Proud Feather

Chapter 92 Private Affairs
When the emperor became angry, everyone stood up.

Lin Wenyu quickly apologized, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger! This matter is complicated; please allow me to report it in detail."

The emperor's anger could not be appeased with just a few words. As he picked up his teacup, Chu Ling spoke up in time: "Father, let him finish speaking first. My elder brother is upright and has nothing to fear. Only by explaining himself can he clear his name, right?"

The teacup barely stopped, almost hitting Minister Lin.

The Emperor took a deep breath: "Fine, you say the Crown Prince regularly visits Xianle Tower, what evidence do you have? You can't just rely on empty words and so-called inferences, can you?"

“Your Majesty is right. I thought so too. That’s why I arrested the manager and servants of Xianle Tower and interrogated them. This is their statement.”

Lin Wenyu remained calm and had his subordinates present the case files. This demeanor surprised his ministers. Minister Lin was usually slippery and believed in the principle that the more you do, the more mistakes you make, and the less you do, the better. It was quite unusual that he showed such a fearless attitude towards power.

The case file was presented, and the emperor remained silent after reading it.

The document details the encounters between the manager and servants of Xianle Tower and the Crown Prince, including the time, their clothing, the words spoken, and the duration of their stay. Human memory is fragmented, hence the records are quite disjointed, but they can be found to correspond to almost every account recorded by Gao Mian.

It's difficult to fabricate a confession with so many details, especially with so many witnesses. Lin Wenyu is confident in presenting it and isn't afraid of verification.

Therefore, the testimony is true; the Crown Prince did indeed visit Xianle Tower regularly.

Lin Wenyu, still feeling unsatisfied, turned to Gao Mian: "Minister Gao, you also went to Xianle Tower last night, you should have found something, right? Is there anything wrong with my statement?"

Gao Mian returned the circulated dossier to the eunuch and calmly replied, "This confession is detailed and clear, and I have no questions about it."

Lin Wenyu won a game and showed a hint of pride, but then noticed the emperor's gloomy face and quickly withdrew his composure.

After reading it, Prime Minister Zhang Dingyuan asked, "And then? What does this have to do with the Crown Prince's poisoning? Since Minister Lin has investigated this far, there must be more to come, right?"

Lin Wenyu cupped his hands and said, "What Prime Minister Zhang said is correct. When I received the confession, I thought that since the Crown Prince frequently went to Xianle Tower, it meant that the people there had been in contact with the Crown Prince many times, which gave them an opportunity to poison him! So I interrogated him again and found that the Crown Prince met the same person every time—the musician Zhu Fan."

Chu Ling let out a soft breath. As expected, the attack had circled back to Zhu Fan; since the opponent's moves weren't beyond her expectations, she could still handle it.

The name was unfamiliar. Zhang Dingyuan asked, "Who is Zhu Fan?"

Zhang Ji continued, "If I remember correctly, Zhu Fan is the daughter of Zhu Jingde, the former director of the Water Conservancy Bureau. Zhu Jingde was imprisoned for embezzlement and died on the way to exile. His daughter entered the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment institution) and was later redeemed by Xianlelou (another entertainment institution). I reviewed Zhu Jingde's case, so I remember some of it roughly."

The gentlemen suddenly realized that she was the daughter of a disgraced official, and had previously been a daughter of an official.

"And then?" the emperor said coldly. "You specifically singled out Zhu Fan, are you implying that the Crown Prince has an affair with her?"

Lin Wenyu reported, "Your Majesty may not know this, but Zhu Fanqin is highly skilled and has a refined and elegant demeanor. She is quite famous in the capital. She met the Crown Prince at a banquet, and since then, the Crown Prince has often gone to Xianle Tower to listen to her play the qin."

