As soon as Song Shiren opened his mouth, everyone knew what was going on. These people were people who made a living on the streets of the capital at night. After Song Shiren's interrogation, these people respectfully confessed that they had seen the Fan family's sedan chair leave King Jing's manor yesterday. Instead of returning to the manor, it had gone to the west of the city. Then, in the middle of the night, it had mysteriously been carried back.
Fan Xian narrowed his eyes as he looked at the scene. He somewhat admired the Guo family's ability to find so many people who had seen him in half a day. Seeing that he was not worried, Zhen Kuo was a little worried. He lowered his voice and said, "Later, even if you die, you won't admit it. Just say that these people were bought by the Guo family."
Fan Xian sighed. "Guo Baokun was indeed beaten, and his injuries were so bad. Did they spend so much money just to accuse me? It doesn't make sense. "Zhen Kuo did not expect the young master to consider things from the enemy's point of view, and was stunned for a moment.
At this moment, Song Shiren's lips curled into a mocking smile. He looked at Fan Xian. "Master Fan, were you not at the manor last night? Why did so many people in the capital see you but did not return to the manor? Dare I ask, Master Fan, what were you doing in the middle of the night on the streets of the capital? Why are you acting so sneakily? "
The capital magistrate, Mei Zhili, frowned at Fan Xian, waiting to see how he would answer.
The court was silent.
Fan Xian sighed. There was a trace of embarrassment on his face. He smiled awkwardly as if someone had discovered his secret. He quietly replied, "Last night... I spent the night at the Drunken Immortal Tavern."
Everyone knew what kind of place the Drunken Immortal Tavern was. Thinking that this young master had spent the night in a brothel, his secretive actions seemed to make sense. The spectating crowd gave a collective "oh" in unison and roared with laughter. Naturally, some of the laughter was mocking Fan Xian. Mei Zhili heard this explanation and let out a sigh of relief. Song Shiren continued to smile. "The Drunken Immortal Tavern? May I ask if Master Fan has any witnesses? "
"Si Lili can testify," Fan Xian said awkwardly.
Song Shiren paused and suddenly laughed mockingly. "Is that so? But … Miss Si Lili has already left the capital for Suzhou. This is too much of a coincidence. I don't know if someone is afraid that Miss Si Lili will say something she shouldn't. "
Fan Xian raised his head and stared at Song Shiren. Only now did he realize that the Guo family had used some unknown method to force Si Lili out of the capital. It seemed that they had been prepared. Seeing that he was speechless, Song Shiren was confident. He bowed to Master Mei and said, "Everything is clear now. Master Fan was the one who beat someone up first, and then gave a false confession. I ask that you detain this criminal in prison and await trial."
Zheng Tuo, who had been silent for a while, suddenly smiled and said, "How grand are your words? Could it be that just because my Young Master went out at night, he has to be charged with such a huge crime?" Song Shiren pressed, "Since Master Fan is traveling, may I ask why you said that Master Fan stayed in the manor all night?"
Zheng Kuo answered naturally, "Sleeping with prostitutes is not a good reputation, so I had no choice but to …" Song Shiren interrupted him with a smile, "Sleeping with prostitutes? Where is the flower now? And where is the willow? "
He cupped his hands and said in a clear voice, "Master Guo and Master Fan had a quarrel a few days ago, and they were attacked last night. In their arrogance, they claimed to be Fan Xian. Master Fan didn't return all night, and couldn't say where he went. May I ask who the real culprit is? Isn't it obvious at a glance? "
Mei Zhili looked at the lawyer coldly, thinking that no matter how much you talked about this case, did you really think it was a normal criminal case? He couldn't help but look down on this famous talker. He turned his head and asked, "Fan Xian, do you have any evidence to prove where you were last night?"
Fan Xian thought for a while and smiled, "Actually … I was fooling around with Crown Prince Jing last night. I don't know if that counts as a witness."
— — —
Now that Crown Prince Jing was involved, there was no point in trying the case. Mei Zhili's face darkened, and he called for both sides to come forward. He said something in a low voice, and announced that the case was temporarily closed. Fan Xian was to stay in the capital for investigation, and was not allowed to leave the city. Naturally, the Guo family didn't agree, but the weight of this witness was too great. They had no choice but to go back to the manor and discuss it again. The bystanders of the capital found the case to be so boring. The minister's family and the assistant minister's family didn't make much of a fuss before it ended. They left after a hubbub.
When Fan Xian and Zheng Tuo walked out of the magistrate's office, they were surprised to find Song Shiren waiting for them outside.
"Master Fan." Song Shiren smiled and bowed.
Fan Xian didn't know what he meant, so he returned the bow.
Song Shiren said quietly, "I owe the Guo family a favor, so I had no choice but to offend you today." Fan Xian suddenly thought of something and frowned. "Did Si Lili really leave the capital?"
As soon as Song Shiren left the court, he looked at the young master with great respect and said yes. Fan Xian stared into his eyes and asked, "Did you do it, or did the Guo family do it?" Song Shiren was a little surprised. "I thought it was Master Fan who sent her out of the capital … could it be that you were really at the Drunken Immortal Tavern last night?"
