steward of the imperial kitchen face to face.
Qin Yuwei's hand holding the handkerchief began to tighten unconsciously.
He really knew it.
Do we really have to reveal the truth?
Dong Zhu was brought to the court. After seeing the steward of the imperial kitchen, he was obviously nervous for a moment, but soon calmed down.
There was a look of determination in her eyes.
This was the first time the two confronted each other in court. The chief steward of the imperial kitchen pointed out the specific time and place where he heard Dong Zhu talking to other palace maids, as well as the specific content of the conversation.
Dong Zhu quickly admitted that he had indeed said at the time that the Queen wanted to eat salmon soup and that he intended to replace the head steward of the imperial kitchen.
However, everyone present knew that the queen actually did not like to eat fish or shrimp.
Qin Yuwei's nails were almost embedded in her palms.
She knew that Chang Yunxiao's next step was to make Dong Zhu admit that it was the Queen who designed all this herself.
Sure enough, Chang Yunxiao asked immediately:
"Dongzhu, when did the Queen tell you that she wanted to eat salmon soup? Did anyone else hear it besides you?"
Dong Zhu did not hesitate:
"The Queen doesn't like eating soft-shelled turtles, and she rarely eats other fish or shrimps. How could she be interested in salmon soup?"
The Minister of Justice asked, "So those words you said that day were just nonsense?"
Dong Zhu nodded and said that when she was a little palace maid, she was beaten and scolded by the steward of the imperial kitchen and she held a grudge against him.
On the eve of the palace banquet, she happened to meet the head steward of the imperial kitchen, and she came up with a plan to make him suffer.
So she deliberately said those words to the palace maids around her, with the purpose of inducing the imperial kitchen to prepare salmon soup at the palace banquet, so as to annoy the Queen Mother and achieve her own revenge.
"But I never thought that my words would lead to such a big mistake. Huang Zongguan actually went to ask Concubine Rong for advice and added turtle soup to the salmon soup...
It was this slave who killed the Queen, and I am willing to die to pay for her life."
Dong Zhu crawled on the ground, as if he already knew that he was going to die.
Such loyalty even moved Zhu Lan.
"Mr. Chang." The Minister of Justice spoke.
"What Dong Zhu said is just her one-sided story. Is it possible that she is taking the blame for someone else?"
"Who do you think she will take the blame for, Lord Shangshu? Could it be the Queen?" Chang Yunxiao asked directly.
The Minister of Justice was speechless for a moment and did not dare to answer. He subconsciously glanced at Yan Xiuyun's expression.
Chang Yunxiao looked at the imperial kitchen manager again and asked:
"Dong Zhu said that he was beaten and scolded by you. Is this true or false?"
Manager Huang looked ashamed and nodded in admission, and there were many witnesses to the incident.
"So it seems that Dongzhu had a reasonable motive when he said that he was trying to take revenge on the head steward of the imperial kitchen by deliberately misleading him to make salmon soup."
After Chang Yunxiao finished speaking, he turned to the Minister of Justice and said:
"Of course, Your Excellency the Minister may suspect that Dong Zhu took the blame for someone else, but may I ask Your Excellency the Minister, do you have any solid evidence?"
The Minister of Justice remained silent. Judging from all the evidence and confessions obtained so far, there was nothing that could prove that Dong Zhu's words were instigated by someone.
Chang Yunxiao said:
"According to Daliang law, since there is no evidence to prove that Dong Zhu was instructed by someone, we cannot make an inference based on this."
The Minister of Justice nodded slightly, agreeing with Chang Yunxiao's statement.
Qin Yuwei behind the screen breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, Dongzhu was loyal to the queen and took everything on himself.
Chang Yunxiao was able to do this without violating any laws or rules and without implicating the Queen.
Otherwise, Dong Lanxin's reputation would be ruined after her death. Not only would she have died in vain, but she would also implicate the Crown Prince and even herself and Jing'er.
Chang Yunxiao looked at Yan Xiuyun and made a final summary of the case.
Dong Zhu, who held a grudge against the chief steward of the imperial kitchen, used words to trick the kitchen into making salmon soup at the palace banquet, and was punished by the Queen.
Dong Zhu didn't expect that the imperial kitchen would ask for help from Concubine Rong, and Concubine Rong's secret was to add turtle soup, which was incompatible with the Queen's physique, into the salmon soup.
At the palace banquet, the improved salmon soup was extremely delicious. Instead of blaming the imperial kitchen, the queen carefully tasted the salmon soup and eventually died of poisoning.
Yan Xiuyun asked Chang Yunxiao what his final conclusion was.
After careful consideration, Chang Yunxiao replied:
“The Queen died in an accident.
There is no murder in this case."
The court fell silent.
After a long time, Yan Xiuyun finally spoke and asked the three courts for their opinions on the case.
The Minister of Justice expressed no objection and signed his name on the case file of the joint trial of the three courts.
Yan Xiuyun turned his gaze towards Zhu Lan.
Zhu Lan frowned slightly and sighed in his heart.
He also slowly put down his pen and signed his name.
The conclusion given by Chang Yunxiao is the most perfect answer that takes into account both legal principles and human feelings.
Although the queen set the trap herself, the dead are the most important, so there is no need to let her sleep in peace even after her death, nor to implicate the crown prince and cause turmoil in the country.
As for Li Yao...
Maybe Li Yao is not a good person, but in the matter of the Queen, she is indeed innocent.
As law enforcement officers, we cannot fabricate crimes just to convict a bad guy.
Procedural justice must be achieved, and this is also Chang Yunxiao’s bottom line.
At this point, the case was finally settled, and legally, no one was responsible for the Queen's death.
As for how to deal with the people involved in the case in the harem, that is Yan Xiuyun’s family affair.
Yan Xiuyun finally issued an edict, dismissing all the people in the imperial kitchen from their posts and expelling them from the palace. They were sentenced to fifty punishments of winter bamboo caning and sent to the laundry department to be the lowest-ranking slaves forever.
As for Li Yao, although she was innocent, she indirectly caused the death of the queen.
Being demoted from a noble concubine to a concubine was a small punishment with a big warning.
Behind the screen, Qin Yuwei slowly closed her eyes, with a hint of worry between her brows.
This time, he failed to defeat Li Yao. If he missed the target, it would probably cause a counterattack from the entire Li family.
He and Jing'er would have to be more careful in the future when they were in the harem.
…
After the three-court trial was over, Yan Xiuyun had to go to the Ministry of Revenue for inspection, but Qin Yuwei did not go with him.
The sedan chair that was taking her back to the palace stopped quietly outside the gate of the Ministry of Justice.
Qin Yuwei stepped over the threshold, raised her hand to block the glaring sunlight, and found that Chang Yunxiao was waiting for her.
She forced out a slightly bitter smile and said softly:
"You and Lanlan both have your own standpoints, which I completely understand, and I also want to thank you for preserving the queen's reputation.
So, you don’t have to apologize to me…”
"I'm not here to apologize to you."
Chang Yunxiao spoke somewhat stiffly.
Qin Yuwei then noticed the two dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't rested for several nights.
Chang Yunxiao took out a small paper package from his arms and opened it. The contents gave off a strange fragrance.
Qin Yuwei looked confused.
Chang Yunxiao quickly rewrapped the paper and handed it to her, as if he didn't want to smell the fragrance any longer.
"I suggest you return to the palace immediately and check this out at Fangmiao Terrace."
He glanced sideways at Li Yao who was walking out supported by several maids.
"Hurry up, there's still time."
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