mtlumby2d Chapter 349 Inquiry
Chapter 349 Inquiry
“Your Highness, Wei An is a close servant of the common people, and her clothes are the uniforms of the palace maids, so it’s easy to find one from somewhere else.
It is possible that when Wei An was serving the girl in the bedroom, someone took the blood-stained clothes that had been prepared long ago and hid them in her room. "
After a pause, Luo Xiaoran continued to speak according to her own thoughts:
"The murderer behind the scenes wanted to frame Commander Lin's death on this woman. He not only bribed Xiao Xingzi, but also prepared this bloody shirt as physical evidence.
According to the meticulous thinking of the murderer behind the scenes, I guess the size of this bloody shirt...it will definitely fit Wei An!"
After saying that, Luo Xiaoran squatted down and picked up the bloody clothes thrown on the ground by the Queen Mother. She brought it to Wei An and measured it. It was neither too big nor too small, just the right size.
“I even suspect that this dress originally belonged to Wei An and was stolen from the laundry by the murderer behind the scenes!
When killing Commander Lin, put on the clothes or cover it in front of you, so that it can create the illusion that Wei An killed Commander Lin wearing this clothes. "
Luo Xiaoran's tone was no longer respectful and sweet to the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother felt a little unhappy when she heard it, so she said in a sarcastic tone:
"You are indeed a good speaker. I heard that at the palace banquet yesterday, you contradicted Concubine Tang with your sharp tongue, causing her to be confined by the emperor.
I didn’t believe it at first, but now I have seen it for myself.”
"Ahem, mother, what Miss Luo said is... not without reason."
Emperor Tianqi was shocked for a moment by Luo Xiaoran's confrontation with the Queen Mother. After he came to his senses, he spoke well of her.
For the sake of Emperor Tianqi, the Queen Mother suppressed her anger. She pointed at the tied up Xiao Xingzi and asked:
“The matter of the blood-stained shirt still needs to be investigated in detail, but the fact that you and your servant killed Commander Lin was reported by a young eunuch in your palace!
If you were not the murderer, how many of him would have the guts to sue his master as a slave?"
“Since Xiao Xingzi said that I am the murderer, I beg the Queen Mother and the Emperor to allow me to ask Xiao Xingzi a few questions.
In broad daylight, under the clear sky, I cannot let Xiao Xingzi slander me with his lies. I must confront him!"
"I agree." Before the empress dowager expressed her opinion, Emperor Tianqi spoke first.
The palace servants guarding Xiao Xingzi were all from the Empress Dowager's Changning Palace. Without the Empress Dowager's order, they didn't even remove the white cloth covering Xiao Xingzi's mouth.
Emperor Tianqi looked at the Queen Mother quietly without saying a word. There was a rivalry between the two that could not be brought to the surface. Luo Xiaoran and Huo Qingyun were both witnesses of the mother and son's rivalry in public.
Finally, the Queen Mother nodded slightly, the palace maid removed the gag from Xiao Xingzi, and Luo Xiaoran walked over.
Looking at Luo Xiaoran getting closer and closer to him, Xiao Xingzi was in deep struggle.
But soon, his gaze became firm.
Luo Xiaoran saw the changes in Xiao Xingzi's expression from guilt and remorse to determination.
Yes, I have been very kind to him. If there was no threat from someone holding something in his hand, why would Xiao Xingzi want to harm me?
However, since he has already done this, he is my enemy, and I will never be lenient towards my enemies!
"You said Commander Lin broke into Fukang Palace last night and tried to do something indecent to me. Can anyone prove it?"
Whoever makes the claim should provide the evidence. Luo Xiaoran’s question is correct.
Xiao Xingzi replied, "When Commander Lin arrived, it was already late at night. Everyone else in the palace was asleep. I was on guard in the corridor, so I discovered him."
"In other words, this statement that caused Commander Lin to be charged with the crime of 'an outsider sneaking into the harem' was just your one-sided statement."
Xiao Xingzi: “…”
"After nightfall, the palace gates were locked. How did Commander Lin get in?" Luo Xiaoran asked the second question.
Xiao Xingzi stammered, "This... I don't know. When I noticed the noise, Commander Lin was already in the courtyard."
Luo Xiaoran sneered, "This is still your one-sided statement, there is no evidence!
If one person can be convicted based on his nonsense, then I can also say that Commander Lin was killed by you!"
"I didn't!" Xiao Xingzi objected strongly.
"You were bribed and quietly opened the door of Fukang Palace late at night. The person behind the scenes brought you Commander Lin who had been knocked unconscious, and a palace maid's dress that fit Wei An.
