Chapter 167 Interrogating her as a criminal
As the auction drew to a close, almost all the items were sold out. No one expected the auction to be so successful, raising a large sum of money for disaster relief.
Consort Zhang beckoned Dou Wenyi over, "Wenyi, we owe you a lot this time. Come with me to the victory celebration banquet later. I have many treasures in my private treasury. Take a look and see if there's anything you like."
Sheng Xiyue looked up at her.
Dou Wenyi stood quietly to the side, saying, "Your Majesty flatters me. I merely offered my opinion and dare not take credit for it."
The auction was so successful mainly because of the influence of the eldest princess.
Sheng Xiyue whispered sweetly in Consort Zhang's ear, in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Your Majesty, my sister's painting sold for eight thousand taels of silver. I wonder who was so generous."
This statement was rather ambiguous, and Consort Zhang had a feeling it was inappropriate.
Her eyes sparkled, her face full of smiles, and she deliberately raised her voice, "You're almost married, yet you still have the mentality of a child, always wanting to get to the bottom of everything. The money from the auction will ultimately go to disaster relief, so it doesn't matter who bought it."
Sheng Xiyue paused for a moment, then affectionately took Consort Zhang's arm and said with a smile, "Your Majesty is right."
Her movements were skillful and charming, yet perfectly natural.
Consort Zhang was originally surrounded by palace maids, but now she was closest to Sheng Xiyue, making it clear who she was closer to.
Dou Wenyi remembered that in her previous life, Consort Zhang always disliked Dou Mingyan and always protected Sheng Xiyue.
In the years that followed, although Sheng Xiyue was a concubine, she was born into a prominent family. Not only did she have Consort Zhang backing her up, but she also had Pei Siyan's favor. So her days in the Eastern Palace must have been very comfortable, and her status was definitely one step ahead of Dou Mingyan's.
Dou Wenyi didn't care who Consort Zhang actually favored, and she was even less inclined to engage in any pretense with Sheng Xiyue.
Dou Wenyi used Pei Siyan's poor health as an excuse to return directly to the East Palace and did not attend the victory celebration banquet.
The night was deep, and the Xie family's carriage had been parked at the gate of the West Garden for almost all the people had left, but they still hadn't picked up Xie Mengyao.
The maid who usually stayed by her side hurriedly reported the incident, and the Prefect of the Capital sent yamen runners to search for her overnight in the rain, but they could not find her anywhere.
The following morning, a swollen corpse lay in the grass on the shallow shore of Yanmingchi Waterfall.
......
"Your Highness, the Ministry of Justice has sent people. They say... the young lady from the Duke of Dingguo's mansion fell into Yanming Pond and drowned. They want to ask you about the situation."
In the main hall of Wutong Garden, Eunuch Anxi, with a gloomy expression, respectfully reported.
Who was murdered?
"Xie Mengyao".
Dou Wenyi felt as if a thunderbolt had struck her ear, "She was perfectly fine when she was in the West Garden, how could she have been murdered?"
"The Ministry of Justice suspects murder because they found Xie Mengyao's gold hairpin in the bushes. The coroner deduced that she fell into the water yesterday at Shenshi (3-5 PM), which is exactly the time of the auction."
Dou Wenyi's pupils suddenly contracted. She had gone out halfway to chase after the merchant who bought Dou Bochang's calligraphy and paintings, and happened to see Xie Mengyao walking alone in the rain with an umbrella at the Misty Rain Pavilion.
At that time, Xie Mengyao was supposed to attend the auction, but she didn't have a maid with her.
This is so bizarre!
Who is coming?
“Meng Jingchuan, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and Supervisor Feng.”
The arrival of Grand Eunuch Feng from the palace represented the Emperor's will. Dou Wenyi concealed the complex emotions in her eyes, "Did they inquire with all the noble ladies, or were they specifically targeting the Crown Prince's Palace?"
Eunuch Anxi reported truthfully: "The people from the Ministry of Justice went to Xiyuan in the morning and visited several places in the afternoon. The specific situation is still unclear."
"Bring the person to the Chaohua Palace."
Inside the Chaohua Hall, there was a strong smell of Chinese medicine, and the atmosphere was somewhat somber and heavy.
The group from the Ministry of Justice entered and bowed in greeting.
Meng Jingchuan, dressed in a dark official robe, with a solemn and indifferent expression, calmly said, "Your humble servant, Meng Jingchuan, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, pays his respects to the Crown Princess. May I trouble you to take a look and see if you recognize this?"
As he spoke, he took out a tin box, unfolded the tung oil paper, and inside was a damp, sticky sachet.
Dou Wenyi looked at the sachet and was startled!
The sachet was meticulously stitched and exquisitely crafted. Even after being soaked in water, she could still tell that it was something she had embroidered herself.
She suddenly felt extremely mocked.
Others may try all sorts of tricks to harm you, but she never expected that this calamity would come from Xie Guidu.
She once gave Xie Guidu a sachet. Could it be that he killed his own sister just to frame her?
No, he couldn't possibly be that depraved!
The more dangerous the situation, the calmer she became.
Dou Wenyi withdrew her gaze, pondered for a moment, and then slowly said, "I once gave Prince Xie a few sachets, and this one should be from his collection."
Everyone present looked up abruptly, utterly shocked.
She is the Crown Princess, how can she talk about her past relationship with Xie Guidu without any hesitation?
Meng Jingchuan was stunned. He never expected things to develop in this direction. He had even planned to have the female officials from the Imperial Wardrobe identify the person.
She actually admitted it directly.
Dou Wenyi's face was ashen as she spoke sternly, "His Majesty knows that I and Prince Xie have broken off our engagement, so there's nothing to hide. Therefore, it's perfectly normal for him to have my sachet."
In that case, Meng Jingchuan was somewhat confused.
After all, the sachet was found in the deceased's hands, and they found the gold hairpin in the grass. The grass there was heavily compressed, and although the heavy rain last night had erased many traces, it was still not difficult to deduce that Xie Mengyao had been pushed into Yan Mingchi.
Xie Mengyao and the Crown Princess had a deep-seated grudge, and to make matters worse, the Crown Princess left the auction for a period of time midway through.
Both the motive and the timing of the crime match.
It is highly likely that Xie Mengyao accidentally tore off the sachet during the argument and shoving between the two.
Therefore, Dou Wenyi naturally became the prime suspect in the murder or manslaughter of Xie Mengyao.
Dou Wenyi stared straight at him. "I gave Prince Xie five sachets in total. Why don't you go to his house and see how many are left? Is it because of this sachet that Lord Meng suspects me of being a murderer?"
Meng Jingchuan's eyes flickered slightly as he recalled the message that Prince Rui had sent on his way here, and after considering the current situation, he felt deeply troubled.
Eunuch Feng chuckled twice. "Lord Meng, is there anything else you wish to ask?"
Why did the Crown Princess leave the auction midway through?
At that moment, a low, hoarse voice came from inside the inner hall.
"So, you're treating my Crown Princess like a criminal?"
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