Chapter 424 Duke Zhou is imprisoned
"Madam Xu, do you think that I am someone who can be easily fooled?" Lord Yin's sharp eyes fell on Madam Xu's face.
"Your Excellency, please understand! Duke Zhou later married his daughter Ji Bingwen to Duke Xu's mansion in order to make it easier for his daughter to pass on messages. If anything happens, it can't be blamed on him!"
Mrs. Xu seemed to have said it countless times, explaining without stopping.
[Mrs. Xu is also determined to make a desperate move and will spare no efforts to protect the people she wants to protect. Duke Zhou is going to be in trouble! 】
Su Qianqian sighed in her heart. The wet nurse was dead and there was no evidence to prove who her superior was.
So whoever Madam Xu bites will have to suffer the consequences.
"I will investigate this matter, Madam Xu. Do you know what the consequences will be for the crime of slandering and accusing a duke?" Lord Yin said with his eyes slightly narrowed.
"Of course I know that, so I dare not lie. Everything I said is true." Madam Xu insisted.
Lord Zhuang and Lord Yin looked at each other, and knowing that they could not get any more information out of them, they stood up and took Su Qianqian out of the Imperial City Guard's cell.
The Imperial City Guard is now in the charge of Qin Hanzhang. The guards here are as tight as an iron barrel. There is no need to worry about information being leaked in, nor about prisoners being poisoned to death out of thin air.
But Madam Xu died anyway. On the very night she confessed, she tore her prison uniform into pieces, soaked them in urine, and smeared the pieces on her face, suffocating herself to death.
This kind of death means that the person who committed suicide is wholeheartedly seeking death and has a strong will. Otherwise, the desire to live will lift up the cloth at the last moment, which shows how determined Mrs. Xu was.
When Mrs. Xu was found, she was lying face down on the ground with a straw mat on her head. Her hands had torn the mat into pieces and her fingertips were stuffed with straw, but she never removed the cloth until her death. In the end, she was incontinent and her body was covered in feces and urine.
The guards guarding the prison were punished, but after Su Qianqian heard about it, she also knew that such prisoners could not be kept under control.
Lord Yin did not dare to hide it, and it still needed to be investigated whether Madam Xu had made a false accusation. However, then Lu Jun, the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple, unexpectedly led people to break into Duke Zhou's mansion and found a letter from General Jian Hong of Daliang to Duke Zhou in his study.
It can be seen from the letters that Xian Wuning Hou was indeed framed and led his troops into Mount Xumi and was trapped by Jian Hong.
When Emperor Gan De heard Lu Jun's report, he was furious. He threw Duke Zhou and his family into prison and ordered Lu Jun to investigate the case strictly. It was only because Lord Yin argued with reason that he got the opportunity to investigate the case together with Lu Jun.
This time the trial was quick and without any delay. Lu Jun insisted that the evidence was conclusive and there was no need for further interrogation, and he was going to convict Duke Zhou's family.
Lord Yin still refused to give in and insisted on bringing the case to court to verify whether Ji Zhongliu was the one who did it.
Duke Zhou had not said a word since Lu Jun led his troops into the Duke's Mansion, allowing Lu Jun to find evidence in the study and put their entire family in jail.
Lord Yin went to court to try the case. Lu Jun sat at the top of the table alongside Lord Yin. As the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple, this time he was on an equal footing with Lord Yin.
"Ji Zhongliu, how did you collude with General Jian Hong of Daliang to betray your country and frame the former Marquis of Wuning? Tell the truth!"
Lu Jun slammed the gavel and shouted.
Lord Yin frowned but said nothing.
Sitting next to him was Lord Zhuang, the Minister of Dali Temple, who was staring at the wretched-looking clerk.
Su Qianqian remained calm: [I don’t believe he can still recognize me after I’m painted like this! 】
Mr. Zhuang: You can’t recognize it by looking, but you can hear it!
"Lord Lu, if I'm colluding with Jian Hong and selling out my country for personal gain, wouldn't it be better for you to know? Don't you know the origins of the things found in the study better than I do?"