Although he didn't say it explicitly, his meaning was clear. How many men could resist such a charming and alluring beauty? Besides, it was just for amusement; the gentlemen present had certainly done their fair share of such things, hadn't they? A man's romantic affairs were never a stain—provided nothing serious happened. But if he lost his life because of it, then it would be a huge stain!
The emperor's eyes blazed with fury; he wished he could tear Lin Wenyu apart.

“Your Majesty,” Gao Mian stepped forward in time, “before Minister Lin arrested Zhu Fan, I had already summoned her to the Dali Temple for questioning, but the result was different from that of the Ministry of Justice.”

The emperor's expression softened slightly: "Really? What have you found out?"

Gao Mian also brought over a stack of files and presented them, saying, "Your Majesty, please take a look. This is Zhu Fan's confession. She did indeed meet the Crown Prince at the banquet, but she met with the Crown Prince to seek justice for her father, Zhu Jingde. At that time, the Crown Prince was in charge of the Imperial Water Conservancy Bureau, and the Zhu family had been engaged in water affairs for generations. This is the reason why the Crown Prince repeatedly went to see Zhu Fan, and it was definitely not a personal matter."

The emperor examined the document for a while, his expression softening considerably. He glared at Lin Wenyu and asked, "What do you have to say? Surely Minister Gao wouldn't fabricate a testimony?"

Lin Wenyu remained calm: "Your Majesty, Minister Gao certainly wasn't lying. Zhu Fan did indeed initially seek out the Crown Prince for my father's sake. However, please look at the previous memorial. In the two months between the Crown Prince's acquaintance with Zhu Fan in the middle of the year and his poisoning and drowning, how many times did I mark as having visited Xianle Tower? At the shortest, two or three days; at the longest, five or six days. The two met more than ten times! Just how many grievances does Zhu Jingde have that require more than ten appeals?"

When this question was raised, everyone present fell silent.

Chu Ling's heart sank as well.

They had indeed overlooked this point; when they questioned Zhu Fan earlier, they hadn't asked her about the number of times the Crown Prince had visited Xianle Tower. This was also due to preconceived notions; neither she nor Gao Mian had ever doubted their elder brother's integrity, so naturally they wouldn't have considered this possibility.

"Minister Lin is deliberately accusing me," Gao Mian said coldly. "Neither you nor I know the details of the Crown Prince's relationship with Zhu Fan. Just because you think it's unreasonable, do you assume they have an affair?"

The ministers nodded. The Crown Prince is always meticulous in his work; when he was in charge of the Imperial Water Conservancy Bureau, he thoroughly reviewed everything from beginning to end. Zhu Jingde has been in the Imperial Water Conservancy Bureau for many years and must know many secrets. It is highly likely that the Crown Prince frequently visited Zhu Fan in order to find out these things.

In short, Lin Wenyu was too eager for quick success and instant benefits to hastily conclude that the Crown Prince and Zhu Fan had an affair based solely on the number of times they met.

Faced with Gao Mian's questioning, Lin Wenyu calmly replied, "Minister Gao, you yourself handled the interrogation hastily. Do you think I did the same? If I didn't have solid evidence, how dare I speak nonsense before His Majesty?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Mian sensed something was wrong.

As expected, Lin Wenyu turned to the emperor: "Your Majesty, I am not speaking carelessly. Zhu Fan is in Xianle Tower, and to find the Crown Prince, he must go through someone else. After extensive investigation, I have found this contact person."

Fang Wu!

Gao Mian looked at Chu Ling, and the two of them felt more and more that this time was unusual.

This old man timed things perfectly. Whether it was Fang Wu or Zhu Fan, they had only just made contact. Given more time, Gao Mian would definitely have been able to sort things out, but the other party acted so quickly that they had no chance to react.

Lin Wenyu raised his head and said proudly, "Now that the witnesses are outside, I request Your Majesty to personally conduct the trial. The relationship between the Crown Prince and Zhu Fan will be known in a single question!"

Having said all that, how could the emperor refuse? He immediately said in a cold voice, "Granted!"

I've been updating too late these past few days, I'm trying to get back to normal...