Chapter 341
Chapter 341
King Ning Yuanxian had always been this way. Ordinarily, he was severe, easily angered, and always needed to vent his frustrations. But the moment the security of his kingdom and throne was at stake, he would instantly become calm. A raging volcano would cease its eruption in a flash. He would immediately become as cold as ice. In this, Zhang Chong was truly a remarkable man. He would never overtly support Shen Lang. So, how could he extinguish the king's fury? By inciting an even greater one. To defuse one major incident, you had to create another, and at the critical moment, deliver a fatal blow.
“Do you have Su Nan’s secret memorial?”
“No, Your Majesty. He has claimed illness and remains at home.”
“Have you heard of the great bandit, Three-Eyed Crow?”
“This servant has heard of him.”
“Have any officials from Tianxi Province submitted a memorial regarding Three-Eyed Crow?”
“None, Your Majesty.”
Ning Yuanxian continued reading the memorial. Zhang Chong only mentioned Shen Lang once, at the very end. He wrote that Shen Lang refused to say a word, insisting he would confess everything only in the presence of the king’s trusted confidant.
“Lu Zhun, go and interrogate Shen Lang personally. The crime of deceiving the monarch, the incident of cursing the Crown Prince, and the matter of driving He Wanwan to her death. Investigate everything thoroughly.”
The Grand Eunuch, Lu Zhun, kowtowed and replied.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Lu Zhun was about to withdraw, but the king glanced at him and spoke again.
“Ning Qi, you go with him. But you are not to say a word, only observe.”
The Third Prince, Ning Qi, was a formidable figure, on par with the Crown Prince.
The Third Prince replied, “This son accepts the royal command!”
The king was a suspicious man; sending Lu Zhun alone was not enough to set his mind at ease, so he sent the Third Prince to keep watch.
“If Shen Lang does not confess the truth, strip him of his official honors immediately. He is meticulous but frail; he will not withstand torture and will confess everything. If Shen Lang truly deceived the monarch and cursed the Crown Prince, then even Jin Zhuo cannot blame me for being merciless!”
***
Inside a secret interrogation chamber of the Court of Judicial Review.
Grand Eunuch Lu Zhun had come to personally interrogate Shen Lang on behalf of the king. The Third Prince sat quietly in the shadows to the side, not uttering a single word.
“Shen Lang, His Majesty asks: on the night of the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet, was the poem *When Will the Bright Moon Appear?*, which Noble Lady He performed, sold to her by someone you sent?”
That was the crux of the case.
“Yes!”
Shen Lang’s answer startled Grand Eunuch Lu Zhun.
‘This boy is truly courting death. I intended to save you, but now I cannot.’
Grand Eunuch Lu Zhun asked again, “The dress that Noble Lady He wore that night, did you also have someone sell it to her?”
Shen Lang shook his head.
“No. I know how to write poetry, but I do not know how to make clothes.”
“Someone bribed a court painter to portray He Wanwan in an exceptionally eye-catching manner, which is how she caught His Majesty’s attention. Did you send someone to bribe that painter?”
“No.”
“But that court painter has already confessed that someone from the Jin Clan bribed him.”
Shen Lang wore a look of utter surprise.
“The silk handkerchief with He Wanwan’s seal, stained with blood and found in Li Wenzheng’s home—did you place it there?”
“No.”
“A voodoo doll cursing the Crown Prince was found buried under Li Wenzheng’s bed. Did you have someone bury it there? Did you frame Li Wenzheng to have him killed? Were you trying to incite partisan conflict within the court, forcing His Majesty to execute Li Wenzheng swiftly to prevent such strife?”
“No.”
“A few days ago, He Wanwan came to the post station in Lang County to find you. What was that about?”
“She asked if I was the one who wrote *When Will the Bright Moon Appear?*”
“And how did you respond at the time?”
“I denied it to avoid trouble. But I did indeed write that poem and sell it to He Wanwan.”
Grand Eunuch Lu Zhun closed his eyes. The current situation was extremely unfavorable for Shen Lang. By confessing to writing *When Will the Bright Moon Appear?* and selling it to He Wanwan, his guilt was sealed.
‘Young man, this old servant has done all he can. I want to save you, but I cannot.’
“Shen Lang, I have finished my questions. All that remains is to strip you of your official honors. You will face the Three Departments’ Joint Trial again and will not escape punishment. If there is anything you have not told me, speak now. If you are punished before you can speak, your tender backside will not be able to endure it.”
“Eunuch, I have already told you everything I know. Noble Lady He’s death truly has nothing to do with me.”
Lu Zhun said with agitation, “Then who does it have to do with? You can no longer clear your name.”
He truly regretted that Shen Lang would be unable to take on the heavy responsibilities expected of him. Just then, the Third Prince, who was sitting to the side, let out a soft cough. It was a reminder to Lu Zhun: ‘You are questioning on behalf of His Majesty; do not bring your personal feelings into this.’
The Grand Eunuch sighed and said, “Then let us conclude. Young Master Shen, you must fend for yourself. My questions are finished. Proceed with the Three Departments’ Joint Trial.”
A moment later, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review spoke.
“Your Highness, Eunuch Lu, His Majesty has stripped Shen Lang of his official honors, has he not? May we now use torture on him?”
Lu Zhun was about to nod reluctantly when Zhang Chong, from the side, spoke calmly.
“Eunuch, He Wanwan’s body has just been brought over. I have found evidence that she was murdered, not that she committed suicide!”
Zhang Chong gave Shen Lang a placid glance. The signal was exceedingly clear.
‘Begin the fatal counterattack!’
