Xie Jingyin was imprisoned just like that?

Although Xie Jingyan had said that the eldest prince might have evidence, Shen Wan still found it hard to believe when she actually heard it.

However, she knew that without solid evidence, the Minister of Justice would never dare to imprison a prince without the Emperor's permission.

Shen Wan was genuinely curious about what evidence the First Prince held against Xie Jingyin that could bring him to his death. Unfortunately, Dong'er only knew that the Prince of Jin had been imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice, but she didn't know the specifics.

However, after she and Xie Jingyan finished dinner, Chen Yu, who had gone to inquire about the matter, returned.

The story begins after the eldest prince saw off the crown prince of Xiliang and the second prince of Donglie, and received that letter at Shili Pavilion.

The eldest prince knew that the messenger had ill intentions, but the contents of the letter compelled him to do as he was told and wait for the messenger at the place written on the letter.

He waited for about fifteen minutes, and just as he was getting impatient, a hidden arrow was shot at him.

Although the eldest prince's martial arts skills were not as good as Xie Jingyan's, it would not be easy for him to kill Xie Jingyan with hidden weapons, especially since the eldest prince had two guards with him, both of whom were skilled in martial arts, and there were seven or eight guards not far away.

The eldest prince dodged the hidden arrow, and two guards stood in front of him. The eldest prince said coldly, "Since you invited me here, why don't you show yourself?!"

His response came from cold arrows shot from all directions.

The eldest prince knew that the messenger was luring him here with the intention of killing him.

The guards covered the prince's escape, but the assassins charged in with fierce attacks. The guards who had been waiting in the distance heard the fighting and came to protect the prince.

However, ordinary guards were no match for assassins, and soon more than half of them were killed or wounded.

The eldest prince knew he had fallen into a trap. His opponents had come prepared, and he had almost no chance of escaping. However, he still had a glimmer of hope: the Prince of Ling and the Prince of Yanping were having an autumn picnic not far downstream.

The guard delayed the assassin and went downstream. Even if Prince Ling and he didn't get along, Prince Ling wouldn't just stand by and watch someone die. Besides, even if Prince Ling did nothing, with Prince Ling around, the assassin wouldn't dare to get any closer.

With the guards covering the rear, the eldest prince fled downstream to save his life.

The guards fought desperately to restrain the assassins, allowing the eldest prince to escape. Xie Jingyin hid nearby. He hadn't originally planned to show himself, but he saw through the eldest prince's intentions. This was a rare opportunity, and he wanted the eldest prince to go find Prince Ling. He feared that such a good opportunity would be hard to find again.

Now that we've started, the eldest prince must die.

Xie Jingyin didn't even bother to cover his face. He drew his soft sword from his waist and appeared. He never intended to let the eldest prince leave alive. Besides, the eldest prince should have guessed that it was him.

When the two started fighting, Xie Jingyin and the eldest prince's martial arts skills were probably evenly matched, but the eldest prince had already exhausted a lot of energy fighting the assassin and was no match for Xie Jingyin.

The eldest prince's sword slashed Xie Jingyin's arm, while Xie Jingyin struck him in a vital spot with his own sword. The eldest prince was forced to retreat, his back hitting a tree. Because of the close proximity, the eldest prince tore off the jade pendant Xie Jingyin was wearing at his waist.

One of the guards chased after Xie Jingyin, intending to kill him. Xie Jingyin fought with the guard, and the eldest prince took the opportunity to escape.

The eldest prince fled downstream, but he was wounded in a vital spot and knew that his guards could not delay Xie Jingyin for long, so he gave up on going downstream and fled up the mountain instead.

That jade pendant was evidence that Xie Jingyin had killed him. He kept it on his person because if Xie Jingyin's men found it, the evidence would be useless.

After all, he was someone who had fought Xie Jingyin for so many years, and the eldest prince was not without any strategy or means. He threw the jade pendant into the water, and when he was about to escape, he tore off a piece of his brocade robe and threw it into the river.

