Proud Feather

Chapter 94 Witness
Yes, even if the Crown Prince and Zhu Fan had interactions beyond official business, the most crucial question is how the poison was administered.

Because you frequented Xianle Tower, someone took advantage of you? What does this have to do with personal matters? Why go to all the trouble of proving it?
“That’s right.” The emperor calmed down. “Just tell me who poisoned you. It doesn’t matter who the crown prince meets.”

Lin Wenyu, who usually fawns over others, was unusually stubborn today, saying, "Your Majesty, I have presented a great deal of evidence to support this claim because it is of great importance."

His blunt response infuriated the emperor, who shouted, "Speak if you want to, stop beating around the bush!"

Lin Wenyu finally managed not to anger the emperor any further and nodded: "Very well, I will speak frankly—the murderer is none other than Zhu Fan!"

Before Chu Ling and Gao Mian could react, the emperor roared in fury: "Lin Wenyu! Do you know what you're saying? Since the Crown Prince has already promised to exonerate her and is trying to erase her past, what reason does she have to poison the Crown Prince? A criminal woman who didn't even enter the brothel dares to disrespect the Crown Prince?!"

"That's right," Prime Minister Zhang Dingyuan added. "Minister Lin, according to you, this woman finally managed to get close to the Crown Prince, why would she ruin her own future? There's no reason for that!"

Gao Mian also said, "Lord Lin, do you have any other evidence? Please present it as well!"

Lin Wenyu remained calm and even nodded to him in gratitude, then said, "There is indeed other evidence. Thank you for reminding me, Lord Gao."

He reached for the file from his subordinate once more, a gesture that sent a chill down the spines of everyone else. What was recorded here? Would it turn the serious case of the Crown Prince's murder into a scandalous and bizarre one? The thought that the wise and powerful Crown Prince would die in this way in the history books filled one with both sorrow and anger.

“Your Majesty, this is the statement from the maid of Xianle Tower. She is Zhu Fan’s personal maid and knows everything about Zhu Fan’s dealings with the Crown Prince.”

Gao Mian immediately went to look at Chu Ling. Their eyes met, and their mood grew even heavier.

According to the Dali Temple's case-handling procedures, they obtained Zhang Qianyi and Zhu Fan's confessions last night and would go to Xianle Tower today to verify them one by one. They would soon have all the details. But now Lin Wenyu has beaten them to it, putting them in a completely passive position.

What's most incomprehensible is that during their interrogation of Zhu Fan last night, she didn't seem to be lying; she didn't reveal any of these things. Lin Wenyu could fabricate a so-called private affair, but there's too much evidence to fabricate regarding the Crown Prince's multiple visits to Xianle Tower; it's impossible for it all to be false.

The emperor had finished reading the confession and looked at Lin Wenyu with a cold smile: "Are you sure you didn't make this up?"

"Of course not," Lin Wenyu said righteously. "The witnesses from Xianle Tower are already waiting at the palace gate. They can be questioned in person with just one word from Your Majesty."

Having come this far, the emperor had no reason to back down, and immediately flicked his sleeve: "Bring him up!"

Before long, the witnesses were brought in, two in total: the manager of Xianle Tower and Zhu Fan's personal maid.

The maidservant had never seen anything like it before. She immediately knelt down upon entering, stammering out "Your Majesty," without daring to raise her head. The steward, however, was more experienced and composed, respectfully bowing as he did so.

The emperor, disregarding everything else, asked in a deep voice, "Are you all from Xianle Tower? State your names!"

After the two men took turns announcing their names, Lin Wenyu said, "His Majesty wants to ask about the Crown Prince, so answer honestly."

"Yes." The steward, surnamed Zhao, remained relatively calm and spoke first, "Your Majesty, I noticed the Crown Prince the first time he came. Xianle Tower caters to high-ranking officials and nobles, and the Crown Prince is clearly no ordinary person, so we must be careful in his hospitality. However, he only sought out Miss Zhu and left after a short while."

