SFS Chapter 137 Interrogation
Chapter 137 Interrogation
"Listen carefully, everyone. When you are going to buy the young lady's dowry again, you must be very careful and cautious. Everything must be done according to the regulations. There must not be any mistakes. Count all the dowry clearly and register it in the book. There must not be any omissions."
Princess Shun ordered sternly.
After receiving the order, everyone started to get busy. They carefully opened the storeroom, took out Murong Jin's dowry one by one, and counted and registered it.
These dowries were all purchased according to the princess's specifications, and they were exquisite, luxurious and dazzling.
Now it has to be taken back and purchased again, which makes people sigh at the fickleness of fate.
During the process of counting the dowry, Princess Shun was also supervising.
She just glanced casually at the precious jewelry, silks, and antique calligraphy and paintings, then looked away.
Silver and money!
No one complains about having too much!
Originally, she just wanted to take back the dowry that was purchased by Prince Shun’s Mansion, but who knew that as soon as Prince Shun opened his mouth, he would directly reset Murong Jin’s dowry to zero and buy a new one.
How could she push away a good thing that was presented to her!
As for the matter of bribing Shuntian Prefecture, well, when the time comes, the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture will handle the case impartially and refuse to accept gifts, and the prince will be sent away.
Besides, I’m afraid His Majesty won’t give Prince Shun a chance to breathe.
.......
Inside Shuntian Mansion.
Concubine Wen was held in solitary confinement in a cell.
As for Murong Jin, she was kept under strict surveillance for fear that she might cause trouble again.
Her face was pale and her eyes were full of fear and anxiety.
She had never thought that she would end up in such a situation. Now she was in danger of dying and her heart was filled with despair.
When Song Ben'an, the governor of Shuntian Prefecture, received this difficult case, he was originally nervous.
On the one hand, Concubine Wen is from Prince Shun's palace and has a special status;
On the other hand, His Majesty attaches great importance to this matter and he must handle it with caution. Any mistake may lead to disaster.
However, a secret decree from His Majesty gave him peace of mind.
The next morning, the Shuntian Prefecture held a court hearing on the case of Concubine Wen.
In the lobby, the atmosphere was tense and solemn.
The onlookers also began to whisper. They thought that the incident yesterday had already been known by the nobles in the palace, but they didn't expect that there would be something exciting to watch today!
Concubine Wen was brought to the hall. She was frail, her face still pale, and her eyes were full of fear and anxiety.
Song Ben, the governor of Shuntian Prefecture, sat in the hall with a serious look on his face. He cleared his throat and said,
"Today we are hearing the case of Concubine Wen of Shun Palace. Concubine Wen, Zhao is suing you for murdering Chen Zicong. Do you have anything to say?"
Concubine Wen knelt down quickly and said in a trembling voice,
"My Lord, I am innocent! I have never done this. I have never met Chen Zicong, so how could I have murdered him?"
Song Benan frowned slightly.
"Zhao's mother and daughter accused you of having an ambiguous relationship with Chen Zicong, and there are letters as evidence. How do you explain it?"
Concubine Wen bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes.
"My Lord, that letter must have been forged. I have no improper relationship with Chen Zicong."
"Oh, so according to what you said, you and Chen Zicong are innocent?"
Concubine Wen naturally couldn't admit it, so she pretended to be calm and said,
"Every word I said is true. I hope you can investigate it."
Song Ben'an frowned and looked at Concubine Wen in the hall with complicated eyes.
"In that case, bring Zhao's mother and daughter to the hall."
At this time, Zhao's mother and daughter were brought to the hall. Zhao covered her injured shoulder, her eyes full of resentment.
"My lord, Concubine Wen and my husband do have an affair, and I have evidence."
Song Ben'an looked at Zhao's mother and daughter and said, "Show me what evidence you have."
Zhao took out a letter and handed it to the officer next to her. After the officer handed it to Song Ben'an, she slowly spoke.
"Sir, this is the evidence. This letter was received from Concubine Wen when my husband left that day. Can you send someone to check Concubine Wen's handwriting to see if it is consistent?"
Song Benan took the letter and looked at it carefully.
He had heard of this letter a long time ago, and had already sent someone to Prince Shun's mansion to obtain Concubine Wen's daily handwriting.
Looking at it this way, it seems that it was indeed written by the same person.
The handwriting on the letter was indeed somewhat similar to Concubine Wen's usual handwriting, but he could not conclude that Concubine Wen was guilty based on this alone.
He looked at Concubine Wen and asked,
"Concubine Wen, do you recognize this letter?"
It was the first time that Concubine Wen saw the letter. She was shocked at first glance, for the simple reason that the letter actually came from her hand.
In other words, the letter was written by her, but it was not written by her.
Because, this was the letter she wrote when she had a secret meeting with her cousin a few years ago, but it was definitely not the current one.
The original letter paper is no longer the same as it is now.
It was Zhao, no, it was the princess. They joined forces to frame me.
Yes, I was wronged.
"My lord, I am innocent. People look alike, and this handwriting may have been imitated. Someone is deliberately framing me. This person has been plotting for a long time. I am afraid he has long wanted to harm me. I am innocent. I want to see my prince. I want to see my prince..."
Concubine Wen had only one thought at this moment. No matter what, she could not admit that she knew nothing and that she was wronged. Yes, she was wronged.
Concubine Wen was crying like a pear blossom in the rain. If you didn't know the truth, it would look like a poor woman who was framed.
However, the guilty conscience that was inadvertently revealed was still caught by someone with ulterior motives.
Among the crowd of onlookers, there were also women from the noble families in the capital, who were all busy playing tricks in the rear house every day. How could they not see that Concubine Wen was acting a little poorly.
Song Ben'an watched Concubine Wen crying miserably in the hall, but his heart was unmoved. He thought that if she could be called naive, as she was able to give birth to the only daughter of Prince Shun among all the women in his mansion, then he would be really stupid.
It is possible that the handwriting is similar. If someone deliberately framed her, it is also possible that they imitated Concubine Wen's handwriting.
Song Benan pondered for a moment.
"There are many suspicious points in this matter, and further investigation is needed. Come on, please keep this letter for the time being, and make a decision after finding out the truth."
He looked at Zhao's mother and daughter again.
"Ms. Zhao, it is difficult for you to conclude that Concubine Wen and your husband have an affair based on just this letter. Do you have any other evidence?"
Zhao couldn't swallow the humiliation she saw when she saw Concubine Wen's behavior, but she also knew that evidence was required for everything. So what was there for her to fear now?
It's just a matter of losing face and being ridiculed. It's an easy choice between face and life, isn't it?
"Sir, I have a witness. When my husband received the letter, he immediately rushed to Jing'an Temple, and then there was no news. I also sent people to Jing'an Temple to inquire, and only then did I learn that my husband and Concubine Wen had been meeting in the temple for many years without being discovered because they bribed a monk in the temple. The man's name is Huineng, please send someone to bring him in for questioning."
Song Benan nodded and ordered in a deep voice,
"Someone, go find that person and bring him back."