Proud Feather

Chapter 108 Murderer
A man dressed in rags and covered in hay was brought in.

The emperor and his ministers couldn't help but cover their noses.

"Father." Chu Ling promptly handed over a sachet. The pungent minty scent was refreshing and invigorating, quickly masking the animalistic smell on the man.

"Your Majesty," Gao Mian reported, "this man is the manager of Wenxianju and the person who made contact with the abbot of Dahuai Temple."

"Shopkeeper? Abbot?"

This backstory is a bit long, so Chu Ling reminded him: "Father, the monk at Dahuai Temple claimed that he gave the abbot the poison he had prepared. We found out that the abbot was meeting with someone at Wenxianju, but when we rushed over, the abbot was dead and the manager had escaped. This matter was handled by the Imperial City Guard. Lord Xue should have told you about it, right?"

The emperor nodded: "I know. How did you capture this man?"

Gao Mian then continued, "Your Majesty, Fang Wu mistakenly believed that the princess wanted to kill him to vent her anger, so he fled overnight. We followed him to a secluded mill, captured him, and made contact with this person, asking him to escort him out of the city..."

He briefly recounted the events.

The emperor understood: "Fang Wu and he have a connection, so it's clear that he has access to poison. There's no such coincidence in this world."

“Your Majesty is right.” Gao Mian turned and asked sharply, “Manager Cai, do you have anything to say?”

The shopkeeper lay prostrate on the ground, trembling.

He never imagined in his life that he would have the opportunity to step into the palace, let alone meet the emperor.

"I...this humble subject..." He stammered for a long time before finally finding his voice, "Your Majesty, this humble subject knows nothing, I was just keeping watch for them, I have no idea what Fang Wu did!"

Chu Ling sneered: "You didn't know? Then why did you run away? You ran away as soon as the abbot died. Your information network is terrifyingly efficient. How could you not know?"

The shopkeeper broke out in a cold sweat, trying to justify himself: "That day, someone told me that the Imperial City Guard was coming to Wenxianju. I was guilty, so I ran away first. I really don't know anything else..."

Gao Mian exposed him: "Don't you know why Fang Wu is looking for you? He had to contact you even in such an urgent situation, surely there must be a reason?"

"I'm innocent!" the shopkeeper cried. "I used to manage Wenxianju and had several supply channels. Fang Wu wanted to leave the city, so he came to me. Fang Wu, isn't that right?"

Fang Wu dared not say anything. In fact, he knew he was doomed when he was caught, and now his mind was full of ways to get out of trouble, but unfortunately, he couldn't use any of them.

"Still being stubborn at a time like this," Gao Mian said coldly. "Then tell me, who is your master? Who told you to stay there as lookout? And who tipped you off so you could hide?"

The shopkeeper replied, "What master? I'm just a merchant. I made a fortune through a few lucky business trips and opened a small shop in the capital. Who knew business would be so good, it gradually turned into a restaurant... As for lookouts, someone just gave me money to book rooms in the restaurant..."

He kowtowed repeatedly: "This humble one truly did not know. There are so many high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital. This humble one naturally knows the rules when doing business. I cannot ask too many questions. As long as I can make money, that's enough. Sir, do you think that makes sense?"

The reasoning is correct, but...

"You just booked a room? Then why is there a secret passage in the restaurant?" Chu Ling looked at him coldly. "It's okay if you're stubborn. The Dali Temple, the Ministry of Justice, the Imperial City Guard... there will always be a place for you to speak up."

The shopkeeper's presence has already proven that Fang Wu can obtain the poison; other clues can be obtained gradually.

Gao Mian received permission and temporarily took the person away.

So, the focus returned to Fang Wu. "Fang Wu, what else do you have to say?" Chu Ling said, "We deliberately let you go, originally just to see if you had any accomplices, but we didn't expect your accomplice to be the manager of Wenxianju. You had the opportunity to come into contact with poison, and even the opportunity to poison the Crown Prince, and you also gave false testimony to frame Zhu Fan... You can't deny any of these things."

"No." Fang Wu could no longer speak coherently, and could only insist, "I didn't do it. How was I supposed to know the shopkeeper had poison? I didn't know..."

"You really haven't been exposed to poison?" Gao Mian stared at him.

"I..." Fang Wu opened his mouth, but for some reason dared not speak.

Gao Mian then reported, "Your Majesty, I found some things in his residence."

The guards brought up the evidence, which turned out to be an empty incense box. The emperor took a sniff and his expression changed.

The aroma is exactly the same as the incense we burned when we were testing the chickens for poison!
"Fang Wu!" the emperor roared, "You still dare to argue? Your crime is doubled!"

Fang Wu was completely stunned to find that the incense box was still there.

Gao Mian said, "Fang Wu, after you harmed the Crown Prince, you wanted to destroy the evidence, but unexpectedly, your wife, being frugal, picked it up again when she saw it was intact. There is a destiny at play here. Are you still unwilling to admit it?"

"..." Fang Wu's lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a single word.

With witnesses and physical evidence, he is the one who committed the act!

"Why? Why did this happen?" Lü Chan asked tearfully. "Fang Wu, wasn't the Crown Prince good to you? When you were a minor official, you were framed by your colleagues, and it was the Crown Prince who cleared your name and gave you a safe haven. Without the Crown Prince, where would you be today? Why did you harm the Crown Prince?"

Fang Wu lowered his head and said nothing.

The emperor said coldly, "You won't talk? Then let's all taste the flavor of the Imperial City Guard!"

Two guards came up and held Fang Wu down. He was initially flustered and seemed to want to beg for mercy, but then he stopped and was dragged away in despair.

There was silence in the hall.

The murderer of the crown prince has been found, but a sense of emptiness remains in people's hearts.

No one believed Fang Wu did this because of himself. As a close attendant, he had neither personal grudges nor a sense of justice; what reason would he have to harm the Crown Prince? Someone must have been behind it all!
However, finding the culprit has already made significant progress in the case. Who did Fang Wu contact? Who is behind Wenxianju? Who killed Zhu Fan?… The more tricks the other side pulls, the more clues will emerge. If we keep investigating, we'll definitely find the mastermind!

"Minister Lin," Chu Ling said.

Then everyone remembered Lin Wenyu. Their attention had been on Fang Wu, and they had almost forgotten that this matter was not yet resolved.

"You are a high-ranking official, a minister of the Six Ministries, a powerful figure in the court. You can't act like a rogue like these insignificant people, can you?" Chu Ling stared at him intently. "Now that it has been determined that Fang Wu was the one who poisoned the person, what about the case you handled? Why did you try to exonerate Fang Wu and help him frame others? Why did you even disregard the law and commit murder and frame-up?"

Lin Wenyu's face was even more unsightly than Fang Wu's. At this point, how could he not know that he was destined to be disgraced?

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he closed his eyes and kowtowed deeply to the emperor: "Your Majesty, I accepted bribes, was jealous of my colleagues, disregarded human life, and manipulated the law. My crimes are unforgivable! I confess my guilt and beg Your Majesty for punishment!"

I've been feeling pretty good lately, and I'll try updating more often later.