Proud Feather

Chapter 95 Questioning
Half an hour later, Chu Ling saw Zhu Fan's cold body at the Ministry of Justice.

The girl who was so bright and beautiful last night was lying there lifeless, her face ashen, with obvious dark spots on her neck and hands.

The coroner said, "She hid poison under her fingernails and took it when we weren't looking, committing suicide. This poison is the same as the one that poisoned the Crown Prince, so they must be from the same source."

Chu Ling sneered inwardly.

Good, good, even the most crucial physical evidence is complete. The whole incident seems absurd, yet it's also comprehensive, giving her an indescribable sense of the bizarre. It's as if someone deduced from the conclusion, filling in the evidence line by line, seemingly matching perfectly, yet revealing an inexplicable messiness.

"Where did her poison come from?" the emperor asked in a deep voice. "Wasn't it said that there were several very rare medicinal herbs in this, from a remote place?"

Lin Wenyu replied, "These lowly courtesans have some illnesses that they cannot show to others, so they often buy medicine from itinerant doctors. Zhu Fan's maid pointed out the shop where they usually buy medicine. The owner is from the southern border, and we found the medicinal materials there."

As he spoke, he presented the evidence.

Gao Mian stepped forward to examine it, then shook his head at Chu Ling.

He couldn't find the problem. That's natural; the medicine was given to him by the murderer, so how could there be a problem?

Lin Wenyu asked, "Your Majesty, gentlemen, with both physical and witness evidence in place, can this case be closed?"

The emperor remained silent, and all the ministers frowned and kept quiet.

Gao Mian hesitated for a moment, then tentatively said, "Minister Lin, isn't it too hasty to make a decision like this? All the evidence you just listed is circumstantial, which can only prove that the Crown Prince and Zhu Fan had some dealings. The so-called private affair is only one possibility, not conclusive evidence..."

"Zhu Fan has already committed suicide out of fear of punishment. Isn't that irrefutable evidence?" Lin Wenyu interrupted him.

His domineering attitude ignited Gao Mian's anger, and he argued forcefully: "Suicide doesn't prove she was afraid of a crime, let alone what kind of crime she was afraid of! Furthermore, did she know how to prepare poison? What method did she use to administer it? When did she start administering it? Where were the tools? What was the dosage? Does it match the Crown Prince's reaction at the time? All of these things must be clear. If the case is closed like this, both the testimony and the evidence will be vague. Even if an ordinary person were murdered, let alone the Crown Prince, it shouldn't be handled so carelessly!"

This is a direct accusation that Lin Wenyu disregards human life!
The gentlemen were impressed. Gao Mian, who had never liked to stand out, had suddenly become quite bold! These days, following the princess on her business, his courage had indeed grown.

Having come this far, Gao Mian stopped hiding his tongue and went on to say, "Furthermore, is Minister Lin certain that Zhu Fan committed suicide? Such an important witness died in the Ministry of Justice's prison. Don't you investigate the cause of her death thoroughly from beginning to end? What were her conditions when she was imprisoned? Did anyone touch her while she was being guarded? When was she poisoned? What was the dosage? Was it enough to kill her in such a short time? How many coroners were there? Did they know each other? Was there any possibility of collusion? Have you investigated any of these?"

After finishing his long speech, Gao Mian took a breath and stared at the other party: "Minister Lin, don't you agree?"

If it were an ordinary person, being bombarded with so many questions would take them a moment to think. But Lin Wenyu snorted coldly and answered without hesitation: "Is Lord Gao accusing me of fabricating evidence? Zhu Fan died in the Ministry of Justice, with poison hidden between her fingers. She must have taken poison herself. It's not like I, the Ministry of Justice, am trying to silence her."

Gao Mian's face flushed red, and he angrily shouted, "Minister Lin!"

This is a legitimate case investigation; how can you act like a rogue? Any doubts must be thoroughly investigated. How can you just openly accuse the other party of having ulterior motives? Is this a formal audience with the emperor or a petty squabble among scoundrels in the marketplace?

