Dongxue snorted coldly and had the Prefect of Jingzhao arrest them all. However, the next day, Ouyang Yue sent people to bring Dongxue and her people back.
Upon returning to Prince Chen's residence, Dongxue went directly to see Baili Chen and Ouyang Yue: "Your Highness, Your Highness, this servant has returned."
Ouyang Yue nodded: "I'm sorry you've suffered."
Dongxue quickly shook her head and said, "Serving the Princess Consort is not hard work at all, and I have lived up to the high expectations of the Prince and Princess Consort. This time, I have finally managed to find out some information." Dongxue looked back and called out, "Come in."
Five burly men walked in from outside the door and immediately knelt down to greet the Prince and Princess: "Your subordinates greet Your Highness and Princess."
"Get up, all of you. Tell me what you've found out," Ouyang Yue said, waving her hand.
The most shrewd-looking man among the five said, “Your Highness and Your Highness, although Qiu Yue’s brother, Li Quan, is imprisoned with us, he is quite arrogant. That night, we brought in some wine that we had hidden inside our bodies to drink, and he asked for some. After a few sips, he started bragging. However, he is quite tight-lipped, or perhaps he doesn’t know much. He is unwilling to say much about the case of the man who jumped off the building, but we have encountered some strange things.”
"What strange thing is this?" Ouyang Yue asked.
Dongxue then said, "Your Highness, Qiuyue is very meticulous in her work. Although she was forced to come to the Beauty Pavilion to help out because of the troubles her family caused and the accusations of filial impiety, she assigned Li Quan to guard the storeroom. However, there are four guards there, rotating shifts in pairs, meaning there are always two people on duty. It's highly unlikely that Li Quan would steal anything. Li Quan is always idle and likes to gamble, just like his father. It was because he and Qiuyue's father owed money that Qiuyue was sold. Afterwards, Qiuyue signed a contract of servitude and became indebted to the Li family..." It's not a big deal. Although they received some silver, they couldn't possibly live a very comfortable life. Later, when Qiuyue became the manager of the Meiyi Pavilion, they somehow found out and started asking her for money. During this time, Qiuyue had spent a considerable amount of money on the Li family, which was all part of her monthly allowance, so it wasn't a huge sum. But Li Quan boasted in prison that when he got out, he would live a life of luxury, enjoying endless riches. He said he would bring two women into his mansion when he returned. Supporting two women would cost at least a thousand or eight hundred taels of silver, and from what I've gathered, Li Quan simply doesn't have that much money on hand.
Ouyang Yue nodded; she had already considered this possibility: "Have you found out who he has been in contact with the most?"
Dongxue shook her head: "This servant is incompetent and has not yet noticed anything unusual."
Ouyang Yue nodded slightly: "You must all be tired from last night, go back and rest first."
"Yes, Your Highness, Your Highness, this servant takes his leave."
As soon as everyone left, Baili Chen spoke up: "As expected, someone was heading towards the Beauty Pavilion."
Ouyang Yue frowned slightly. Clearly, this scheme was intricately linked, and she had learned that Li Quan had suddenly acquired some cash. However, this was useless unless she could extract information about Mu Hou. Li Quan was still in the prison of the Prefect of the Capital. She could visit him legitimately, but she couldn't get any information out of him. She had Dongxue deliberately anger the Prefect of the Capital and have them arrested to test the waters, but it turned out to be of little use.
Bai Lichen couldn't help but say, "But if this continues, the fact that my wife owns the Meiyi Pavilion business will also be exposed."
Ouyang Yue replied, "Since these people are heading straight for Meiyi Pavilion, it's clear I can't hide it for long. The most important thing now is to resolve the immediate problem." Baili Chen looked at Ouyang Yue, "Does my wife already have a solution?"
Ouyang Yue revealed a meaningful smile: "Since someone wants to target Meiyi Pavilion and use a murder case to confuse the public and cause chaos in the capital, then I will add fuel to the fire and make the entire capital, and even the Great Zhou Dynasty, fall into chaos!"
Baili Chen, however, became interested: "Wife, tell me quickly how you make things chaotic. I'm willing to keep adding fuel to the fire and make it burn bigger and bigger."
Ouyang Yue said, "With Meiyi Pavilion shut down, the Dong family naturally has no heart to run it anymore. He wants to close all his businesses so he can recover his spirits."
