Lin Wanyu frowned slightly and looked back. She saw the girl bow to her, then leave Yuncheng Residence with her young maid.
Watching the slender figure recede into the distance, Lin Wanyu felt a twinge of pity.
"Have you ever interacted with this Cousin He before?"
Hearing this, Chunqiao shook her head. "His Highness isn't close to these relatives. His Highness's uncle's family has been in Yunzhou for these years and has had little contact with the Prince's Mansion. If the girl wants to know anything, I'll go and investigate later."
Lin Wanyu thought for a moment and said in a low voice, "Go and look into this Miss He's background."
She always felt that this Miss He was different from the Princess of Xiang.
Chunqiao agreed. After seeing Lin Wanyu back to Huanhua Pavilion, she stepped out.
...
On the other side, at the entrance of the Ministry of Justice prison, Chuncheng watched as the people he had arranged had only just gone in when the newly appointed Minister of Justice, Su Bing, led a group of people into the prison. He immediately turned and walked into an alley beside.
Just as Miss Lin had predicted.
The big fish had taken the bait.
The light in the prison was dim, and the air was filled with a damp, sticky stench.
Su Bing led his group straight to the cell where Gu Nianci was being held, without the slightest hesitation.
The double arranged by Chuncheng was currently imitating Lu Huaijin's tone, trying to get information from Gu Nianci.
"Who's there?"
Su Bing shouted from a distance, his voice filled with excitement.
Then, Gu Nianci complained, "My lord, it's the Heir Apparent Lu. He forced this humble woman to frame a loyal official."
These words were exactly what Su Bing wanted to hear.
He hurried forward and bowed pretentiously. "Please come with me, Your Highness."
The double snorted. "On what grounds do you want me to go with you?"
His voice and tone were exactly like Lu Huaijin's. If you weren't someone close to Lu Huaijin, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference at all.
Hearing this, the last bit of doubt in Su Bing's mind vanished instantly.
"Your Highness comes here at this time and forces Lady Wang. It's hard not to suspect that you were the one who planned that day's incident!"
The double pretended to be confused and said, "I don't know what you're talking about."
Su Bing laughed twice. "It doesn't matter if you don't know. You'll know when you're in front of the Emperor. Excuse me, Your Highness."
With that, as soon as he raised his hand, the people behind him immediately rushed forward.
"Presumptuous!"
The double took a step back, pulled down his cap, and said in a low voice, "I don't know which law of the country I've violated for you to arrest me, Lord Su."
Su Bing was now convinced that the person in front of him was Lu Huaijin. The plan of the person behind the scenes was for him to bring Lu Huaijin in front of the Emperor by any means necessary. As long as he did that, the rest would be easy.
As long as he brought Lu Huaijin in front of the Emperor today, great wealth and honor would be his.
What he had to do now was to smear Lu Huaijin's reputation.
He would make the false seem true.
"Does Your Highness not know what you've done yourself? Breaking into the prison of the Ministry of Justice without permission, injuring the jailers, coercing and bribing others to frame the current Grand Secretary, and even trying to bribe this official to cover up for you... Everyone here heard clearly. Do you have anything else to say, Your Highness?"
After his words fell, the prison fell into a momentary silence.
Just as Su Bing was proudly ordering his men to arrest the man in front of him, a cold voice came from behind him, making his whole body break out in goosebumps.
"This heir apparent didn't know I had done so many things. Could it be that Lord Su has gone mad and is just randomly making accusations?"
Su Bing turned around stiffly. He looked at Lu Huaijin standing in the well - lit area, then turned to look at the hooded man hidden in the shadows. He thought he was seeing things.
How could there be two... Lu Huaijins!
In a split second, he suddenly realized that he had fallen into Lu Huaijin's trap.
Staggering, Su Bing fainted on the spot.
"I heard that Lord Xue and this newly appointed minister were classmates. I wonder if Lord Xue knows what illness this Lord Su has?"
Lu Huaijin narrowed his eyes and looked at Su Bing who had fallen to the ground. He asked in a low voice.
Xue Shaohua, the Prefect of the Capital, who was standing beside him, was stunned for a moment. Then he said with disgust in his eyes, "Although this official and this Lord Su were classmates, we don't have much of a relationship. I don't know what illness he has."
