When Minister Liu revealed his motive, not only was Bai Zhaohui stunned, but even the onlookers, Prefect Bai and Assistant Prefect Sun, were speechless. It was truly a case of manufacturing guilt.
Only Zhan Feiyu remained calm, neither ashamed nor angered by Minister Liu's slander. "Does your inference have conclusive evidence, my lord?"
"This matter concerns a woman's reputation, so I implore Minister Liu to speak with caution!" Prefect Bai interjected sternly. For a dignified third-rank official of the Ministry of Justice to speak so carelessly without concrete proof was a disgrace to all imperial officials.
The First Madam of the Zhe family hesitated for a moment, then spoke with a somber expression, "Minister Liu, I was also at the Yufeng Tower on the day of the incident. Miss Zhan's life-saving grace towards young master Bai is an undeniable fact. If you intend to convict Miss Zhan based solely on the confession of a murderer, I fear it will not convince the public."
The commoners gathered outside the courtroom nodded in agreement, whispering amongst themselves. If any scoundrel could simply accuse someone else and turn a benevolent hero into an accomplice, who would dare to act with righteous courage in the future?
As the presiding judge, being questioned repeatedly, Minister Liu's face turned ashen. He cast a sinister glance at Prefect Bai, who was observing, thinking that this old fool wanted to ruin his reputation, but it wouldn't be that easy!
"Silence!" With a clap of the gavel, Minister Liu opened the case files. "After the incident, the constables searched the Yao family's residence but found no silver. It seems the silver must still be hidden in the Yao family's home. Guards..."
Minister Liu intended to search for physical evidence? Zhan Feiyu watched the team of constables receive their orders. Four of the eight constables were from the Shuntian Prefecture yamen, and the other four were from the Ministry of Justice.
He Nuan looked at Zhan Feiyu, anticipating that the silver would be found after this search, and that it would point to her young lady.
Zhan Feiyu shook her head slightly. Minister Liu and Prefect Bai had a past grievance, but in this case, Bai Zhaohui was the victim. Even if she were convicted, Prefect Bai would not be harmed in any way. What was Minister Liu's true intention?
The First Madam of the Zhe family also appeared concerned, giving Zhan Feiyu a subtle glance before signaling Hong Ying behind her to approach a nearby constable.
At this moment, everyone in the courtroom was waiting for the physical evidence. The First Madam and Zhan Feiyu were going to change their clothes. Even if Minister Liu knew it was inappropriate, he couldn't forcibly prevent them from doing so. He could only instruct his subordinates to inspect them first, and then have constables escort them.
A little more than half an hour passed quickly, and the eight constables who had gone to search Chef Yao's house returned.
"Reporting to you, my lord, this purse was found in the cotton curtain at the entrance of the Yao family's home..." The constable who replied handed the purse to a clerk nearby, next to whom was the cotton curtain taken from the Yao family's residence.
The capital was cold. Even though charcoal braziers were burning inside, cold winds still seeped into the house through the door cracks. Many commoners would hang a wind-blocking cloth curtain at the entrance of their main hall, sewn from old cotton cloth. When the constables searched the Yao family's home earlier, they hadn't thought of taking down this thick curtain.
Minister Liu took the purse and opened it. Inside were five banknotes of one hundred taels each. "Wealth moves people's hearts. Five hundred taels of silver! No wonder Yao Damin dared to kill."
After examining them, Minister Liu placed the purse and banknotes down and had the clerk send them to Prefect Bai and the others for inspection.
"These five banknotes are from the Jufeng Bank, and they have no identifying marks. How can Minister Liu determine that these banknotes were given by Miss Zhan to Yao Damin?" Assistant Prefect Sun asked slowly, his gaze sweeping over the purse containing the banknotes, suspecting that the purse itself was the key.
The purse was made of the most ordinary dark blue cloth, embroidered with the character "wan" in a plain stitch. Purses used by wealthy families for rewards were usually simple like this; an embroiderer could make dozens a day.
Zhan Feiyu was not skilled in needlework, but He Nuan was. However, He Nuan not only had to take care of Zhan Feiyu's daily life but also study medicinal books. Before Chef Xiao and Cui Ya were hired, He Nuan cooked all the meals. Therefore, apart from Zhan Feiyu's clothes, He Nuan also bought purses for rewards from fabric shops.
Zhan Feiyu knew then that the plan had succeeded and was waiting to see how Minister Liu would "convict" her.
