Falling into a trap (1)

The maid beside him stepped forward, blocking Yan Qing's way, and said coldly, "My young lady is not someone you can afford to offend!"

To everyone's surprise, the officers and soldiers remained unmoved and said firmly, "It is our duty, please cooperate."

Yan Qingchao turned his head and waited for the maid to give a signal. She shook her head, raised her hand and lifted the curtain, revealing her face to the person in front of her.

The officers and soldiers in front took out the notice and compared it carefully with Yan Qing's. After a moment, they clasped their hands and bowed, saying, "I have offended you greatly, please forgive me."

Having said that, he went off to find other targets.

Yan Qing watched the departing soldiers, touched her face, and still felt lingering fear.

When Yan Qing saw the disguise master brought by Rong Xuan in the morning, he was not too concerned. He thought that it had only been a few hours since he escaped, and the palace procedures were complicated and cumbersome. There would definitely be no arrest warrant today.

To everyone's surprise, the news spread throughout the capital in just half a day.

Yan Qing suspected that someone was behind this, and secretly thought that he should be more cautious in his future actions.

Having gone through this ordeal, Yan Qing didn't linger any longer and returned to the Prince Ning's residence.

In the afternoon, the long-awaited warm sun pierced through the heavy clouds, spilled through the window, and gently caressed Yan Qing. The small mole on her right ear was particularly clear at this moment. She had removed her disguise and was staring blankly out the window.

Upon returning, she informed Rong Xuan of the clue that the person had fled to Wuren Lane. He gave her a deep look, his eyes dark and unfathomable, but he simply nodded calmly and said he would inform the Cheng family. Then he had someone take her back to the courtyard to await news.

Yan Qing did not intend to participate in the subsequent actions and followed Rong Xuan's arrangements.

This wait lasted until the third day, the day when Cheng Changfeng's trial was to begin.

However, no news came from Rong Xuan's side for a long time. Yan Qing naturally thought that the witness had not been found and Cheng Changfeng's last hope had also disappeared. Fortunately, she did not go to the Cheng family.

The trial was scheduled to begin at 9:00 AM, but around 7:00 AM, the disguise master visited again, saying he was acting on Rong Xuan's orders.

Yan Qing had no idea what he was up to, but she didn't resist. She changed her clothes and followed him out.

As they approached the gate of the Prince's Mansion, a carriage stopped in the center, its emerald tassels shimmering in the morning light. The curtain was slowly lifted, and Rong Xuan stepped out. The two looked at each other.

Where to?

"The government office."

Unable to say it outright, Yan Qing gave him a meaningful look.

Seeing Rong Xuan nod slightly, she breathed a sigh of relief; she had the witness in hand!

Yan Qing stepped forward and, with his help, nimbly climbed onto the carriage. The two then headed to the Jingzhao Prefecture Office together.

With witnesses present, and given the Cheng family's methods, this matter concerning Cheng Changfeng has already been settled.

It was a good deed; Yan Qing felt a great sense of accomplishment for saving a life, and his face was beaming with joy.

But the thought of not being free right now made her feel a little discouraged, and she started thinking about when she could mention it to Rong Xuan to increase her chances of success.

Yan Qing had made up her mind and glanced at Rong Xuan casually, only to be caught red-handed. She quickly turned back and continued to look at the street scene, but she clearly heard a snort of laughter beside her.

Laughing, laughing, laughing, I don't know what I'm laughing at every day.

Yan Qing silently complained to himself, "A gentleman doesn't hold grudges against a petty person; I'll let him off the hook for now."

When they arrived at the government office, the hall was already crowded with people, who were noisily discussing the matter.

Yan Qing followed Rong Xuan to the inner corner and saw the county magistrate's family and the Cheng family across the street.

The room fell silent as the Prefect of the Capital entered and took his seat, and Cheng Changfeng was also brought up by the men of the Court of Judicial Review.

The trial was presided over by the Jingzhao Prefecture and assisted by the Dali Temple.

