vrcanaries Chapter 227 Case closed
Chapter 227 Case closed
In judging a case, one cannot rely on only one side of the story; soon, the Zhao family members also provided their testimonies.
Naturally, this is completely contrary to the statements of the Li family.
It is said that Li Mingyue sent a bowl of soup to the Duke as a sign of filial piety, after which the Duke died of poisoning.
When the young master found out, he went to confront Li Mingyue. The argument escalated, and in a fit of rage, the young master hit her too hard and killed her.
Ye Xiao smiled slightly and had the servants who served the Duke brought outside, then brought them in one by one for interrogation.
Without asking anything else, he only asked which maid had delivered the soup to the Duke.
What color clothes were worn, what hairstyle was worn, and what time of day it occurred?
To everyone's surprise, the servants all answered correctly.
It was Lvyu, Li Mingyue's dowry maid, who was wearing a pink dress and had her hair styled in a lily bun. She had brought the soup yesterday at 3:45 AM.
Then, after the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the Duke screamed and died with blood flowing from all seven orifices.
They informed the Crown Prince, who then went to the Crown Princess's courtyard to confront her.
There were a total of 6 people who were questioned, and their answers were all accurate and without any flaws.
Ye Xiao clapped in admiration, "Impressive, impressive! The Ningguo Duke's Mansion is truly profound, having so many servants with photographic memories."
Please close your eyes.
When you invited Prince Zhao over yesterday, was he wearing dark or light-colored clothes?
I remember those wearing dark colors raised their left hand, those wearing light colors raised their right hand, and those who couldn't remember raised both hands.
The servants were all dumbfounded.
Nobody taught them this, so how are they supposed to explain it now?
They were so panicked yesterday that they were terrified. How could they remember whether the young master was wearing a dark or light color?
Thinking back, the Crown Prince wears all sorts of clothes...
How to say this?
What if I say something wrong and it's different from what others say? Will I be punished?
The safest course of action in this situation was to say that he didn't remember, so the six servants raised their hands in unison.
"Alright, alright, it seems that your good memory varies from person to person."
Ye Xiao chuckled mockingly a few times, then his voice suddenly turned cold.
"I remember exactly what clothes a little maid wore and what hairstyle she had."
No one could remember what color their young master was wearing.
What, is that girl more important than our young master?
Or perhaps... you didn't expect me to ask what clothes the Crown Prince was wearing, so you forgot to coordinate your stories?
Upon hearing this, the adults who were watching the spectacle immediately realized, "That's right!"
At this moment, they couldn't remember what color clothes their concubines wore or what hairstyles they had worn the day before.
It's quite remarkable that he could remember so clearly what a maid was wearing and what she was carrying in such a chaotic situation yesterday.
If one or two people remember, it can be said that they have good memories, but it is indeed illogical for all six people to remember perfectly.
Wow, this is getting more and more interesting.
If this Duke wasn't poisoned by Li Mingyue, then who was it?
This answer... it's terrifying to think about.
Zhao Chengye hadn't expected that this young Lord Xiao would be so shrewd.
Not only did the trial in front of so many people prevent him from having a chance to smear the case, but it also allowed them to find loopholes so quickly.
As expected, a fake is a fake. Despite his careful consideration of many details, he still made a mistake and exposed the flaw.
Seeing Zhao Chengye's ashen face, Ye Xiao became even more smug.
Fortunately, he consulted with He Zhang to better complete the task. It seems that the safest way to handle cases that require avoiding suspicion is to be open and aboveboard.
His father is no longer anyone's henchman or weapon; he is a true pillar of the nation.
The head of the Eastern Depot may not need a reputation, but the title of Marquis of Zhenguo is still necessary, and it is usually time to gradually transform.
Clearly, the Eastern Depot's case-handling capabilities are far superior to those of the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review.
However, he was criticized for his ruthless and underhanded methods.
Why?
Others can distinguish right from wrong, but they are forced to confess under torture?
He can say with certainty that the number of wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice in the Eastern Depot was far, far lower than that in the Ministry of Justice.
The reason why the old emperor had a reputation for harming loyal and virtuous officials was because he was a heartless person.
That guy doesn't want the truth at all. He knows the truth himself. As for who to kill and who not to kill, it's all up to his needs.
