Chapter 230 The Crown Prince's Burden of Another Kind of Justice

In the autumn of the 210th year of the Great Wei Dynasty, in the Heavenly Prison of Chang'an City.

Jin Shu, dressed in thin prison clothes, leaned against the prison wall in a daze.

She was the only woman in the cell; it was empty, cold, and damp.

A small window in the wall let in golden sunlight, which fell onto the wall above Jin Shu's head.

She raised her hand and gripped her clothes tighter, wrapping them even more tightly.

This day came a little earlier than expected.

With Li Jin seemingly certain of victory, there was finally hope for redress for the wrongful conviction six years ago…

She took a deep breath, leaned her head against the wall, and sighed.

As expected, they underestimated their opponent.

The seemingly calm and unassuming Crown Prince, however, struck at the heart of the matter, directly exploiting the biggest weakness.

The chains on the prison gate rattled. She turned her head slightly, glanced at the figure standing in front of the prison gate, and paused for a moment.

Crown Prince Li Jing, dressed in white, walked in expressionlessly. Seeing her surprised expression as she sat on the ground, he handed her the snow fox fur coat.

"You've worked hard, sir," he said.

Unlike Li Jin, this man's eyes were cold, filled with an arrogant disdain for everything, as he framed Jin Shu within his gaze.

She pursed her lips, took the thick cloak, and wrapped it around herself: "Thank you, Your Highness."

The crown prince glanced at her and suddenly asked, "Aren't you afraid of me?"

Jin Shu looked at him, puzzled, and pulled her white fur coat tighter around herself: "Why are you afraid?"

The prison was quiet for a long time. The Crown Prince glanced at her and nodded: "You're not afraid of death." He squatted down, his eyes cold. "The prison is cold and desolate. After all, you are a capable and righteous person who has made contributions to the Great Wei and is worthy of the world. Although you have committed the crime of deceiving the emperor, His Majesty has specially granted you permission to wait for your punishment in another place. Compared to the imperial prison, the Eastern Palace is a more suitable place for you."

He picked up the iron chain from Jin Shu's feet, examined it with interest, and before Jin Shu could speak, he said, "Mr. Jin, please."

He didn't come to ask for Jin Shu's opinion; he just came to move Jin Shu to another place to be detained.

Compared to the prison where Li Jin could easily enter and leave, it was clear that even if Li Jin had three heads and six arms, he wouldn't dare to force his way into the Eastern Palace.

Jin Shu had no choice.

She nodded silently and stood up to return the greeting.

"Oh, by the way," the Crown Prince called out to her, "would you like me to send someone to bring over Mr. Jin's daily necessities?"

Jin Shu turned her head and looked at the Crown Prince's face, then replied, "Thank you, Your Highness."

At this point, the Crown Prince, who had been expressionless the whole time, relaxed a little and strode ahead of Jin Shu.

On the white robe, an exquisite gold embroidery depicts a celestial dragon totem.

They said they were going to pick up household items, but in reality, they were going to turn her yard upside down.

As Jin Shu followed behind him, she prayed that Li Jin would think ahead of the Crown Prince and quickly hide the things in her room that might expose Jin Rong's presence.

"Mr. Jin, you've been following my third brother for the past six months, so you must have heard quite a bit about me." The Crown Prince didn't turn his head, deliberately leading her through the area of ​​the Imperial Prison where severe punishments were used.

With constant roars in her ears and a horrifying scene before her, Jin Shu quickly looked away.

"Third brother, you should tell the teacher that the current Crown Prince is ruthless and a terrifying person." The Crown Prince turned around and glanced at Jin Shu. "Is that right?"

In such an environment, to ask such a question so casually is truly unsettling.

Jin Shu held her breath, mentally going through the entire process of what he was trying to say before giving an awkward laugh and nodding, "Exactly."

The crown prince seemed quite satisfied with the answer, and even showed a slight smile.

“Sir, you are a wise man, with a clear mind, yet you remain silent.” He paused. “I enjoy dealing with wise people.”

After saying this, the crown prince quickened his pace and walked towards the prison gate.

Jin Shu, who was following behind him, seemed to have gone through a near-death experience. Compared to death, the horrific tortures were more terrifying to her.

But the Crown Prince clearly had no intention of taking her life, nor was he prepared to interrogate or torture her.

Glancing at the white-clad figure's back, Jin Shu boldly speculated that perhaps in the Crown Prince's eyes, she was still one of his own.

The carriage stopped at the entrance of the imperial prison. The crown prince lifted the curtain and gestured for Jin Shu to get in.

The moment she looked up, she met Yan Zhao's gaze, who sat solemnly in the car.

After not seeing him for several days, Yan Zhao still had a stern face, but the loving gaze he once had was nowhere to be found at this moment.

He was holding a bag of pastries from the imperial kitchen, the kind he used to often bring to Jin Shu.

Inside the carriage, Jin Shu and the Crown Prince faced each other, with Yan Zhao sitting silently beside him.

The wheels rolled forward, and the Crown Prince glanced out of the carriage, scoffing, "Li Jin's men are truly omnipresent; they've even kept such a close watch on this place." He glanced back at Yan Zhao, "Perhaps I should wait for him to break out of prison; that would be more effective."

“Prince Jing is not a fool,” Yan Zhao said solemnly, his gaze falling on Jin Shu’s face. He pursed his lips, swallowing the words he was about to say.

“Indeed.” The Crown Prince reached out and picked up the pastries from Yan Zhao’s arms, forcibly placing them in Jin Shu’s hands. “You have worked hard for the past six months, sir. You need not worry about what happens afterward.”

He looked at Jin Shu, then suddenly changed the subject: "Sir, do you know what kind of villains those who just tortured you were?"

Jin Shu was taken aback and shook her head.

“There are ruthless bandits who kill without hesitation, not even sparing a one-year-old baby.” The prince’s gaze darkened slightly. “There are also scoundrels who kill for money and don’t hesitate to treat Five-Stone Powder as a commodity.”

"There are also villains who, over a mere disagreement, slaughter an entire family."

He looked at Jin Shu: "Sir, do you think we should have pity on people who are burdened with such sins?"

Upon hearing this, Jin Shu shook her head: "No."

“I also think it’s inappropriate.” He looked at Jin Shu, “but not everyone has the opportunity to atone for their sins in the Heavenly Prison.”

Jin Shu paused.

The Crown Prince crossed his arms and chuckled, “Third Brother is always so naive, thinking that if there are laws in the world, they can contain and deter evil.”

"The Great Wei Dynasty is vast, with millions of people. How can one possibly record all the evils of the world in a single piece of paper or a single law?"

Seeing Jin Shu's stunned expression, the Crown Prince's gaze softened slightly, and his tone became gentler: "Murderers and arsonists deserve to die, and officials who offer or accept bribes should be dismissed."

"But... people are naturally inclined to seek advantage and avoid harm. Tracing back the crimes they have committed one by one is a waste of resources, time, and effort."

He glanced at Jin Shu: "So I have gathered together those powerful and wicked people who treat the law like dirt. I have used their hands to form my own power."

"Once the great cause is accomplished, we will turn around and wipe out all these villains."

The Crown Prince leaned forward, looking at Jin Shu's face: "I will bear the consequences of my heinous crimes alone, and I will shoulder the infamy of the world alone."

He chuckled softly: "Isn't this another kind of justice?"