After lunch, Shen Wan took a walk around the yard twice before going back inside for a nap.

She didn't sleep for long, only half an hour. When she woke up, Yinshuang excitedly told her, "Your Highness, people from Princess Huyang's residence just came to the mansion to invite Doctor Tao to treat the princess."

Princess Huyang's illness didn't warrant consulting Doctor Tao; there were plenty of imperial physicians in the palace. Seeking Doctor Tao's treatment was probably secondary; her main concern was likely hearing Doctor Tao speak directly about her own flesh and blood. It must have been quite a difficult situation for Princess Huyang.

Shen Wan got out of bed after lifting the covers. Yin Shuang helped her get dressed. Shen Wan was thirsty, so she drank a cup of tea. With nothing else to do, she decided to take a stroll in the garden.

Just as she stepped out of the courtyard gate, she saw a servant leading the heir of the Marquis of Xuanping over. The heir was carrying several books. When he saw Shen Wan, he bowed to her and then went to find Xie Jingyan.

Inside the study.

Xie Jingyan was taking a book from the bookshelf.

Chen Feng brought in tea and said, "Master, the heir of the Marquis of Xuanping has arrived."

Before Chen Feng could finish speaking, Lu Cheng went in and said, "Brother Jingyan, I've come to return your military treatise."

Xie Jingyan sat down with the book in his hand and casually said, "Just put it on the bookshelf."

Lu Cheng put the book on the bookshelf and then said, "I'll pick out a few more to read when I get back."

Xie Jingyan had a large collection of books, many of which were unique to him. He often selected books from the palace library. If he found a book he liked, he would have it copied and kept in his study so he could read it at any time.

Although Lu Cheng is the heir of the Marquis of Xuanping and has a high status, he still cannot go to the palace library. Moreover, the palace library has many books, and the selection is troublesome. If the Prince of Ling has read a book and thinks it is good, then it must be good. Borrowing it directly from the Prince of Ling would save a lot of trouble.

It's rare to see a prince who loves reading so much. However, Lu Cheng knew that Xie Jingyan's love of reading was something he was forced to develop. Guarding the imperial tombs was tedious and boring. He fell off his horse and broke his leg, spending most of his time in a wheelchair, so he could only pass the time by reading.

Lu Cheng picked out three books from the bookshelf and then said, "I also need to pick out a few for the Prince of Yanping. I don't know what kind of books he likes to read."

Xie Jingyan glanced at Lu Cheng and said, "Can't he come and choose for himself?"

Lu Cheng said, "He couldn't come, so he asked me to help him choose."

How could they not be able to come?

This morning he went to the Prince of Yanping's mansion to intercept the imperial edict, and saw him kneeling on the ground to receive it. He looked much better than when he was in the Ministry of Justice prison.

Xie Jingyan found it strange, and then heard Lu Cheng say, "The Emperor is re-examining the case of the Prince of Yanping. I came to return the book just now, and on the way I ran into the Prince of Yanping riding to the Ministry of Justice. He asked me to help him choose a few books to bring to him when I visit him in prison later, so he can pass the time."

Xie Jingyan frowned. "The Ministry of Justice arrested him and put him in prison?"

Lu Cheng shook his head. "He went there by himself."

Xie Jingyan, "..."

Xie Jingyan's eye twitched violently.

I've seen people who are a bit dim-witted, but I've never seen anyone as dim-witted as the Prince of Yanping.

The Ministry of Justice did not require him to go to jail, but he actually went to jail on his own.

Didn't you get enough of being in jail last time?

Yes, the Ministry of Justice also has the same suspicion.

The Ministry of Justice knows the case of Prince Yanping's heir inside and out. There's no need to re-examine him. All they need is for the eldest daughter of the Right Prime Minister's residence to provide a supplementary testimony, and for a servant from Princess Huyang's residence to take a statement proving that what the eldest daughter of the Right Prime Minister's residence said is true and that Princess Huyang's son did indeed die in an accident. That would be enough to acquit Prince Yanping's heir and release him without having to go to jail again.

