Chapter 1238
Chapter 1238 Pieces of Evidence
He was in the Ministry of Justice. No matter how hard he struggled, it was useless. After binding him, the guards of the Ministry of Justice took him into a room on the side.
Inside the room, the minister of the Ministry of Justice was sitting there, as well as two deputy ministers and Wen Xichi.
Since the ministers of the Ministry of Justice were there, this wouldn’t be a simple interrogation.
Although the minister of the Ministry of Justice and two deputy ministers were there, Wen Xichi acted as the chief judge. He looked at Shao Jing coldly and asked straightforwardly, “Marquis Xing, more than a decade ago, when your brother died, what did you do at the border? As you said before, you had been in the capital city at that time and said that someone would testify for you.”
Shao Jing was shocked and his face changed slightly, but he reacted instantly. Taking a deep breath, he kept his slightly changed face just now and said in surprise, “Lord Wen, what do you mean? I don’t understand what you mean. I was indeed in the capital city more than a decade ago and had never crossed the border.”
At that time, not many people knew his whereabouts. Except for Yan Xi’s father, who had seen him with his own eyes and talked to him for a while, the others had only seen him once or twice, and they had not talked to him. It was impossible for others to know that it was him.
Before leaving the capital city and after returning, he had been very cautious, so it was impossible for anyone to know that he had been to the border.
The man surnamed Yan was far away at the border, and Shao Jing had been on good terms with him since then. He also took care of his son. In any case, it was impossible for that man to tell others that Shao Jing was at the border at that time. As for Qin Huaiyong and Qi Ping, he didn’t know if they had seen him at that time. Even if they had, they couldn’t possibly be sure that it was him.
Thinking of this, Shao Jing immediately calmed down.
He looked furious and as if he had been wronged. “Milords, I don’t think I have done anything wrong. What right do you have to do this to me? Even if I’m in the wrong in terms of some of my private affairs, the Emperor will punish me, so what right do you have to interrogate me?”
“Do you think that your mistress didn’t tell anything, Marquis Xing?” Wen Xichi ignored Shao Jing and suddenly sneered. He struck the gavel in his hand, which made Shao Jing tremble.
“E’niang?
“She probably wouldn’t tell. Even though she pretended to be an official’s relative, she could just admit it. Nothing else would possibly get implicated. Moreover, E’niang would definitely say that Rui’an Great Elder Princess made this happen. As for the reason, I don’t know, and it has nothing to do with me.”
Thinking about it carefully, Shao Wanru found that it was just groundless rumors from Shao Wanru. The Ministry of Justice couldn’t punish E’niang according to these rumors.
Shao Jing raised his head high and said with a disdainful smile, “Lord Wen, what are you talking about? It’s indeed inappropriate for me to have a mistress, but this is only my business, and I merely let my madam down. I let my Madam down. It has nothing to do with the Ministry of Justice. As for impersonating an official’s relative, it’s not a big deal. So why did you put this pair of shackles on me?”
He raised his hands, making a crisp sound of metal colliding.
“I want to ask you, even if it were Prince Chen His Highness who sent this piece of information to you, would you deal with it in this way?”
He was questioning them if they would just do whatever Chu Liuchen said, even if he was making trouble.
Wen Xichi knew that Shao Jing was not easy to deal with, so he didn’t care about what he said and continued to ask coldly, “Marquis Xing, the woman said that she used to be the servant girl of Infanta Qinghua and then be together with you. She also said that the impersonation was plotted by you. So why did you have an affair with your sister-in-law’s servant?”
It was indeed inappropriate to have an affair with one’s sister-in-law’s servant.
Shao Jing looked a little uncomfortable, just a little uncomfortable, but then he said shamelessly, “You are all men. If you take a fancy to a woman and take her as a concubine, it will not be a big deal, right? Besides, at that time, Infanta Qinghua had passed away, and E’niang was just an ordinary servant girl in the mansion. I kept her outside the mansion because I was afraid that my madam would make a scene, which would affect Infanta Qinghua’s reputation.”
He meant that since they were all men and knew what most men would be up to, they should not make things difficult for him.
Shao Jing tried to shift the blame onto his character again. Compared with women, it would not be a big deal for a man to have a bad character. There were many playboys in the capital city, and many of them had never done anything decent. The reason why the matter of Marquis Xing’s Mansion had become so well-known was that Shao Jing had always appeared as a gentleman.
At this moment, he no longer kept his dignity. He could say whatever he wanted in terms of his character. In a word, he had a bad character. It was not a big deal. He thought that Madam Jiang was dead, and no one could do anything to him.
Wen Xichi fixed his eyes on Shao Jing and then said seriously and slowly, “Marquis Xing, you sent a servant girl to Infanta Qinghua to keep an eye on her and the former Heir of Duke Xing, didn’t you? It was also because this woman told you where the heir had gone after he left the capital city that you chased after him in a hurry and assassinated him. Shao Jing, the woman has told us everything. Confess now.”
Shao Jing trembled and tried his best to suppress his panic. “Lord Wen, what she said is groundless. There’s no evidence.”