Bai Lichen was taken aback, then suddenly laughed and said, "Wife, you're really cunning."
Ouyang Yue raised an eyebrow and said innocently, "Husband, don't you think that as the owner behind this Meiyi Pavilion, I'm extremely depressed right now and it's only right that I want to turn a blind eye? How is that considered wicked?"
Baili Chen immediately wrapped his long arm around Ouyang Yue and pulled her into his arms, laughing, "My wife is right, my wife is right. It was my fault, I misspoke. My wife must be very sad right now. Let me comfort you." As he spoke, he slyly moved closer to Ouyang Yue's red lips.
Ouyang Yue turned her head away, and Baili Chen, seeing this, kissed her fair neck directly, even licking it before biting it. Ouyang Yue gasped in shock and glared at him angrily, "What are you doing?"
"I'll eat you up, my wife," Baili Chen said with a smile.
Ouyang Yue angrily covered his mouth: "Not now, it's still daytime."
"Oh, then tonight is fine?" Baili Chen quickly replied.
Ouyang Yue nudged him: "No, we still have a lot to do, stop fooling around."
Bai Lichen didn't insist, gently stroking Ouyang Yue's head: "It's just that this time your identity has been exposed, and more people will be watching you." It turns out that Ouyang Yue is just Xuan Yuan Chaohua's younger sister, Princess Mingyue, and Princess Chen's wife. But if she becomes the owner of the most popular women's shop in the entire capital, making a fortune every day, and controlling the preferences of many noble ladies and young ladies, this would be a great threat to some people.
Ouyang Yue, holding Baili Chen, smiled smugly: "If someone comes after me and I'm afraid, wouldn't that be disrespectful to them? Don't worry."
In the main hall of the Fu residence, Fu Lin strode in and bowed to the person seated above him, saying, "Fu Lin greets the Consort."
Fu Meier, who was sitting on the high seat, immediately stood up: "Father, please rise. We are all family, there is no need for so much formality. Father, please sit down."
Fu Lin didn't say much, and sat down at the lower end of the table. Fu Meier asked, "Father, how is the investigation going?"
Fu Lin's face flashed with a cold glint: "Just as the Consort Consort guessed, Xuan Yuan Yue is almost certainly the true master of the Beauty Pavilion."
"Smack!"
"It really was her!" Fu Meier gritted her teeth and slammed her hand on the table. "I suspected her connection to Meiyi Pavilion from the beginning, but in the end, I was swindled out of more than 100,000 taels of silver by that ugly masked man. Not only did I fail to help Father's plan, but I also lost money and made a huge embarrassment. It turns out that all of this was done by Xuan Yuan Yue. That damned Xuan Yuan Yue has always been against me. This time, I absolutely cannot let her get away with it."
Fu Lin's face also turned cold: "I have been preparing for that plan for ten years and working hard for five years. Although the Meiyige shop did not have the biggest impact on us, it still caused us losses and disrupted my plans. From then on, I noticed that strangers would occasionally walk in front of the Fu family's shops, which made me more cautious and naturally affected us."
Fu Meier sneered, "Then this time, let's go big. Now that we've forced Xuan Yuan Yue to step forward, we'll make Meiyi Pavilion the target of everyone's criticism, a sinner of the Great Zhou Dynasty. I want to see what she'll have left to oppose me. I'll remove this cancerous tumor from her. Even if I can't force her to die, I'll severely injure her!" Even Fu Meier couldn't clearly define her grudge against Ouyang Yue. Was it because Ouyang Yue stole her beloved man, or because she had repeatedly opposed her? Fu Meier only knew one thing: it was either Ouyang Yue or she herself would die, and she didn't want to die now. So, the one who would die was Xuan Yuan Yue!
Eight days before the trial of the Meiyi Pavilion case was scheduled to begin, news suddenly exploded in the capital: the most coveted establishment for women in the capital, no, it could be said, the Meiren Pavilion, had suddenly announced its closure. This was the most shocking part, but what was even more shocking was that when many powerful families sent people to inquire, they learned from a waitress at the Meiren Pavilion that the Meiyi Pavilion and the Meiren Pavilion were actually owned by the same person. Since the Meiyi Pavilion had been shut down, the owner of the Meiren Pavilion naturally had no desire to open another shop. Of course, the closure of the Meiyi Pavilion was justified given the seriousness of the situation, but according to the waitress, the story was completely different. The Meiyi Pavilion had been framed; otherwise, why would the owner of the Meiren Pavilion admit to the connection between the two shops and become the target of public criticism? Without this exposure of private matters, even if someone made connections, without evidence, no one would truly link the two together.
