met free Chapter 163 Fang Yuming set the fire himself!
Chapter 163 Fang Yuming set the fire himself!
The smell in the prison was extremely foul, a mixture of urine, mildew, sweat, and foot odor. Fang Qingqing couldn't help but cover her nose.
Li Zhenting was just about to take out a handkerchief and hand it to Fang Qingqing when he realized that a large veil-like thing made of white cloth had appeared on her face since some time ago. It covered half of her cheek just right, leaving only a pair of big round eyes exposed.
This is good, as it can prevent the prisoners in the prison from peeping at her appearance, and also prevent the turbid smell from entering her nostrils.
Instead, it made those round eyes look more lively.
"Master Chang, I've said everything I need to say and confessed everything I need to confess. I was just feeling sorry for Fang Yuming crying out for justice, so I spoke up for him in a fit of rage. And that's when Prince Yu arrested me and threw me into the Sky Prison!"
"Everyone knows that Lord Chang is the reincarnation of Justice Bao, who has redressed countless grievances for the people and is deeply loved by the people. I beg Lord Chang to be discerning and release me. I have an eighty-year-old mother who needs to be taken care of until her death. If I am imprisoned now, I am afraid that my mother will be worried and her health will be damaged..."
Seeing them come in, Liu Fugui, whose hands and feet were tied with iron chains, kowtowed to Chang Tianli and cried out for justice.
"Please describe in detail the circumstances of Fang Yuming's murder. Once the investigation is complete, if you are innocent, I will naturally let you go."
Chang Tianli said calmly.
Fang Qingqing couldn't help but secretly praise him. He was indeed a Dali Temple official who was deeply loved by the people. He didn't have the slightest official authority. After entering, he spoke as if he was chatting with a family.
Chang Tianli took out a pot of wine from his arms and handed it over.
Liu Fugui grabbed the wine jug, tilted his head back, and gulped down the wine in one gulp. He drank the last few drops of wine in one breath, then licked his lips greedily, looking like he was still not satisfied.
"Liu Fugui, this is a strong liquor. If you drink too much, you will get drunk..."
Seeing Liu Fugui finish the pot of wine, Chang Tianli spoke again.
"Your Excellency, I've been the housekeeper for the Fang family for so many years, but I've been screwed by this old man! I've been supporting the elderly and the young, and my family all depends on my wages for food and medicine. Not only does this old man not pay his monthly wages on time, he also deducts money in various ways..."
"This time he came to the palace to beat the drum to complain about his grievances, and asked me to speak up for him. He said that if the matter was settled, he would give me money..."
"Liu Fugui, do you feel any stomach pain now?"
Fang Qingqing suddenly interrupted Liu Fugui and asked.
After a pot of wine, Liu Fugui was already drunk, and his originally pale face had changed color. He barely opened his eyes, which were red from the alcohol, and kept mumbling.
As he listened to Fang Qingqing's words, a trace of fear suddenly flashed across his face. He looked up and found that there was a pot-bellied woman standing behind Chang Tianli.
The light in the prison was dim, and Li Zhenting was wearing a mask, so he didn't notice Prince Yu and his wife at all!
He was shocked. Could it be that this wine was poisoned?
He unconsciously covered his aching stomach with his hands and muttered to himself.
"You, you, you are Princess Yu..."
He unconsciously moved back and forth, cold sweat already pouring down his forehead.
After all, Fang Qingqing has a bad reputation. She kills without blinking an eye. She can kill a person with just one knife, let alone a mere nobody like him!
"You poisoned the wine..."
he asked in horror.
"If you think so, then so be it... But if you just tell me the truth, I'll naturally spare your life... By the way, is your stomach pain getting worse now?"
Although her face was smiling and her voice was gentle, it sounded as terrifying as a demon demanding his death to Liu Fugui. After being startled and half sober, he felt the abdominal pain getting worse!
"Princess, please spare me, please spare me, I will tell you everything..."
"Fang Yuming gathered a crowd to cause trouble, determined to accuse the princess of setting fire to the concubine and the servants. He was forced to do so! That day, phosphorescent fire inexplicably appeared in Fang Yuming's house. It was clearly floating in the yard, but suddenly flames burst out from inside the house..."
"My servants rushed over to put out the fire after hearing the news, but it spread quickly and soon burned the house completely..."
"That night, two men in black found Fang Yuming and asked him to come forward and expose the princess. He said that as long as he followed his instructions and overthrew the princess, Fang Yuming would be able to obtain all the Fang family's wealth without exposing the fact that he had beaten the concubine and the servant to death..."
"Oh, oh, oh, Fang Yuming's concubine was secretly having an affair with several of the Fang family's servants. Fang Yuming had actually been planning to kill her a long time ago, so he simply took advantage of the opportunity that day. Only Fang Yuming and his first wife, Liang, knew about this..."
Liu Fugui knelt on the ground and kowtowed non-stop like a chicken pecking at rice.
"As a servant, I had no choice but to follow Fang Yuming in order to keep my job and support my family... The night before yesterday, Fang Yuming and I were sitting in jail talking when a man in black suddenly showed up and killed Fang Yuming with a single blow without a word!
Then he told me that he was sent by Prince Yu, and that he knew I was helpless, so he wouldn't hurt me. After a while, when Lord Chang had investigated the situation, he would naturally let me go..."
Fang Qingqing and Li Zhenting looked at each other and smiled helplessly. They thought they could get some important information from him, but after all this fuss, it turned out that Liu Fugui was just a trick and used as a tool to commit perjury!
"What time did that person come? What are his characteristics? For example, his height, appearance, and accent?"
Li Zhenting asked in a deep voice.
"It was midnight! I remember it very clearly. Since I came in, I couldn't eat or sleep well and I was worried about my mother. I was eager to go out every day. That day, when the guards were changing shifts, the man came in.
...He's short, and his accent... well, it's a very stiff accent, not like a Kyoto accent..."
As they were talking, a soldier came running over and whispered a few words in Chang Tianli's ear. Chang Tianli's face immediately turned pale!
Chang Tianli explained to Li Zhenting and Fang Qingqing with a look of grief and indignation.
"I just received a report from a soldier that the soldier on duty was murdered at midnight the night before! If my guess is correct, the killer must have killed the soldier on duty, disguised himself, and come in to commit the crime, taking the opportunity to frame Prince Yu!"
"That makes sense. If Prince Yu really wanted to kill Fang Yuming, why would he go to such great lengths? Wouldn't it be easy for Prince Yu to enter the Heavenly Prison?"
Liu Fugui suddenly understood.
"Oh, right, there's a small skull symbol on that man's left arm. I was wondering at the time. Prince Yu's men are always very disciplined. All soldiers and guards are forbidden from having tattoos. Why did that man have such a conspicuous and terrifying symbol on his arm?"
Just as Fang Qingqing was frowning in confusion and talking to Li Zhenting and Chang Tianli, Liu Fugui, who was kneeling on the ground and trembling, suddenly spoke.