Although Shu Hua had told her that she had eaten Qin Xi's pastries by accident, she was still furious. If it weren't for Qin Xi and Shu Hua that day, she probably wouldn't have the face to live on.
She pouted, clearly annoyed: "His Majesty ordered her to hand over the person, but she couldn't, so she was put in solitary confinement. It's too easy for her."
Admittedly, if Xu Zi really lost her chastity and chose to commit suicide, it would be of no use confining her for life, especially since she was being well taken care of.
"It's been tough on you, staying in the manor for so long without being able to go out and have some fun," Qin Xi said.
Xu Zi shook his head: "If it can make her suffer a little, I'd be happy to stay as long as it takes."
But... it seems things can't go as she wishes.
Qin Xi knew what she was thinking. She exchanged a glance with Shu Hua and sighed, "After all, she is the only princess, so it's normal for her to be favored."
...
"Hey, Changjue." Shu Zhan followed Lu Huai all the way to the lake in the mansion. Seeing him stop, he finally couldn't help but ask, "What do you want to tell me?"
Lu Huai picked up a pebble and tossed it diagonally into the lake. The pebble bounced several times before finally smashing a turtle the size of a palm off the rock with a "plop."
He then casually began, "On South Street, a butcher accidentally killed someone."
“It’s just someone dying, what’s so strange about that…” Shu Zhan blurted out, but then suddenly froze, lost in thought.
South Street...isn't that under the Fourth Prince's jurisdiction?
There are many streets in the capital, but only the four streets in the east, west, south, and north are the most prosperous.
Recently, in order to test the abilities of his four princes, Emperor Yuming temporarily assigned these streets to them for jurisdiction in order.
The names of the four princes were derived from the homophones of "Yaowu Yangwei" (耀武扬威). The third prince's name was the fourth character, while the fourth prince, who was born later, had the character "Yang" (扬).
He was born in the Cold Palace because Consort Ruan was banished there while she was six months pregnant. It wasn't until the Fourth Prince was already several years old that Emperor Yuming brought him back and named him.
Therefore, the order of three and four is reversed.
Therefore, in this order, the East Street belonged to the First Prince, the West Street to the Second Prince, the South Street to the Fourth Prince, and the North Street to the Third Prince.
Needless to say, the Fifth Prince was someone Emperor Yuming never even considered.
But at this very moment, something happened on South Street. Shu Zhan wouldn't believe it if you said there was nothing wrong.
He quietly changed his words: "...That's quite strange. So what do we do?"
Lu Huai glanced at his foolish expression and smiled faintly: "Let's wait and see."
...
...
When someone dies on the street, the matter should logically be handled by the yamen (government office), but it ended up at the Dali Temple (Court of Judicial Review).
The reason is simple: it's related to the dragon's offspring.
For the first two days after the incident, everything seemed normal. The people reported it to the authorities, and Butcher Zheng was arrested. Regardless of who was right or wrong, the deceased deserved respect, and the Fourth Prince personally questioned his relatives.
Everything seemed normal, but the accident happened on the very day the coroner finished examining the body, the relatives were transporting it back, and they were about to bury it.
A rumor suddenly spread throughout the capital that the Third Prince harbored resentment towards the Fourth Prince and deliberately caused an incident in his jurisdiction to cause him to lose the Emperor's favor and the people's hearts.
So the body that had been placed in the mourning hall was taken away again, and the deceased's family members were immediately choked up, not knowing whether they should continue crying.
...
...
In the restaurants and bookstores, people whispered among themselves: "My brother works for the Third Prince. That day, he clearly heard the Third Prince say that North Street was no good, with too many beggars, and that South Street was much better."
"Which street doesn't have a few beggars?"
"Ha! He just thinks the Fourth Prince stole his share, doesn't he!"
"Tsk tsk, no wonder people suddenly died, that explains it."
"What could it be? It's just that the Third Prince is petty and can't stand the Fourth Prince being better than him!"
"That's right! Although the Fourth Prince isn't the eldest son, he is the legitimate son. The Third Prince was born in the Cold Palace. If it weren't for His Majesty's pity, he probably wouldn't be out yet! How could he not be jealous? I'm the first to disagree!"
"Stop talking! Be careful someone hears you and chop off your head!"
The group fell silent, but the words had already spread.
...
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