However, the Crown Prince of Yanping, in order to prove his innocence, took the initiative to come to the Ministry of Justice to facilitate the Ministry's investigation. What could the Ministry of Justice do but reluctantly imprison him?

This stage will last for three days.

The Ministry of Justice didn't want to detain the Prince of Yanping's heir for so long. The case wasn't difficult to retry, but the case of the old lady of the Duke of Du's mansion murdering Princess Huyang was bigger and more urgent. The Ministry of Justice had to prioritize the case of the Duke of Du's mansion and couldn't attend to the Prince of Yanping's heir. After two days of delay, the Prince of Yanping's heir stayed in the Ministry of Justice's prison for two more days.

Prince Yanping, “…”

...

That day, Shen Wan lay on a small couch, eating fruit while studying chess scores.

Ever since her disastrous defeat in the last chess game, Shen Wan has been studying chess diligently. She doesn't expect to beat Xie Jingyan; she just hopes not to lose too badly.

Just then, Dong'er ran in and said, "Your Highness, the case of the old lady of the Du State Duke's Mansion who plotted to murder Princess Huyang nineteen years ago and stole Princess Huyang's own flesh and blood has been judged."

Before Shen Wan could ask, Yin Shuang blurted out, "What was the verdict?"

Dong'er hurriedly replied, "The old lady of the Du family was sentenced to beheading in public. The Du family, the Du family, and their children were sentenced to exile. The Du family's maternal family, the Wang family, was sentenced to have their property confiscated. The old lady of the Wang family and the old lady of the Du family were beheaded together, and the others were exiled."

The Empress Dowager spared no one who directly or indirectly plotted against Princess Huyang. If Duke Du hadn't truly been unaware of the plot against the Princess Huyang's husband before his wife even entered the household, the Empress Dowager would have wanted to take their heads. Not to mention the Du family's maternal family, how could the Du family's maternal family have dared to let their niece take the Princess Huyang's husband by force without their consent? Moreover, the Wang family, who suffered in silence, were the masterminds behind the child swap.

Out of consideration for the eldest son-in-law, the Emperor did not confiscate the Du family mansion. On the morning of the following day, the Emperor allowed the eldest son-in-law to inherit the title. The title should have been his in the first place. The son-in-law was only not allowed to hold military power, not that he was not allowed to inherit the title.

With the case of the Duke of Du's mansion closed, the Minister of Justice was finally free to retry the case of the Prince of Yanping's heir. The Minister of Justice personally went to the residence of the Princess of Huyang and persuaded the eldest son-in-law to hand over the servant who had accompanied the young master to the Long Bridge at Liuzhuang that day. After obtaining the servant's confession, all the evidence was compiled and presented to the Emperor for review. The Emperor had no dissatisfaction with the Ministry of Justice's verdict, and only then did the Minister of Justice declare the Prince of Yanping's heir innocent.

When the news reached the Ling Prince's residence, Shen Wan was playing chess with Xie Jingyan. After several days of studying, she was losing even more miserably and was feeling frustrated when the maid Dong'er came in and said, "Your Highness, Your Highness, the Ministry of Justice has found the Prince of Yanping's heir innocent and has released him from the Ministry of Justice prison."

The verdict has finally been reached. This time, Shen Wan is even more anxious to wait for the retrial than before.

Shen Wan looked at Xie Jingyan, her clear eyes brighter than the stars in the night sky, and asked excitedly, "Since the Crown Prince of Yanping has been acquitted, can the pardon be returned?"

Xie Jingyan looked at her reflection in her eyes and was about to nod when Chun'er came running in excitedly, announcing, "Your Highness, great news! The Heir Apparent of Yanping has been acquitted, and the Emperor has given the Prince of Yanping the pardon. The Prince of Yanping has returned the pardon to the Yun family and has also betrothed Princess Qinghe to my eldest cousin..."