Lu Huaijin twirled his fingertips and sneered. "In that case, I'll trouble Lord Xue to show some classmate friendship and take Lord Su to see a doctor. This heir apparent will send the criminal I've brought to the Prefect's Yamen of the Capital for temporary detention."
Xue Shaohua discreetly wiped the sweat off his forehead and quickly agreed.
He knew that it wouldn't be a good thing to be asked to accompany him to send the criminal.
After everyone had left, Lu Huaijin dusted off his clothes, walked forward, and sat down on the soft chair prepared by Chuncheng.
The noble and cold aura around him was hard to ignore.
Gu Nianci looked at the man in front of her and sneered. As she moved, the chains clanked loudly, extremely harsh.
"Your Highness really has a good scheme!"
It had taken Wang Jinsong a long time to place his own man in the Ministry of Justice, but in a blink of an eye, Lu Huaijin had uprooted him. Wang Jinsong would be angry for a while.
Lu Huaijin pursed his thin lips tightly. His voice was cold. "Thank you for the compliment, Lady Wang. I think Lady Wang should already know the purpose of my visit today."
Gu Nianci walked over and sat down on a pile of weeds. She scoffed. "Don't dream, Lu Huaijin. We're all smart people. We should know what to say and what not to say."
He had humiliated her Rou'er like that that day, and now he still dared to expect to cooperate with her. It was simply ridiculous!
Lu Huaijin nodded meaningfully. When he raised his eyes again, his gaze was cold and menacing. "What if this heir apparent exchanges Lady Wang's cooperation for Wang Yurou's life?"
At the mention of Wang Yurou, Gu Nianci's eyes flickered slightly. A self - mocking look appeared on her dirty face.
"Your Highness is being too overconfident. The world isn't yet in Your Highness's pocket. Even if I die today, I won't fulfill your wish."
That day, Wang Jinsong had promised her that as long as she confessed her guilt, he would arrange for Wang Yurou to be in a safe place.
She naturally believed her husband.
Even though he was ambitious and had pushed her out as a scapegoat, Wang Yurou was still his child after all. How could he watch her fall into despair and die?
As long as her Rou'er was still alive, she would surely be able to create her own future.
Seeing that she didn't say anything for a long time, Lu Huaijin knew that it would be useless to ask further. He slowly got up and walked out with Chuncheng.
Before leaving, he left a sentence.
"Those who lie and betray will do it a second time if they've done it once. I hope Lady Wang won't regret it."
Gu Nianci sat in the dim light and slowly tidied up her messy hair. She smiled serenely.
"Regret? Hehe. If that Lin Wanyu were to deceive and betray you, Your Highness, would you blame her?"
From the moment she got her hands dirty with blood for Wang Jinsong, she had lost the right to regret.
She only blamed herself for being blind and naive. For so many years, she had lived in a dream woven by others.
After her words fell, the prison was silent. No one would answer her question.
As soon as Lu Huaijin's carriage left the Yamen of the Ministry of Justice, the carriage from the Prime Minister's Mansion stopped at the entrance.
When Wang Jingze got out of the carriage, he glanced at the carriage from the Prince's Mansion. His eyes were deep. After pausing for a moment, he picked up the pastries he had bought and walked into the Yamen.
After much bribery, the jailer finally allowed Wang Jingze to visit Gu Nianci.
"You only have a moment. If you have anything to say, Lord Wang, please be quick."
A tiger that has fallen on hard times is bullied by dogs. Wang Jingze had expected this.
He thanked the jailer repeatedly and followed him into the prison.
A stench hit him. Cockroaches and rats scurried across the beams in groups. Occasionally, shrill screams came from all directions.
With each step Wang Jingze took, it was as if he was walking on the tip of a knife. The bone - piercing pain made him more and more awake.
For the sake of taking the blame for Wang Jinsong, his mother, who had always lived in luxury, was willing to end up like this.
But what about Wang Jinsong!
He only cared about his new lover and ignored his old wife. His mother had done so much for him, but now he was having an affair with his concubine in broad daylight in the Prime Minister's Mansion!
Wang Jingze laughed at himself and shook his head. As he looked up absent - mindedly, he saw a jailer running towards him in a hurry, looking panicked.
"What's going on? Why are you in such a hurry?"
Hearing this, the jailer quickly said, "Lady Wang has committed suicide in prison."