Chapter 195: Nephew-in-law has been suspended, why don’t you reflect on it?
Because of Xiao Qinghe's testimony, everyone was questioned separately.
Shen Qingyuan and the others could not participate in the questioning and could only wait in the lobby.
Wei Lingze's eyes were fixed on Xiao Yechen.
Xiao Yechen's figure and back were very similar to the head of Wuyou Pavilion whom Wei Lingze had met twice before, and his behavior of ignoring Wei Lingze and standing directly in front of Xiao Qinghe made Wei Lingze very unhappy.
After staring for a long while, Wei Lingze couldn't help but speak: "This young man just said that he came here on the orders of my mother-in-law. I often go in and out of the Xiao family, how come I have never seen you before?"
Wei Lingze's tone was full of suspicion, and Quezhi hurried forward to explain: "Master, this is Master Chen from our mansion. He has been working outside with the Second Master and is rarely in the mansion."
It was already troublesome that Xiao Qinghe stood up to testify for Chunxi regardless of everyone else, and Quezhi was afraid that Wei Lingze would have another misunderstanding.
Xiao Yechen wasn't afraid of Wei Lingze. He glanced at him with a sneer in his eyes, "Didn't His Majesty tell Young Master Wei to rest at home? Didn't Young Master Wei take his medicine properly? Otherwise, why is he still so suspicious?"
Xiao Yechen was implicitly mocking his previous trip to Yunshan Temple to catch an adulterer.
Wei Lingze's face instantly darkened, and he glared at Xiao Yechen fiercely: "Who do you think you are? How dare you talk to me like that?"
"I'm nothing," Xiao Yechen said, meeting his gaze without the slightest fear, "but I, the eldest daughter of the Xiao family, cannot be bullied."
The atmosphere between the two became tense, and Quezhi was frightened, fearing that the two would fight, but fortunately Xingzhou stepped forward and pulled Wei Lingze aside.
He is still suspended and it is not appropriate to cause any more trouble.
The people sent by various prefectures have not taken the people back. People have come to urge them to do so, but they were all blocked by Shen Qingyuan. Everyone knows that he is determined to support Chunxi.
Wei Lingze was so angry that he couldn't vent his anger. He couldn't help but taunt Shen Qingyuan: "Your Majesty values Uncle Shen, so he allowed Uncle Shen to resume his post early. I didn't expect Uncle Shen to be so energetic that he would even be so petty about the affairs between the women in the harem."
Ordinary men think that what they do outside is the big deal, while women at home are trapped in their small spaces and only know how to worry about trivial matters. If someone keeps focusing on women's affairs, he will most likely be considered as a worthless person and looked down upon.
Shen Qingyuan remained calm and spoke coldly, "This matter concerns the princess's safety. The envoys are about to arrive in Beijing. If anything were to happen to the princess, it would affect the dignity of the royal family and damage the reputation of our dynasty. Your nephew-in-law has only been suspended for a few days, and you haven't even shown this much caution?"
Wei Lingze was currently idle at home, and the last thing he could bear was anyone mentioning his suspension. However, Xiao Yechen and Shen Qingyuan repeatedly pressed his sore spot. He raised his voice in anger, "It was just a petty quarrel between women, and you actually linked it to the envoys. That's simply alarmist!"
"A quarrel between common ladies is harmless, but those present today are all women of prominent families, and their husbands are pillars of the court. If this matter is handled unfairly, it will lead to resentment between them, and their husbands will also be affected. If they secretly compete with each other, when the envoys arrive in Beijing, they will see that our officials are all selfish and disunited. Wouldn't that undermine our country's prestige?"
"You are just making up stories!"
Wei Lingze raised his voice, and Shen Qingyuan calmly said a decisive sentence: "As the saying goes, husband and wife are one in honor and disgrace. Your nephew-in-law was suspended for not loving his wife, and now he still has no intention of reflecting on it?"
Another suspension. How many times does the old man have to say it?
Wei Lingze was livid, unable to contain his anger, and was about to explode when the prosecutor, who had been eavesdropping outside, rushed in to smooth things over. "Calm down, you two. I know you're both worried about your wives. I'll give you an explanation as soon as possible."
The prosecutor was about to show the collected confessions to Shen Qingyuan, but Shen Qingyuan refused to take them. He simply said, "I have no right to interfere in this case, and my wife is implicated. Your Excellency shouldn't show these to me."
The prosecutor wiped his sweat off his face and retracted his confession, saying, "What Madam Wei said is true. Someone did laugh at the time, but it was too dark and no one noticed who laughed. However, Madam Shen's rush was so scary that everyone panicked, so... there was chaos."
At the end, the prosecutor lowered his voice.
Everyone's statements were basically consistent, and the blame was still directed at Chunxi.
"Shen Qingyuan, what else do you have to say now?"
Wei Lingze couldn't wait to sneer, as if he could sentence Chunxi to death based on these confessions.
Shen Qingyuan ignored him and said to the prosecutor, "I have no right to interfere in this case. Your Excellency can handle it however you think it should be handled."
Shen Qingyuan was calm and composed, not interfering at all, and the prosecutor's forehead was sweating even more profusely.
Although Shen Qingyuan did not intervene at the moment, if he was not satisfied with the result, he would report it to the emperor tomorrow. Those old scoundrels in the Censorate would take the opportunity to make a strong remonstration if they found anything wrong.
Besides, Princess Hengyang is not someone who can be easily messed with. If the princess sobers up tomorrow and runs into the palace to act coquettishly to the Queen Mother, and Her Majesty blames her, he, a small prosecutor, will not be able to bear it.
"Your subordinate... Your subordinate feels that there are still a few unclear points. Your subordinate will go and ask more."
The prosecutor hurried away and began the second round of interrogation.
Originally, those ladies from aristocratic families were still hoping for the best, thinking that Shen Qingyuan wouldn't take it too seriously, and that their family would send someone to pick them up, so they would be able to go home soon. However, after the second round of interrogation began, everyone started to feel uneasy.
They were all people who were used to a life of luxury and had never spent the night in a place like this. If this matter got out of hand and brought shame to the family, they didn't know how they would be laughed at and suppressed by their mortal enemies.
Gradually, some people couldn't bear it anymore and began to recall the details seriously.
As dawn was about to break, the prosecutor stepped into the lobby again with the results of the interrogation that had lasted all night.
"Sir Shen, I have already made inquiries. Last night, the Minister of Rites' second daughter-in-law laughed, which irritated the princess. The fifth wife of the Imperial Tutor's Mansion came out to smooth things over, but the princess refused to give in. The fourth wife of the Imperial Tutor's Mansion was afraid that the fifth wife would suffer, so she immediately stepped forward to defend her. Others followed suit. The princess thought everyone was going to fight, so she shouted. Madam Shen rushed over at the sound. The fourth wife of the Imperial Tutor's Mansion was frightened and pushed Madam Shen, and then chaos broke out."
If you look into it carefully, it's all just a misunderstanding. Even if we find out who started it first, it won't reach the point of sentencing or convicting anyone.
Shen Qingyuan's expression was indifferent, and he said the same thing as before: "Please deal with it impartially, my lord. I have no right to interfere."
Prosecutor: “…”
How could he dare to make a conclusion so easily? How about... wait until the princess wakes up?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