It seems the owner of this beauty pavilion is truly heartbroken. Could it be that he was wronged?
Meanwhile, people from all walks of life in the capital couldn't help but analyze the case. The Meiyi Pavilion case was first exposed because of the actions of one of the managers' older brothers, who drove a woman to her death. The manager's brother had also confessed to his crime, so it seemed undeniable. However, it was also possible that the manager's brother had acted with audacity because of his sister. Even if the owner of Meiyi Pavilion treated the manager well, there was no reason for him to protect the manager's brother. He had no relationship or affection with the manager's brother. Would he destroy his own business to protect a mere employee? No one would believe it. A business owner who could afford such a shop wouldn't be foolish enough to take such a serious crime lightly.
Of course, some people say that this news was deliberately released by the Beauty Pavilion to gain sympathy, and that it was completely fabricated.
Just then, news came from Meiren Pavilion that its shop had been vandalized, and the shopkeepers had fought back against the troublemakers. As the victims, the Prefect of Jingzhao had arrested them all and ordered the shop sealed off and guarded by officials. However, Meiren Pavilion was suddenly robbed, with all valuables stolen. This was shocking. The Prefect of Jingzhao had sent a team of officials, divided into two groups, to patrol constantly, yet Meiren Pavilion was still robbed under these circumstances. It seemed like a case of internal theft, especially given the previous incident of the Prefect of Jingzhao's unfair treatment. The people of Meiren Pavilion said that the Prefect of Jingzhao's incompetence and the fact that such a terrible incident had occurred under their guard was intolerable. If Meiren Pavilion's innocence wasn't cleared, they would close the shop permanently and never reopen.
This immediately enraged countless women in the capital. This Beauty Pavilion was specifically designed to serve them, and after experiencing its novelty, they found its services exceptionally good, especially its various beauty products, such as rouge and face powder, which indeed had remarkable effects. Some of the beauty treatments at the Beauty Pavilion even offered different treatment courses, some requiring one treatment, others two. It was essentially a matter of perception among these ladies and young women. The beauty treatments and the rouge and face powder sold at the Beauty Pavilion were the same, but they felt that the staff at the Beauty Pavilion did it better and with better results than they could do themselves. This led them to become loyal customers. Some had only been to the Beauty Pavilion once, and some were even just a few more times away from their appointments when suddenly they were told that the Beauty Pavilion would no longer sell rouge and would cease operations. The things that had made them beautiful would vanish instantly.
This caused considerable anxiety among many noble ladies in the capital. It was as if someone whose face had been disfigured had suddenly discovered a product that could restore their beauty. They used it with great joy, and while it did have a miraculous effect, the effect wore off quickly. They were just a hair's breadth away from fully regaining their beauty. The agonizing feeling was indescribable to those who hadn't experienced it. These noble ladies were experiencing just that. If the Beauty Pavilion closed down and they stopped selling its cosmetics, would they become ugly if they stopped using them? All sorts of worries followed, making these noble ladies deeply resentful of what had happened at the Beauty Pavilion, and they also hated the Prefect of the Capital for the injustice.
On the day the trial of the Meiyi Pavilion case began, the Prefect of the Capital City gathered a large number of people early in the morning. After all, the case that occurred at Meiyi Pavilion was quite serious. It started with a death, but it was said that there were several similar incidents involved. How could these people not be curious?
In the main hall, the Prefect of the Capital slammed his gavel: "Court is open! Bring in the criminals!"
On both sides of the main hall, officials were already waiting with Qiu Yue, Leng Can, and other members of the Mei Yi Ge (Beautiful Clothes Pavilion). As soon as the Prefect of the Capital made his announcement, the officials immediately forced Qiu Yue and Leng Can forward.
"The Prince and Princess Chen have arrived!" Just then, someone outside announced.
The Prefect of Jingzhao looked displeased, but he stood up with a smile and went to greet Baili Chen and Ouyang Yue: "This humble official greets Prince Chen and Princess Chen. I was unaware that Prince Chen and Princess Chen have come today?"