The scene became heated again as a woman beside the county magistrate of the capital cried out.

Yan Qing observed for a moment, then subconsciously nudged Rong Xuan beside him with his elbow and asked, "Wasn't the deceased the county magistrate's eldest son?"

Noticing that Rong Xuan had inadvertently taken a step to the side, Yan Qing realized that this behavior was indeed impolite. She touched her nose awkwardly and moved to the side as well.

The matter had initially caused quite a stir, with the county magistrate declaring that he would use all his family's resources to fight for justice from the Cheng family. It was assumed that Yan Qing was the county magistrate's eldest son who had been murdered, but it now appears that this is not the case.

The haggard-looking woman standing next to the magistrate looked exactly like the magistrate's wife as rumored.

“A son born out of wedlock, the second in the family.” Rong Xuan’s voice rang out, somewhat somber. Yan Qing couldn’t help but look up at him.

The sound of the gavel brought Yan Qing back to her senses. The magistrate was kneeling on the ground, accusing Cheng Changfeng, who stood to the side with a resentful expression.

"On the fifteenth of last month, my youngest son got into a fight with Young Master Cheng at the horse market over a fine horse. Unexpectedly, Young Master Cheng started a physical fight. My son was injured and was recuperating at home, but Young Master Cheng was still not satisfied and tricked the ignorant child into going to a restaurant and burning him alive. What did my son do wrong? Only his bones remain. You must give my son justice!"

"Bullshit!" Cheng Changfeng could no longer contain himself and roared, but was quickly restrained.

The Prefect of the Capital struck the gavel again and began to present the evidence from both sides.

"Who's behind this?" Yan Qing asked softly to the person beside her. She didn't yet know who had brought up the conversation the little black cat had mentioned, and time was short, so she didn't have a chance to ask further.

"What, you didn't get wind of this?"

Rong Xuan seemed to have returned to his usual self and started teasing her again. Yan Qing didn't think too much about it and said directly, "Those who dare to directly attack the Cheng family are nothing more than the Crown Prince's and the Second Prince's factions. The harem is also involved in this matter. Is it the Empress, or your mother?"

Yan Qing looked at Rong Xuan with a half-smile, testing his attitude, but Rong Xuan narrowed his eyes, making it impossible to discern his emotions.

After a long time, Yan Qing thought she would not get an answer, but Rong Xuan's voice rang out again, but it was an irrelevant answer.

"According to you, which faction do I belong to?"

Unable to get any gossip, Yan Qing was in a bad mood, so she replied dismissively, "You? You look like an egg yolk pie to me."

Then she turned back to continue watching the scene, leaving Rong Xuan frowning and muttering "egg yolk pie" under her breath.

The waiter from the restaurant had been brought up by the Cheng family, and he began to give his testimony, trembling.

"That day, it was... I was the one who entertained Young Master Zhang. He was drinking alone in the private room and did not go with Young Master Cheng. Later... later, a fire was discovered on the second floor, so I sent someone to put it out. But the fire got bigger and bigger, so I ran away."

"Have you seen Cheng Changfeng?" the Prefect of the Capital asked solemnly, sitting upright on the throne.

The servant glanced discreetly at Magistrate Zhang, then at the Cheng family. The pressure from all three sides caused him to collapse to the ground, his body weak and powerless.

"If you know the truth but do not speak out, I will punish you for deception." The Prefect of the Capital spoke again, his words now even more authoritative.

The servant seemed to have collapsed, his lips trembling as he stammered, "It was Magistrate Zhang, Magistrate Zhang ordered me to do it! I don't know anything, I don't know anything!"

The scene fell silent for a moment, then erupted into a frenzy as unsuspecting onlookers began to discuss the matter animatedly.

“It was Magistrate Zhang. He ordered me to lure Cheng Changfeng to the restaurant and set fire to Young Master Zhang’s private room. I didn’t know anything about it. He was the one who ordered it. He wanted to kill his own son and then frame the Cheng family.”

