Tianliangyuan

Chapter 43 I witnessed Xu Zhaozhao kill someone.

Xu Zhaozhao raised an eyebrow; it seemed the Jiang family had really gone all out this time.

He directly murdered his own illegitimate daughter, hoping to frame her for it, and at the same time get rid of an annoying illegitimate daughter. Tsk tsk, what a cunning plan.

With a murder committed, none of the guests at the banquet were allowed to leave.

Xu Lin hadn't expected that it would be her cousin's daughter who was the victim. If it were a servant, she would have her own way of dealing with it, but since it was a relative who had died here, she couldn't just let it go.

It was Jiang Ning who took the initiative to suggest that they sue the government.

There was a group of male guests outside, mostly Sun Qingyang's colleagues or former classmates, along with relatives from the same clan. Of course, Sun Miaomiao's father was also among them.

Jiang's face was pale and her fingers trembled slightly, clearly she was frightened.

Seeing this, Xu Lin had no choice but to follow Jiang Ning's advice and file a complaint with the authorities.

The one who arrived was the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture.

He had heard that there was a birthday banquet here, and that many officials' wives and children were attending, so he personally brought his people over.

This was the first time Xu Zhaozhao had met Zhao Changqing, the Prefect of Jingzhao. She had heard that he was not yet thirty years old, but had solved many strange cases and was deeply trusted by the emperor, making him a favorite minister of the emperor.

The position of the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture is not very high, only the fourth rank, but its authority is very large!

The Jingzhao Prefecture governed twenty-two counties surrounding the capital. Unlike other local prefectures, it was not bound by the rule of appeals at each level. In cases where the evidence was proven conclusive, the offender could be sentenced to death in court.

Xu Zhaozhao had always wanted to meet this brilliant detective, Lord Zhao, but she never expected it to be in this kind of setting.

Xu Zhaozhao found it quite interesting. Since the Jiang family dared to arrange such a grand scheme, they must have made thorough preparations. She also wanted to see if this Lord Zhao was truly wise and just.

At this moment, the front yard also received the news. Apart from some guests who were already slightly tipsy, the rest of the people came over with Sun Qingyang.

Looking around, there are really not many people who are qualified to be on equal footing with Zhao Changqing.

The main reason is that Marquis Anxin, Xu Han, didn't come. If he had come, he might have been able to raise the status of the Sun family.

Xu Lin was feeling irritable. She had finally managed to host a banquet to let the nobles of the capital know that the Sun family was safe and sound, and she also wanted to return to the sight of these powerful figures.

But she never imagined that she would become the subject of gossip among the powerful and wealthy in this way.

The old lady of the Sun family did not faint from the shock, but her complexion was obviously not good.

Xu Lin quickly took charge and ordered someone to help the old lady back to rest.

As for whether we've eaten enough, who cares right now?

As Xu Zhaozhao was pondering the key points of the matter, she noticed a gaze fixed on her, one that clearly carried a hint of malice.

She looked up and bumped right into Jiang, who hadn't had time to look away. They were several feet apart, but their eyes met, and a murderous aura emanated from them.

Xu Zhaozhao raised her eyebrows slightly and returned a smile. It seemed that she had not guessed wrong; it really was Jiang who wanted her dead.

Even though Xu Zhaozhao is a noblewoman from a noble family, once the fact that she committed murder is confirmed, she will still face imprisonment.

However, what Xu Zhaozhao couldn't understand was that Jiang didn't live here and didn't often come to the Sun residence to pay her respects, so how did she manage to command the servants of the Sun residence?

Whether it's needing to guide people or arranging witnesses, both require manpower and financial resources.

Xu Zhaozhao did not doubt the Jiang family's financial resources, but where did she get all these people?

Was it only recently acquired?

This doesn't make sense, and it's too hasty. The Jiang family might not even trust them.

Xu Zhaozhao thought of Sun Qian, who had been sent out of the city. It seemed that she would have to go to Sun Qian's courtyard when she had the chance. After all, she had just made an excuse, and she could go there openly later.

After quickly inspecting the scene, Zhao Changqing began questioning everyone one by one.

The first to be questioned were the servants who discovered the place, including the maid who went to deliver the message.

After some questioning, Jiang Wanwan's maid said that she had seen Xu Zhaozhao enter the courtyard.

Besides her, another old woman who was in charge of guarding the place also insisted that she saw Xu Zhaozhao and her maid strangle Sun Miaomiao together.

She was so frightened at the time that she couldn't move, which is why the maidservant brought the news later.

Two eyewitnesses testified against Xu Zhaozhao, and even Wang Ruolan's extreme anger could not stop Lord Zhao from investigating the case.

Xu Zhaozhao reassured her mother with her eyes and carefully walked up to Zhao Changqing.

Just a wall away from the two of them was the scene of Sun Miaomiao's death.

“Lord Zhao, you may ask me anything. I will answer all your questions without reservation and will fully cooperate with your investigation.”

Zhao Changqing was quite satisfied with her attitude.

Did you enter this courtyard today?

Xu Zhaozhao shook her head: "No."

"You're lying! I clearly saw you go in with my own eyes!"

Zhao Changqing frowned, about to reprimand him, when he heard Xu Zhaozhao ask, "When did you see me go in? Can you give me the exact time?"

The maid was speechless for a moment, then rolled her eyes for a moment before replying, "Of course I remember. You and my young lady walked and talked for quite a while. Later, my young lady said it was getting late and she wanted to go back to the banquet to avoid being blamed for being impolite. You said that you were feeling a bit bored, perhaps from drinking too much fruit wine, and wanted to go for a walk to clear your head. So I accompanied the young lady back, and when I turned around, I saw you leading Dingxiang into this courtyard!"

What they said made sense and seemed to make perfect sense!

Xu Zhaozhao laughed: "But I was the one who returned to the banquet first. As for your young lady, if I remember correctly, she returned about half a cup of tea's time after I did."

Many young ladies and wives around them echoed this sentiment; after all, it was a murder case, and no one dared to speak out of turn.

But they still had to speak out about what they had seen with their own eyes.

Zhao Changqing heard the discussion clearly. In other words, Xu Zhaozhao had indeed returned to the banquet first, while Jiang Wanwan had arrived a step later with her maid.

Therefore, we can no longer believe what this maid says.

"So what if you went back before my young lady? My young lady just went to the Chuihua Gate to wait for news, mainly because she was worried that my master would drink too much again. The servants at the Chuihua Gate can testify to that."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Changqing thought it made sense; those who returned early weren't necessarily innocent of killing anyone.

Jiang Wanwan and her servants, who returned late, have witnesses who can testify that she was indeed only worried about her father and did not do anything else out of line.

It seems that everything has returned to square one.

All the testimonies were unfavorable to Xu Zhaozhao.

But Sun Yifang stepped forward, looking puzzled: "Your words are so strange. I was the one who met you in the garden. It was Sister Zhao Zhao who took the initiative to suggest that we go back. I was with her first, and you and Jiang Wanwan were behind. How come you've completely reversed the story?"