"Oh, the Prince and Princess were just curious about this case and came to listen to the trial. We hope we haven't disturbed the Prefect of the Capital." Since you've said that, it must have been a disturbance. He can't say anything, can he? The Prefect of the Capital immediately smiled and said, "No, no, Prince Chen and Princess Chen, please be seated." Officials had already placed chairs in the hall.
Just as Baili Chen and Ouyang Yue sat down, they heard a voice shout, "The old Princess Consort of Ning County has arrived!"
The Prefect of Jingzhao was taken aback. This Prince Ning was actually of the same generation as Emperor Mingxian. When they were vying for the throne, he was initially hostile to Emperor Mingxian, but in the end he came to his senses and helped Emperor Mingxian become emperor. He even died for Emperor Mingxian in the end. Emperor Mingxian was very grateful to this elder brother and loved the orphans of Prince Ning's family very much. Although they were not as good as Princess Shuangxia, no one dared to offend Prince Ning's family.
But no sooner had those words been spoken than shouts rang out from outside: "Your Highness, Your Highness's Consort has arrived!"
"General Ouyang's wife has arrived!"
"The wife of the Minister of War has arrived!"
"First Lady of the XX Rank, Madam, and two young ladies have arrived!"
"Mrs. XX has arrived!"
"..."
"..."
The entire courtroom of the Jingzhao Prefecture was suddenly filled with people, all of whom were prominent figures in the capital. If it weren't for the unusual scene, one might have mistaken it for a high-society banquet. The Prefect of Jingzhao was somewhat bewildered and didn't know what to say for a moment.
The eldest princess consort of Ning County, being the most senior among them, spoke frankly: "I've heard that the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture has recently committed some unjust acts. I happened to be free today, so I came to take a look. If there is indeed injustice, I will naturally seek justice for the innocent." The others echoed her sentiments, all sharing the same idea.
The Prefect of Jingzhao was immediately covered in sweat, while Baili Jian and Fu Meier looked extremely grim. How could they possibly handle the case with these people watching? He glared coldly at Ouyang Yue and Baili Chen, while Ouyang Yue looked at Fu Meier with a sneer, opening her mouth to silently say, "Well, are you surprised?"
Fu Meier's face darkened: "Xuanyuan Yue, if you don't die today, I'll make you suffer! Just you wait!"
The show is about to begin!
☆、181、A clever flip!
A large number of people gathered in the main hall of the Jingzhao Prefecture, including royal elders. Ouyang Yue and Baili Chen immediately stood up and went up to greet them, saying, "Grandmother, please have a seat."
The old princess of Ningjun smiled when she saw Baili Chen and Ouyang Yue: "So it's Seventh Prince and Mingyue, you've come too."
“Yes, Grandmother.” Then she greeted Princess Ning, “Grandmother, please come too.” Princess Ning smiled and said a few words. Fu Meier naturally followed suit, but it was clear that the old Princess Ning and Princess Ning were much colder towards each other.
"So you're the concubine of the Prince of Ning? You're quite eager." The old Princess Consort of Ning County said with a half-smile. After Prince Ning County died, although the Emperor would take care of the widow of Prince Ning County for the rest of her life, the Prince Ning County Mansion was reorganized. All the concubines disappeared overnight. It was said to be a disbandment, but who believed it? Everyone just pretended to be deaf and dumb. It can be seen that the people in Prince Ning County Mansion are all legitimate. They instinctively have no good feelings towards Fu Meier, this concubine, who is also a merchant's daughter.
Fu Meier could sense their coldness, but her expression remained unchanged; she simply gritted her teeth inwardly.
The Prefect of the Capital looked at the assembled noblewomen and ladies from various households, feeling a splitting headache. He couldn't help but say to them, "Ladies and gentlemen, this Prefectural Magistrate's Hall is for handling cases. There are so many people here..."
Upon hearing this, one of the noble ladies immediately frowned and said, "What? We can't even come to the main hall of the Jingzhao Prefecture?"
"Lord of the Capital Prefecture, has no one else ever come to this hall? If others can come, what am I lacking? Or does the Lord of the Capital Prefecture think that I am not qualified to sit in court and listen to the trial?"
"Haha, they obviously think we're not qualified."
"The Prefect of the Capital is truly arrogant. My husband's official rank is no lower than yours, and perhaps even slightly higher, yet he doesn't even give me, his wife, any face. The Prefect of the Capital has such high standards, truly high standards."
