Chapter 203 I suspect you're implying something about me, but I have no proof.

"Ah Chu, are you alright?"

Luo Heng asked with concern, "Did you suffer from heatstroke? You don't look too well."

Shen Chu shook her head. "I'm fine. I'm just a little tired from traveling for days. I'll be fine after resting for a couple of days."

Luo Heng said, "The capital is just ahead. Why don't we rest here for half a day before heading to the capital?"

After thinking for a moment, Chen Chu said, "I've troubled you with your care along the way, so let's part ways here. You should go ahead first."

Luo Heng was taken aback.

"Aren't we going to Beijing together? Or do you have other plans?"

Shen Chu smiled and shook his head, "If the Luo family's caravan were to travel to the capital with me, it would probably cause unnecessary concern."

This is bad for the Luo family's business.

Luo Heng frowned. "I don't care. We're brothers, aren't we?"

"Because we are brothers, I also need to think about my elder brother. I am already very grateful to have received your protection all the way."

We've already entered the capital's territory; there's no more danger. My elder brother and I entered the city through different gates to avoid arousing suspicion about the Luo family.

Seeing that he had made up his mind, Luo Heng had no choice but to leave with the caravan.

Shen Chu gathered the Flying Eagle Guards together, gave them some instructions, and then entered the capital through another city gate.

She was the Salt Commissioner appointed by His Majesty, so naturally she had to first go to the palace to meet the Emperor upon arriving in the capital.

Upon entering the palace, they discovered that the eunuch leading the way was heading towards the East Palace, not the Longquan Palace.

She frowned slightly. "Is His Majesty in the Eastern Palace?"

The eunuch smiled and said, "Young Master Shen just returned and doesn't know yet. The weather has been unbearably hot lately, so His Majesty took the ladies of the palace to Qinghe Palace to escape the heat the other day."

Now that His Highness the Crown Prince is overseeing state affairs, it is only natural that Lord Shen must go to the Eastern Palace to report to His Highness.

Is the crown prince in charge of state affairs?

Shen Chu frowned slightly and subconsciously squeezed the dossier hidden in her sleeve.

Both Grand Secretary Feng and the Crown Prince's maternal uncle were the Crown Prince's own maternal uncles. She had just arrested the Crown Prince and brought him back to the capital when the Crown Prince took over the reins of government.

This is too much of a coincidence.

As soon as he entered, an arrow adorned with red feathers pierced the sky and shot straight toward Shen Chu's face.

Shen Chu was stunned for a moment, then reacted quickly by dodging to the left, the arrow grazing her ear as it flew past.

The crown prince, wearing a golden crown and an apricot-yellow python robe, strode over, his eyes and brows exuding an imposing confidence and arrogance.

He tossed the bow and arrows in his hand to the guard and glanced at Chen Chu.

"I was so engrossed in my work that I didn't even notice Lord Shen coming in. I hope I didn't startle you."

Tsk, it seems this is the Crown Prince's way of showing her power.

She kowtowed and nodded obediently.

"Your Majesty is timid. I thought you were angry because I captured the Imperial Uncle Feng, and that you were going to shoot me dead with an arrow."

The prince's smile cracked for a moment, and his expression darkened.

"Bold Chen Chu, in your heart, am I such a person who cannot distinguish right from wrong?"

"In my humble opinion, His Highness the Crown Prince is a man of great integrity and fair in his dealings. However, after all, the Imperial Uncle Feng is His Highness the Crown Prince's maternal uncle."

"Your Majesty, I have arrested your own uncle, and I am filled with unease. That is why I spoke incoherently. Please forgive me."

The prince's expression softened slightly, and he turned and sat down on the stone bench.

"Where are your salt inspection files? Bring them to me so I can see what exactly happened in the Changsha Prefecture case."

Chen paused slightly at the beginning.

The case file was in her sleeve, but if it were given to the Crown Prince, who was now acting as regent, he could directly order a review of the Changsha case.