“I have the evidence. Marquis Xing, do you want to read it? Then let’s read it!” Wen Xichi said coldly. He picked up a letter at hand, threw it in front of Shao Jing, and ordered an official, “Show this letter to Marquis Xing.”
The official came over and picked up the envelope on the ground. He took out the letter, opened it, and put it in front of Shao Jing.
When Shao Jing read the words clearly, his face turned pale and he was so shocked that he almost couldn’t stand still. The letter was written by Yan Xi’s father, who testified that Shao Jing was indeed at the border at that time. The letter was written more than a decade ago, a few days before the former Heir of Duke Xing was killed.
It was too unexpected. Shao Jing had never expected that there would be such a letter. “Why did Yan target me? Did he know that I dealt with Yan Xi?
“How could it be possible? Wang Shengxue was the known one who took action and killed Yan Xi at that time. Later, Wang Shengxue died, so this matter was left unsettled. Could it be that what happened has been discovered and now I get suspected?
“It can’t be. I’ve been very careful. Wang Shengxue was the only one who knew about this. Yan couldn’t have possibly known that I asked Wang Shengxue to do it. Then why did he write this letter?”
“Shao Jing, why did you sneak to the border at that time?” Wen Xichi asked Shao Jing sternly.
“Lord Wen, I really don’t understand what this letter means, and I don’t understand why he framed me like this.” Shao Jing gritted his teeth and didn’t reveal a word about what he did.
He didn’t believe that the testimony of one man could prove anything.
“Do you think what General Yan wrote is nonsense?” Wen Xichi suddenly smiled.
Shao Jing suddenly had a bad feeling, but at this time, he could only brace himself to say, “I don’t understand what you mean, Lord Wen!”
“In fact, the letter from General Yan is not the only proof. General Qin and Magistrate Qi can also testify. Magistrate Qi is far away in Jiangzhou, but he has also written a letter. As for Lord Qin, he can testify on the spot when it is appropriate.”
“Qin Huaiyong and Qi Ping?
“That’s impossible. Although I might have been seen by them at that time, they couldn’t have known that it was me while everything was in chaos and everyone could see one or two familiar faces. How could they be so sure that it was me? And did they know me at that time? This can’t be.
“I was prepared when I went there, so I recognized Qin Huaiyong and Qi Ping at a glance, but they didn’t know me.
“Is Wen Xichi trying to trick me?”
Thinking of this, Shao Jing calmed down and said with a sneer, “Lord Wen, you must be joking. General Huaiyuan and Magistrate Qi didn’t know me back then, so how could they testify? Even now, Magistrate Qi still doesn’t know me, does he?”
“Is it because of this idea that you have no fear, Marquis Xing?” Wen Xichi asked with a smile. He looked very kind, but it made Shao Jing feel more terrified than before. Their two mansions were neighbors, and they had lived next door for so many years. Of course, he knew that Wen Xichi was young and talented. “Did he really get the proof he needs?”
“Lord Wen, I really don’t understand what you’re talking about!” Shao Jing was flustered, but he didn’t show it on his face. On the contrary, he looked calmer and calmer. He looked at the minister and the two assistant ministers, who were sitting high above without saying a word, and asked, “What do you think, milords? Do you also agree with Lord Wen? My case is not a serious one, but it’s not an insignificant one either. Are you deliberately making a big deal out of it for Prince Chen’s sake?”
He meant that they were deliberately torturing him to flatter Prince Chen.
Wen Xichi ignored his provocation and asked with cold eyes, “Do you know that you lost something at the border back then?”
When the evidence was sent to the Ministry of Justice one piece by one, it shocked the whole ministry. Some of the evidence sent by Prince Chen’s Mansion could not be obtained in one or two days, but it was clearly presented. With so much evidence, it was useless for Shao Jing to deny the charges against him no matter how hard he tried.
The officials of the Ministry of Justice had been calm. They even handcuffed Shao Jing as soon as he arrived, which indicated that he would not be able to escape this time.
It could be said that everything Shao Jing was doing now was useless. The officials of the Ministry of Justice were well aware of what had happened, but at the same time, they were secretly shocked since Prince Chen was really not to be underestimated. He had solved an unsolved case that was made more than a decade ago just like that.
What had happened in Marquis Xing’s Mansion before was just a small matter. No matter how big the scene was, it was just a small matter, and Prince Chen’s Mansion had been secretly holding back a big move.
Before getting all the evidence, Prince Chen’s Mansion had been very calm. They had quietly watched Marquis Xing’s Mansion stir up trouble now and then. When the evidence had been sorted out one piece by one, they had found that the matter had been settled. It could be said that when Prince Chen’s Mansion had sent all the evidence to the Ministry of Justice, the truth had been clear.
It was just one move, and Shao Jing now looked like a clown.
Shao Jing didn’t believe it and asked in reply, “What… what thing?” He had been very careful when he left and returned to the capital, so it was impossible for him to leave anything behind.
“Do you not believe it?” The minister of the Ministry of Justice suddenly spoke and looked at Shao Jing with a faint smile, which made Shao Jing feel a chill down his spine and his eyes twitch unconsciously. He wondered if he had left an important thing behind.