Nie Yuan and Shi Liuyun's eyes lit up simultaneously, their hearts pounding wildly!
Liang Xiao seemed to have found a ray of hope for Nie Yuan!
Gu Hai's face was flushed red, looking somewhat displeased.
He had spent his whole life judging cases, yet he had overlooked such a detail...
"My lord, I was merely calling out casually!" Duan Sheng said anxiously.
Liang Xiao spoke with a deep voice, "Casually? The case file records that Zhao Wu was a tall man, over eight feet tall, wealthy, and his wife was always submissive, not complaining even when he frequented brothels, clearly indicating Zhao Wu was not henpecked. Zhao Wu did not come to the appointment, so you went to knock on the door, and yet you called out for Zhao Wu's wife?"
Duan Sheng's face turned ashen: "My lord, I am being wronged..."
Liang Xiao ignored Duan Sheng and said publicly, "Nie Yuan, this man once single-handedly defeated dozens of members of the Spring Return Cult, saving a group of civilians, and was hailed as a hero. What do you all think of the martial prowess of someone who could single-handedly defeat the Spring Return Cult? Was he decisive enough to kill enemies?"
Gongsun Ye said with a solemn expression, "As a soldier, I certainly have the right to speak on this! Nie Yuan is definitely a highly skilled martial artist, decisive in his actions. Otherwise, if dozens of people had swarmed him, any hesitation would have meant certain death!"
As the de facto military commander of the Jiangnan region, no one dared to question Gongsun Ye's words, as few people understood warriors better than he did.
Jian Nanfeng had initially wanted to reveal his identity and say a few words but restrained himself.
Even without him and Gongsun Ye, anyone not foolish would have understood that Nie Yuan was definitely a master of martial arts!
Liang Xiao smiled, "Then the problem arises: such a master, if he wanted to kill Zhao Wu, why would he have to choke his neck and then deliver a blow to the crown of his head? Shouldn't it have been a swift killing blow and then escape? Furthermore, a person who could save civilians from dozens of Spring Return Cult followers, what reason would he have to abandon being a hero and kill Zhao Wu just because of a minor argument?"
The crowd suddenly understood.
Prince Nan Xiao Chang and Grand Tutor Gongyang He's faces turned ashen, but they dared not voice any objection, only praying that Duan Sheng would stubbornly deny everything!
After all, it was Liang Xiao who was responsible for judging the case, and Gu Hai, an official from the Ministry of Justice, who was known for his unyielding nature, was by his side.
"My lord, I was clearly a well-intentioned witness, how have I become a suspect!!" Duan Sheng continued to cry out in injustice.
At this moment, Zhao Wu's wife was also bewildered: "Duan Sheng, why did you call out for me when you came to the door, instead of calling for my husband?"
Duan Sheng's face turned ashen: "I, I..."
Gu Hai also found it difficult to maintain composure and could only brace himself, saying, "Duan Sheng, thousands of eyes are watching. You are clearly guilty and your testimony is highly suspect. Confess truthfully!"
"I am innocent!" Duan Sheng just kept shaking his head.
Gongyang He and the others secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He must stubbornly deny it!
Gongyang Teng said urgently, "Marquis An Guo, such minor details prove nothing..."
"It is this Marquis who is judging the case now. Without this Marquis's permission, you are not to interfere arbitrarily! Your accounts, Gongyang Teng, will be settled later!" Liang Xiao said sternly.
Gongyang Teng could only suppress his anger, fearing Liang Xiao might slap him a few times as well.
"Marquis An Guo, Duan Sheng refuses to confess. Shall we use torture?" Gu Hai sighed.
Duan Sheng immediately cowered in fear, shaking his head repeatedly: "Don't wrong me, I didn't kill anyone..."
Liang Xiao pondered for a moment and nodded, "Let Lord Gu make the arrangements first."
He had originally wanted to prepare some torture methods himself, such as "Tie Jia Guan" (a form of torture), but considering Gongyang He and the others were present, such methods could absolutely not be revealed publicly, lest the enemy learn another way to harm people.
Rows of torture implements were brought in, exuding a chilling aura.
Duan Sheng, seeing the tiger clamps, iron rods, and other items, was already terrified out of his wits. He kowtowed repeatedly, "My lord, I confess, I confess everything! I did not kill anyone, I was just bought to frame Nie Yuan together!"
The entire assembly was shocked and outraged!