"Haha, ladies, please calm down! I had absolutely no such intention, absolutely not!" The Prefect of the Capital's lips twitched slightly as he looked at the nearly half-full hall of people standing there. There weren't actually that many ladies and young misses, but who didn't have a servant or maidservant following behind them? With half the hall full of people, even if he had the greatest abilities, this case couldn't be tried.
The old princess consort of Prince Ning said, "There are too many people here. Let's not make things difficult for the prefect of the capital. Let some of them leave."
The Prefect of Jingzhao immediately expressed his gratitude, saying, "Thank you for your understanding, Princess Consort and Prince Ning. I am deeply grateful."
When the old princess of Ningjun spoke, those people naturally dared not disobey, but their expressions were not very good. The prefect of Jingzhao immediately said, "Gentlemen, I have set up a few seats outside the hall. If you do not mind, you may sit outside the hall."
"That's all we can do." The people nodded and left one after another. The Prefect of Jingzhao immediately sent people to set up seats. After that, only Baili Chen and his wife, the Prince of Jingjun's Mansion, and a few other true imperial relatives such as Fu Meier were left in the hall. The Prefect of Jingzhao sighed, walked back to the presiding judge's seat, and sat down. But when he looked out, the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.
This was the first time since the establishment of the Jingzhao Prefecture that seats had been set up outside the courtroom for those watching the trial. The elegant and dignified ladies and young women of noble families sat there, yet he didn't feel like they were watching a trial at all; instead, they seemed to be watching him make a fool of himself. For some reason, the Jingzhao Prefect felt like a caged monkey being toyed with. Suppressing his displeasure, the Jingzhao Prefect slammed his gavel down and shouted, "Court is now in session!"
"Majestic!" the officer shouted loudly from the other side.
"Bring in the criminals!"
"Bring people along—!"
Soon, Qiu Yue, Leng Can, and Qiu Yue's brother Li Quan, along with the entire staff of Mei Yi Ge, were brought up. Qiu Yue and Leng Can walked in front, having already changed their clothes and even been groomed. They were no longer the pitiful sight Ouyang Yue had seen the first time she visited. Even Qiu Yue's hands had been drugged, and although they were red and swollen, they were no longer as shocking as before. Ouyang Yue looked at the Prefect of the Capital with a half-smile, noticing that the latter's expression stiffened slightly, but a cold glint flashed in his eyes. Fu Mei'er, seeing this, smiled even more coldly.
"Smack!"
"What crimes have the prisoners committed? Confess one by one!" the Prefect of the Capital Prefecture shouted.
Leng Can chuckled and said, "Your Excellency, Prefect of the Capital, it was you who arrested us innocent commoners. We are also very confused about what crimes we have committed and are waiting for you to ask us questions. But you have asked us, and we have no idea."
"How dare you speak to me like that! Guards, give him twenty slaps on the face!"
Ouyang Yue couldn't help but sigh, "This princess also agrees with what I heard. The prefect of the capital arrested people, but then asked them what crimes they had committed. It turns out that the prefect of the capital didn't even know what crimes they had committed. He just arrested these innocent people for nothing? It's true that officials have two mouths, and no one else can say anything about them."
The Prefect of Jingzhao had a dark expression: "Princess Consort Chen, of course I know this. This is the procedure for questioning a case; every case requires explanation."
"Oh, really? So it was I who didn't know," Ouyang Yue said, suddenly realizing.
Fu Meier couldn't help but sneer, "If you don't know, don't talk nonsense. It's truly shameful. You're even disrupting the prefect's investigation. It's utterly disgraceful."
Ouyang Yue looked at Fu Meier and said, "Consort Fu, this is a courtroom. You should refrain from saying those sharp words. As you said, if you say anything more, you will disturb the prefect of the capital's investigation. I was already prepared to remain silent."
????"you……"
"Alright, shut up, both of you." The old princess of Ningjun frowned immediately. Ouyang Yue and Fu Meier both fell silent, while Fu Meier looked at Ouyang Yue with a cold expression.
Ouyang Yue smiled and looked at her indifferently.
"My lord! My lord! I confess! I'll tell you everything! Please spare my life!" Just then, a terrified voice rang out in the hall. Everyone looked over and saw a man dressed in prison clothes, with a sallow complexion, muddy eyes, and puffy eye bags. It was none other than Qiu Yue's brother, Li Quan.