Hearing that the Crown Prince was also there, Cheng Simian's eyelashes fluttered slightly, but she quickly regained her composure.
Shuyi whispered, "Why do we keep running into the Crown Prince?"
The last time they went to Yunshen Alley, the Crown Prince was there. And today, when they came to the Supreme Court, they ran into him again.
She respected the Crown Prince, but she was also quite dissatisfied with him.
Just because her young lady had the surname Cheng, he had repeatedly suspected and wronged her, making her suffer.
Fortunately, her young lady was tough and calm. If it had been another girl, she might have been scared to death or cried her eyes out.
The chief clerk invited Cheng Simian into a quiet and tidy room and personally served her tea.
"Miss Cheng, please take a seat. I'll come and inform you when His Highness the Crown Prince leaves."
"Thank you, sir."
Just as the chief clerk came out and was walking towards the main hall, he ran into Xiao Anzi.
"Another distinguished guest?" He craned his neck towards the room the chief clerk had just come out of.
Although the chief clerk was only a ninth-rank official, he was the most capable deputy of Shi Jinglu. For him to personally greet a guest, it must be someone extraordinary.
Shi Jinglu was very strict about separating public and private affairs, and he rarely received guests in the Supreme Court.
The chief clerk reported truthfully, "It's the eldest miss of the Marquis of Wude's Mansion. She has a visiting card personally written by Miss Song. Lord Shi has ordered that we must not treat her rudely."
Xiao Anzi's lips twitched up slightly.
He smiled and said, "His Highness and Lord Shi are discussing matters. It may take a while. You're just making the young lady wait. Can you still say you're not being rude?"
The chief clerk looked embarrassed. "But... everyone in the Supreme Court is a rough man. There are no wives or maids to keep her company and chat..."
Xiao Anzi leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Miss Cheng came to the Supreme Court for a serious matter. Since it's a serious matter, why should she be afraid of the Crown Prince hearing it? Go quickly and invite her to the main hall. Maybe in front of the Crown Prince, Miss Cheng will be more confident in stating her grievances."
The chief clerk nodded repeatedly.
The Crown Prince had come to the Supreme Court today specifically to discuss the Spring Welcome Banquet in two days.
"Do you dare to search the Princess Chang's Mansion?"
Shi Jinglu showed no trace of fear. He was as steady and solemn as a mountain. "I'm known as the Living Yama. I've never heard of anything the Yama dares not do."
After serving as the Minister of the Supreme Court for six years, whether it was the dirty tricks of the previous court or the private and filthy affairs in the inner chambers, as long as he discovered them with his sharp eyes, there was no door he dared not break down.
Even back then, when the powerful Prince Anshun secretly manufactured weapons right under the Emperor's nose, Shi Jinglu still kicked open the iron gate of the Prince Anshun's Mansion and chained the man on the spot.
Liang Yuzhou was also there. The scar on his chest hadn't fully healed yet. His face was a bit pale, but his eyes were dark and deep.
"The Princess Chang's Mansion has eight hundred guards, and they're all the best among the imperial guards. They were personally allocated to the princess by the Emperor. If we force our way in, there will surely be a big fight and blood will flow like a river."
The Crown Prince's lips curled up in a sarcastic arc. "My father really has everything well arranged for his elder sister."
Liang Yuzhou offered his suggestion. "We need someone to cooperate with Lord Shi from the inside and search the mansion without alerting the guards."
There were indeed the Crown Prince's informants in the Princess Chang's Mansion.
But to avoid arousing the princess's suspicion, those three informants were all very insignificant characters.
Such small characters had no influence and couldn't hold the situation under control.
Liang Yuzhou continued, "This person must be someone noble, decent, and with the right to speak by the princess's side. Sometimes, she can even exercise power on behalf of the princess and dispatch people."
The Crown Prince frowned deeply. His fingertips pressed against his temples. He looked very troubled. "Such people are all the princess's confidants. How can they be easily turned?"
Liang Yuzhou thought for a moment and tapped the table lightly with his fingertips. "There's an excellent candidate, but to make her completely defect, we need to send Wanchu from my family."
The Crown Prince's dull expression brightened. "Yes, only she can do it."
He appreciated talent and cherished capable people. He really wanted to praise Liang Yuzhou for his quick wits.
But then he thought better of it.
Liang Yuzhou didn't care whether he was praised or not.
Even if the Emperor praised him for a whole year, it wouldn't be worth a charming smile from Wanchu.
"If this can really succeed, I'll have to thank Wanchu properly."
Right in front of him, Liang Yuzhou pouted. "I'll accept your gratitude on behalf of Wanchu. Your Highness doesn't need to thank her in person."
If the Crown Prince didn't care so much about his manners, he would have rolled his eyes long ago.
The chief clerk stood outside the door. When he saw that the discussion inside was almost over, he walked in.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, Lord Shi, and Taoist Qingzhou, Miss Cheng, the eldest miss of the Marquis of Wude's Mansion, is here. She has a visiting card personally written by Miss Song. It seems that she has a grievance to report."
Liang Yuzhou glanced at the Crown Prince and asked with interest, "Where is she?"
The Crown Prince lowered his eyes. His expression was a bit complicated, and he didn't say a word.
Shi Jinglu had long wanted to meet this righteous young lady. He quickly said, "Please invite her in. Whatever her grievance is, I'll surely uphold justice for her."
He had heard about Miss Cheng's situation.
She had a partial and selfish father, a concubine who bullied others with her favor, a half-sister with bad intentions, and a bunch of brothers who gambled, whored, and did all kinds of evil.
She must have suffered unfair treatment in the inner chambers. The Marquis of Wude favored his concubine and half-daughter, making the eldest miss suffer.
He had seen many dirty tricks in the inner chambers.
Cheng Simian walked into the main hall and first bowed to the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince's eyes fixed on her plain but extremely beautiful face.
"Get up." The guilt in his heart was secretly gnawing at him, and at the same time, he felt an inexplicable annoyance. "Is it a problem in the inner chambers that you can't handle?"
The Crown Prince guessed like this.
He couldn't help but feel desolate inside.
Why didn't she ask him for help directly?
He could uphold justice for her the first time, and he didn't mind doing it a second time.
Now they were in the same boat, a community of interests.
Cheng Simian was always lukewarm towards him, neither too close nor too distant.
This feeling was like an invisible hook, constantly scratching at his heart, making him restless, but he couldn't find a way to solve it.
Cheng Simian answered the Crown Prince generously, "Your Highness, everything in the inner chambers of the Marquis of Wude's Mansion is fine. I came here today for something else."
Her tone was calm and gentle, as if she had no grudges against the Crown Prince for wronging her.
Because she didn't care, she took it calmly.
Shi Jinglu asked, "What is it?"
"A month ago, the Supreme Court took on a case. Three rapists attacked people on the road. I wonder if Lord Shi has found out who the mastermind is?"
Shi Jinglu frowned and thought for a while.
"Oh, I remember. There was such a case. The three criminals are still locked up in prison. Because there have been many major cases recently, I haven't had time to interrogate them in detail."
Suddenly, he seemed to understand something. "Those three rapists attacked you, Miss Cheng?"
"Yes." Cheng Simian didn't hide anything and didn't feel ashamed to talk about it. "The mastermind behind them is Concubine Yu in my mansion. I came here today to ask Lord Shi to speed up the interrogation and let those rapists sign and fingerprint. It would be even better if you could go and arrest the culprit tomorrow."
The Crown Prince's lips seemed to curl into a smile. "Isn't tomorrow the engagement banquet of your half-sister and Liang Yuchuan? Are you going to disrupt your own family's event?"