Li Heng made a new discovery and, seeing that Madam Shen and her son were determined again, he didn't bother to stay any longer.
Before leaving, she glanced at Ye Zhen with a half-smile, "Thank you, Princess, for providing the venue. It caused the old couple to be separated. But now that my family's affairs are settled, it's time to give an explanation for the Princess's affairs as well."
After saying that, he glanced at Lu Xiaocao without leaving a trace.
Lu Xiaocao understood and was about to cry again, but instead drew the crowd's attention back to the child's table.
Then Ye Zhen said, "I have always heard that the Prime Minister's household is harmonious, but today I realize that the so-called harmony is actually the suffering of his wife and son."
"Prime Minister, you should mind your own business when you have time. I, the Princess, need not trouble yourself with your affairs."
Immediately afterward, she smiled and said, "However, if the Prime Minister wishes to stay and watch the excitement, this princess has no reason to send him away. I happen to have something I would like to ask the Prime Minister for advice, and I hope the Prime Minister will not hesitate to enlighten me."
None of her words or tone were to Li Heng's liking, but seeing Ye Zhen's calm and composed demeanor, he was somewhat curious about how she would deal with today's predicament.
He then adopted the airs of a prime minister, saying, "Please speak, Princess."
"It is said that itinerant merchants like to abuse young children, so why is it that one of the two sisters who entered the room at the same time ended up with a bruised and swollen face and a miserable end, while the other was perfectly fine?"
If Ye Zhen had asked such a question when the crowd was in a state of high spirits, he would have been scolded.
But after what happened to the Li family, the people's anger had subsided considerably, and Ye Zhen seized the opportunity to ask.
Li Heng's eyes changed slightly. Upon closer examination, this was indeed a flaw, and he couldn't help but curse Lu Xiaocao in his heart.
Lu Xiaocao hurriedly cried, "Princess, do you think Xiaocao is not miserable enough?"
If she could, Little Grass would prefer to be the one being hit, not her sister.
"No, I am heartbroken and furious about the children who were murdered, which is why we must find the real culprit who killed them. Any unusual behavior deserves our investigation. I am by no means the one who ordered you to entertain guests."
Ye Zhen squatted down to look at her. "I heard that you and your sister have a very good relationship, and you also want to find the person who really harmed her, right?"
"But wasn't the princess the one who harmed her?"
Lu Xiaocao insisted, "It was clearly the princess who sent us to the Yunlai Inn."
"Do you have any evidence? Just as I can't prove it myself, you have no evidence to prove that I instructed you, right?"
Lu Xiaocao's eyes flickered slightly, and she quickly covered her face and cried, "The Charity Hall is full of the princess's people, they are all helping the princess."
Li Heng's men in the crowd echoed his sentiments, attempting to further incite public anger.
Ye Zhen stood up and looked at everyone, "Although I founded the Charity Hall, there are countless matters, big and small, that need to be handled. Everyone, do you think I would personally deliver a message to these two sisters?"
"How could that be? This woman is not only in charge of the charity hall, but also has to manage the affairs of the Marquis's mansion and social interactions with other mansions. She is extremely busy every day."
Helian Qing looked down at the crowd of people and said, "If she has to do even small things like relaying messages by herself, I'm afraid she would have three heads, six arms, and ten mouths and she still wouldn't be able to finish her work even if she didn't sleep all day."
Prince Ning chimed in, "Exactly, then what's the point of having those people down there?"
After their initial anger subsided, the people gradually calmed down.
“That makes sense. There are countless managers in the Charity Hall. Why would the princess need to give instructions personally? There isn’t even a messenger.”
"Yes, I used to work as a long-term laborer in a wealthy family. Messages were passed down from one level to the next, and the master never personally gave instructions. Could there be some misunderstanding here?"
...
Upon hearing this, Lu Xiaocao quickly retorted, "Perhaps the princess herself felt that such a thing was shameful, so she secretly gave the instructions herself."
Ye Zhen nodded, took an account book from Yin Yue, flipped through it, and said, "Miss Lu, let's not talk about the cost of building the charity hall. Just consider the clothes, shoes, and socks that the charity hall provided for you and your sister after you were admitted to the charity hall, as well as all the items in the room and the medicine for your sister to regulate her body. The total cost was eleven taels."
I just overheard many people in the crowd saying that the traveling merchants at Yunlai Inn have a peculiar fetish; few of the girls who go in come out unscathed, and even the madams at the brothels are reluctant to let their girls go there.
The truth is, your sister was tortured to death. Miss Lu, how much money did the traveling merchant give me to make it worthwhile for me to let your sisters go?
How much of the profit is so high that I need to personally deliver a message to you sisters?
Ye Zhen already knew this in her heart, but if she had said it just now, it would have backfired and further angered everyone.
And now is just right.
Madam Shen chimed in, "Even those who have never run a business know that this is a losing proposition, and the princess's time is not used in this way."
Ye Zhen looked at Li Heng, "What does the Prime Minister think?"
Li Heng sought out Yunlai Inn and Shibapu because these two places were rife with all sorts of people, making it difficult to uncover the truth after the incident.
When the people are manipulated into anger, even if Ye Zhen sees through these flaws, speaking out will only make people think she is heartless, making them sympathize with Lu Xiaocao even more, and leading them to condemn Ye Zhen in line with Lu Xiaocao's words.
But he never expected that the Shen mother and son would cause trouble, making his family's scandal overshadow the child abuse case and bringing rationality back to the angry minds of many.
So now that he was being questioned by Ye Zhen in public, Li Heng said, "I have no dealings with the princess and do not know her well, so I cannot make a conclusion. After all, women often make mistakes and are short-sighted..."
"Judging from your words, Prime Minister, do you look down on women and have prejudice against them?"
Ye Zhen interrupted him and asked the women watching, "Ladies and sisters, can you help me analyze this? Have I misunderstood?"
Li Heng was furious. "Princess, you have indeed misunderstood. I had no such intention. Princess, you still want to resolve the matter at hand."
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