"Guards, bring Zeng Li, a waiter from the Yufeng Tower, to the court!" Minister Liu looked mockingly at Zhan Feiyu, who was refusing to shed tears until she saw the coffin. The young lady was not old but had some courage. Even now, seeing the physical evidence, she remained unfazed.
After several days of confinement in the Shuntian Prefecture prison, coupled with the fact that Bai Zhaohui was the one assassinated, the treatment of the Yufeng Tower waiters in prison could be imagined.
His legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground, Zeng Li banging his head repeatedly. "My lord, spare me! This humble one truly does not know why Chef Yao wanted to kill... My lord, please investigate!"
Minister Liu reprimanded him and sternly questioned Zeng Li, who was begging for mercy, "This official asks you, do you recognize the person standing to your right?"
Zeng Li trembled and then looked up. "This humble one recognizes her. Miss Zhan lives..."
When the constables approached with the purse, Zeng Li answered without even looking, "This humble one has seen it. Miss He used this purse for rewards before."
Zeng Li's confession was almost equivalent to convicting Zhan Feiyu.
Hong Ying, standing beside the First Madam, whispered, "Madam, this humble servant saw the purse Miss Zhan used for rewards at Green Willow's place before. It was not this style."
Zhan Feiyu lived at the Yufeng Tower, and He Nuan had also given rewards to the waiters, but she did not use a purse, directly giving a small piece of silver. Green Willow was a senior maidservant attending the First Madam, and her status was naturally noble.
Earlier, when the First Madam brought gifts to apologize to Zhe Jing, Green Willow handed these apology gifts to He Nuan. At that time, He Nuan gave a reward purse containing two taels of silver.
Later, Green Willow's face was injured by Zhe Jing's whip, making her unable to serve in the inner court. Hong Ying and a group of others also pooled some silver to send to Green Willow. Hearing Green Willow mention it, and being skilled in needlework, Hong Ying had only glanced at the purse and remembered it.
The First Madam was slightly surprised. Had the purse been swapped? To swap a purse in the hands of the Ministry of Justice constables, what was this young lady's background?
"Miss Zhan, do you have anything else to say?" Minister Liu looked at Zhan Feiyu with a composed and smug expression.
Now that the physical evidence was found, and although Yao Damin was dead, he had confessed before his death. His confession had his signature and thumbprint. Therefore, with both witness testimony and physical evidence, coupled with the motive, Zhan Feiyu could only be acquitted if she produced new evidence to prove her innocence.
Prefect Bai and Assistant Prefect Sun also understood at this point. This was simply a case of framing and slander. But whether the method was clever or crude, as long as it worked, it was enough.
"Minister Liu, I have one point of confusion," Bai Zhaohui stepped forward and bowed to Minister Liu, who was seated in the courtroom, before continuing, "If, as your lordship infers, Miss Zhan bribed Yao Damin with five hundred taels of silver to assassinate me, whether successful or not, Yao Damin would surely face a death sentence."
"What I don't understand is why Yao Damin would agree?" Bai Zhaohui glanced at the kneeling Zeng Li. "You are a waiter at the Yufeng Tower. Do you know Yao Damin's monthly wages?"
Zeng Li didn't know why he was being asked again, and his face still showed fear. "Chef Yao was skilled in cooking, and the shopkeeper gave him a monthly wage of five taels. Sometimes, Chef Yao would also take home leftover scraps. The proprietors would also give Chef Yao some benefits when sending dishes and meat to the inn during festivals."
So, considering all the miscellaneous benefits, Yao Damin could receive about six taels a month, seventy-two taels a year. In ten years, that would be seven hundred taels.
As Bai Zhaohui asked this, the commoners listening outside the courtroom also noticed something was amiss. "Although five hundred taels is a lot, Yao Damin wouldn't be foolish enough to risk his life for money."
"You didn't see earlier how pitifully Yao Damin's elderly and young family members were crying at the Yufeng Tower. With Yao Damin, the pillar of the family, dead, his entire family had no way to survive. It's better to live a meager life than to die. Besides, Yao Damin could earn five or six taels a month."
The expenses of the entire Yao family fell on Yao Damin. He probably saved less than ten taels a year and couldn't earn five hundred taels in his lifetime.
However, the family had food, clothing, and shelter. Yao Damin would not do such a foolish thing as assassinating Bai Zhaohui for five hundred taels, especially when he was offending the young master of the Prefect's family. Moreover, with his death, his orphaned wife and children would inevitably be bullied, even if they had money.
