Lu Wanning thought for a moment and asked, "That Miss Cen who sprained her ankle, did she get into the carriage by herself, or did Lu Yingshuang get off to help her?"
The coachman thought for a while and replied, "It was Miss Lu who got off to pick her up."
Lu Wanning asked again, "Besides helping Miss Cen, did she do anything else when she got off the carriage?"
"Anything else? I don't think so..." The coachman thought for a long time. Suddenly, he remembered something. "Oh, right. I remember now. When Miss Lu got off the carriage, she patted the two horses in the front and asked me how I managed to raise the horses so well. But it was just a casual remark. I didn't pay much attention to it."
Lu Wanning's eyes flickered. She continued to ask, "After the horses got startled, what happened next?"
The coachman got a bit emotional. "Your Highness, I've been serving you for a long time. No matter what kind of carriage it is, I always handle it safely and properly. I also check the horses and the carriage very carefully. When the horses got startled, I had already managed to control the carriage. I just needed to cut the reins of the startled horse in the front, and everything would have been fine. But unexpectedly, Miss Lu jumped out of the carriage at that moment. In order to save her, I had to jump out of the carriage and grab her, so that she wouldn't fall off the cliff."
Lu Wanning pressed on, "You mean you had already stabilized the carriage?"
The coachman nodded with a bit of grievance. "Yes, I did. But Miss Lu might have been worried, so she jumped out of the carriage."
Lu Wanning took a deep breath. It was normal for the coachman to feel aggrieved. He had risked his life to ensure that Lu Yingshuang wasn't too badly hurt. But before he could catch his breath, he was beaten up without any just cause. How could he not feel aggrieved?
"What was my brother doing at that time?"
The coachman explained, "After His Highness the Heir Apparent noticed that the carriage was out of control, he immediately rode his horse over. But it was already too late..."
"I'm asking what my brother was doing when He Wenbo was beating you?"
Lu Wanning's voice was calm, but the coachman couldn't help but wipe his tears and sob.
"Your Highness, after His Highness the Heir Apparent found out that something had happened to the carriage, he went to report the incident in person. And Her Highness the Heir Apparent's Consort arranged for people to treat us and also went to report the incident to His Highness the Prince and Her Highness the Princess. Your Highness, I'm fine. Please believe me. I'm willing to do anything for you, even if it means sacrificing my life."
He was just a coachman who had been born into the household. It was his duty to do his job well. If he didn't do it well, it was his fault. He had always heard people say that Your Highness the Princess was arrogant and domineering and didn't treat people as human beings. But he always thought that what they said wasn't true. Your Highness the Princess was just a childish and willful girl. Whenever they made a small mistake, Your Highness the Princess never got angry with them.
Today, he finally realized that what others said was false. Your Highness the Princess was the kindest master in the world. It was his greatest fortune to be her servant.
Lu Wanning smiled. "I don't want your life. I just want you to drive the carriage for me properly."
As she was speaking, the people from the Supreme Court of Judicature arrived. Sheng Jinyu didn't come, but the people from the Supreme Court of Judicature were very efficient. They quickly divided into several groups and started investigating the scene.
The coachman cooperated very well. He explained everything in detail from beginning to end. Miss Cen was scared, but she also told everything she knew honestly. But when it came to Lu Yingshuang, she was very uncooperative.
Lu Wanning was sitting on a chair prepared for her. She didn't need to do anything. Next to her was a military doctor who had just examined the coachman. He carefully examined Lu Wanning again. After seeing that the wound on her hand wasn't very serious, he finally felt relieved.
The people from the Supreme Court of Judicature were indeed under Sheng Jinyu's command. They all had cold expressions and were very meticulous in their work. Even if Mrs. Lu wanted to make a scene, they could easily handle it.
Jiyue brought a water bag and helped Lu Wanning drink some water. Just then, a woman in plain clothes came out from the curtain where Lu Yingshuang was. It was Shi Aohan.
Lu Wanning narrowed her eyes slightly. Just as she was about to stand up, she saw a middle - aged man from the Supreme Court of Judicature stretch out his hand and block Shi Aohan's way. This man was Master Qi, the chief of the Supreme Court of Judicature.
"You can't leave yet. We haven't searched you."
Shi Aohan looked at him in surprise. "I... I just came to accompany Sister Lu."
He Wenbo beside her pulled Shi Aohan behind him and said fiercely, "How do you do your job? She wasn't at the scene at that time. She came later to accompany Sister Lu."
Master Qi wasn't afraid at all. He just said, "Everyone who has been here needs to be searched, including you."
He Wenbo shouted angrily, "You were sent by Lu Wanning. You're just taking revenge, aren't you?"
As soon as he said this, Lu Hannian immediately rushed up and punched him. "He Wenbo, if you dare to slander Ning'er again, I'll take your head."
Master Qi seemed not to notice the commotion in front of him. He just said coldly to Shi Aohan, "Please go in first, Miss. A maid will search you later."
Shi Aohan was reluctant, but she had no choice but to go in.
Lu Wanning yawned. Not long after, several maids came over to apologize and said that everyone needed to be carefully searched. The Lu and Cen families didn't say anything and cooperated with the search.
But over there, Lu Yingshuang started shouting and screaming. "I don't want to be searched. Let me go. Let me out. Mother, I want to go home. I want to go home. My face hurts so much. It hurts so much, Mother..."
Mrs. Lu hugged her daughter lovingly and scolded loudly, "When you're investigating a case, why do you always focus on the injured? Shouldn't you go over there and find out who started all this?"
Lu Hongxi clenched his fists tightly and sneered. "I never knew that while I was fighting for the Great Zhou outside, my family members were being bullied like this. The Lu family of the Earl of Chengen, very good!"
As soon as he said this, Mrs. Lu shivered. She didn't dare to say anything anymore. The maids beside her quickly knelt down in front of Lu Hongxi and the Princess and kept apologizing, saying that the lady was just scared and didn't know what she was saying.
Not long after, the people from the Supreme Court of Judicature found a strange paper package on Lu Yingshuang's maid. Immediately, a doctor went over to take a look.
"What's in this paper package is harmless to people. But... if it's smeared on a horse, the horse will become restless in a short time."
Everyone looked at each other in surprise. The paper package was in the hands of Lu Yingshuang's maid, and according to the coachman, the one who had gotten close to the horses was Lu Yingshuang.
Mrs. Lu was indignant. "Do you think my daughter would harm herself? What good would it do her? It's clearly someone framing her."
He Chan also shouted, "That's right. The carriage belongs to Lu Wanning. Shouldn't you investigate Lu Wanning?"
Master Qi said coldly, "We're the ones investigating the case. Please don't try to mislead us, Miss He. Doctor, I'd like to ask you, if this drug is smeared on a horse, how long will it take to take effect, and how long will it last?"
The doctor who had examined the drug thought for a moment and then said, "It will take effect in about half the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, and it will also lose its effect in about the same amount of time. Moreover, judging from the dosage of this drug, the amount of the substance that startles the horses isn't very large. An experienced coachman should be able to control the horses."