Given the relationship between the Crown Prince and the Feng family, it's likely they won't let her participate in this case anymore.

Then she will have to hand over all the witnesses, physical evidence, and the criminals.

Things will then get out of her control.

Thinking of this, a look of shame appeared on her face.

"Your Highness has been traveling for days and has not yet had time to organize the files. If Your Highness wants to know the specific situation in Changsha Prefecture, I can report it to you in person."

"No files?" The Crown Prince's face turned cold. "How dare you come to the palace to report without any files!"

What? Are you planning to rely solely on your words?

Shen Chu bowed and apologized, "It was my dereliction of duty. I will go back and organize the files. I will take my leave now."

"stop."

The Crown Prince got straight to the point: "Father was very concerned about the Changsha Salt Administration case before he went to the imperial palace. I need to investigate this case as soon as possible so that someone can report back to Father."

You should transfer all the witnesses, physical evidence, and criminals involved in the case to the Ministry of Justice. I will have the Minister of Justice personally handle this case.

"You must be tired from your journey to Changsha. Go back and rest well."

Shen Chu looked troubled.

"I'm afraid it's not possible to hand it over to the Ministry of Justice yet."

"Insolence!" The Crown Prince roared in fury. "Shen Chu, how dare you defy my will?"

"How could your humble servant dare to disobey Your Highness the Crown Prince? There is simply no way to hand it over."

Shen Chu looked miserable. "Your Highness, you may not know this, but the journey back to the capital with the Sixth Prince was extremely difficult."

I don't know who it was, but they came out several times to try to break us out of prison and even assassinate me and the Sixth Prince.

Not only that, they also scattered our escort team.

Your humble servant and a small squad of Flying Eagle Guards finally made it back to the capital after a long and arduous journey. The other witnesses and physical evidence are on their way back to the capital.

Even if I wanted to hand it over to Your Highness, I am truly powerless to do so.

The Crown Prince blurted out, "Nonsense! You weren't traveling with your sixth brother at all, so how could you have been separated?"

Shen Chu said, "Your Highness, I really did return with the Sixth Prince. Why would you say we didn't travel together?"

She looked at the crown prince with feigned disbelief.

"Your Highness, the person who attempted to assassinate us on the road was...."

The Crown Prince's expression changed slightly. "What nonsense are you talking about? I saw that only you returned and I didn't see my sixth brother, so I assumed that you and my sixth brother did not travel together."

Shen Chu sighed, looking disappointed.

"Your Highness, I thought you already knew that someone was trying to assassinate us along the way. It turns out you were unaware of this."

The Crown Prince sneered, "How would I know what happened along your journey?"

Shen Chu bowed respectfully, her face full of anger.

"We beg Your Highness to do us justice! Send people to investigate who is so audacious as to attempt to assassinate a prince and a court official, and then try to break him out of prison."

This is utterly lawless, aiding and abetting evil, heartless and cruel, worse than pigs and dogs…

The crown prince's face turned somewhat green.

He suspected that Shen Chu was deliberately making veiled attacks against him, but he had no evidence.

"You're a top scholar in the imperial examinations, how can you speak so rudely?"

Shen Chu was furious.

"Your Highness, salt and iron are the lifeblood of the imperial court, especially salt, which not only affects the court's tax revenue but also the lives and livelihoods of the people."

This time, the criminals in Changsha Prefecture were greedy and opportunistic. They colluded with bandits to sell smuggled salt and make huge profits, completely disregarding the lives of the people.

Such greedy people deserve to die, and those who colluded with them to assassinate the Sixth Prince and this humble servant are naturally no better.

Your Highness...you're no good.

Shen Chu looked at the Crown Prince with righteous indignation.

"They are capable of shameless acts such as assassination and prison break, so what's wrong with me cursing them a few times?"

"Your Highness, don't you think this scoundrel who brings disaster to the country and its people deserves to be torn to pieces?"

The Crown Prince...

I'm so angry, I really want to punch Chen Chu.