That was, no matter what others said, he would protect Feng Jingye.
So what if there were both human and physical evidence?
Anyway, he just didn't believe that Feng Jingye had done such a thing as harming his brother.
His gaze finally landed on Concubine Yi's face. His cold, frigid eyes were like ice as he asked coldly, "The Crown Prince has already sworn a poisonous oath. You still don't believe him?"
Concubine Yi was taken aback for a moment. Then she heard Zhuo Lingxiao behind her give a cold snort and say disdainfully, "It's just a casual oath. How can it compare to the ironclad evidence? Your Majesty's way of trying cases really broadens this young master's horizons!"
"Since Young Master Zhuo is not satisfied with the way I try cases and thinks that an oath from our Great Zhou's Crown Prince is not enough. Then," Feng Linche said as he turned his head and looked at Bai Zheng, "Madam Hou, you can say something. This Li Xiaoming is your man. Since he has implicated you, you can't get away from this matter. How do you explain it?"
What was coming was finally coming.
Bai Zheng understood that Feng Linche shifting the focus at this moment was not only to help his own son but also to warn her - now they were like grasshoppers on the same boat. If Feng Jingye couldn't clear his suspicion, then her Dingyuan Marquis Mansion would not have an easy time either.
Bai Zheng slightly curled her lips and calmly nodded in response, "Your Majesty, this Li Xiaoming is indeed the accountant in my dessert shop. He's right. His Highness the Crown Prince did meet this subject's wife in the teahouse at that time."
Hearing this, everyone gasped. From what Bai Zheng said... was she giving up struggling and admitting it?
Empress Chu was extremely angry at Bai Zheng's "confession". She felt a rush of blood to her head and immediately blurted out, "Don't talk nonsense!"
It was all this Bai Zheng's fault. She couldn't manage her own servants well, and now she had dragged her son into this mess. Instead of trying to clear the suspicion, she actually admitted it just like that?!
Bai Zheng seemed not to hear Empress Chu's words at all. She just continued to confess, "Moreover, Big Sister is also right. Before the fireworks room caught fire, this subject's daughter was in the adjacent storage room."
"Whoa—"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was in an uproar.
Feng Linche's face was more solemn than ever. He stared at Bai Zheng and coldly asked, "Madam Hou, do you know what you're saying?"
Bai Zheng nodded, "Your Majesty, what this subject's wife said is true. But don't you think it's too coincidental?"
After saying that, Bai Zheng gave a faint smile and repeated coolly, "It's really not just an ordinary coincidence."
"You can still smile at a time like this!" Bai Zheng's nonchalant attitude completely enraged Empress Chu. She pointed at Bai Zheng and roared.
Bai Zheng raised her eyes. There was still a faint smile on her face, but her eyes were cold as ice, "Doesn't Your Majesty the Empress think so? All these things are just too coincidental."
As she said this, she turned around and looked at Bai Sheng, "The Third Prince's Mansion is so big. I was taken out of the main hall by Miss Sheng to change my clothes. As a result, Miss Sheng disappeared, but Big Sister was able to accurately find me in the remote courtyard of this huge Third Prince's Mansion.
Big Sister, this remote courtyard is at least half the distance of the mansion away from the main hall. Even the Marquis had to spend a lot of effort to find me. How come you're so capable of finding me right away? Could it be that you have a telepathic connection with me?"
Bai Zheng said with a cold laugh, and there was endless ridicule in her laughter.
"Now that His Highness the Third Prince has just passed away, His Highness the Crown Prince has been framed. Overnight, someone wants Your Majesty to lose two sons. Even my accountant who has hardly ever been to the teahouse said that he heard the content of the conspiracy between me and His Highness.
It's really interesting. How could everything be so well - coordinated? It caught our Great Zhou off guard and put our Great Zhou in a precarious situation!
Your Majesty the Empress, you tell me, how deep - seated and strategic must a person be to set up such a grand scheme?"
Empress Chu was stunned.
If it were in normal times, without Bai Zheng's hint, she could figure out the key points herself. But this time, it involved Feng Jingye, which made her lose her composure.
This was why she simply didn't have the energy to sort out the key points.
But now, after hearing Bai Zheng's analysis, she immediately understood.
Although the problem seemed to be with Bai Zheng's accountant, the real target of the other party was her own son!
Even if there was no accountant, there would be a shopkeeper, a waiter... anyone who could be used by Bai Sheng.
After figuring this out, her hostility towards Bai Zheng was instantly reduced by more than half. She turned her head and stared coldly at Bai Sheng, "Madam Hou is right. The eldest miss has quite a skill in finding people. In such a huge Third Prince's Mansion, it's just so coincidental that you happened to catch Madam Hou setting fire and killing someone in the remote courtyard?"
Bai Sheng's face turned pale, and she was stunned for a moment.
She looked at Bai Zheng, who was standing calmly behind Empress Chu and looking at her, and for a moment, she hated her to the core.
She just couldn't stand Bai Zheng. She really hated this kind of attitude of Bai Zheng.
She stood up, pointed at Bai Zheng's nose and roared, "Zheng'er is really sharp - tongued and has such a glib tongue! Why is it so coincidental? I don't know either. Maybe His Highness the Third Prince guided me there in the nether world, or maybe even the heavens couldn't stand you harming innocent people!
Now that there are both human and physical evidence, instead of admitting your guilt properly, you even have the nerve to say that there's something strange about me finding you setting fire and killing someone? How can you be so shameless!"
Bai Sheng's voice suddenly rose. Her eyes were wide - open, almost popping out of their sockets. She looked like a hungry wolf about to devour Bai Zheng alive.
But Bai Zheng completely ignored the jumping - up - and - down Bai Sheng. She calmly walked around her and came in front of Li Xiaoming. Looking down at him, she asked, "You said that that day, you came to the teahouse because you had something to report about the aftermath and heard His Highness the Crown Prince and this madam discussing the matter of harming His Highness the Third Prince.
Since that's the case, you should have been nearby at that time. Do you still remember where His Highness the Crown Prince was sitting and what kind of tea and snacks this madam offered to His Highness the Crown Prince?"
Li Xiaoming was stunned for a long time by this question. Then he stammered, "This servant... was really too scared when I heard those things. I don't remember these details..."
"Don't remember." Bai Zheng smiled faintly, "Then when you went up to the teahouse, did you have any impression of who you met along the way?"
Li Xiaoming lowered his head, his eyes darting around, "No, I didn't meet anyone..."
In fact, he was blocked outside by the crowd that day and never even entered the teahouse.
"Really?" Bai Zheng curled her lips into a smile, "This madam still remembers that Zhuling said she saw you coming down from the third floor that day and even greeted you. Have you forgotten?"
"Ah?" Li Xiaoming looked up in surprise and subconsciously said, "It's impossible!"
Of course it was impossible. He never went up that day. How could he have met Zhuling and greeted her?