Duke Zhou said with a smile.
"Ji Zhongliu, don't think you can get away with it by denying it flatly. You even want to push the evidence onto me. When we found the evidence, it was the servants in your house who personally admitted it!"
Lu Jun sneered, feeling confident.
"It's not that difficult to bribe a servant! It's not unfair for me to end up like this. What's unfair is that I was framed by a shameless villain like you. Even in the grave, I will be ashamed of this."
Ji Zhongliu closed his eyes and didn't want to look at Lu Jun anymore.
"Ji Zhongliu, I am investigating a case under the order of the emperor. You insulting me is a sign of contempt for the emperor's order. Come, drag him away and give him fifty lashes. Let's see if you dare to be so arrogant!"
Lu Jun's face darkened and he was about to throw the token.
"Wait a minute!" Lord Yin hurriedly stopped him.
"Lord Lu, you tortured me after asking only these two questions. You should know that a doctor cannot be punished. Duke Zhou has not yet been convicted, so how can you torture him at will? And you cannot torture more than three times in a trial. Lord Lu, you will not forget it, right?"
"How could I not know? Although he has not been convicted yet, the evidence is irrefutable and his crime is unforgivable. Moreover, he is so stubborn, why should we stick to the law?" Lu Jun was obviously a little impatient.
"Lord Lu, even if the evidence is irrefutable, the criminal must confess. Moreover, there are still loopholes. As for whether he is resisting or arguing with reason, we must verify it before we can make a conclusion."
Lord Yin did not give in at all.
"Sir Yin, although I am guilty, my crime is not here. I am indeed guilty of the 30,000 wronged souls of Mount Xumi nine years ago, especially of the former Marquis Wu Ning. My crime is unforgivable."
Duke Zhou opened his eyes with a sad expression.
"But at that time, I thought that for the sake of the stability of the country, I could only keep this matter to myself and indulge in wasting my time on stubborn stones. In fact, it was just a lie I told myself! I am actually a coward and dare not admit that I have made a big mistake!"
"Ji Zhongliu, stop playing crazy and talking nonsense. Since you admit that you feel guilty towards the 30,000 wronged souls and the former Marquis of Wuning, you have admitted the crime of colluding with the Daliang general to betray the country. Come, have him sign and confess. There is nothing to judge in this case."
Lu Jun realized something was wrong and was anxious to close the case quickly, so he asked his lawyer to give the recorded confession to Duke Zhou and have him put his fingerprints on it.
"When did I ever say I would admit to the crime you fabricated? Lu Jun, you can kill me, but I will never admit to the crime of treason. A traitor is clearly..."
"Shut up! Someone, drag Ji Zhongliu away and beat him up!" Lu Jun ordered angrily.
The token was thrown on the floor tiles of the Dali Temple. The bailiffs did not dare to disobey and dragged Duke Zhou away to torture him.
"Lord Lu, how could you be so careless in using torture?" Lord Yin was both angry and anxious. He was worried that Ji Zhongliu was old and fifty lashes might be the end of him.
"Sir Yin, His Majesty has ordered me to investigate this case strictly and not let anyone off the hook. Does Sir Yin intend to disobey the imperial order and protect Ji Zhongliu?"
At this time, Lu Jun glanced at Lord Yin, with warning in his eyes.
The sound of boards clacking could be heard, but Duke Zhou did not make a sound.
【I see! The guilt that Duke Zhou talked about was because he knew a shocking secret, and it was too late for him to catch up, so he thought he had committed an unforgivable sin! 】
At this time, the system dug up the melon of Duke Zhou.
[What shocking secret?] 】Su Qianqian also pricked up her ears.
[Duke Zhou accidentally learned of Duke Xu's conspiracy and rushed to the northern border to warn Marquis Xian Wuning, but the tragedy had already happened!
Duke Zhou wanted to report Duke Xu to the emperor, but Duke Xu pleaded with the friendship between the three of them, saying that it was the eldest princess who forced him to do so and that it was the emperor's instruction, so Duke Zhou chose to remain silent. 】
The system sounded a bit heavy.
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