jdhmnovel Chapter 503 Danqing? There is already a self-proving strategy
Chapter 503 Danqing? There is already a self-proving strategy
After spending these days together, the jailers were full of admiration for her and immediately recognized her as their boss.
"Well, they are just some cheap tricks, not worth mentioning."
"It's been several days and there's been no news. I don't know when you can get out!"
"It's good not to go out. Following the boss, we have wine and meat. We can eat and drink to our heart's content and play a few rounds of mahjong. Life is so happy. We don't want to change even if the gods come, right, boss? Don't worry, with us here, you can do whatever you want except that you can't go out. You have the final say in this prison."
"Let's not talk about those unlucky things. Come on, eat and drink without worry. Boss, I'll treat you. You don't have to save money for me." Yao Qingnian smiled. It was about time. She estimated that she would be out in the next two days.
Shen Youran heard that she was in prison and that the case would not be tried until she recovered, so she hoped that she would recover slowly so that Yao Qingnian could suffer a few more days in prison. So she dragged her feet. Lord Lu sent people to ask about it several times, but she always evaded the question.
On this day, she finally couldn't pretend anymore. She had no choice but to go to Jingzhao Prefecture. After days of collecting and sorting out information, the case finally had some clues. Today, the trial officially started...
When Duke Chen and others heard about Yao Qingnian's arrest that day, they rushed to the palace to ask for a thorough investigation of the matter and to clear their granddaughter's name. So today, with the emperor's permission, he sat in the hall and listened, along with Prince Rui and others. Lord Lu was under a lot of pressure for a while, as today's case involved the royal family, and if the trial was not done well, neither side would be able to explain.
The trial officially began in court, and officers brought Yao Qingnian and Shen Youran up.
"Today we are hearing about Miss Shen's murder of Concubine Shen and the heir to the throne. Concubine Shen, did Miss Shen push you down the stairs, causing you to get injured and have a miscarriage?"
"Sir, it was my sister... who pushed me. However, she didn't mean it. We had a conflict and she got angry, so she..." Shen Youran looked as if she wanted to say something but stopped, looking very pitiful.
"Oh my god, Miss Shen is so cruel! How could she do such a thing? After all, she is my sister and the concubine of the prince's mansion!"
"You don't know, she has been expelled from the Shen Mansion. She is no longer Miss Shen, and she has also severed her relationship with Minister Shen!"
"Tsk tsk, such a vicious woman deserves to be kicked out of the house."
"What do you know? Even if they are kicked out, they still have the Duke's Mansion!"
"Shh! Speak softly. If someone accidentally hears you, watch out for your heads." The onlookers whispered to each other.
"Ms. Shen, do you admit this crime?"
"My Lord, I did not push her down the stairs. I do not admit the crime." Yao Qingnian said calmly.
"Sister, I know you hate me. You can hurt me, but you can't do anything to my child. She is innocent."
"Hate you? Why should I hate you? You said I pushed you, right?"
"It wasn't you or anyone else. We were the only two people there at the time. You and I had an argument, and that's why you pushed me down the stairs."
"Well, sir, she said I pushed her. What if it is proved that I did not push her, and that she fell down the stairs on purpose, and then she put the blame on me?"
"According to the law, if someone falsely accuses someone, he will be punished with 20 strokes of the cane at the lightest level and 100 strokes at the worst level. He will be severely punished, exiled, etc."
Upon hearing such a punishment, Shen Youran panicked, but then calmed down. She had looked around at the time and there was no one else around, which meant there were no witnesses or physical evidence. How could she prove her innocence? She just had to deny it.
"Sister, you'd better admit it quickly. If you surrender yourself, your crime will be less severe. Don't worry, I will definitely ask the prince to let the adults give you a lighter sentence." Shen Youran looked at King Rui not far away and spoke.
"If you plead guilty now, I will plead with my father to give you a lighter sentence." Prince Rui agreed.
"Sir, this is a court. Concubine Shen is using the prince to threaten me. I'm so scared!" Yao Qingnian rolled his eyes.
"Girl, don't be afraid. With your grandfather here, they will never be able to accuse you wrongly! Your Majesty, you don't have to use your power to pressure others. No matter what the truth of the matter is, I believe that Lord Lu will handle it impartially." The old Duke defended.
"Quiet, Concubine Shen, please be careful about your words and actions. This is a court, and I will make the final decision on how to deal with you!" Lord Lu reminded, and then asked: "Miss Shen said just now that she can prove her innocence. I wonder what evidence do you have to prove it?"
"My Lord, I want to ask Prince Rui, did you see me push Concubine Shen and then roll down the stairs?"
"Of course, you pushed it."
"Well, may I ask how did Your Majesty see me push Concubine Shen? Did I push with both hands at the same time, or with just one hand? Was it my left hand or my right hand?"
"The situation was urgent at the time, how could I have paid attention to this?" King Rui did not see it with his own eyes. He only heard Shen Youran's shouting, and then saw Shen Youran tumbling down the stairs...
"Then how can the prince say that he saw me push Concubine Shen with his own eyes? If he saw it with his own eyes, he should have been deeply impressed." Yao Qingnian said in a cold voice.
"Sister, it's normal that the prince didn't see clearly when he came over. He was only concerned about me, so how could he care about these details." Shen Youran felt a little scared. Did she really have evidence?
"It doesn't matter. You don't remember, but I do! I came out of the banquet hall that day, bored, and wandered around the garden. I happened to see a young lady painting in the yard. I went over to join in the fun and accidentally knocked over her painting, so my hands and body were covered with wet ink. After I apologized to her, I asked my maid Shan Wei to prepare a new one for her, and I planned to go back to the yard to wash up. When I just walked to the wooden bridge, I met Concubine Shen walking towards me. The ink on my hands hadn't even dried yet."
"Yes, I saw it too. There was indeed undried paint on Miss Shen's hands and body. If you touch it, it will leave a mark. I was wondering if it was Miss Shen who knocked over the paint, but I didn't expect it to be true." said a lady who was present that day.
"Miss Shen, please continue." Lord Lu understood instantly. No wonder Yao Qingnian was not in a hurry. It turned out that she was well prepared.
"It's very easy to prove whether I pushed her or not. Just bring over the clothes Concubine Shen wore that day and you'll know. If I pushed her, there would definitely be traces of Danqing on her clothes."
"It's been so many days since the incident. Even if there was any, it should have been washed away long ago." Shen Youran's heart skipped a beat. How could she not have thought that this bitch would have kept this secret? However, the clothes were dirty, so they should have been thrown away long ago, right?