You dragged Commander Lin into your room, then used Wei An's clothes to cover your body, and finally cut Commander Lin's neck!"
"I don't!!!"
Some fragments of last night surged in Xiao Xingzi's mind as Luo Xiaoran told his story. Xiao Xingzi's eyes, which had not slept all night, were full of bloodshot.
He was just a servant of lowly status. Up to now, the master he served best and who was willing to treat him as a human being was Luo Xiaoran. But now... he was harming Luo Xiaoran!
Not only that, he also had to perform the "slave suing his master" drama in front of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, which brought his physical and mental strength to the brink of collapse.
"I didn't! I didn't! I didn't..."
Xiao Xingzi kept shaking his head, repeating the three words "I didn't", but Luo Xiaoran ignored him and continued her questioning:
"You said that I knocked Commander Lin unconscious and Wei An killed him. Where did I get the drug? How did Wei An kill Commander Lin? What was the murder weapon?
Since you said Wei An didn't have time to deal with the bloody clothes, I guess he didn't have time to deal with the murder weapon either. Where is the murder weapon now?"
"..."
Xiao Xingzi didn't even say "I didn't". He stared at Luo Xiaoran blankly. The sweat from nervousness, fear and guilt made him look like he had just been pulled out of the water.
After a long moment, he lowered his head and smiled bitterly in silence.
When he raised his head again, Xiao Xingzi's whole face was as pale as paper.
He took a deep look at Luo Xiaoran, silently said "I'm sorry", and then shouted to the Queen Mother and Emperor Tianqi:
"What I said is true. Commander Lin broke into Fukang Palace and tried to do something indecent to Miss Luo. Miss Luo then sprinkled a drug from her sleeve to knock him unconscious, and then ordered Wei An to kill him!
Miss Luo's palace dress from yesterday has not yet been sent to the laundry department. She never lets us into her bedroom, so outsiders have no way of tampering with the dress. There must be residues of drugs on it!
Although I did not participate in the murder of Commander Lin, I was also a bystander. I am willing to atone for my sin with my own life!"
After saying that, Xiao Xingzi, who was tied up tightly all over his body, took advantage of no one's attention, quickly ran to the flower bed and bumped into it!
"boom!"
There was a crisp sound.
How high can something like a flower bed be?
In order to use his own death to slander Luo Xiaoran, Xiao Xingzi knelt in front of the flower bed and resolutely collided his head with the white marble used to build the flower bed, performing a self-splitting performance on the spot.
The Queen Mother was shocked. Although she had been in the harem for many years and had killed people, they were all orders given by her and carried out by her servants. She would never be allowed to see such a bloody scene.
The empress dowager even thought, somewhat inappropriately, that it was fortunate that she had just taken a look at Lin Yuanfang's corpse, which had prepared her for such a bloody matter.
If she saw the mixture of red and white liquid on Xiao Xingzi's head at the beginning, she would probably be frightened to death.
Emperor Tianqi had not seen many bloody scenes, but he was a man after all, and the lord of Daliang. Even if he was a little scared in his heart, he did not show any fear on his face.
Compared with the above two people, Luo Xiaoran and Huo Qingyun were much calmer.
Xiao Xingzi curled up on the ground and struggled for a while before completely losing his breath.
Wang Defa couldn't help but secretly curse Xiao Xingzi in his heart, saying that he was a disaster. After causing a lot of trouble, he hit his head and died, leaving behind a mess for him to clean up!
Seeing the empress dowager's tense face, Wang Defa quickly ordered two eunuchs to carry Xiao Xingzi's body away. However, the bloodstains on the flower bed and the ground were not easy to wash with water in front of the noble lady, so they had to leave them there for the time being.
After a short pause, the Queen Mother attacked Luo Xiaoran again, her tone becoming very cold:
"Luo Xiaoran, if you really had nothing to do with Commander Lin's death, would that servant have used his death to expose you?"
When Xiao Xingzi's body was carried away, Luo Xiaoran looked at him carefully. He was really thin.
In the imperial palace, compared with the confidant servants like Wang Defa, the lower-class palace servants represented by Xiao Xingzi lived a more difficult life.
This hardship does not refer to the lack of material resources, but the fact that most of the lower-level palace people have experienced the trampling of dignity, mental abuse, and bullying by their peers...
Luo Xiaoran had hardly ever seen Xiao Xingzi straighten his back. He was a complete eunuch at the bottom of the imperial palace under the feudal system, humble, weak, and living just to live...
But such a slave, who was called "rootless" by many people, finally chose to bite her in such a decisive way!
Luo Xiaoran sighed for a moment over Xiao Xingzi's death, and soon the complexity in her eyes turned into coldness.