Fan Xian smiled bitterly. "Do you really think I was the one who beat Guo Baokun?" At this time, the case had come to an end, but the words of both sides were still somewhat untrue. After a few words, Song Shiren turned around and got on a soft carriage, leaving the capital government's yamen.
Fan Xian looked in that direction and asked curiously, "You've already offended them, why bother showing goodwill?"
"Song Shiren is a smart man." Zheng Tu shook his head with a smile and said softly, "Young Master didn't say that you were drinking with Crown Prince Jing. Song Shiren almost scared me to death when he did this."
Fan Xian smiled and said, "Everyone knows that the court was just a formality. Why are you so nervous?"
Zheng Tuo shook his head and sighed. "No matter how this develops, I've offended the Guo family."
"I'm going to offend someone eventually, so I might as well offend someone I can."
"Young master, your reputation … as a prostitute, as a poet … will probably spread throughout the capital within a day."
"That's my wish. I wouldn't dare to ask."
"Impressive."
"You're welcome."
— — — —
In the depths of the palace, the yellow glazed tiles glowed gold under the sunlight, and the vermilion walls gave off a sense of oppression. In the garden at the back of the hall, a benevolent-looking old lady was listening to a female official beside her with her eyes half closed. In front of her were two noblewomen serving her. On the stone table was a mixture of exotic fruits and vegetables. One of the noblewomen looked dignified, with phoenix eyes and red lips. Her brows were full of care and restraint. She peeled a fruit and carefully fed it to the old lady.
"Empress, how come it's you?" The old lady opened her eyes and saw the fruit she handed to her. She smiled and said, "Let the children do these things. You're the ruler of the harem, the mother of the nation. How can you do these things?"
The noblewoman smiled gently. "Filial piety must be done no matter what."
This noblewoman was the empress of the Kingdom of Qing, and the old woman she served was the Emperor's birth mother, the former King Cheng, now the empress dowager. But who was the identity of the woman sitting on the other side, who could sit side by side with the empress?
"There's no need to read," the Empress Dowager said quietly to the female official. "You can all leave."
All of the palace maids retreated, leaving only two old nannies. The Empress Dowager closed her eyes and rested for a while. She asked, "What do you think of the Fan family's poems?"
The Empress Dowager smiled. "I don't know much about words, but it sounds good."
The Empress Dowager laughed. "It's not just good. That one was full of envy, but the last one was' Ten Thousand Miles of Sorrowful Autumn Is Always a Guest '. It's not something an ordinary scholar could write … but …" Seeing the Empress Dowager stop talking, the Empress Dowager asked, "But what?"
The Empress Dowager sighed. "But there's too much sadness in the sentences. And at such a young age, how could he write something so old? I'm afraid that the child is also a person with little fortune."
Hearing this, the other noblewoman who had been silent all this time burst into tears. No one knew why she was so sad. The Empress Dowager hurriedly comforted her. "Empress Dowager is just saying that. If Fan Xian really is a person with little fortune, you can just pick out some from your fingernails and give it to him."
The Empress Dowager was also annoyed by her crying. Her face was full of displeasure. "I only have three children. The Emperor doesn't need to say anything. Although Li Zhi is playful, he knows his fate. But you, you've been crying for decades, and you still don't understand. Really …" After all, she was her own daughter, and her daughter had been miserable all her life, so she couldn't say anything harsh.
The noblewoman sobbed. "My child is already a person with little fortune, and the Emperor wants her to marry the Fan family's child with even less fortune. What will happen to her in the future? What if Chen 'er's illness doesn't improve? " It turned out that this extremely weak, crying noblewoman was actually Fan Xian's potential mother-in-law, the unmarried Eldest Princess!
The Empress Dowager finally couldn't help but scold her. "Chen 'er's illness is because you, as a mother, didn't give her any good fortune, and now you have the nerve to say such things! What about the Fan family's child? As soon as he said he wanted to give Chen 'er good fortune, he brought the child back from Danzhou without a second thought. Not to mention that he's a poor child with no status, but just based on Fan Jian's love for the royal family, you shouldn't say anything bad about the Fan family. "
The serving girls nearby had long since left, leaving only a few old nannies standing with their hands behind their backs, as if they hadn't heard anything.
The Empress Dowager's chest heaved with anger. The Empress Dowager hurried over to rub it. The Empress Dowager moved her hand away. Her tone softened a little. "Besides, Chen 'er will have to marry eventually. She's the son of a famous official in the court. Whoever marries her won't necessarily have a good life. This Fan … what's his name again? "
The Empress Dowager hurriedly reminded her. "Fan Xian."
"Yes, Fan Xian. You heard what he said earlier. He is indeed a talented child. Being a match for Chen 'er is not a bad thing." The Empress Dowager took a couple of breaths. "And the Emperor has already approved this marriage. What's the point of making a fuss here?"
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
