Proud Feather

Chapter 93 Inside Story
Before long, Fang Wu was brought up.

Perhaps feeling guilty, he finished his bow in a trembling manner and then lay prostrate on the ground, too afraid to move.

Lin Wenyu spoke sternly: "Fang Wu! You know perfectly well why His Majesty summoned you here in person."

Fang Wu replied with trepidation, "Yes! I am by the Crown Prince's side, and I will tell you everything I know."

"Very well!" Lin Wenyu turned around and cupped his hands in greeting. "Please ask Your Majesty personally."

The emperor looked coldly at Fang Wu and asked, "What do you usually do in the Eastern Palace?"

Fang Wu didn't hesitate much: "Your Majesty, I serve the Crown Prince daily, handling miscellaneous affairs, including some interpersonal interactions."

"So, you know who the Crown Prince is associating with?"

Fang Wu answered cautiously: "I dare not say I know everything, but I have a general understanding."

With that explained, everyone understood. Fang Wu's position in the Eastern Palace was far inferior to Zhu Shan's, but he handled all the close and trivial matters, so he was certainly considered one of the confidants.

The emperor went straight to the point: "I ask you, has the Crown Prince visited Xianle Tower in the past few months?"

Fang Wu hesitated for a moment and did not answer.

Lin Wenyu's expression turned serious: "His Majesty is asking you a question, why don't you answer honestly?!"

Fang Wu quickly replied, "Yes."

The emperor then asked, "How many times did you go? What did you do each time?"

Fang Wu hesitated: "This..."

The emperor frowned: "What, is it difficult to answer?"

Fang Wu bowed down: "Your subject dares not. The Crown Prince often goes to Xianle Tower, and if I count, it must be more than ten times, mainly to see people."

"Meeting whom?"

Fang Wu secretly glanced at Chu Ling.

Chu Ling sneered and bluntly exposed him: "What are you looking at me for? You don't think that just because you came here and said a few words of loyalty to this princess, you're one of my people, do you? You know perfectly well that this princess is investigating the cause of my elder brother's death, yet you concealed the clues and didn't say anything. You've let down both my elder brother and me, and you still have the nerve to look at me!"

Fang Wu's actions were originally suspicious, but after Chu Ling said that, people felt sympathy for the princess.

Isn't this Fang Wu trying to take advantage of the princess? He wants to gain her protection by virtue of being a former associate of the crown prince, but he doesn't serve her properly. Does he think the princess is young and easy to fool?

Fang Wu's face turned pale, and he hurriedly begged for forgiveness: "Your subject deserves to die."

Chu Ling showed no mercy: "You deserve to die! You kept rambling on when Father asked you a question!"

Fang Wu nodded and quickly replied, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince went to see... Zhu Fan, a musician from Xianle Tower."

"What do you want to see her for?"

"We'll mainly listen to the piano, then chat about some other things..."

"what's up?"

Fang Wu replied cautiously, "I am not here most of the time and am not aware of the situation."

The emperor raised an eyebrow: "You're always by the Crown Prince's side, don't you know anything?"

Fang Wu was trembling with fear, unsure how to answer.

Chu Ling spoke up in time: "Father, why don't we ask his elder brother how he met Zhu Fan? He must know that."

The emperor's expression softened slightly, but he glared at her and said, "Speak now!"

Fang Wu dared not delay and replied, "Miss Zhu was invited to play the zither at a banquet, and coincidentally, the Crown Prince was also attending. She asked someone to pass on a message to me. I accepted her gift and learned that she was the daughter of the Director of the Water Conservancy Bureau, so I took it upon myself to introduce her to the Crown Prince." Upon hearing him admit to accepting the gift, the Emperor snorted coldly, "You are quite honest."

Fang Wu quickly explained, "Your Majesty, I knew the Crown Prince was cleaning up the Imperial Waterworks Bureau, and I suspected the two might be connected, which is why I dared to recommend him. Accepting gifts was just a side matter..."

The emperor, too lazy to bother with such trivial matters, continued, "And then? Why did Zhu Fan want to see the Crown Prince? What was the Crown Prince's attitude towards her?"