Ignoring the displeased Minister Liu, Bai Zhaohui continued, "My lord, in my humble opinion, the Yao family is neither rich nor poor. He would absolutely not kill for money. This purse is likely planted by the real culprit to frame him. I implore your lordship to investigate carefully."
"Nephew, you are oblivious to worldly affairs and only study the classics. You probably don't know what coercion and temptation are!" Minister Liu forced a dry smile, as if implying Bai Zhaohui was a bookworm who knew nothing of the world's dangers.
"Five hundred taels of silver may not be enough to make Yao Damin kill, but if Miss Zhan threatened the lives of Yao Damin's entire family, Yao Damin would have no choice but to agree," Minister Liu said with a sinister smile, opening his case files and looking at Yao Damin's confession before his death. "Miss Zhan's guards dared to threaten the First Madam of the Zhe family with knives in broad daylight. The lives of Yao Damin's family are probably as cheap as grass in Miss Zhan's eyes."
The first conflict between Zhan Feiyu and Zhe Jing at the Yufeng Tower had now also become evidence for Minister Liu to convict her.
With the conversation reaching this point, Zhan Feiyu, who had been silent all along, finally spoke, "My lord, these five banknotes have no identifying marks, and the style of this purse is extremely common. Could I also say that this purse belongs to the Liu family, and that Minister Liu framed me? After all, the person who found the purse was a constable from the Ministry of Justice, and as the presiding judge, it would be easy for Minister Liu to frame me."
The courtroom fell silent. No one had expected Zhan Feiyu to dare to accuse Minister Liu so directly. Although it was the truth, without evidence, this was slander against an imperial official, a serious crime.
Minister Liu looked at Zhan Feiyu as if she were an idiot. He had initially thought she was intelligent and well-read, but now he realized she was utterly foolish. "Since you accuse this official in this manner, then this official will let you die with clarity. Guards..."
"Wait!" Zhan Feiyu interrupted Minister Liu. "This case involves Minister Liu. According to the law, Minister Liu should also recuse himself, just like Prefect Bai. And the constables from the Ministry of Justice cannot be used."
"You?" Minister Liu's expression darkened. He hadn't expected Zhan Feiyu to be waiting for him here.
Prefect Bai cast a meaningful glance at the calm and composed Zhan Feiyu. The young lady was indeed intelligent. This "unreasonable fuss" was not without its logic.
...
The Dali Temple.
At this moment, the officials of the Dali Temple looked speechlessly at Liu Zhizhong. For such a case, it was first reviewed by the Shuntian Prefecture, then transferred to the Ministry of Justice, and now it had reached the Dali Temple. Anyone who didn't know would think it was some earth-shattering case.
"Lord Chang, this case involves Prefect Bai and Minister Liu, so it can only be reviewed by the Dali Temple." Liu Zhizhong had to admire Zhan Feiyu's quick wit. Regardless of the outcome, at least Minister Liu was removed from the case, and thus the purse found by the Ministry of Justice constables could not be considered physical evidence.
"You go back and report to Prefect Bai first. I will send someone to inform Minister Qiu." After Liu Zhizhong withdrew, Lord Chang couldn't help but smile. "Fellow colleagues, what do you think is the truth of this case?"
Because it involved Bai Zhaohui, the officials of the Dali Temple were aware of the case. Minister Liu had become the presiding judge on the grounds of Prefect Bai's recusal, but who knew that the tables would turn, and Minister Liu would also have to recuse himself.
"To say that the young lady bought assassins to kill Bai Zhaohui in order to marry him, and then used the life-saving grace to coerce him into marriage with the Bai family, this argument is too far-fetched," Left Deputy Minister Ma said slowly, stroking his beard, and raising his objection.
Marriage was about forming good relations between two families. Such a marriage would be forming enmity. Even if successful, would this young lady have a good outcome after marrying into the Bai family? No matter how gentlemanly Bai Zhaohui was, he couldn't accept that the person by his side had once tried to assassinate him.
The others also nodded in agreement. They had not met the young lady, but they had heard about her from the women in their households. Moreover, news had also spread from the Yufeng Tower that this young lady lived at the Yufeng Tower and studied every day. Such an intelligent young lady would not do such a foolish thing.
"So it is indeed Liu Yu who framed her?" Lord Lin frowned. He was the most upright in his conduct. The thought of Liu Yu, a dignified third-rank official of the imperial court, framing a young girl in such a manner, filled him with disdain, and he directly called Liu Yu by name.