The old emperor would send people to dig through the filth to find the good deeds those people had done.
If you want to mess with someone, just let them nitpick and find fault with that person.
The old emperor was 60% responsible for the disgraceful reputation of the Eastern Depot and his father, while the remaining 40% was due to the uneven quality of his subordinates.
In short, it has nothing to do with his father.
Although Ye Xiaoye is a brainless daddy fanboy, his intelligence is definitely on point in other aspects.
Finding a breakthrough established his image as selfless and impartial, while also letting everyone know that there were other hidden details in the case.
Then came the torture and forced confession, which was a necessary procedure in the trial, and no one said it was unfair anymore.
The servants of the Duke's mansion were not hardened criminals who had spent a long time on the streets, and they had no experience with torture at all.
The Eastern Depot was notorious for its methods; as soon as the torture instruments were laid out, they confessed before the torture was even properly applied.
They didn't know much either, since only two personal maids were present when the Duchess administered the drug.
But they also said that it was the young master who taught them to say that, and they had never seen the young master's wife's maid enter the Duke's courtyard.
Furthermore, they were sent away by the Duchess, and when they were called back, they heard that the Duke had died from poisoning.
The confession was all too obvious. The officials exchanged glances and turned their gazes toward the Duchess, who was slumped in her chair.
I thought the daughter-in-law killed the father-in-law, but it turns out the wife killed the husband.
They made the right decision to stay; it seems there's more shocking news to come.
What's going on? Could it be that they've discovered Zhao Chengye isn't the Duke's son?
Either what the maid in the Li family said was true.
Zhao Chengye participated in the plot to rebel and kill to cover it up. In order to exonerate her son, the Duchess framed her daughter-in-law for poisoning her own Duke.
Officials are exempt from punishment.
The Duchess, being a first-rank imperial consort, was not someone they could directly interrogate, but the two maids did not have that privilege.
Ye Xiao casually fiddled with the jade pendant at his waist.
"Now that our Eastern Depot has taken over this case, we will definitely investigate it thoroughly."
Have you thought this through? Confessing now and confessing after being tortured are not the same thing.
The two nannies, one who provided the arsenic and the other who helped administer the medicine, were both direct participants, yet now they are gritting their teeth and resolutely denying it.
They'd been pampered for so many years, their hands hadn't even washed their clothes, and they immediately gave in after a few steel needles were inserted.
Their minds said they would persevere, but their bodies couldn't take it anymore; all they wanted right now was a quick and painless death.
Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Zhao Chengye confessed honestly.
He was unusually filial and wanted to protect his mother by taking all the blame upon himself, but unfortunately it was too late, and he couldn't back down now.
He was also busy reading books on scientific research and cultivating connections.
If he had read a few more books on criminal law, he wouldn't have been exposed so quickly.
Anyway, if Jiang Xinyu had done this job, Xiao Yuan probably wouldn't have been able to get any information out of her.
One wrong step leads to another; it's all a matter of timing, luck, and fate!
This guy got into trouble beyond his capabilities when he wasn't up to the task.
Or rather, Jiang Xinyu, this variable, caused him to lose his protagonist aura.
Everything changed from the day the marriage was arranged. Zhao Chengye, who had been lucky for more than 20 years, began to encounter misfortune in everything he did.
After being imprisoned in the Eastern Depot's prison, Zhao Chengye had a dream in which everything went smoothly for him.
His elder brother died unexpectedly from illness, and he became the heir of the Duke's mansion from being the second son.
He married Jiang Xinyu and used her generous dowry to enhance the prestige of the Marquis's mansion, earning the appreciation of the Third Prince.
Later, the woman died in childbirth, leaving behind a son. He then married Wanqiu as he wished and gained a good reputation.
Everyone in the capital praised him for his loyalty and righteousness, saying that he married his stepdaughter, his sister-in-law, to avoid his second wife neglecting his son.
In his dream, he was successful, renowned, and respected, and together with Wanqiu, they were known as the most perfect couple in the Great Jin Dynasty.
Unfortunately, when I woke up, all I found was a stinking prison cell and insects and rats crawling all over the floor.
Zhao Chengye pounded on the prison door like a madman. He wanted to see Jiang Xinyu; he absolutely had to see that woman.