in2ebook Who was instigating Chapter 83? Princess Yizhen, of course!
Who was instigating Chapter 83? Princess Yizhen, of course!
"Yes! And her too!"
"It's either you or her, or you two sisters teamed up to harm me!"
Fang Shixin was certain of everything she said, convinced that Princess Huizhen and Qin Yizhen were the ones who had harmed her.
Qin Yizhen really didn't expect that the matter would involve her, and she frowned slightly, feeling unhappy.
Although she did indeed have a grudge against Fang Shixin, it was understandable that Fang Shixin suspected her.
But her suspicions are one thing, but her baseless accusations and unfounded convictions are truly disgusting.
With her personal guards clearing the way, the crowd of onlookers in front of the Jingzhao Prefecture's public hall parted one by one, and Qin Yizhen stepped forward and walked to the entrance of the public hall.
Some people came to their senses and knelt down to pay their respects, while others realized that the princess had arrived and also knelt down to pay their respects.
In an instant, only Princess Huizhen, Fang Shixin, and the Prefect of Jingzhao remained standing in the courtroom.
Prefect Zeng of the Capital Prefecture rose from his seat to greet her, bowing respectfully and saying, "Your subject, Zeng Song, Prefect of the Capital Prefecture, pays his respects to the Princess."
"Lord Zeng, there's no need for such formalities. Everyone, please refrain from such formalities as well." Qin Yizhen's gaze swept around the room, finally landing on Princess Huizhen. Seeing her standing there with a cold and stern face, she breathed a slight sigh of relief.
She's so self-righteous; it seems she really didn't do it.
"What are you doing here?" Princess Huizhen asked with a dark expression, clearly disliking Qin Yizhen.
She probably didn't want Qin Yizhen to see her in this embarrassing state.
"When the Empress Dowager learned of this, she sent me to come and see."
"What's so interesting?" Princess Huizhen sneered. "This matter has nothing to do with me, so there's no need to worry. I'll be going back after the investigation is over."
At this point, Princess Huizhen glanced at Fang Shixin and sneered, "This person is courting death, and I don't know who he offended and is now being retaliated against. He has now implicated the business of Yachun Pavilion. I will not let him get away with this."
Although the business of Ya Chun Ge was secretly spearheaded by the Marquis of Pingxi's mansion and managed by Mr. Deng, Princess Huizhen only held a nominal position, but she still received 20% of the profits. She was a big spender and needed this money, so she naturally paid special attention to it.
The fire at Fanghua Pavilion was one thing, but the fact that it affected Yachun Pavilion and cut off her source of income truly angered her.
"Your Highness, please calm down," Qin Yizhen could only advise her. "The truth will come out eventually."
At this point, Qin Yizhen said to Lord Zeng, "Lord Zeng, you don't need to worry about me. Just continue investigating your case. The security of Qin Capital is of paramount importance. Arson is a serious crime. We must find out the truth, severely punish the culprits, give the victims justice, and appease the people."
Lord Zeng responded with a "Yes," then returned to his seat in the courtroom to continue the investigation.
Two chairs were brought over by the yamen runners, and Qin Yizhen and Princess Huizhen were invited to sit down and listen to the proceedings.
Upon seeing this, Fang Shixin immediately scoffed in anger and couldn't help but say sarcastically, "Some people just don't take the law seriously. This is a courtroom, not a place for you to act like a tyrant."
Qin Yizhen glanced at her but remained silent.
Some people become more enthusiastic the more you pay attention to them, and they insist on arguing with you to prove that they are right and everyone else is wrong.
Ignoring it is the best course of action.
As expected, Fang Shixin felt resentful when Qin Yi treated her as if she didn't exist, but she was helpless against the other party.
In cities and towns, houses are close together, so fire prevention is of paramount importance to maintaining order. Therefore, when the night watchman strikes the horn, he also reminds people to be careful with fire.
Therefore, even a common accidental fire would prompt officials from the government to come and investigate. Now that Fanghua Pavilion has caught fire, it involves whether someone deliberately set it on fire, making it a major case.
Even Princess Huizhen, who was a suspect, had to wait for the investigation results before she could leave.
Lord Zeng questioned everyone who had been in Fanghua Pavilion or nearby before the fire, but many were busy with their own things and rushed out when they heard the fire or saw it burning. He was unable to get any information out of them.
Moreover, many people stayed together in twos and threes, each providing their own testimony, without any doubt.
The further the interrogation went, the uglier Fang Shixin's expression became.
Although she loudly proclaimed that Princess Huizhen had ordered the burning of Fanghua Pavilion, without evidence, she couldn't do anything to Princess Huizhen. In fact, she could only swallow her pride and accept her misfortune.
However, things took a turn for the better when only a few people remained after the interrogation.
He was a thirty-year-old young man, tall and thin, wearing a worn-out blue robe. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked somewhat gloomy, as if he had been in a daze and couldn't wake up for many years.
Although there is a saying that "you can't judge a book by its cover," this usually only applies to a minority of people. Most people can get a good idea of a person's character just by looking at their appearance and spirit.
This clearly different person drew the attention of many people present, who began to whisper among themselves.
Qin Yizhen also turned her gaze over, but for some reason, when the young man walked past, he glanced at her intentionally or unintentionally, and she felt a little uneasy, her heart seemed to beat faster than usual.
She glanced at Granny Jin, who was waiting to the side. Granny Jin understood and tugged at the guard beside her.
"Who is below?" Lord Zeng asked.
"I am Zhang Hui," Zhang Hui replied indifferently.
"Zhang Hui, are you a shop assistant at Fanghua Pavilion, helping to move goods?"
"Exactly."
Where were you when the Fanghua Pavilion caught fire? What were you doing? Are there any witnesses? Did any of you in the building see him?
Zhang Hui did not answer, but the crowd discussed it for a while.
A man in the crowd looked at his figure and suddenly remembered that he had seen him earlier that day, so he hurriedly said, "Sir, sir, I think I have seen him before."
"Yes, that's him. I saw him carrying things into the storeroom and he didn't come out. Later, I left, and not long after, the storeroom caught fire."
The fire at Fanghua Pavilion first started in the warehouse, which contained piles of velvet flowers made by Fanghua Pavilion. These were highly flammable materials. Later, the fire spread and could not be extinguished, and the entire building was engulfed in flames.
"Oh? Is that so?" Lord Zeng's expression hardened slightly as he asked, "Zhang Hui, what were you doing in the storeroom? This case is related to you, so tell the truth!"
The man named Zhang Hui chuckled, his expression somewhat sinister, but he denied it: "I'm just a shop assistant at Fanghua Restaurant, I was just moving goods into the warehouse, what's there to say? Later the warehouse caught fire, and I didn't know what happened!"
This unbridled behavior is truly infuriating.
Lord Zeng slammed his gavel: "Zhang Hui, stop lying and tell the truth!"
The gavel struck, and the entire hall fell silent, solemn and dignified.
But Zhang Hui remained unmoved, his eyes lowered and a somewhat sinister smile on his face.
"Confess the truth? Oh? Admit that I set fire to Fanghua Pavilion?"
"Who instructed them? Of course, it was Princess Yizhen..."