"Not long after, I saw the Crown Prince again. At that time, I still did not know his identity. Miss Zhu said that he was a noble person whom I could not afford to offend, so I turned a blind eye..."

What Steward Zhao said basically matched what Lin Wenyu had said earlier. The Crown Prince had visited two or three times at first, then stopped for ten days or half a month in between, and then visited frequently again, at which point his attitude was somewhat different.

The Emperor asked coldly, "You still don't know who the Crown Prince is?" Steward Zhao hurriedly replied, "I guessed he was of extraordinary status. Miss Zhu got annoyed by the questions and said he was a member of the imperial family. I guess he's some kind of relative..."

There are just too many important people in the capital; his guess wasn't wrong. Who would have thought that person was the Crown Prince?
"Later, the Crown Prince came frequently and told me not to force Miss Zhu to entertain guests. I usually have a wide circle of acquaintances and have met many members of the royal family, but I had never heard of this person before. After thinking it over, I dared not act rashly and thus acquiesced..."

Manager Zhao didn't say anything out of line, but his attitude was clear: he also believed that the Crown Prince was Zhu Fan's close confidant and was afraid of offending him, so he rarely interfered.

"After he didn't come, I thought he was busy with household affairs, but I didn't expect..." Steward Zhao said, bowing deeply, "Please accept my condolences, Your Majesty."

The emperor was clearly not saddened; he was mainly angry, which was evident on his face.

He turned to the maidservant and asked coldly, "And you? What did your young lady tell you?"

The maidservant bowed and said, "Your Majesty, my...my young lady..."

Lin Wenyu said, "If His Majesty wants to know how your young lady gets along with the Crown Prince, you just need to repeat what you said before."

The maidservant calmed herself down and slowly said, "This servant did not know that Young Master Chu was the Crown Prince. Miss never mentioned it... When the Crown Prince first came, Miss was overjoyed. After their private conversation, she told this servant that there was hope for her family's exoneration. This servant then knew that he was a noble person..."

"...The Crown Prince later visited frequently. At first, the young lady treated him with indifference, but gradually she began to sigh and lament, saying that Young Master Chu was truly a good person, but unfortunately, she was of lowly status and had no way to befriend him..."

"Later, when I was serving outside, I heard the two of them seeming to be arguing. After the Crown Prince left, Miss wept alone. I was startled and asked her for a long time before she finally said that others could not be trusted and that her hopes might have been dashed. Not long after, Miss received a letter and cried bitterly. When the Crown Prince came again, Miss waited several times before finally seeing him..."

The maid spoke in a disjointed manner, but to Zhang Dingyuan and the others, the matter was crystal clear.

Zhu Fan pinned his hopes for exoneration on the Crown Prince, but as the process dragged on without any progress, he grew suspicious. However, the Crown Prince was focused on dismantling the Imperial Waterworks Bureau; he would only exonerate the Zhu family after completing his primary duties. But…

"Where is that letter?" the emperor asked.

"Burn, burn it," the maidservant answered tremblingly.

Such an important clue was burned!
At this moment, Lin Wenyu stepped forward again: "Your Majesty, although I was unable to find that letter, I learned through investigation that Zhu Fan's younger brother died of illness in exile recently, and his mother also committed suicide."

The ministers suddenly realized what was going on.

If that's the case, then it makes sense. Zhu Fan had been eagerly awaiting his exoneration, only to receive news of his family's destruction and death. In a fit of rage...

The emperor took a deep breath, seemingly suppressing his anger, and after a long while finally asked, "Where is Zhu Fan? I want to hear her confession in person!"

Lin Wenyu responded with a "yes" and immediately ordered his subordinates to bring the men.

A short while later, an official from the Ministry of Justice returned, his face filled with panic: "Something terrible has happened! The prisoner has committed suicide!"

Can we go even earlier tomorrow?