Chapter 221 Joint Trial by Three Courts
Tong Ya huddled beside Zong Wenxiu, not saying a word.
"Hey, why don't you speak? Are you more introverted than my brother?" the little devil wondered.
Tongya shrank closer to Zong Wenxiu again.
Zong Wenxiu comforted her: "Tongya, don't be afraid, his name is Jincheng, he is my cousin, we are related by blood."
Tong Ya spoke timidly, as if she hadn't spoken for a long time, and her voice was a little hoarse: "Brother, I miss you and mother so much..."
Zong Wenxiu said with red eyes: "We miss you too. Auntie... It's okay, don't think too much. When we get out, I'll take you to see Auntie."
Tongya nodded with tears in her eyes.
The police came in and wanted to take Tongya away for questioning.
Tongya was very scared and held on to Zong Wenxiu tightly.
Zong Wenxiu comforted her: "Don't be afraid, just tell the truth, my aunt is watching outside, she won't let anything happen to us."
Tongya's fear did not abate, she just asked: "Who is your aunt?"
When these words came out, several kids were stunned.
The little devil was the one who reacted the fastest. He thought of the attitude of the people in the dance studio towards the Marquis' Mansion and the Shangshu Mansion. It was obvious that the person behind it was powerful. If Tong Ya also knew this, she would probably not tell the truth in order not to implicate Xu Wan.
Zong Jincheng quickly stepped forward and whispered something in her ear. Tong Ya immediately looked at him with wide eyes: "Really...really?"
The little devil nodded in confirmation, pretending to be very serious: "Really? Otherwise, would I have the guts to cause trouble everywhere?"
Tong Ya believed it.
She walked out firmly, determined to cooperate with the officers' questioning.
After they left, the two kids came over curiously and asked, "Jincheng, what did you say to Tongya just now? Why did she suddenly believe you?"
The little devil sat on the ground carefree and said confidently: "Of course I told her that I have a big backer."
Zong Wenxiu was confused: "Ah? What big backer? Grandfather?"
He Zheng retorted, "How is that possible? They are not afraid of the Marquis' Mansion. Jin Cheng, you didn't mention the Crown Prince, did you?"
In the past few months, the rumor that Zong Jincheng is the prince's illegitimate son has been a hot topic in the capital.
The little devil said casually: "After being blamed for a few months, it's good to sit back for a while and give Tongya some courage."
Zong Wenxiu: “…”
You really dare to say anything.
He actually told Tongya that he was the prince's son...
But with that said, Tong Ya would definitely not be afraid. What powerful official could be greater than the crown prince? Not even the prime minister could be.
He Zheng worriedly asked, "What if the prince doesn't care about us? Will we all be doomed?"
Although he has the support of Shangshu He, Jincheng does not have that, and he does not want to see his brother in trouble.
The little devil pouted and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? We are in the right. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is dedicated to the country and the people. How could he ignore us?"
What's more...
What's more, I am the one who teaches the second-rank official how to behave in society every month.
I am the prince's disciple, do you understand what a prince's disciple is?
The little devil kept a little secret between him and the prince, and told no one.
The yamen interrogated Tong Ya alone for a long time. When she finished questioning, Xu Wanming felt that the faces of the officials had turned a lot paler, and they were hesitant when answering her.
The government is supposed to be fair and impartial in its work, so such a reaction is probably not a good thing.
There is someone behind the dance studio, and his status is not low.
Xu Wan began to calculate her network of relationships in her mind. Although Madam He said that she would owe her a favor, this matter was of great importance and could only be done with the intervention of Minister He. However, Minister He would probably not be willing to get involved in this matter.
In addition, there is Madam Shen, the daughter-in-law of the Minister of Rites and a close friend of the Crown Princess, but she may not be able to help...
Xu Wan paced on the spot for a long while before she said to Cuizhi, "Let's go to the East Palace and ask to see the Crown Princess."
When the officers heard this, they became even more nervous.
Before Xu Wanlin left, she felt that their faces had visibly turned paler.
What are they afraid of?
"If the prince intervenes, this matter will become a big deal." The officials looked at each other and talked in a low voice.
"But we can't afford to offend any of these people."
"It would be unfair to the people to just leave it alone. It would be better to let His Highness handle it. These dirty things should be over."
"God bless your highness, I hope everything goes well."
East Palace.
Xu Wan came to ask for an audience with the Crown Princess as usual. The Crown Princess had already finished her confinement and was radiating the aura of motherhood.
After listening to Xu Wan's account of what happened, the Crown Princess also felt that something was amiss, so she sent someone to deliver a message to the Crown Prince.
Not long.
The three of them appeared at the gate of the yamen.
"Greetings to His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince. May His Royal Highness live forever."
The prince went in first and said, "Show me Tongya's confession."
"yes."
The Crown Princess and Xu Wan sat outside, waiting for the Crown Prince to handle the case.
Not long after, the officials hurriedly ran out, leading many people outside, holding the Prince's Eastern Palace Order in their hands.
Not long after, the official did not return, but three senior officials arrived one after another.
Zuodu Yushi of the Censorate, Minister of the Supreme Court, and Minister of the Ministry of Justice.
When Minister Xu saw Xu Wan sitting there, he was so shocked that his eyes almost popped out: "Why are you here?"
With so many outsiders present, Xu Wan still gave him some face and bowed: "Father, something happened to my child at home. I came here to wait for the results of the interrogation."
"It was your child who caused this..." Minister Xu immediately felt guilty and angry but didn't dare to show it.
This matter is of great importance, involving a high-ranking official who has committed a serious crime. The three major judicial bosses of Da Chu have all come, and a large number of people are involved. Minister Xu originally came to cooperate with the investigation, but now that he sees Xu Wan, he is afraid of being implicated by her.
He wanted to ask a few more questions, but the call was urgent and the Crown Princess was sitting next to him, so Minister Xu hurriedly caught up.
Xu Wan also realized that something was wrong at this time: "My Lady Crown Princess, Your Highness called in people to jointly review the case so quickly, just because of Tong Ya's confession?"
The Crown Princess's expression was a little embarrassed. She smiled with difficulty: "I rarely ask about the affairs of the court. Maybe Your Highness has other clues."
A while later.
The officers came back, with a young man in fancy clothes standing in the middle.
That is... Zhai Li from the Weiyuan Marquis’ Mansion.
One of the four little dandies in the capital, and Zhai Yao's father.
The prince's officials wanted to arrest Zhai Li.
Xu Wan remembered that although the Earl's Mansion was not as high-ranking as the Marquis' Mansion, Zhai Li was the only son of Princess Pingyang, and Madam Zhai was also the aunt of the Eighteenth Princess. The Eighteenth Princess once came to Xu Wan's house to plead for Zhai Yao.
The high officials in the capital city love marriage the most, because marriage makes the two families closer, intertwined and difficult to separate.
The prince's action might cause chaos if not handled properly.
But……
Xu Wan wondered, is that all?
Just the Weiyuan Marquis' Mansion was enough to scare the officials so much that they turned pale and were at a loss, made the people in the dance hall so arrogant that they didn't take the Marquis' Mansion seriously, and made the Crown Prince summon all the bosses of the three major judicial departments of Da Chu for a joint trial?