usatvline Chapter 404: Trying to Slander Us
Chapter 404: Trying to Slander Us
Gu Jianchu continued, "Yunhe, take your men and find the maidservant who was guarding Zhang Ran at the time."
Seeing this, Mr. Zhang and Mrs. Zhang couldn't help but feel nervous. Cold sweat kept coming out of their foreheads, and their eyes looked in the direction of Gu Jianchu unsteadily.
Gu Jianchu still had no intention of letting the two of them get up.
Gu Jianchu rubbed the hot water bottle in his hand with his fingers, then handed it to Zhu Xia, "It's not hot anymore, add another piece of charcoal."
Zhu Xia took the hot water bottle and walked to the brazier. In the silent air, the only sound that could be heard was the sound of Zhu Xia rummaging through the charcoal brazier with the tongs in his hand, occasionally accompanied by the crackling sound of the charcoal brazier burning. It was really frightening, especially for the two people who were kneeling on the ground with a guilty conscience. When they heard the sound of the charcoal brazier, it was as if the torture instruments of the Imperial City Division were right beside them, and they instinctively leaned to the side.
After Zhu Xia packed the charcoal, she returned it to Gu Jianchu.
"Zhu Xia, ask the boss of Zuixianju to send some persimmons, oranges and sweet potatoes. Don't waste the charcoal fire." Gu Jianchu couldn't help but feel greedy when he saw the flames burning in the charcoal basin.
Their case cannot be concluded in a short time, so it is better to enjoy it while the trial is ongoing.
Zhu Xia immediately followed Gu Jianchu's instructions and brought sweet potatoes, oranges and persimmons and roasted them on the edge of the charcoal brazier.
The creaking sound of the door frightened both Mrs. Zhang and Lord Zhang like a frightened bird. They turned around almost immediately when they heard the creaking sound, only to see Yunhe coming in from outside with two maids and old women.
The maids and servants had never seen such a grand scene, especially when they came here, Zuixianju was filled with soldiers inside and out. Without waiting or pushing, the two of them took the initiative to kneel in front of Gu Jianchu and Xie Ci'an, "Greetings, Master Qingtian. I have been a Buddhist all my life and have never done anything wrong. I hope Master Qingtian will see through my mistakes."
The old woman knelt down without thinking and bowed guiltily. However, the little girl beside her reacted more quickly. She tugged at the old woman's clothes and reminded her, "These are the Emperor and Empress, not some high-ranking official."
"Your servant greets the Emperor and the Empress." It was the first time for the little girl to see the true appearance of the Emperor and Empress. She shrank to the ground and dared not look.
Gu Jianchu's gentle voice rang out in the room, "Raise your head."
The maidservant and the old woman did not dare to resist. After hesitating, they slowly raised their heads and looked at the queen in front of them with sparkling eyes, who looked like a figure in a painting.
The little girl thought the queen was a ferocious yaksha and was very scary, but when she saw the queen's gentle and beautiful face, her nervous heart was relieved a little. She was wearing a phoenix robe and a kingfisher crown on her head. She looked as beautiful as an immortal goddess, and she seemed to have a radiance that could save all living beings. However, hidden under this radiance was the imperial power that could not be challenged, and there was a hint of majesty in her gentleness.
"Don't be afraid. I will ask you a few questions. As long as you tell the truth, I will not hurt you and will even reward you." Gu Jianchu paused as he stroked the hot water bottle, and a beautiful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
When she heard about the reward, the old woman's eyes lit up instantly, "Don't worry, madam, I am an honest person. No matter what you ask, I will tell you the truth."
"Okay, I'm asking you, did your master, Lord Zhang, rob Miss Zhang of all her valuables after she returned home from the palace? He also locked Miss Zhang in the room and said he would help her find a husband." Gu Jianchu stared at the two people seriously.
Before the old woman could speak, Mrs. Zhang, who was kneeling beside her, couldn't help coughing to attract the attention of the maid and the old woman.
After hearing the sound, the little maid and the old woman followed the sound and saw Madam Zhang and Lord Zhang in the corner. Madam Zhang shook her head desperately at the two of them and signaled with her eyes that they should not talk too much.
Seeing this, Gu Jianchu spoke slowly, "Madam Zhang, are you feeling unwell? I have a royal physician with me who specializes in treating difficult and complicated illnesses. If you feel unwell, please tell me directly. I will have someone call him in to treat you. I guarantee that you will be cured."
Hearing Gu Jianchu's next words, Madam Zhang was immediately startled and quickly waved her hands, "Don't bother the Queen. I just had a sore throat. It's probably because the air is too dry in this season. I feel much better now."
"As long as you're not feeling uncomfortable, I'm glad." Gu Jianchu turned his gaze back to the old woman, casually took off a jade bracelet from his hand and placed it on the table. "As long as you two tell the truth, this bracelet is yours. I'm pregnant now, and I don't want to torture you. But if you refuse my toast, you'll have to drink a penalty. It's not impossible to see some bloodshed, so you'd better think it over carefully."
The old woman reacted instantly after hearing this, kneeling down and taking a step towards Gu Jianchu. "Empress, I want money, not blood. The Second Miss went straight home after leaving the palace. Madam and Master have always said that the Second Miss was a jinx, unfavored in the palace, and now she brings bad luck to them. Madam found some silver and a jade pendant with very good water content on the Second Miss. The Master said that the jade pendant is very valuable and should be sold for some money. As for how much it was sold for, I know. But they used the money from the jade pendant to buy an official position for their son. I know that too."
The little girl was afraid of being tortured, so after hearing the old woman's confession, she rushed over to confess, "After the master and the mistress robbed the young lady's things, they directly locked the second young lady in the yard and asked me and Mama Lin to go and see. Later, Mama Lin and I heard from the maidservants beside the mistress that they wanted to find a rich family to sell the second young lady as a concubine, but this kind of thing was not so easy to find. They couldn't find a concubine, but they found a family who wanted to pay for a woman to help them bear children. When they agreed, they sold the second young lady to them. They gave the master and the mistress 30,000 taels of silver, saying that the remaining money would be paid after the second young lady gave birth to a child."
"My Lady, everything I said was true. I absolutely did not lie."
"Your Majesty, please be wise. These two maids and servants must have been bribed by Zhang Ran to frame me." Madam Zhang crawled on her knees in front of Gu Jianchu, but was stopped by Cheng Song before she could get close.
"Zhang Ran has no money left. What can she use to bribe these two maids and servants to slander you?" Gu Jianchu asked speechlessly.
Madam Zhang hesitantly explained, "That little bitch must have hidden some private money. She hates us, so she's willing to pay off these maids and servants at all costs to kill us. It was the little bitch who suggested having the maids and servants serve as witnesses."