Proud Feather

Chapter 113 Argument
"How did this get out? What are you all doing?" Inside the Fu Ning Palace, the Emperor roared in fury. "The death of the Crown Prince has become common gossip! Where is the imperial authority? Where is the law? This is outrageous!"

Three people stood in the hall: Zhang Ji, Gao Mian, and Xue Wang. All three were thoroughly humiliated by the scolding and remained silent with their heads down.

"Why aren't you saying anything? You're usually so capable, aren't you? Let me hear your sophistry!" The emperor, still furious, pointed at them.

After a moment, Zhang Ji stepped forward: "Your Majesty, this matter sounds absurd, but upon closer inspection, it is not surprising. That day, Lin Wenyu thought he had succeeded and almost made a ruckus on his way to the palace. Furthermore, the Ministry of Justice did not hide the fact that they went to Xianle Tower to arrest him, so the news had already leaked out. With so many mouths in various government offices, there are bound to be some who can't keep their mouths shut."

The emperor laughed in exasperation: "You dare to argue like that! So, you're saying it has nothing to do with you at all?"

Zhang Ji was quite resolute; after all, censors were meant to oppose the emperor, and being scolded for offering advice was commonplace. He said, "We are certainly guilty of dereliction of duty for failing to stop the situation from escalating in time. But the main responsibility lies with Minister Lin. He was arrogant and used public opinion to his advantage, leading to such a disastrous outcome."

The emperor wasn't unreasonable; after thinking it over, he transferred his hatred to Minister Lin: "That old scoundrel Lin Wenyu! I've shown him leniency time and again because of his grandfather, yet he's dug such a huge pit for me!"

He walked around the hall and said, "Now that things have come to this, let's resolve this first!"

Seeing that the emperor had softened his tone, Zhang Ji immediately said, "Your Majesty, that's not difficult. We've already solved the case; all we need to do is announce the real culprit. The court will post a yellow notice and arrange for people to spread the word, and we can turn things around quickly."

Gao Mian also agreed: "What Vice Minister Zhang said is very true, I second that."

The emperor turned his head and saw Xue Wang frowning and not speaking, so he asked, "You don't agree?"

Xue Wang hurriedly reported, "Your Majesty, as soon as this matter came to light, I sent people to clarify the situation, but with little effect. The people are ignorant; they only find the story of the Crown Prince and the musicians to be convoluted and bizarre, while the poisoning by his personal attendants is nothing out of the ordinary. Since this case is not yet settled, I cannot ask them to mention the bribery within the Directorate of Waterways; the people simply do not believe it..."

"That's why we have to post yellow notices," Zhang Ji said. "Without any clear explanation, only so-called insiders will try to clarify things, and the people will only believe what they want to believe."

The emperor nodded and said, "Then close the case as soon as possible, and then post the imperial edict!"

"Your Majesty, you mustn't!" Gao Mian blurted out. "Although the murderer has been caught, many details remain unclear. Closing the case now is too hasty!"

The emperor frowned: "In a hurry? Wasn't the murderer caught? We have all the evidence, both witnesses and physical evidence, and the criminal has confessed. What's so hasty?"

"Your Majesty, in such a crucial case, no detail can be overlooked. The most critical point is: who exactly instructed Fang Wu? The connection between Dahuai Temple, Wenxian Residence, and Fang Wu is directly related to how the Crown Prince was poisoned. Only by connecting these links can we pinpoint the true culprit!"

"Didn't Shi Hao confess? Fang Wu is Lin Wenyu's man."

"Minister Lin did not admit it."

The emperor grew impatient and said loudly, "Lin Wenyu will naturally not admit it. If he does, it means he is the principal offender! Although it is not clear who is the principal and who is the assistant at the moment, the cause and effect are clear, and there are no omissions in the witnesses and physical evidence. The main body of the case is already very clear!"

Gao Mian's heart sank; his fears had indeed come true. The two men's testimonies corroborated each other, and even the emperor believed it to be the truth.

"His Majesty……"

The emperor interrupted him: "Minister Gao, what's wrong with you? Didn't you just agree with Minister Zhang's proposal? Now you're making a fuss about it again!" Gao Mian quickly explained: "I agree to post the yellow notice, but there's no need to close the case."

This time, it was Xue Wang who chimed in: "Lord Gao, you've never done investigations, so you don't know how difficult it is to guide public opinion. The people don't believe everything you say. Sometimes, the more you try to guide them, the less they believe you. According to what you've said, if you post a yellow notice but don't close the case, they'll think that there's something fishy going on, that there must be something inside that they can't let people know."

Zhang Ji agreed with this point: "That's right. So the clarification must be forceful, clear from beginning to end, leaving them no room for speculation, otherwise it will only backfire."

“But we really can’t close the case now. If we don’t investigate Fang Wu’s line of inquiry thoroughly, this case will ultimately remain…” Gao Mian still wanted to argue.

"Or what?" the emperor said coldly. "Minister Gao, I know you've done your best in investigating the case, but do you not care about the Crown Prince's reputation? Do you want the Crown Prince to be remembered like that even after his wrongful death? The Crown Prince was filial, wise, and studious. He was impeccable as a son, husband, brother, and heir apparent! Yet after his death, he's been used as gossip! People relish his entanglements with courtesans, fabricating all sorts of romantic tales! How can I tolerate this?"

How could Gao Mian not understand? But...

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince's reputation is important, but his injustice is even more important! If the case is not thoroughly investigated, if some clues are overlooked, and if those involved in the plot against the Crown Prince are let go, wouldn't that make it even more difficult for the Crown Prince to rest in peace?"

Hearing this, Xue Wang frowned: "Does Lord Gao mean that this case is still not clear? Is Fang Wu's testimony unreliable, or are Shi Hao and Minister Lin's testimonies unreliable? Fang Wu was tried by my Imperial City Division, and Minister Lin is also in our division, but you tried Shi Hao. Do you think there was anything wrong with your trial?"

"That was not what I meant……"

"Then tell me what you mean!" the emperor roared. "Is that what you mean? Shi Hao and Lin Wenyu are not the real culprits?"

Gao Mian was speechless. If he said yes, he couldn't provide any concrete clues; if he said no, he had no reason to object.

Just as she was caught in a dilemma, a voice came from outside: "Princess..."

The eunuch had barely finished speaking when Chu Ling burst in: "Father!"

The emperor's anger subsided slightly, replaced by a hint of reproach: "A-Ling, your father is discussing serious matters here. You should at least have them announce your arrival."

Chu Ling, disregarding the formalities, hurriedly bowed and asked, "Father, do you want them to close the case?"

The Emperor nodded: "That's how it is. You don't know, the rumors about your elder brother are outrageous. The only thing we can do now is to close the case as soon as possible, reveal the truth, and stop these rumors..."

Chu Ling cried out, "Father, we can't close the case! I heard their report; many details haven't been clarified yet. If we rush to close the case, we might miss some clues and let the bad guys go free..."

These words were exactly the same as Gao Mian's, and the emperor immediately glared at him: "Gao Mian, what did you say to the princess?"

Gao Mian: "..."

The emperor turned back and said gently to his daughter, "A-Ling, the murderer has been found. Your father will handle the rest. You've worked hard these past few days, go back and get some rest. Trust your father, okay?"