Chapter 730: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 730: A Perfect Counterattack at the Trial (3)
As the distant crowing of roosters signaled the arrival of dawn, Xiao Ruiyuan, having made up his mind, clenched his fists. His eyes sparkled with an unusual intensity.
Everything was arranged. All that remained was to crush Prince Heng and the Lin family's conspiracy after dawn. Once the fraud case was resolved and both Prince Heng and the Lin family—two significant threats—were eliminated, he could propose to the Mo family without any worries. Even if people tried to oppose him, he would proudly declare that the lovely lady was the one he, Xiao Ruiyuan, admired!
……
In stark contrast to the harmonious atmosphere at the Wei Yuan Marquis' residence, the Prince Heng's manor was shrouded in a layer of ominous clouds.
Having stayed up all night, Prince Heng, with bloodshot eyes, glared intensely at the trembling Lin Dalao. His voice was as cold and menacing as a ghost emerging from hell. "Say it again!"
Lin Dalao, who was slightly plump, trembled even more, unsure whether he was frightened by Prince Heng's rage or by the impending disaster.
Despite the menacing presence of Prince Heng, Lin Dalao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and stuttered out his earlier statement. "Your Highness, your humble servant's man sent to set the fire did not, did not return."
"Bang!"
Prince Heng slammed his hand on the table, breaking the corner with a loud crack. His eyes, bloodshot with anger, fixed on Lin Dalao with contempt, completely disregarding that this was his maternal grandfather. He harshly berated him. "Useless fool, you can't even handle this simple task. I should never have entrusted it to you, a worthless person."
Lin Dalao, insulted by his grandson, felt deeply humiliated but dared not show any dissatisfaction. He hurriedly argued, "Your humble servant has investigated. The Ministry of Justice did not catch the arsonist, and he was a skilled assassin trained by me. Even if captured, he wouldn't confess to being sent by us. The situation may not be as dire as we feared."
"Hmph, at this point, you're still making excuses for your stupidity!" Prince Heng said coldly, showing no sympathy for Lin Dalao's optimism. "I don't want to argue with you. Send someone immediately to find him, especially in the Crown Prince’s residence. If found, kill him at once. He must not be allowed to testify against me."
If the man trained for years did not return after the arson, it meant he had been captured. Regardless, he could not be allowed to live.
"Your humble servant will carry out the order," Lin Dalao said, shivering all over and nodding submissively.
While Lin Dalao was bowing his head, Prince Heng vanished from the study like a gust of wind. Lin Dalao waited for a while, and finding Prince Heng absent, he was shocked and hurried outside to search for him, but found no trace. He wanted to ask someone, but there was no one available. The servants of the manor had mostly gone to rest, and no one knew where Prince Heng had gone.
As he thought about possible locations where Prince Heng might have gone, Lin Dalao's eyes lit up, and he rushed towards the Lin family estate...
At dawn, the scholars gathered again at the palace gate, having learned about the fire in the Ministry of Justice’s prison last night. The main suspect in the fraud case had nearly perished in the blaze.
These scholars were not fools and quickly deduced that the fire was deliberately set to kill and silence someone. The anger among them was palpable. Whether they had passed or failed the exams, they all knelt at the palace gate, demanding an immediate trial to punish the perpetrators and restore the integrity of the examination process.
Many who had previously believed in the Crown Prince Chu Heng's innocence began to doubt him after this incident. After all, the primary suspect in the fraud case was Chu Heng. If he wasn’t guilty, why would he send someone to infiltrate the prison and eliminate witnesses?
(End of Chapter)
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