Sure enough, Zhang Dingyuan couldn't stand it any longer and shouted, "Lord Lin, speak properly!"

Lin Wenyu composed himself and bowed to the emperor: "Your Majesty, I have strictly ordered my subordinates not to let Zhu Fan come into contact with anyone. Ever since she entered the Ministry of Justice, countless eyes have been watching her. The matter that Lord Gao is worried about is absolutely unfounded."

Gao Mian, disregarding the consequences, immediately submitted a memorial: "Your Majesty, I believe there is still room for discussion in this case. I also have a witness who may be able to ascertain the true relationship between Zhu Fan and the Crown Prince!" Unexpectedly, Lin Wenyu retorted, "Lord Gao, are you referring to Zhang Qianyi? To be honest, before you, I had already investigated his whereabouts. He does indeed care for Zhu Fan, but Zhu Fan resents his family for refusing to help him in his time of need and has not seen him. How would he know what the relationship between Zhu Fan and the Crown Prince is?"

"Your Majesty!" he turned around and said, "The Ministry of Justice solved the case first, and I know that Lord Gao is not satisfied and is willing to cross-examine the evidence with the Court of Judicial Review!"

Gao Mian was enraged by his words: "You..."

He's focused on the case; who cares about petty squabbles? This Lin Wenyu is truly a scoundrel!
Just as the water was being stirred up, a soft sneer suddenly came from the side.

The emperor turned to his daughter and asked, "A-Ling, do you have something to say?"

Chu Ling nodded: "Father, I have a few questions for Minister Lin."

The emperor said gently, "You are in charge of this case. Ask any questions until you are satisfied."

"Thank you, Father Emperor." Chu Ling turned around and said slowly, "Minister Lin, according to you, with all the witnesses and evidence, the case can be closed, is that right?"

Lin Wenyu smiled ingratiatingly: "Princess, this is the proper way."

"Well said, let's try to close the case then." Chu Ling said in a calm tone, "First of all, the story of how the Crown Prince met Zhu Fan has Zhu Fan's own testimony, Fang Wu as corroborating evidence, and the guests and hosts involved in the banquet that day. It can be said that there were eyes everywhere, so there is no way to make a lie, right?"

Lin Wenyu nodded in agreement.

"Then, how can we prove the Crown Prince's private interactions with Zhu Fan? Fang Wu doesn't know what they discussed; he only suspected their relationship was unusual because the Crown Prince said he wanted to settle Zhu Fan. The maid only heard Zhu Fan say he was ashamed and dared not associate with the Crown Prince. Can these two testimonies prove that the Crown Prince and Zhu Fan had a secret affair? Can you say that you have ruled out all other possibilities? Are there absolutely no other possibilities?"

"This one……"

Chu Ling smiled and said, "Minister Lin, think it over carefully. If the case is closed, the whole country will question it. There will be no room for ambiguity! Presumptuous conclusions are untenable."

The emperor suppressed his anger: "A-Ling is right. Lin Qing, you are not from a criminal justice background, so you are ultimately an amateur in this matter!"

The emperor's displeasure was no small matter; Lin Wenyu almost knelt down, but barely managed to hold back.

As he was choosing his words, the coroner rushed over from the morgue, shouting, "Your Majesty! My lord! There's a new discovery!"

Everyone turned to look, their hearts skipping a beat. In his hands he was holding a bloodstained strip of cloth, on which there seemed to be writing.

The eunuch carefully took the strip of cloth from his hand, examined it thoroughly, and then presented it to the emperor.

The emperor unfolded it and saw that the handwriting was messy; it was a confession written in blood!

Yesterday I saw a friend's comment saying that waiting for updates was affecting their sleep. I reflected on it, and it's true. Although I said not to wait until midnight, my update frequency means some readers will be waiting at that time, and it's not something I can avoid just by saying so. I'm sorry, I'll try my best to adjust the time back and make it as stable as possible.