Proud Feather

Chapter 109 It’s done
Lin Wenyu confessed his guilt readily, prostrating himself on the ground and weeping bitterly, tears streaming down his face, looking utterly remorseful.

Some of the men shook their heads and sighed, some looked angry, and some gave them cold looks.

Becoming a high-ranking official in one of the Six Ministries is no easy feat; the next step up is the position of Prime Minister. While Lin Wenyu may have benefited from his family's influence, he possesses the qualifications and connections to even consider it. Now, not only is he himself about to fall from grace, but the Lin family's century-old reputation has also been tarnished.

Chu Ling stared at him intently: "Whose bribe did you take? How did you kill Zhu Fan?"

Lin Wenyu replied, "Your Highness, it is Shi Hao, the former judge of the Imperial Water Conservancy Bureau, and..."

He named several people, including some high-ranking officials, and said with his head bowed, "I have been incredibly audacious. Over the years, I have received a lot of tribute from them. When they came to me for help, I dared not refuse, so I took the risk and opened the door for them..."

He kowtowed and sobbed, "Your Majesty, I was wrong. I broke my principles. One wrong step led to another, until there was no turning back..."

Chu Ling remained unmoved and continued to ask, "Is there nothing else?"

Lin Wenyu was bewildered: "What the princess is saying is..."

"Just them?" Chu Ling stared at him. "Are you saying that because the Crown Prince's cleanup of the Capital Waterworks Bureau affected their money-making, they conspired to poison the Crown Prince?"

"I didn't ask in detail," Lin Wenyu replied weakly. "I dare not."

"..." After a brief silence, Chu Ling sneered, "Minister Lin, do you think everyone else is a fool? There is a distinction between ruler and subject. Murdering the crown prince is no different from treason. You dare to interfere in such matters, but you dare not ask questions? You, a minister, treat the law like a joke, committing murder and framing someone in front of the emperor, yet you are easily manipulated by your subordinates? Is this reasonable?"

"I am innocent, Your Highness!" Lin Wenyu cried out. "I only found out afterward. Because they had something on me, I had no choice but to turn a blind eye. I didn't kill anyone; I just made things easier for them..."

Chu Ling, impatient to listen any longer, turned around and reported, "Father, Minister Lin's words are not entirely true, but it is certain that he is involved in my elder brother's death. Your son begs Father to conduct a thorough interrogation and find the real culprit!"

The Emperor sighed deeply: "Lin Wenyu, I still remember your grandfather. When I first came to the capital, I was just a simple-minded boy from a remote fiefdom. Grand Tutor Lin was already quite old then, but he still came out of retirement without hesitation and taught me step by step how to be an emperor. I remember his kindness. Even if the descendants of the Lin family are somewhat incompetent, I will still ensure your peace and tranquility!"

At this point, he said with great distress, "But why did you do such a thing? If your crime had been any less serious, I would have spared you a way out!"

Lin Wenyu was speechless and could only keep kowtowing: "Your Majesty, I deserve to die. I have failed to live up to Your Majesty's good intentions."

The emperor was both angry and resentful, and said, "As the Minister of Justice, you not only neglected your duties, but also provided shelter for evildoers. Your crime is compounded! If you refuse to speak, you will be sent to the Imperial City Guard like Fang Wu!"

"Your Majesty, I deserve to die! I thank you for your great kindness!" Minister Lin kowtowed, weeping. Before the guards could come up to drag him away, he voluntarily followed them down.

Chu Ling felt it wasn't enough, but considering the Emperor's affection for the Lin family, and the possibility that he might not be able to accept it immediately, she didn't say anything more.

So what if the trial continues? Anyway, he can't escape the charges of failing to report and embezzlement. Let's wait until the Imperial City Guard has finished their trial.

After a moment's pause, the emperor asked, "Have you remembered all the names Lin Wenyu just mentioned?"