“Empress Dowager, if you use the life of a servant, you can exchange it for Commander Lin’s life, and you can also make me, the future Princess of Yan, bear the suspicion.
If I were the one behind Xiao Xingzi's plan, I would also think this was a great deal!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the courtyard fell into silence.
Only the green chrysanthemums in the white marble flowerbed, which had just drunk blood, were left, swaying unawares, undisturbed by worldly affairs.
Luo Xiaoran's words were too straightforward, and she made the matter completely clear, so that the people in the courtyard didn't know what to say for a moment.
Huo Qingyun was happy to see Lin Yuanfang's death.
The Huo family had long regarded the Lin family as their mortal enemy because of a series of events including the death of the former crown prince, the death of Consort Huizong's concubine due to depression, and the stroke of the old patriarch Huo.
The Lin family had been prosperous for three generations, and finally such a troublesome thing happened. Huo Qingyun was happy to watch the show.
His only worry was that Luo Xiaoran was deeply trapped in it and he didn't know whether she could successfully escape.
After Emperor Tianqi saw Lin Yuanfang's corpse with his own eyes, although his emotions were complicated, happiness dominated them.
Before he was adopted by the empress dowager, Lin Yuanfang relied on his status as the eldest son of the Lin family and did not take himself, the prince, seriously at all.
Later, he became Huizong's nominal legitimate son. Although Lin Yuanfang showed respect to him on the surface, he still looked down on his background in private.
Even after ascending the throne, he could still feel Lin Yuanfang's arrogance and conceit!
Emperor Tianqi was happy for a moment, and then he began to think quickly, who was the murderer of Lin Yuanfang?
Several names flashed through his mind one by one, and Emperor Tianqi's brows furrowed more and more tightly. He just hoped that the murderer was not who he thought.
The Queen Mother was still in grief, but she felt that her status was noble and she could not lose her composure again and again in public, so she kept holding it in.
If the Queen Mother initially believed that this matter was a setup by someone to frame Luo Xiaoran, then after Xiao Xingzi risked his life to expose Luo Xiaoran, the Queen Mother became even more certain of her original idea.
This looks like a trap, a trap specifically targeting Luo Xiaoran.
It’s not that the Queen Mother looked down on Luo Xiaoran, but in her eyes, Luo Xiaoran was just a village girl of humble origin. Because of her beautiful appearance and eloquence, she was favored by God and caught the eye of King Yan.
How could such a woman of humble origin dare to kill the eldest son of the Lin family in the imperial palace?
But what if? The Queen Mother hesitated...
What if what Xiao Xingzi said was true, and Yuan Fang was really killed after being knocked unconscious by Luo Xiaoran?
Thinking of the drug Xiao Xingzi mentioned before his death, the Queen Mother looked at Wang Defa and urged:
"Go! Search out Luo Xiaoran's palace dress from yesterday and have Doctor Zhang check if there is any drug in it!"
Wang Defa took the order and went to Luo Xiaoran's bedroom. He quickly brought out the palace dress and handed it to Doctor Zhang.
Doctor Zhang followed Xiao Xingzi's instructions and focused on checking the sleeves of the palace dress. He frowned and glanced at Luo Xiaoran. He reported his findings truthfully:
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, there is indeed some drug residue in the left sleeve of the palace dress!
The drug is so potent that it doesn’t need to be swallowed; just smelling it or having contact with the skin can make a person unconscious.”
Doctor Zhang's words made the empress dowager's mind tilt a little towards the "Luo Xiaoran is the murderer" side.
She had a cold face and didn't say anything, obviously waiting for Luo Xiaoran's explanation.
Aren't you good at speaking? I want to see how you explain the existence of the drug!
Luo Xiaoran was not surprised at all that the drug really existed. Since Xiao Xingzi dared to say it out loud, he must have done something fishy.
But since she didn't kill Lin Yuanfang, she wouldn't be blamed. She would never let the person behind this succeed!
"The palace dress that I am wearing was sent by the Inner Court. How many people must have passed through its hands along the way?
The Imperial Clothing Department, which is responsible for tailoring palace dresses, has so many people coming and going every day, so it must not be difficult to tamper with a piece of palace dress.
Even if there are traces of drugs on this palace dress, who can prove that they were left by the common woman when she hid the drugs?
When I and Wei An entered the palace, they were searched and found to be carrying nothing prohibited."
Luo Xiaoran was still wondering why she slept so soundly last night?
It turned out that the palace dress she was wearing had been tampered with, and the drug had affected her to some extent.
I was careless. I paid attention to what I ate but not what I wore.