flstandardbreds Chapter 1293 Confession
Chapter 1293 Confession
Lin Yiwan nodded: "Yes. Now that we've captured Su Mei, Min Yue will definitely be desperate and do something rash. We can use Su Mei to find out about Min Yue's conspiracy, and then take the opportunity to find evidence that she plotted to murder the king."
Meanwhile, Su Mei was taken back to the Prime Minister's mansion dungeon, where cold iron chains bound her hands and feet, causing her to furrow her brows in pain.
Lin Yiwan and Zhan Yan arrived outside the prison gate, their eyes fixed intently on her.
"Speak, who sent you to seduce Zhan Yan?" Lin Yiwan's voice was devoid of warmth, as if it could pierce through one's heart.
Su Mei huddled in the corner, trembling, but still gritted her teeth: "No one instructed me. I just wanted to ask Marquis Zhanyi to verify the matter of my benefactor. Madam, you have really misunderstood."
Zhan Yan stepped forward, his eyes sharp as knives: "That jade pendant was clearly something I lost back then, how did it become your family heirloom? If you confess honestly, you may be treated leniently, otherwise, you may not be able to withstand the punishment of the Prime Minister's mansion."
Su Mei felt a chill run down her spine. She had long heard of Zhan Yihou's cruel interrogation methods, but when she thought of Min Yue's threats, she dared not confess easily.
She could only cower and say, "I'm telling the truth. If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do."
Lin Yiwan sneered and turned to the guards behind her, ordering, "Give her a lesson, let her know that in the Prime Minister's residence, being stubborn will only lead to a bad end."
The guards immediately stepped forward, picked up a leather whip from the side, and were about to lash out at Su Mei.
The leather whip, with its inch-long barbs, gleamed with a terrifying dark light.
Su Mei was terrified. She screamed, "Don't hit me! I'll talk, I'll talk!"
Lin Yiwan raised her hand to signal the guards to step back, and looked at her coldly: "If you had done this earlier, there would have been no need to suffer physical pain."
Su Mei slumped to the ground, tears mixed with sweat streaming down her face: "It was the Queen, it was Queen Min Yue who ordered me to do it. She sent me to seduce Marquis Zhanyi, and said that if I succeeded, she would give me a hundred taels of gold and free me from my slave status."
A ruthless glint flashed in Zhan Yan's eyes: "How exactly did she arrange it? Is there any other conspiracy?"
"The Queen gave me that jade pendant and sent me to the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion to become a dancer. I deliberately created an encounter with you, used the pendant to evoke your memories, and then used my charm to make you fall in love with me," Su Mei replied, trembling.
Zhan Yan curled his lips in a mocking smile. How dare they use such a despicable trick on him.
Su Mei continued, sobbing, "She also said that if you and I had an affair, she would have someone spread the word, turning Lady Hou against you, so that you would no longer be able to join forces against her."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yiwan felt that Min Yue was truly vicious and cunning.
She asked coldly, "Besides having you seduce my husband, does she have any other schemes?"
Su Mei shook her head: "The Queen only asked me to do this. She didn't tell me about the other conspiracies. However, I once heard Sister Chun Tao say that the Queen wanted to deal with the Crown Prince. She made him accompany the King of Wu to Jingxin Temple to pray for blessings and arranged for several young monks to ruin his reputation!"
"Ruin the Crown Prince's reputation?" Lin Yiwan's heart skipped a beat, and she clenched her fists tightly. Ah Xuan was upright and of pure character, yet Min Yue didn't even spare him; it was truly despicable and outrageous.
Zhan Yan's face also darkened, his eyes blazing with anger: "Is this true? What else did Chun Tao say?"
Su Mei curled up, her voice trembling even more: "I... I overheard Chun Tao talking to the Queen, saying that it had been arranged that those little monks would deliberately cause a dispute with the Crown Prince during the prayer, and then spread rumors that the Crown Prince had beaten and scolded the monks, saying that he was disrespectful to the gods and unworthy to be the Crown Prince."
She paused, then added, "Chuntao also said that the abbot of Jingxin Temple would help testify to make everyone believe it."
Lin Yiwan and Zhan Yan exchanged a glance, both seeing seriousness in each other's eyes.
Min Yue was trying to kill two birds with one stone: to sow discord between the couple and to overthrow the crown prince. In this way, the politics of the Li Kingdom would fall into her control.
"Oh no!" Lin Yiwan suddenly realized, "The King had planned to take the Crown Prince to Jingxin Temple to pray for blessings in three days. If Min Yue really succeeds, the Crown Prince's reputation will be completely ruined!"
Zhan Yan immediately stood up: "There's no time to lose, we must go see the king immediately and expose Min Yue's conspiracy!"
Lin Yiwan pulled him back, her brows furrowed. "Uncle now trusts Min Yue completely. He might not believe us based solely on Su Mei's word. Moreover, the abbot of Jingxin Temple is probably already prepared, as he has colluded with Min Yue."
Prime Minister Min arrived just in time to hear the news. Upon hearing the matter, his expression grew even more somber: "Wanwan is right. Although the King has high hopes for the Crown Prince, if Min Yue interferes, and with the Abbot testifying, the King may very well be deceived. We must find evidence to prevent this from happening."
The Holy Maiden followed, and she pondered, "We have people around the Crown Prince. Perhaps we can have them keep an eye on things secretly. If those little monks make any unusual moves, we can immediately take them into custody as witnesses."
Lin Yiwan nodded: "That's one way. Also, we need to hurry to Jingxin Temple and find those young monks who were bribed by Min Yue, and force them to tell the truth."
Zhan Yan nodded: "I will go personally. Wanwan, you stay in the manor to keep an eye on Su Mei. At the same time, send someone to the palace to contact the Crown Prince's secret guards and tell them to be more vigilant."
After making the arrangements, Zhan Yan immediately took several trusted guards and headed to Jingxin Temple under the cover of night.
The Jingxin Temple was completely silent, with only a few meditation rooms still lit by candlelight. Zhan Yan and his group quietly sneaked in, avoiding the patrolling monks, and headed straight for the side rooms in the back courtyard.
Based on the clues provided by Su Mei, the young monks lived in the westernmost wing of the backyard. Zhan Yan and the others crept to the outside of the monks' quarters and, sure enough, heard voices coming from inside.
"Do you think the Queen will really keep her promise and give us silver so we can leave this place?" a childish voice asked.
“Definitely! Sister Chuntao already told the abbot that as long as we handle this matter well, we will not only receive money, but also be provided with a suitable place to stay,” another voice replied.
"But... but if we frame innocent people, won't we be punished?"
"What's there to be afraid of! With the Queen and the Abbot backing us up, who would dare to cause us trouble? Besides, as long as we get things done, we can get rid of these miserable days!"
Upon hearing this, a cold glint flashed in Zhan Yan's eyes. He raised his hand to signal, and several guards immediately rushed in and pinned the young monks down.
The young monks were terrified and cried out repeatedly, "Who are you? Let us go!"
Zhan Yan walked into the side room and looked at them coldly: "You colluded with Min Yue to frame the Crown Prince. Do you know your crime?"
The young monks were deathly pale, stammering and unable to speak. One of them, the slightly bolder one, forced himself to remain calm and said, "You, you're lying! We didn't frame the Crown Prince!"