manynovel Chapter 549 Witness
Chapter 549 Witness
"Sir! There is nothing suspicious in the study." A guard came running to report.
"My lord! There is none in the bedroom."
"Sir! There is nothing in the side rooms or the storerooms."
Qin Yandong looked around the courtyard and saw Jiang Youzhen with a calm face. He began to guess the relationship between her and Li Dongsheng.
He thought for a moment and looked inside the courtyard.
"Search this yard thoroughly, leaving no corner unsearched, even the garden and under the trees."
"Remember to return to your original position." The second prince said in a deep voice.
Qin Yandong twitched the corner of his mouth. He had never been so restricted when handling cases in the Dali Temple.
"Sir, we've turned the place upside down, but still can't find it." A guard stepped forward to report.
Jiang Youzhen frowned as he looked at the overturned flowers and plants. Even if those people replanted them, the yard was really a mess.
Qin Yandong pondered for a moment, looking at Jiang Youzhen with a flickering look in his eyes.
He waved his hand and said, "Take him to the Dali Temple for interrogation."
Looking at Jiang Youzhen walking slowly ahead, Qin Yandong felt it was absurd. No suspect had ever walked into the Dali Temple on his own. Who wasn't dragged in?
Especially Jiang Youzhen, who was dressed neatly and looked very calm, as if he was just here to visit. This boy had a good character, and was definitely not just a scholar.
Thinking back to the time two years ago when this kid had been stirring up trouble in the court, his name was everywhere before he even showed up. Even his father praised him highly, so he knew that this kid was not easy to deal with.
Everyone entered the Dali Temple courtroom. As Jiang Youzhen stepped in, he saw an unexpected person sitting on the upper left.
The third prince? Everyone was very surprised.
"Your humble servant pays respect to His Majesty the Third Prince!"
"Greetings, Master Zhu!"
The third prince was sitting next to the new Dali Temple Minister Zhu Zhimin. Everyone was surprised and saluted him.
Jiang Youzhen thought that this person had not received the news yet, but it turned out that he was the last one to receive the news.
"Second brother, fourth brother, you are here too?" The third prince was surprised. He was involved in this fraud case. Although he had to avoid suspicion, his father at least gave him some face.
But what does this have to do with his second and fourth brothers? What are they doing here? His eyes swept over Jiang Youzhen. Ha! So this kid is so important in their hearts?
"Who are the two princes?" Zhu Zhimin had a headache. It was fine if the third prince came, but what were the second and fourth princes here for?
"Listen in! Since this matter involves the third brother, it would be unfair. It is only natural for me and the fourth brother to listen in."
The Second Prince said this and sat down next to Zhu Zhimin with the Fourth Prince. Zhu Zhimin was under great pressure as he had not expected a fraud case to be so complicated.
There was no longer any position for the Jingzhao prefect at the top, so he could only sit at the bottom.
Jiang Youzhen couldn't help but sigh as he faced so many powers. Power is such a good thing, no wonder everyone wants it!
"Bang!" The gavel suddenly made a sound. "Who is down there? Tell me your name."
Everyone nearby turned to look at Zhu Zhimin with strange looks in their eyes.
Zhu Zhimin's face twitched. Isn't this just a routine matter? This is the procedure!
"I am Jiang Youzhen, a student from the Northern Province in the 24th year of Chengming. Nice to meet you, Lord Zhu!" Jiang Youzhen said respectfully.
"Jiang Youzhen, someone has reported you for cheating in the exam. Is that true?"
"Your Excellency, this is slander. It is impossible for a student to cheat. May I ask who reported it and what evidence do you have?" Jiang Youzhen looked very calm.
If it were someone else, Zhu Zhimin would have threatened them long ago, but there were so many important people sitting here that he couldn't even yell at them.
"Pah!" Zhu Zhimin took his hand and knocked lightly, "Come here, send witnesses Zhang Er and Liu Gui to the court."
Soon, two people were brought up. Jiang Youzhen looked over and found that one of them was the student who cheated in the exam last time. She remembered his appearance.
However, Jiang Youzhen had guessed that it was related to him, but he did not expect that the two had been tortured, their bodies covered in blood, and their robes were stained red.
The two were dragged in by someone, and judging by the blood on their bodies, they must have just been tortured. As expected of the Dali Temple, they suffered physical pain as soon as they entered.
"Who is in the hall?" Zhu Zhimin slammed the gavel with a stern voice, which was completely different from his attitude when facing Jiang Youzhen.
For a long while, the two did not respond.
A guard stepped forward, grabbed one of them by the hair and pulled it hard, then poured a bowl of water on his face.
The man slowly woke up, and when he saw the leader, he immediately begged for mercy: "Sir, please let me go, I didn't cheat."
"You said you didn't cheat, but why are there cheat sheets on your robe?" Zhu Zhimin said with a frown.
"I didn't write it. That's not my handwriting." Liu Gui crawled on the ground, unable to use any strength in his body.
"You said you didn't write it, but even if it's on you, there's no guarantee that you didn't ask someone else to copy it for you. Let's see how you can argue." Zhu Zhimin snorted coldly.
"Sir, sir, it really wasn't me. If it was me, how could I let someone else write for me for such a secret matter? Besides, I don't know the test questions, so it's useless even if I copied them!
The answer above has nothing to do with this exam. I am already a juren, why should I take this risk? "Liu Gui cried, he was really wronged!
"You mean someone is framing you? But who would frame you? Even if you fail the exam, does that person have the ability to pass? Or is there a personal grudge?"
Zhu Zhimin flipped through the confession on the table and said, "I have already investigated everyone around you. Your wife and parents are illiterate, but your servant can read.
He is your book boy, isn't it normal for him to copy the answers for you? We have compared the handwritings and they are exactly the same. He has confessed that you ordered him to do it. "
Liu Gui was shocked, "This is impossible, I didn't ask him to copy the answers."
"Someone, bring the servant Liu Quan up here."
Soon, a boy of only thirteen or fourteen years old was brought up. He was also covered in blood, and when he was put down, he had collapsed into mud.
"Liu Quan, let me ask you, did your master Liu Gui ask you to copy the article?"
"Yes!" Liu Quan was not unconscious, although his reply was weak.
"Koizumi, what are you talking about? When have I ever asked you to copy?" Liu Gui looked at the book boy who had served him since he was a child in disbelief. He was breathing deeply and his whole body was shaking.
"The young master ordered me to copy it. He said he bought the examination questions from somewhere else and asked me to copy the answers on his robe."
"You're talking nonsense!" Liu Gui looked at Zhu Zhimin, very flustered.
"Sir, it's unfair! I didn't do it, he lied. He must have received benefits from others and framed me."
"Why can't the words on the robe be seen normally, but appear as soon as it gets wet?" Zhu Zhimin was also very curious about this.