Proud Feather

Chapter 112 Rumors
Regardless of what Chu Ling thought, good news kept coming in.

Shi Hao, the former judge of the Water Conservancy Bureau, confessed. He had been resentful after being dismissed and sought reinstatement. However, the Crown Prince took over and intended to purge the entire Water Conservancy Bureau, even dredging up old scandals.

He had embezzled a great deal in his early years, and when the matter was investigated, he panicked and sought help from Lin Wenyu, the Minister of Justice.

Lin Wenyu had taken a lot of money from him over the years and had always acted as his protector, fearing that he would also be implicated and have to clean up the mess.

Shi Hao was obedient and quietly erased the evidence. However, the Crown Prince was pressing him hard. After Zhang Chuanze lost his post, half of the people who were originally under his command in the Water Conservancy Bureau were dismissed, and the other half were gradually taken over by the Crown Prince.

Seeing himself being driven to the brink of death, and when he sought help from Lin Wenyu, who then hinted at cutting off his own resources, Shi Hao colluded with the officials involved and, without hesitation, bribed Fang Wu to poison the Crown Prince without anyone knowing.

……

After reading the confession, Chu Ling slammed his hand on the table, furious: "Nonsense! You've already been dismissed from your post. So what if your embezzlement has been exposed? This dynasty doesn't kill civil officials. What does it mean to be driven to the brink of death?"

After she finished venting her anger, Jiang Shijun handed her another statement: "Princess, take a look at this!"

This confession is from Lin Wenyu. He claims that he only asked Shih Hao to clear up evidence of corruption, and did not instruct him to kill the Crown Prince. He said that Shih Hao acted on his own initiative, and he only found out about it afterward.

Chu Ling sneered: "So, they're just passing the buck?"

Gao Mian, who was standing nearby, suddenly said, "Actually, it makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? Shi Hao embezzled too much money. If it's really verified, he'll at least be exiled to Lingnan. He's not young, and he probably won't live to see his destination. As for Minister Lin, if he's exposed, he'll also be dismissed and imprisoned. The Lin family's ancestors were too glorious; he can't accept this outcome. He considered other methods, but the Crown Prince wouldn't listen to either soft or hard approaches, so he had no choice but to take this risk."

He paused for a moment, then said, "History books are full of bizarre stories, so this is still somewhat plausible."

Jiang Shijun said, "If I hadn't known a little about the inside story, I probably would have believed most of it after finding this out."

Chu Ling suppressed her anger: "What about Fang Wu? Who is he working for?"

"He said he didn't know. The shopkeeper identified his superior as the unknown man who met with the abbot of Dahuai Temple in Wenxianju. Shih Hao claimed that he was a man provided by Minister Lin."

Gao Mian continued, "It's not surprising that the Minister of Justice has something on Fang Wu. After all, the things Fang Wu did when he was a minor official passed through the Ministry of Justice's hands, so it's reasonable for Fang Wu to be used by him."

Chu Ling couldn't contain her anger any longer and shouted, "Lord Gao, whose side are you on? You just contradict me and try to dampen my spirits, don't you?"

Gao Mian gave a dry laugh.

Zheng Qiu handed over tea and offered timely advice: "Princess, please calm down. Lord Gao is just stating the facts."

“Yes.” Jiang Shijun quickly added, “We know something’s wrong. Wenxianju is clearly backed by the Wei family. How could Fang Wu possibly be Minister Lin’s man? But others don’t know.”

Gao Mian apologized: "Princess, please forgive me. I was just thinking from their perspective. Only by knowing ourselves and our enemy can we find loopholes."

Chu Ling realized she had been too hasty, so she calmed down and said, "You're right, I shouldn't have been so anxious. It's precisely at times like these that we should stay calm."

She thought for a moment and continued, "At this point, as long as we bring out Wei Qi, we can prove that Fang Wu is not Minister Lin's man, but I don't want to play this card."

Jiang Shijun wholeheartedly agreed: "I also believe we cannot fight. If we bring up Wei Qi, the spearhead will be aimed directly at the Marquis of Jingping's mansion. At present, we do not have the strength to confront them head-on. The best outcome is to throw the Wei family out as the scapegoat."

Gao Mian agreed, but from a different perspective: "If we could investigate further, bringing down the Wei family wouldn't be impossible. However, I sense a resistance, as if it wants things to end here. If the Wei family is exposed, all the clues will be wiped out, making further investigation impossible." "Resistance?" Chu Ling was intrigued by this statement. "What do you mean?"

Gao Mian picked up the two testimonies: "Princess, please take a look. These two testimonies seem to be attacking each other, but in fact they corroborate each other. Shi Hao said that he was investigated for embezzlement and therefore conspired to shift the blame onto Minister Lin. Minister Lin denied instigating the embezzlement but admitted that the other party embezzled and that he accepted bribes. In this way, the entire chain of evidence is formed. Both of them have motives and have carried out the actions. The only point of contention is who had the intention."

He flicked the paper: "In this way, as long as we find out who the mastermind is, we can close the case."

"..." Chu Ling took a deep breath.

What charm did her good-for-nothing second brother possess that made someone like Lin Wenyu willingly take the blame? Is playing Wei Qi the only option left? If the case closes like this, it will be very difficult to appeal her eldest brother's innocence!
After thinking for a long time, she said, "Let's stall for time! Once we find the person behind Fang Wu, we can take action."

Jiang Shijun immediately responded: "I will send a letter immediately, telling them to act quickly."

Gao Mian replied, "I will do my best to delay. There are many details to investigating a case, and if you want to delay, there are plenty of excuses."

Chu Ling nodded: "Thank you for your hard work, Lord Gao."

"It's not tiring at all; I really need to rest more," Gao Mian said with a relaxed expression.

Chu Ling knew he was trying to comfort her, and she was indeed comforted, so she smiled slightly.

I thought things had settled down, but just a few days later, another unexpected event occurred.

The message was brought in by Jiang Shijun: "Princess, Xianle Tower has been sealed off, and there's a lot of talk about Zhu Fan outside."

"What do you mean by 'spreading rumors about Zhu Fan'?" Chu Ling frowned. "What about Zhu Fan?"

"It's what Minister Lin said... The Crown Prince repeatedly visited Xianle Tower to see Zhu Fan, and secretly developed feelings for her, but this was mixed with his father's revenge, and ultimately..."

As he was speaking, a thought flashed through Chu Ling's mind, and she suddenly realized something, freezing in place.

"Princess, please calm down!" Jiang Shijun hurriedly said, "I have already sent people to various restaurants and teahouses to try my best to clarify this rumor."

Chu Ling came to her senses and murmured, "No, we've been tricked."

She finally understood why Lin Wenyu had investigated the case the way he had. He wanted to create a stir; the common people loved this kind of bizarre and fantastical drama, and if this rumor spread, it would inevitably cause a sensation. To save face, the court had no choice but to close the case as quickly as possible to dispel the rumors.

If she hadn't found a loophole and cleared Zhu Fan of suspicion that same day, the investigation would have stopped at the Water Conservancy Bureau at most under pressure. At that point, it would have been officials like Shi Hao, who were neither high-ranking nor low-ranking, who would have stepped in to take the blame.

Of course, now we've only dragged Lin Wenyu down with us, so the cost is a little higher.

She took a deep breath and asked, "What did Father say? Did he demand that the details of the case be released as soon as possible?"

"Yes." Jiang Shijun understood. "The people who went to investigate Fang Wu haven't returned yet..."

Chu Ling decisively said, "I'm going to see my father!"

Ugh, I went out for drinks tonight and it got even later. I regret it!