The commoners were enraged that Nie Yuan had been framed.
Gongyang He and the others were outraged that Duan Sheng had confessed!
Liang Xiao was also momentarily stunned: "So quickly?"
"The one who killed Zhao Wu was a masked man in black who suddenly appeared. Zhao Wu was carrying a bag of silver at the time. The masked man promised to spare me and give me all the silver, and also gave me a gold bar, as long as I did as he said and slandered Nie Yuan! I was greedy for life and then blinded by greed, so I did as instructed..."
"Then I helped him clean up the bloodstains on the shore and transported Zhao Wu's body to the shore two miles away... That gold bar is still hidden under the floorboards in the southeast corner of my home. I dared not use it for a long time, and I planned to wait until the storm passed..."
Liang Xiao and Gu Hai's expressions changed simultaneously.
"Lord Gu!" Liang Xiao said sternly.
Gu Hai understood and quickly ordered, "Immediately notify the guards watching Duan Sheng's home and search the floorboards in the southeast corner!"
Nie Yuan finally breathed a sigh of relief and let out a wild laugh towards the heavens, "The heavens have eyes! The heavens have eyes!"
Applause erupted around them, and the entire crowd looked at Liang Xiao with admiration.
Only Gongyang He and the others, their faces ashen, dared not act.
While the search was underway, Gu Hai interrogated Duan Sheng more rigorously and finally confirmed the situation.
"It seems the Spring Return Cult framed Nie Yuan, first stealing his heirloom saber, then using it to attack Zhao Wu, and then luring Nie Yuan out with music to investigate, leading him to Zhao Wu's corpse, and then coercing and bribing him to make Duan Sheng comply, thus completing the frame-up!"
The crowd finally understood, but since the gold bar had not yet been brought, Nie Yuan was not immediately unbound.
After two quarters of an hour, the Ministry of Justice guards brought a gold bar and a bag of silver fragments.
"My lord, a gold bar and approximately fifteen taels of silver were indeed found. The gold bar weighs about a pound, this is not wealth a boatman could suddenly possess!"
The truth was revealed!
"I did not kill Zhao Wu. I was forced to be an accomplice, please punish me lightly..." Duan Sheng pleaded incessantly.
But Liang Xiao no longer had the energy to deal with Duan Sheng and looked at Gu Hai.
Gu Hai was now full of shame and sighed, "Marquis An Guo, this humble official is willing to accept his punishment! After returning, I will confess to His Majesty and resign from my post as punishment!"
Liang Xiao shook his head, "Lord Gu is also bound to make occasional oversights. The fact that you chose a public trial to uphold justice shows that Lord Gu's heart is clear and you are not in collusion. The issue of oversight will be temporarily set aside. For now, I need you to continue investigating this matter. Although Nie Yuan is innocent, the murderer is still at large. I am assigning you to be responsible for the subsequent affairs here."
"As for the Sect Master Gongyang Teng, he is ignorant of right and wrong, repeatedly pressing to kill Nie Yuan. If not for the strong advocacy of Zhuo Lingjun and others, he would have already framed a loyal official. Later, he even alerted the Emperor and the Ministry of Justice, showing his malicious intent, and he might have also been involved in framing Nie Yuan, and requires investigation as well. During this period, the matters of jurisdiction and punishment under his authority as Sect Master will be jointly handled by the Ministry of Justice official Gu Hai and the Prefect He Jingyun."
As Liang Xiao's judgment fell, Gongyang He was both shocked and furious: "What right do you have to investigate the Sect Master of our Jinling Yamen!"
"Does the Grand Tutor, being old, forget that this Marquis holds the Emperor's Sword of Authority and the Imperial Decree?" Liang Xiao said sternly.
Gongyang He was speechless.
If someone commits a crime, let alone a Sect Master of the Jinling Yamen, even he, the Grand Tutor, could be arrested by Liang Xiao, though he wouldn't casually kill a first-rank official...
Duan Sheng was taken away. Nie Yuan was finally unbound and declared innocent. After thanking Liang Xiao, he shared a bear hug with Shi Liuyun. Both brothers felt exhilarated and laughed to the heavens.
Gongsun Ye, Zhuo Zifang, and He Jingyun were even more overjoyed and came over.
Zhuo Zifang announced loudly, "This old man cannot help but want to say a few heartfelt words in public, hoping everyone will listen!"