The Hanlin scholar who was recording the notes stood up and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I have noted it down."

The emperor's eyes flashed with a cold light: "Arrest them all! Not a single one can be let go! Interrogate them carefully and patiently; those who murdered the crown prince will not be tolerated!"

Gao Mian stepped forward and replied quickly, "Yes, Your Majesty, I will go immediately!"

The Emperor nodded: "Minister Gao, you have done a great job this time. I will remember your merit! This matter will be jointly handled by the Court of Judicial Review and the Imperial City Guard, and the results will be reviewed by the Censorate. Your Council of State Affairs should also keep a close eye on things. I will make all those who have harmed the Crown Prince pay the price!"

All the ministers agreed.

Lü Chan, with tears streaming down her face, kowtowed and expressed her gratitude.

Chu Ling's eyes reddened. Having exposed Fang Wu and Lin Wenyu, her brother's vengeance was no longer a mirage. She also had witnesses from Wei Qi, Zhang Qianyi, and others. If Gao Mian followed the clues and found the relevant leads, she would expose Chu He's actions to her father, the Emperor, in detail!
"Father is wise. One day, the murderer will surely be brought to justice!"
-
This night was destined to be anything but peaceful. At the beginning of Hai hour (9-11 PM), the entertainment venues closed, and the streets were bustling with people as the citizens of the capital walked home, still reluctant to leave.

A flurry of footsteps approached, accompanied by shouts: "The Dali Temple is handling a case, make way! Everyone make way!"

Everyone hurriedly moved aside and watched as a large group of officials ran past. There were many of them, including a high-ranking official in purple robes!
"What happened? It's so scary in the middle of the night!"

"Didn't you hear? When the Dali Temple handles a case, it should be to arrest criminals."

"What kind of criminal are you arresting? You actually sent a high-ranking official in purple robes!"

The crowd was buzzing with discussion, saying all sorts of things, and gradually various rumors began to circulate.

"Look over there! Aren't those the uniforms of the Imperial City Guard? Good heavens! What could possibly warrant both the Court of Judicial Review and the Imperial City Guard being mobilized at the same time?"

"Did you know? The person came from the palace!"

“The Imperial Palace? Could it be…” An elderly man recalled events from the reign of Emperor Xiaozong and was horrified.

Fortunately, someone nearby comforted him in time: "Uncle, don't worry. If something really happened in the palace, they would definitely clear the streets and impose martial law. The officials from the Dali Temple just passed by and didn't even acknowledge us, so it's obviously not about those things."

"Right……"

As the news spread, one version gradually became the prevailing opinion.

"The Crown Prince's case has been solved! The murderer who poisoned the Crown Prince has been caught!"

"Have you heard about what happened during the day? The Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review..."

"Who is the murderer? Has he been caught?"

"Why are you in such a hurry? The Dali Temple and the Imperial City Guard are there to arrest the criminals involved in the case. We'll know in a few days."

……

Inside the tavern by the small bridge, Gongsun Hong was beaming with joy.

"Young master, you can rest assured. It was the Imperial City Guard and the Court of Judicial Review who went to arrest them. There were no people from the Ministry of Justice. It seems that the princess has won."

Xiao Yu remained seated in the same spot and calmly said, "Isn't this only natural? The princess has already done so much; all that's needed is a little more effort, and it will naturally be done."

Gongsun Hong laughed and said, "That's because you added the fire just right, young master."

Xiao Yu smiled faintly and lowered his head to drink his tea.

Gongsun Hongqi asked, "Young Master, why do you seem less than happy?"

Xiao Yu said, "This is just the first step; it's not time to be happy yet."

Gongsun Hong nodded in agreement: "I wonder who they arrested tonight. Is it really true that the Crown Prince's incident has nothing to do with us?"

Xiao Yu did not answer; perhaps he had the same question in his mind.

Thank you everyone for voting. Wow, it's already May! I've gotten back on track a bit today, and I feel great.