The Incense Monopoly Order

Chapter 52 Watch her perform

"It's an insult to society, it's an insult to society!" The Deputy Commissioner of Education, who had remained silent all this time, shouted angrily.

The scroll depicts a woman emerging from the bath, her graceful body wrapped in a thin veil. It is a back view, but there is also a faintly visible plump outline.

When Wen Yan saw this picture, all the color drained from his face. His lips trembled, “No… Impossible!”

"Mr. Wen, is this painting from your hand?" Magistrate He felt disgusted with Wen Yan, but he did not show it on his face.

"No... no!" Wen Yan subconsciously denied it and quickly calmed down. "Sir, perhaps I remembered it wrongly. The garden map is not tied with a red string..."

Finding evidence was important, so Magistrate He ordered several people to display the paintings at the same time. One by one, they showed that most of them were landscape paintings such as plum, orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum, mountains and flowing water, and the stone bridge and water town of Huizhou Prefecture. There were no more figure paintings and naturally no architectural paintings.

After unfolding the last painting, Wen Yan found nothing. He swallowed hard, mustered up the courage to speak, and said, "Sir, I did give it to Madam Shang personally. Did you miss it?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the officer leading the search turned cold and said respectfully to Prefect He, "Sir, I have searched carefully and have not missed even the official rooms of the Shang Mansion. All the scrolls in the Shang Mansion are here."

Wen Yan's strength was drained from his body, and endless fear surged from the depths of his heart. He was not stupid enough to realize that they had fallen into a game within a game...

He personally handed the garden distribution map to Shang Wenshu today. Calculating the time, Shang Wenshu didn't even have time to look at it. Even if Shang Wenshu couldn't help but look at it on the way back, she wouldn't think of anything about a garden map, let alone deal with it early.

"Sir, they are harboring evil intentions and intend to commit crimes. Their evidence must be destroyed!" Wen Yan tried to fight a cornered battle. "The garden map given to me by the students must have been destroyed by them!"

His guess was not without reason, Prefect He pondered.

"Sir." Shang Mingshu wanted to crush Wen Yan, "Wen Xiucai is good at painting, and he often sells his calligraphy and paintings to supplement his family income. That obscene painting just now could not be collected by a woman like my elder sister.

If my elder sister had seen this painting, she wouldn't have stayed. She hasn't seen it before, so she probably didn't have time to look at it. She didn't join me at the literati gathering today because Wen Xiucai invited her. I venture to guess that this painting was a gift from Wen Xiucai today.

My eldest sister hasn't seen it yet, so the same logic applies. Wen Xiucai must have wanted to give my eldest sister the garden map to frame her, and in a hurry he took it by mistake? Why don't you send someone to search Wen Xiucai's bed, perhaps they'll find the so-called garden map..."

"grown ups……"

"Sir!" Shang Mingshu didn't give Wen Yan a chance to speak. "Even if you're not looking for garden paintings, you can still get a few of Wen Xiucai's masterpieces and find a skilled painter to compare them. You can check whether the painting of the beauty emerging from the bath that was just unfolded was painted by him.

"Your Excellency has personally asked, and Wen Xiucai has personally denied it. If it is proven that Wen Xiucai is lying, this person's words are not enough to prove it!"

Magistrate He immediately sent someone to retrieve the painting, and at the same time sent someone to invite the principal of the nearby Ziyang Academy. The principal was highly respected and his painting skills were famous all over the world.

Someone was sent to collect evidence. Magistrate He did not delay the trial and checked other evidence one by one, which turned out to be medicinal herbs and powder.

"Sir, these are some packets of powder. When I led my men to search, a young woman panicked and burned them. I stole some." The officer handed over a few packets of powder. "The woman was acting strangely, claiming to be the merchant's concubine. I have brought her here with me and will be waiting outside the yamen for your summons, sir."

"The person..."

"Sir." Shang Mingshu suddenly interrupted, meeting the displeased gaze of Prefect He, she refused to give in, "Sir, this Miss Mu, I have noticed her suspicious whereabouts a while ago, and she seems to harbor hatred towards our family.

"Sir, please send someone to retrieve the pearl first. If she truly possessed something that our merchant family couldn't allow, why would she wait until the officer came a second time and then deliberately conceal it in front of him? This case is still a mystery. If someone is framing my family, and Mu Xiaoniang is part of the conspiracy, she must be a key witness. Sir, why don't you first ask the doctor to see if this powder has been added to the medicine in the kitchen?"

Magistrate He held the medicine bag in his hand, his eyes gleaming with admiration. He finally understood why Shang Mingshu had been so composed from the beginning to the end. Everything was under her control. "What if it is? What if it isn't?"

"If so, please pretend it's not and see how she tries to explain it. If not, please pretend it's and see how she acts." Shang Mingshu was confident.

"Nonsense!" County Magistrate Gao rebuked coldly, "Daughter of the Shang family, you are a suspect. How can I let you lead me around in court?"

It seems like he is scolding Shang Mingshu, but in fact he is setting up Zhifu He.

He Zhifu was no ordinary man. He said, "Although Madam Shang San is a suspect, this matter is shrouded in mystery. I think the other officials agree with me. I think what Madam Shang San said makes sense."

Several supervisors looked at each other and nodded to Magistrate He.

The government office summoned a doctor, who carefully examined several packets of powdered medicine and said to Magistrate He, "Sir, this is medicine for women, used to induce abortion. It has no harmful effects on ordinary people. It is different from the medicine found in the water tank."

He Zhifu waved his hand to let the doctor leave, and slammed the gavel: "Come here, bring Shang Mu."

"Master!" Mu Xiaoniang rushed straight towards Shang Jinliang.

"Shang Mu, this is the court!" Magistrate He shouted.

Mu Xiaoniang shuddered, and fell to her knees timidly with a thud.

"Ms. Shang Mu, I would like to ask you, do you know what this medicine is?" Magistrate He held up the medicine bag.

A familiar thing appeared before her eyes. Mu Xiaoniang was like a frightened bird, and timidly glanced at Shang Jinliang: "Sir... I don't know..."

"Don't you know? These harmful things were found in your yard. You saw the officers searching and burning them hastily. If you don't confess the truth, don't blame me for punishing you severely!"

Mu Xiaoniang shuddered, biting her lip as tears welled up in her eyes. She looked at Shang Jinliang with a pitiful expression, as if she had made up her mind. "Sir, this is just an ordinary drug. I've been wandering around and have hidden some life-saving tricks. Today, I saw the officers coming into the mansion to search, and I was afraid it would bring disaster to you, so I burned it in a hurry."

As the drug appeared, everyone present had different expressions. He Zhifu sneered and said, "You are still not honest. Come, give me the torture!"

Two yamen runners approached Mu Xiaoniang with a pair of tongs. Mu Xiaoniang turned pale, but she still insisted, "Sir, every word I say is true, every word is true!"

Her fingers were forcefully inserted into the wooden stick by the bailiff, who showed no mercy. Mu Xiaoniang's screams resounded throughout the courtroom.

Shang Jinliang closed his eyes. He knew that Mu Xiaoniang was also a spy planted by someone else next to him. She was pretending to be so kind at this moment, not because she was deeply in love with him, but because she wanted her confession to gain the trust of the prefect.

She wanted his business family to be doomed to failure, so that she, Mu Xiaoniang, could still have the reputation of being loyal and righteous!

(End of this chapter)