The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 1144 - 1144 558 Confession (second update)

Chapter 1144: 558 Confession (second update) Chapter 1144: 558 Confession (second update) Xiao Liulang, having come from the Hanlin Academy, surely possessed the qualifications for a literate clerk.

If the case had been judged by someone else, the Emperor might have wanted to review it once or twice, but both Minister Xing and Xiao Liulang had been personally promoted by the Emperor, who still held considerable trust in both of them.

The Emperor was not fully aware of Xiao Liulang’s talent in solving cases. If it had been only Xiao Liulang handling the investigation, the Emperor might still have doubted whether he could be deceived by others, but Minister Xing was an old hand at solving cases, and he surely wouldn’t let a criminal fool him.

Could it really have been done by a Royal Princess?

But that would be absurd, wouldn’t it?

Addressing His Majesty the Emperor, in other words, the mysterious young master behind the Xianle Inn was his sister.

He only had three sisters—Ning An, Xinyang, and Huaiqing.

None of these three seemed likely to be suspects.

There was no need to mention Ning An. Such a kind and naive person as her, how could she possibly be in league with the forces of the brothel and commit an act that hurt the young divine physician?

Huaiqing was a naive child, even less capable of such a deed.

It surely couldn’t be Xinyang.

Xinyang indeed was a formidable figure. Among the many princesses, neither favored exclusively by the Empress Mother nor by the Emperor, she never suffered a loss at anyone’s hands.

She even had the great marriage arranged for her by the Emperor on his deathbed.

She truly was a capable woman.

But she had no reason to frame the young divine physician!

Minister Xing dared to ask, “Your Majesty, do you have any idea in your mind?”

The Emperor said irritably, “What clues could I have? Are you sure you haven’t been deceived by the murderer?”

Although the Emperor trusted Minister Xing’s ability, when it came to suspecting his own sisters, he would rather question the accuracy of Minister Xing’s judgment.

With the investigation proceeding to this point, Minister Xing had a conjecture in mind, but there was no concrete evidence at the moment.

Xiao Liulang could say to him that the son-in-law was killed by the siblings of the Gu Family, which was an internal officer in the Ministry of Justice making case reasoning—providing valid clues to infer the real murderer’s motive.

But he couldn’t say the same to the Emperor.

As Minister Xing contemplated how to speak to the Emperor, the voice of Eunuch Wei came from outside the Imperial Study Room.

“Princess Ning An, what brings you here?”

“I simmered some ginseng soup for my royal brother, is he inside?”

“Um…”

He was inside, but it was uncertain whether it was convenient.

“Ning An, come in,” the Emperor said.

Eunuch Wei smiled and stepped aside, “Please, Princess.”

Princess Ning An, carrying a food container in one hand and slightly lifting the hem of her skirt with the other, stepped into the Imperial Study Room.

Minister Xing turned and bowed to Princess Ning An.

“This is…” Princess Ning An looked at Minister Xing in bewilderment.

The Emperor introduced, “This is the Minister of Justice, surnamed Xing.”

“So it’s Minister Xing,” Princess Ning An nodded, “I beg your pardon.”

Minister Xing bowed with hands clasped together, “This official dares not.”

Princess Ning An said embarrassedly, “It seems I have come at an inappropriate time. Had I known my royal brother was discussing official matters with the minister, I would have come later.”

The Emperor said, “Not at all, just a groundless case. Since you are here, you might as well take a look.”

Speaking, the Emperor handed the confession and case files to Princess Ning An.

Princess Ning An placed the food container on the table and began to read the documents.

As she read, Minister Xing observed her discreetly.

The more Princess Ning An read, the more astonished she became, her brows knitting at the end, “Could it really be someone from the royal family who had the heart to harm Doctor Gu? But why?”

A fleeting sense of doubt crossed Minister Xing’s mind; Princess Ning An’s face did not show the slightest sign of guilt. Could they have guessed wrong?

Logically speaking, a motive alone was not enough; there had to be the opportunity and evidence for the crime, commonly known as eyewitness and physical evidence.

The Emperor snorted, “You think it’s ridiculous too, don’t you?”

Princess Ning An suddenly lowered her eyes, offering a bitter smile, “There are only three sisters of Your Majesty, and among them, only I had the most contact with Doctor Gu. The son-in-law was killed at her hand, and in the hands of Young Master Gu. Looking at it this way, I seem to be the most suspect.”

The Emperor’s face darkened, “Nonsense! How could you do such a thing! To me, it’s clear someone bears ill intentions and seeks to slander the royal family!”

Princess Ning An sighed, “But the murderer has confessed, hasn’t he?”

The Emperor said coldly, “The murderer might be lying, or perhaps he isn’t lying, but someone has posed as a Royal Princess to deal with him.”

Princess Ning An slowly turned her head to look at Minister Xing, “Minister Xing, do you think these two possibilities exist?”