Fang Wu replied, "The Crown Prince only decided to meet her after hearing about her identity. I don't know the specifics of their conversation; the two of them met alone, with no third party present. However, the Crown Prince then retrieved Zhu Jingde's case file and uncovered several corrupt officials within it. I overheard the Crown Prince's conversation with Lord Zhu, where he said that Zhu Jingde's crimes did not warrant such punishment and that once the Water Conservancy Bureau has completed its investigation, he can be exonerated."

This is easy to verify; a simple inquiry with Zhu Shan would confirm it. If this incident hadn't happened, Chu Ling would have already had Jiang Shijun and Zhu Shan corroborate each other's statements.

The emperor's expression softened considerably: "So, Zhu Fan provided the crown prince with clues about the cleanup of the Imperial Waterworks Bureau, requesting the exoneration of his father?"

"Yes," Fang Wu said affirmatively, "The Crown Prince also bestowed a reward upon Miss Zhu."

Lin Wenyu interjected: "Your Majesty, the gifts bestowed by the Crown Prince have been found at Miss Zhu's residence. I will present them to you immediately."

He turned and gave a few instructions, and soon the eunuch led in the officials of the Ministry of Justice and presented the evidence.

The emperor looked at them and found that they were mainly gold and silver items, including a jade ruyi scepter, which indeed bore the mark of the Eastern Palace.

"So, the Crown Prince only contacted Zhu Fan for official business?"

"Yes..." Fang Wu hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

The emperor was displeased: "Just say what you have to say, why are you beating around the bush?"

Lin Wenyu suggested, "Your Majesty, why don't we ask Fang Wu to tell us when this happened? Since the Crown Prince has bestowed the reward, the official business must be concluded."

The emperor snorted, displeased, but logically, what the other party said made sense.

Fang Wu hesitated for a moment before answering, "It was about July..."

Lin Wenyu glanced at the emperor and asked, "July, which is about half a month after they met, right?"

Fang Wu gave an affirmative answer.

The crowd's expressions darkened. If official business was concluded so quickly, why did the Crown Prince still seek out Zhu Fan two months later?
Lin Wenyu seized on this loophole and continued to ask questions.

Fang Wu hesitated before answering: "One day, the Crown Prince was having trouble with his official duties and was strolling around the streets to clear his head. When he passed by Jinpan Street, he thought of Miss Zhu and went to Xianle Tower to listen to her playing the zither."

"This is unrelated to official business?"

"The Crown Prince did not send me away this time. He did listen to the zither the whole time, and the conversation was just about trivial matters." Fang Wu hesitated for a moment. "Miss Zhu comforted the Crown Prince, and he was in a much better mood when he left."

"and after?"

"Later, the Crown Prince would visit from time to time... Most of the time the two of them were alone together, and I don't know what they talked about."

The atmosphere inside the hall became somber as the question was asked.

A business meeting can be an opportunity, but if you continue to meet frequently afterward, or even spend time alone together, things can get a bit complicated.

After a moment, the emperor asked, "Anything else? What else do you know?"

Fang Wu lowered his head: "The Crown Prince asked me if Miss Zhu would have a place to stay if Zhu Jingde were exonerated. I... I was unsure of the Crown Prince's intentions, so I suggested that her identity could be changed, but the Crown Prince neither agreed nor disagreed."

With Zhu Jingde exonerated, Zhu Fan could naturally leave Xianle Tower. Although she couldn't do things the same way as before, returning to her hometown to marry wouldn't be difficult, unless the Crown Prince didn't want Zhu Fan to leave the capital.

Fang Wu clearly had the same guess, but he didn't dare to say it outright.

The emperor's face was already gloomy when he asked this question. If the crown prince hadn't gotten into trouble, it would have been insignificant for him to have taken a fancy to a young lady in distress. But since he got into trouble, if it were recorded in the annals, it would be a stain on his reputation in history!

"So," Chu Ling said calmly, "who poisoned my elder brother? What does this have to do with him being poisoned?"

This is from yesterday; I'll try harder tonight.