Yes, the eldest prince deliberately threw away that brocade robe.

He knew he was doomed, but he didn't want to die. He clung to the hope that if someone downstream saw his brocade robe, guessed what had happened, and came to his rescue, he might still have a chance to live.

The eldest prince decisively took this gamble.

He won his bet.

Xie Jingyan discovered the brocade robe and guessed that something might have happened to him, so he sent the Prince of Yanping and his men upstream to search for him.

The eldest prince hid in the shadows, barely managing to stay upright and not faint. Fortunately, the Prince of Yanping and his companions were restless and never left unattended while searching for someone. He overheard their voices, and heaven knows how happy he was at that moment. He mustered his last bit of strength to show himself, confirmed that it was the Prince of Yanping, and then collapsed to the ground.

When I woke up, the first people I saw when I opened my eyes were Chief Physician Zhao, then Physician Xu, and finally Doctor Tao.

When he saw Doctor Tao, he was somewhat dazed. Zhao, the chief physician, told him, "This is the Ling Prince's residence. The Empress Dowager has instructed you to recuperate here, Your Highness."

The eldest prince had never been so weak. He used all his strength to make a sound, which was so weak that it was almost inaudible.

He didn't know if he would survive. When he was seriously injured and trying to escape, he no longer thought about the position of crown prince. He just wanted to die in peace.

Xie Jingyin plotted against him. If Ling Wang ended up in that position, all would be well. But if it were Xie Jingyin, he would be furious even in the afterlife.

He wants Xie Jingyin dead!

While he was still alive, the eldest prince insisted on seeing the Duke of Mao, but of course, he most wanted to see the Empress Dowager.

However, the Empress Dowager is in the palace and cannot come out to see him. Even if she did come out, she would be surrounded by a large entourage and would not be able to reach the Ling Prince's residence in less than half a day.

He was afraid he wouldn't be able to hold on for that long.

Duke Maoguo was his maternal uncle, the person in the world who most wanted him to be well.

But the Duke of Maoguo was not enough; he also needed witnesses, so he summoned the Minister of Justice as well.

The evidence is in the water; if it comes from his mouth, and the Minister of Justice leads men to retrieve it, it will be more convincing, leaving Xie Jingyin no chance to argue.

Therefore, after the Minister of Justice and the Duke of Mao met with the eldest prince, one went to retrieve evidence from the river outside the city, while the other went to the palace to report to the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager had also suspected that Xie Jingyin was behind it, but without evidence, she, as the Empress Dowager, could do nothing to him. Now that the Crown Prince has evidence, even if Xie Jingyin is a prince, he is guilty of murdering a prince and deserves the death penalty!

The Empress Dowager was furious. Without even informing the Emperor, she directly ordered the Minister of Justice to obtain the evidence and then have the Duke of Maoguo lead his men to surround the Prince of Jin's residence and arrest the Prince of Jin.

After leaving the palace, Duke Maoguo gathered his men and waited for the Minister of Justice at the city gate.

Upon seeing the jade pendant, the Duke of Maoguo and the Minister of Justice went to the Prince of Jin's residence and surrounded it completely.

Everyone in the Prince of Jin's mansion was on edge.

Xie Jingyin also angrily rebuked Duke Maoguo, who did not waste any words. The eldest prince accused Xie Jingyin of assassinating him, and the evidence he had was not only the jade pendant, but also the stab wound on Xie Jingyin's arm.

Duke Maoguo directly attacked Xie Jingyin.

Xie Jingyin never expected that the Duke of Mao would dare to attack a prince like him. Caught off guard, the brocade robe on his left arm was torn, revealing a newly healed wound with the scar still attached.

With the jade pendant and the wound, Xie Jingyin had no way to deny it.

With the Empress Dowager's decree in hand, the Duke of Maoguo had him arrested and taken to the Ministry of Justice. As for the other people in the Prince of Jin's residence, they were left untouched, with guards stationed to allow them to enter but not leave.