Hearing this, the expression of Yan Weiyi, the Thousand-Household Commander of the Blackwater Terrace, changed drastically.
“That’s absolutely impossible. Noble Lady He could not have been murdered.”
Grand Eunuch Lu Zhun asked him, “Why is it impossible?”
“Eunuch Lu, you may not be aware, but we dispatched no fewer than twenty people to protect He Wanwan. There were both men and women, and they never left her side for a moment.”
At that moment, Shen Lang spoke up.
“At the time, He Wanwan came to see me alone at the Lang County post station.”
Yan Weiyi said, “That was because your warriors blocked everyone else and only allowed Noble Lady He to enter.”
“Continue,” Lu Zhun said.
Yan Weiyi continued, “Three days ago, Noble Lady He did not eat dinner. After drinking a little fine wine, she went into her room and wrote a letter. She writes to His Majesty once every three days, and we only deliver it; we never read a single word of its contents. After writing the letter, she lay down to sleep, and our people stood guard outside her door.”
Lu Zhun asked, “Were there any blind spots in your surveillance?”
“None. There were no such places. There were guards outside the door, outside the window, and on the roof. Not even a fly could have gotten in.”
“Then how exactly did she commit suicide?”
“Poison. She ingested red vitriol.”
Red vitriol, or arsenic, was an extremely potent poison. Ingesting just 0.1 gram would lead to death.
Lu Zhun ordered, “Someone, go to the palace and summon Physician Yu to examine the body.”
“Yes!”
A eunuch hurried out. As He Wanwan was the king’s woman, only a woman could examine her body. In this world, there were no professional coroners or forensic pathologists. The bodies of the lowly were examined by corpse examiners, while those of high status were examined by physicians. Lu Zhun did not ask Zhang Chong why he judged He Wanwan’s death to be a murder; he intended to wait until after the autopsy was complete to question him further.
“Continue the Three Departments’ Joint Trial.”
At Lu Zhun’s words, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review asked, “Then what about stripping Shen Lang of his official honors and torturing him?”
“There is no rush for that. If He Wanwan was murdered, then these are two separate cases. First, adjudicate whether Shen Lang committed the crime of deceiving the monarch.”
***
The joint trial continued. The Court of Judicial Review still presided, with the Blackwater Terrace assisting and the Censorate supervising. Eunuch Lu Zhun sat to the side as the supervisor from the royal palace. Unexpectedly, two people were seated outside the courtroom: the Third Princess, Ning Yan, and the Grand Ambassador of the Great Qian Empire, Yun Mengze. These two had forced their way here merely to prevent anyone from torturing Shen Lang; they could not influence the joint trial itself.
The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review asked coldly, “Shen Lang, you have personally admitted that you wrote the ci poem, *When Will the Bright Moon Appear?*. Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“Why did you sell that poem to Noble Lady He?”
“To show off, to woo a woman, and to get revenge on Li Wenzheng.”
Hearing the first two reasons, the Vice Minister was taken aback.
He didn't quite understand the first reason, but upon hearing the latter two, he was instantly overcome with manic joy.
‘Excellent. Shen Lang, you’ve finally confessed.’
The Vice Minister slammed his gavel on the table and said in a furious voice, “Shen Lang, you have finally confessed that you did it for revenge against Li Wenzheng.”
“That is correct. It was to get revenge on Li Wenzheng.”
“Then how did you plot against Noble Lady He Wanwan, and by what means did you place the voodoo doll cursing the Crown Prince under Li Wenzheng’s bed? Speak!”
“When I said it was to woo a woman, it was because the great artist He Wanwan was exceedingly beautiful, and I held some affection for her. When I said it was for revenge against Li Wenzheng, it was because I knew that Li Wenzheng admired He Wanwan to no end. So I gave *When Will the Bright Moon Appear?* to He Wanwan, hoping to move her heart with the poem and win the beauty’s favor. Wouldn't Li Wenzheng then be so aggrieved at having the woman he loves stolen away that he would spit blood in frustration?”
Everyone was stunned by his words. Shen Lang continued.
“Is there something wrong with that? At the time, He Wanwan had not yet met His Majesty, the King. Am I not allowed to try and win her heart from afar?”
Ugh! His words were a backhanded compliment to the king.
‘I wanted to win He Wanwan’s heart from afar to get back at Li Wenzheng. So what if the King found out? It’s not like I, Shen Lang, had an affair with her. You, Ning Yuanxian, slept with a woman I failed to obtain. Aren't you impressive?’
According to Shen Lang's words, the situation was like one where countless men adored a beautiful woman, but she had eyes only for him and ignored all others. For any man, such a situation was a source of secret, smug satisfaction.
The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review said angrily, “Shen Lang, are you going to keep making excuses? Is it not clear that you used Noble Lady He to kill Li Wenzheng and planted the voodoo doll cursing the Crown Prince under his bed?”
“That makes no sense. Why would I need to kill Li Wenzheng?”
“At Zhang Jin’s engagement banquet, Li Wenzheng accused you of treason, claiming you wrote an acrostic poem in a book, hiding the four characters ‘Heaven Punish the Tyrant King’ within its verses. He tried to drive you to your death, so isn't it natural that you would seek revenge?”
“That is true. But I already had my revenge on the spot. I turned the tables on him, claiming that King Jin was the one plotting treason and that Li Wenzheng was colluding with him. He was so shocked that he trembled in fear and was rendered speechless. Since he admitted in front of the crowd to colluding with King Jin of the Southern Chu Kingdom, I was certain he would die. Why would I go to such further lengths?”