No matter how unwilling he was, the gray-robed youth still got into Zheng Ruqian's carriage and was taken to a clinic in the city.
After all, it's a serious matter involving a chest injury, and it can't be delayed.
The rest of the group sat on donkey carts, inhaling the strong smell of sheep, and returned to the second courtyard as darkness fell.
This was supposed to be a rest stop, but it was brightly lit.
A completely transformed Zheng Ruqian sat on the stool, as docile as a quail, listening attentively to his elder brother's admonition.
Thankfully, Xiao Si and Xiao Wu weren't around, otherwise he would have had to face sarcastic teasing and two teary-eyed eyes.
When he finally saw Jiang Sheng, he practically rushed over and checked her over. Only after confirming that she was alive and kicking did he breathe a sigh of relief and say, "Big brother, you see, I told you my sister would be alright."
Xu Mo didn't say anything, but quickly stepped forward to check, and only felt relieved after confirming it with his own eyes.
"Take care of the sheep first." He waved his hand and looked at Jiang San. "Where's the murderer?"
Flocks of sheep were sent to the white flour workshop, and the long-distance laborers were arranged to rest. Even Wang Xiaosong was helped by his younger sister Wang Xiaozhu to get a massage.
Jiang San finally managed to pull the perpetrator, who was tied up like a dumpling, over and checked his breath, saying, "He's still alive, just asleep."
Xu Mo frowned as he pondered.
Compared to Jiang Sheng's instinctive sense of unease, he almost immediately knew something was amiss.
This person is just too cunning.
He first cultivated an image of honesty and simplicity, using his easy turn to weaken Jiang Sheng's vigilance. Then, he used the heroism of rescuing a beauty and getting injured himself to break down Jiang Sheng's defenses. He didn't kill her to silence her, thus eliminating the last trace of suspicion.
Finally, he staggered and used a self-inflicted injury to make the little girl feel sorry for him.
At that time, there was only one carriage left. As long as Jiang Sheng took him back to Fengjing, rumors would spread, and the Jiang family would marry their eldest daughter to him out of consideration for their reputation.
The biggest calculation here is that if it were Jiang Chengyu, with the protection of his father and mother and the desperate efforts of his elder brother, he might not necessarily get married even if rumors spread.
In contrast, Jiang Sheng's father and brothers were not around, her mother was mentally impaired, and her only remaining relative was her grandmother, who was old and frail.
If she didn't have several half-brothers, if she hadn't developed a wariness through hardship, and if she hadn't happened to meet Zheng Ruqian, she might have really fallen into that person's trap.
But despite all his scheming, he never expected that Jiang Sheng's biggest backer was never the Jiang family, but her brothers.
“This person looks down on me, the newly appointed top scholar, looks down on the second son’s business, and even looks down on the third son who is on the front lines and the fourth son who is practicing medicine,” Xu Mo murmured. “But he will never find out that we have a fifth son.”
The Fifth Prince, who rarely appears in public and is now hiding deep within the palace, is ready to strike at any moment.
Unfortunately, Zheng Ruqian sent the person to the clinic without realizing that the person had secretly slipped away, and he still hasn't figured out the person's identity.
"It's all my fault. I thought he was really doing a good deed, but who knew he would run away." Zheng Lao Er lowered his head and resumed his quail-like demeanor.
It seems that what I was just scolded about was this matter.
"Alright, I don't blame you." Xu Mo shook his head. "It's too easy for someone with such deep scheming to leave."
What good is not leaving? The scheme has already failed, and exposing our identities would be the biggest loss.
"Then why did you criticize me just now?" Zheng Ruqian said indignantly, but after receiving his elder brother's cold gaze, he wilted again.
Jiang San and Jiang Si covered their mouths and laughed, but as expected, they immediately fell silent after being confronted by the Second Young Master's murderous gaze.
There is a natural order to things; this is a universal truth.
Only Jiang Sheng wasn't afraid of anyone. She paced back and forth with her hands behind her back, saying, "Then let's interrogate the perpetrator, and we'll know everything, right?"
It is theoretically feasible.
But would someone so cunning that even a hero saving a damsel in distress leave any obvious flaws?
Xu Mo was skeptical.
He had Jiang San and Jiang Si interrogate her, while he personally wrote a letter, which he delivered to the Dou residence the next day. It was then handed over by Madam Dou when she went to the palace to visit the Dowager Empress.
The assailant was quite stubborn; he refused to spit out his words even when whipped and peppered, and he was unfazed when goose feathers tickled his soles and he even endured being fed sheep dung balls.
It wasn't until Wang Xiaosong pulled down his pants to perform castration that the assailant finally managed to utter, "It's...it's the Fourth Prince."
This answer surprised everyone. If Jiang Sheng hadn't personally met the Fourth Prince in the capital, the frame-up would have become true.
Jiang San was furious. He took the large scissors used for castrating pigs, heated them with a branding iron until they were red-hot, and then gestured back and forth across the pig's abdomen.
The perpetrator, his scalp tingling, blurted out again, "It was...it was the Second Prince..."
This time, Jiang San was smarter. Without changing his expression, he loosened his belt again with one hand.
The perpetrator finally broke down completely, wailing as he confessed, "It was...it was the First Prince..."
First it was the fourth prince, then the second prince, and now it's the eldest prince.
All three princes were implicated, and it was unclear who was right and who was wrong, who was true and who was false.
Even Xu Mo was puzzled, wondering what the truth was.
Is it the eldest prince, the second prince, or the heir apparent behind the fourth prince?
Only Zheng Ruqian was carefree enough. While figuring out how to sell the mutton properly, he comforted his elder brother, "Don't worry, didn't we send a message to Xiao Wu? He will definitely find the culprit behind this."
Since it cannot be observed from the outside, let's break it from the inside.
In fact, upon receiving the letter, Chang Yan immediately began to probe.
First, there's the fourth prince.
The two brothers were close and lived together in the East and West Fifth Residences, so they could easily chat whenever they visited each other.
However, the fourth prince seemed very gloomy about the Yao family's attitude, and he would often hide in his room without speaking, and even refused to bask in the sun.
She was in a state of deep heartbreak.
After much persuasion, the Fourth Prince finally agreed to accompany him for a short walk in the Imperial Garden and drink a considerable amount of fine wine.
"Why doesn't Miss Yao like me? What's wrong with me? How can I, a prince, be unworthy of her? Why is she taking a son-in-law?" The fifteen-year-old boy grabbed his younger brother's sleeve and wailed.
While offering comfort, Chang Yan probed further and learned that the Chu family did not have any eligible boys aged seventeen or eighteen.
His smile was faint. After the Fourth Prince got drunk, he had his guards escort him back to the West Third Palace.
Then there's the eldest prince. Changyan used some of his connections to find out that he was a guest at the Dou family when the incident happened. He said all the nice things, but the Dou family's daughter still wouldn't even show her face. In the end, Dou Weiming played chess with her for half a day.
The timing of the message may not be accurate, but it reflects what the Crown Prince is capable of doing.
"Your Highness, what do we do now?" the personal guard asked in a low voice. "Should we go and test the Second Prince?"
Chang Yan's eyes were cold, his hands clasped tightly together. After a long while, he spoke, "No need."
He has arrived.
As soon as the sound faded, a gray-robed youth appeared at the entrance of the Imperial Garden, saying in a simple and honest manner, "Fifth Prince, I've found what you wanted."
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