As Gou'er left, Gao Wenbin appeared behind her as if by magic, coolly reminding her, "Mistress, His Highness instructed that you are unwell and should not leave the manor!"
Zhao Jiaqi jumped, startled. This man was like a ghost. When you didn't need him, you never knew where he was, and when you did, he'd suddenly appear.
"I am perfectly fine, not unwell!" she said, a hint of displeasure in her voice, which was a bit sharp.
Gao Wenbin paid no mind, more upright and blunt than Fan Zehao. "Mistress is pregnant and cannot leave the manor!"
He cast a glance that, in Zhao Jiaqi's eyes, clearly meant: You are the Princess Consort, no one can control you, but I can. I am here under His Highness's orders to protect you!
"You mean, if I leave the manor while pregnant, you won't be able to protect me?" She looked up and down Gao Wenbin with a disdainful gaze, taunting, "So you're only capable of so much. You look useful, but in reality, you're all show and no substance, not even as good as the guards outside!"
Sarcasm and a goad – she had used all the tricks she could think of. But to someone with a highly intelligent mind, her intentions were obvious at a glance.
He replied even more straightforwardly, "Princess Consort, there is no need for such words. You have only seen a fraction of my abilities."
The implication was that she hadn't seen his more profound skills.
Zhao Jiaqi knitted her delicate brows. "Are you the master, or am I?"
"Naturally, the Princess Consort is the master!"
Since she was the master, wasn't that enough? Why was he being so hesitant? If she wanted to go, he could follow; if not, she could stay in the manor.
Zhao Jiaqi got into a sedan chair at the manor's second gate, carried out by four bearers. Gao Wenbin watched, shaking his head helplessly. With his mistress gone, how could he stay behind to look at paintings?
Originally, the Emperor had given him a secret decree to protect Fan Zehao. He wondered why the Emperor had chosen such a simpleton to be a loyalist.
The magistrate's office.
Qian Lai, in his official robes, sat under the plaque of "Justice Shines Bright," his expression solemn. Several yamen runners stood on either side of the hall, their sharp eyes fixed on the person kneeling below.
Fan Zehao sat to the side, observing the scene as if watching a play. He had no intention of intervening yet, but if Qian Lai dared to pervert justice, he would certainly not stand by idly.
Outside the magistrate's office, a crowd of onlookers had gathered, craning their necks to peer inside. Now was the time to lend more than just two ears.
The gavel slammed onto the desk with a resounding crack, its echo reverberating through the hall.
Qian Lai's eyes widened as he glared at Murong Sheng, who was kneeling below. He roared, "You dare to flee after the incident? I haven't even apprehended you yet, and you've delivered yourself to my doorstep! It's truly a case of 'seeking something far and wide, only to find it close at hand.' Guards, strike him! Strike him hard!"
Fan Zehao raised an eyebrow. Seeing the yamen runners move to apprehend the man, he spoke up, "Prefect Qian, isn't that inappropriate? He came to beat the drum to plead for justice. Why are you striking him without asking a single question?"
Qian Lai grinned slyly. "Your Highness, you may not know, but this sort of scoundrel won't speak the truth without twenty boards first!"
"Is that so? Then he hasn't even spoken. How do you know he'll lie? Also, do you have concrete evidence that he was poisoned at your restaurant?"
With a few sharp words, Fan Zehao had boxed Qian Lai into a corner. The latter opened his mouth, feeling that something was amiss.
He sensed that this Prince wasn't here just to watch the show, but likely to accomplish something to impress the common people. His eyes darted around a few times, and he quickly came up with a plan.
He waved his hand at the yamen runners who had moved forward, signaling them to step back. Only then did he begin to question, "Speak. Why did you beat the drum, and where do you feel wronged? I will give you an opportunity to explain!"
Murong Sheng raised his head, his face stubborn and unyielding. He replied word by word, "The deceased's family claims he died after eating at Tianxiang Tower. May I ask, Your Excellency, what did he eat? And what poison? Your Excellency has not mentioned a single word about it so far! Even if you intend to find me guilty, shouldn't I know the crime I am accused of?"
Not only was he about to be beaten without a word, but he didn't even have a reason. This prefect was more audacious than a black bear.
This man was indeed troublesome. In years, he had never had such a difficult time presiding over a court session. Thinking that the Prince was present, he couldn't simply close the case directly, so he had the deceased's family and the coroner brought in.
Soon, Fan Xudong also brought the chefs and waiters from Tianxiang Tower, and even Zhuo Ping, who had been dead for two days, was brought in. To prevent the body from decaying, he had Fan Zehao use an ice coffin. Now that everyone was gathered, he wanted to see who the mastermind behind this was!
With a throng of people in the hall, Qian Lai had no choice but to proceed with the interrogation, starting with the coroner.
"You examined Zhuo Ping's body. Tell me, how did he die!"
The coroner lowered his head, glancing at the person seated at the head of the table. His peripheral vision swept over Fan Zehao, and he swallowed nervously, saying, "In the dish he ate, there was a mushroom. He died of food poisoning!"
Qian Lai raised an eyebrow and asked the coroner again, "Are you certain he died of food poisoning? Not from something else!"
The coroner replied with certainty, "Yes, I am certain he died of food poisoning, not from anything else!"
Qian Lai then asked Murong Sheng, "The deceased ate a dish of Stewed Chicken with Mushrooms at your restaurant this afternoon. The coroner just said he died of mushroom poisoning. Do you have anything else to say!"
"Your Excellency, I say the mushroom was not poisonous, and the coroner says it was. Why don't we let the deceased himself tell us what poison he died from!" Murong Sheng had no intention of quibbling with Qian Lai and the coroner.
Qian Lai was no good, and this coroner was even worse.
If it were some other poison, he might believe it, but to say that this mushroom was poisonous? He wouldn't believe it even if he were beaten to death.
Many other people had eaten this dish that day. Why were they all fine, while the deceased coincidentally ate it and died?
Qian Lai raised his arm to strike the gavel, intending to reprimand the person below for talking nonsense – how could a dead person speak? But seeing Fan Zehao's gaze turn towards him, he sheepishly lowered his raised arm.
Ahem... He cleared his throat, tilted his chin, and told him to continue, "Then... you have the dead man speak. I'd like to see how a dead man speaks!"
Murong Sheng shifted his body to the side, making space. He called over the person who had been watching the play for a long time. "This is a doctor from the Yu Lin Town clinic, named Yan Su, with excellent medical skills. Doctor Yan will now re-examine the deceased's body. If his findings match the coroner's, then I will accept the blame!"
Upon hearing this, the coroner's face immediately darkened. He stepped forward to obstruct, "Your Excellency, the deceased has been at the morgue for two days. Decomposition has already set in, and the toxins in the body have dissipated. Even if the body is re-examined, I fear it will be impossible to ascertain anything!"