A blow from behind knocking you unconscious? Didn't you see it?
This made Meng Xu even more suspicious.
He then pressed further, asking, "What else did Junzhu say?"
Wen Yanche felt it necessary to remind him, "Lord Cheng, Lord Lu doesn't know martial arts, and besides, he's pregnant, so it probably isn't him."
“That’s strange. He did go there, and the concubine said he saw it when the spirit pearl was first born. At that time, the spirit pearl was weak in color but it was still moving. That means the child was still alive then. But after the concubine left, the spirit pearl lost its luster. My lord, don’t you think it’s too much of a coincidence?”
"Most importantly, if it wasn't Lu Shijun, then why would he feel guilty and run away?"
Meng Xu finally let out a long sigh: "I also hope it's not him."
Meng Xu's words also make sense.
After pondering for a moment, Wen Yanche ordered someone to go to Gu Nanshu's courtyard to investigate who saw Lu Shiyi enter Wangyue Pavilion yesterday and bring them over for questioning.
Unsurprisingly, the number of people I've met is neither too many nor too few.
Several servants were brought in, including the one who hadn't heard anything. They all told the truth.
Last night everyone was in a flurry of activity. Most people didn't remember or hadn't seen Lu Shiyi, but four or five people did see him enter the courtyard alone and leave in a panicked and hurried manner.
The testimony, even if it cannot directly prove that Lu Shiyi did it, at least cannot be separated from his involvement.
With the servant's identification, Wen Yanche ordered people to investigate Hehuan Pavilion and personally went to Lu Shiyi's courtyard to ask him what happened, but the latter remained silent and refused to say anything.
Meng Xu and Lu Shiyi faced off, and Wen Yanche had a headache. His wife was still on the battlefield, and the situation in the inner quarters had developed like this.
Lu Shiyi sat upright to the side, and no matter how Meng Xu asked, he only said one thing: "This lord has never entered the main courtyard."
He was so terrified last night that he rushed out and returned to his own yard, where he spent the entire night in fear.
He realized with a start that he had been too careless. Although he had avoided the crowd, there was always someone among the servants of Wangyue Pavilion who could have seen him...
Just when he was extremely anxious, he suddenly thought of a very important point.
No one else saw him enter the main courtyard except for that servant. The other servants at most saw him enter the Moon Gazing Pavilion. So as long as he insists that he has not entered the main courtyard, no one can do anything to him.
The testimony of a mere servant is not worth worrying about.
This was the result of Lu Shiyi's careful consideration. He always believed that if others knew he had entered the main bedroom, he would not be treated well.
The thought that "no one will believe him" was deeply ingrained in his mind.
Deep down, he was even more convinced that he must never let anyone know he had been there...
Eager to unravel this mystery, Meng Xu continued, "Lord Lu, you said you never entered the main courtyard or the bedroom, so why did you leave in such a hurry? You were already at the gate of the main courtyard, so why didn't you go in?"
Lu Shiyi calmly said, "I originally wanted to visit Consort Gu, but I had just entered Wangyue Pavilion when I was in severe abdominal pain, so I hurriedly returned."
"Stomach ache? What a coincidence! Did you call the royal physician to see him?" Meng Xu asked sharply.
Lu Shiyi remained calm. "Yesterday, my concubine gave birth. I dared not send away the physician. I had to take care of my concubine first. I can manage on my own."
“You…” Meng Xu clearly did not believe it.
"Nonsense, you're pregnant." Wen Yanche scolded him, but his eyes showed concern. He then ordered Lang Yue to quickly summon the royal physician to take his pulse.
Lu Shiyi respectfully rose and bowed to Wen Yanche, saying, "Thank you for your service, my lord."
Wen Yanche raised his hand: "Sit down quickly."
Meng Xu's words were interrupted by Wen Yanche. After Lu Shiyi sat down, Wen Yanche quickly asked him, "Even if what you said is true, there is a servant who testified that he saw you enter the bedroom and you even asked him questions. How can you deny it?"
Lu Shiyi first chuckled lightly, then looked at Meng Xu with an innocent expression and denied it with a smile: "I did ask her outside the main courtyard if the concubine had given birth, but she was almost asleep standing there at the time, and her eyelids were too heavy to keep open. She must have remembered wrong. How could she have seen it?"
The reasons were too perfunctory, and Meng Xu didn't take them seriously: "Fine, you all have different stories, so it's not certain who is lying. Then, Lord Lu, do you have any witnesses to prove that what you said is true and that the servant is slandering you?"
"Alas, Cheng Shijun..."
Lu Shiyi sighed heavily, avoiding the question; of course, there were no witnesses.
I didn't want him to keep testing me; the more I said, the more mistakes I made.
Looking directly at Wen Yanche, she said sincerely, "I left right then and there and I really didn't enter the main courtyard. My lord, I've said this at least ten times. Do you still not believe me?"
With an extremely earnest gaze, Wen Yanche nodded a few seconds later, having already made his own judgment.
Lu Shiyi's sincere eyes immediately gained a sense of calm.
Seeing this, Meng Xu became anxious: "My lord, we cannot believe everything the servant says, nor can we take Lu Shiyi's words seriously." He turned to Lu Shiyi, his gaze deep and meaningful: "Lu Shiyi, I hope you can tell the truth. It would be better for everyone."
Lu Shiyi suddenly stopped smiling and stared at him, asking, "Lord Cheng, why are you being so aggressive today? I've already said I didn't, why won't you believe me? We have no past grievances or recent feuds, do you have to force me to confess?"
Meng Xu choked, "How could I have forced you to confess!"
"Why is that?" Lu Shiyi retorted.
"It's because..."
Meng Xu was burdened with worries and was suffering greatly. The reason he was so persistent was partly because Gu Nanshu was his good friend, and he was also heartbroken that his friend's child had been lost. He had also witnessed Lu Shiyi's actions, and if it was really Lu Shiyi who did it, he wanted to seek justice for his friend.
On the other hand, he didn't want Lu Shiyi to do it from the bottom of his heart. He hoped that the other party could tell the truth. If it wasn't him, then the truth would come out and he could be cleared of all charges, and the real culprit could be found as soon as possible.
This way, everyone can feel at ease.
"Because I believe that this matter must have been deliberately orchestrated, and I want to know the truth," Meng Xu frankly stated.
He firmly believed that the purple complexion was a sign of poisoning.
"Alright." Wen Yanche interrupted the two, forbidding them from arguing any further.
Wen Yanche didn't say anything more. After the physician came to take Lu Shiyi's pulse, he left with Meng Xu.
Back to Crane Sleeping Garden
"My lord, do you trust Lord Lu?" Langyue asked.
"Observe further."
In every respect, he is a believer.
Firstly, Lu Shiyi had no motive to harm anyone and was not skilled in martial arts, making it unlikely that he could knock Junzhu unconscious. Furthermore, as he himself claimed, he was simply passing by by chance, which is why he was seen. If it were intentional, he would have made arrangements beforehand and wouldn't have revealed so many flaws.
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