"Speaking nonsense!" Magistrate Zhang stood up abruptly, kicked the servant, and was about to strike again when he was grabbed by the guards and forced back to his original position.

The Prefect of the Capital leaned forward and asked, "Do you have any evidence?"

“Evidence…evidence, yes, evidence, there is, there is. Under the locust tree opposite the restaurant, there is evidence, a note in Magistrate Zhang’s own handwriting. I buried it under the tree.” The servant got up and crawled toward the Prefect of the Capital, muttering incoherently.

"Someone, go and get the evidence."

"Doesn't the Cheng family intend to find out who framed Cheng Changfeng?" Yan Qing asked directly, voicing her doubts.

Clearly, Magistrate Zhang is just a pawn on the chessboard, and the servant's remarks must have been instigated by someone. Since the person behind the scenes failed to find him sooner, the instigator can only be the Cheng family.

She didn't think too deeply about it, but felt a little unsatisfied that this case, which had attracted the attention of the entire capital, had been let go like this.

“It’s a back-and-forth, one advances while the other retreats. Without thorough preparation, turning the game upside down will only lead to one outcome—” Yan Qing and Rong Xuan looked at each other, waiting for his next words.

"Leave the scene."

Yan Qing thought about it and also felt that there was no better way to understand the case. If the Cheng family broke off relations and exposed the mastermind behind Magistrate Zhang, not to mention that a few words from a servant were too weak, if a thorough investigation were to be carried out, half of the court would be implicated. And the longer this matter dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for the Cheng family.

"What if the Cheng family were to lose today?" Yan Qing asked again.

"We're missing a capable person on the surface." Rong Xuan's calm voice struck Yan Qing's heart heavily.

Yes, even if the Cheng family loses this round, Cheng Changfeng won't die. Thousands upon thousands of "Cheng Changfengs" will follow in his footsteps and die for him. It's just that the Cheng family has lost its second young master, but another young man has appeared out of nowhere.

Yan Qing gained a deeper understanding of the cruelty of this world: the strong prey on the weak, and whoever holds power holds the truth. She fell silent.

The root cause of the 15% happiness level has also surfaced: a world where people are not human.

Soon, the note the servant had mentioned was presented to us, and after comparison, it was confirmed to have been written by Magistrate Zhang.

[Cheng was lured to a restaurant, set on fire, and Zhang died. This was Cheng's doing.]

The woman who had been weeping earlier fainted immediately. The grief on Magistrate Zhang's face now was genuine, but no one bothered to verify his thoughts. Whether it was true or false, it didn't matter.

The handwriting is his, so he's the one who did it.

Magistrate Zhang was arrested and scheduled to be beheaded on a later date, with his entire family exiled. Cheng Changfeng was released on the spot.

This dramatic event, which had been going on for over half a month, ended abruptly.

When you treat others as pawns, how do you know you're not making a useless move yourself?

As Yan Qing was leaving, she opened the window and looked out. Cheng Changhe was supporting Cheng Changfeng. Their eyes met, and there was a silent gratitude in their eyes. They smiled and clasped their hands in greeting. Then they greeted Rong Xuan next to her.

Cheng Changfeng and Cheng Changhe exchanged a few words, then Cheng Changfeng turned around and raised his arm, waving it in Yan Qing's direction. Despite being covered in dust, their smiles were brighter than the sun, and the youthful spirit had not diminished in the slightest due to their days in prison.

Yan Qing returned the smile, then looked away, but seemed somewhat puzzled.

Instead of appreciating the immense kindness shown to him, Rong Xuan pushed himself into the limelight. Something was wrong, extremely wrong.

If Rong Xuan were truly the gentleman the world speaks of, then informing the Cheng family that the information came from him would be something he could do. The problem lies in the fact that Rong Xuan is a hypocrite.

Yan Qing's unease gradually grew, and her intuition told her that this was not a good thing.