Chapter 163 At most, he would be demoted to a commoner.
Lin Xiang's mind was already racing through all sorts of possible scenarios.
When the King of Wu brought the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice to the Shangguan residence, Prime Minister Lin knew that the old master Shangguan would not let this opportunity pass.
King Wu successfully brought Lord Shangguan to the Ministry of Justice prison, and Prime Minister Lin also knew about it.
He could also deduce that Lord Shangguan was definitely going to give King Wu a warning.
Lin Xiang didn't intend to stop him.
The King of Wu has been making a bit too much of a fuss lately, and most of the officials are watching with a cold eye. Everyone knows that the Crown Prince's position is very stable and cannot be shaken by something you do.
It's not impossible to let the King of Wu suffer in silence.
But the death of Lord Shangguan in the Ministry of Justice prison is a very serious matter.
Everyone in the capital must be having trouble sleeping tonight!
"Lord Ye, remember this: you must treat this case as a murder case."
"As for other matters, they are none of your concern!" Prime Minister Lin immediately instructed Minister Ye.
Minister Ye immediately understood what Minister Lin meant.
He only needs to follow the normal case-handling procedures; as for the power struggles among the princes behind the scenes... that's none of his business.
What he needs to do is find the evidence and get to the bottom of everything...
"Yes! This subordinate knows what to do!"
Minister Ye left quickly.
After Minister Ye left, Prime Minister Lin immediately summoned the steward.
"Prepare the carriage, let's go to the Shangguan residence!"
The steward was somewhat surprised; it was already past midnight, and going to the Shangguan residence at this hour...
The steward of the Lin family quickly prepared a carriage and sent Prime Minister Lin to the Shangguan residence.
Not long after Prime Minister Lin entered the Shangguan residence, cries of weeping echoed from within...
Immediately afterwards, the Shangguan family posted white banners overnight...
...
At the Eastern Palace, the Crown Princess, who was already resting, fainted immediately upon receiving the news that Lord Shangguan had died in the Ministry of Justice prison.
After receiving the news, the Crown Prince locked himself in his study for a long time.
The nobles and officials of all the prefectures in the capital received news that Lord Shangguan had died in the Ministry of Justice prison.
Almost no one could believe it was true.
Everyone had the same thought: Was it really the King of Wu who did it?
How dare he...?
Those families who were on good terms with the Shangguan family, such as the Shen family of the Duke of Dingguo, the Huangfu family of the Duke of Changsheng, and the female heads of other duke and marquis families, also went to the Shangguan family overnight.
...
Inside the Wu King's mansion, no one dared to breathe loudly.
The King of Wu had been back at his residence for quite some time. He stood alone at the door of his study, his mind in turmoil.
He didn't understand how Lord Shangguan could have died.
If you didn't do it yourself, then someone else must have done it?
But who could it be? Who would dare to lay a hand on Lord Shangguan?
The Crown Prince's men?
Impossible! Even though the King of Wu hated the Crown Prince to the core, he knew that the Crown Prince would never lay a hand on Lord Shangguan.
A living Lord Shangguan would be far more useful to the Crown Prince than a dead Lord Shangguan!
Simply put, if His Majesty wants to reinstate the Crown Prince, Lord Shangguan is the Crown Prince's greatest protector.
If Lord Shangguan were to intervene, His Majesty would not so easily issue an edict to change the crown prince.
Moreover, the Crown Princess is from the Shangguan family, and the Crown Prince and Crown Princess have such a deep relationship, it's impossible for them to harm the old master Shangguan...
Who could it be?
Whom did the King of Zhao leave in the capital?
Could it be that the King of Zhao discovered some of his intentions and then took action to warn him...?
That seems unlikely...
"cousin!"
King Wu was racking his brains trying to figure out who had attacked Lord Shangguan when a voice suddenly came from behind him.
He turned around and saw who it was, then sighed.
"Xingzhi! You've arrived!"
The person who came was none other than the second young master of the Ruan family, Ruan Xingzhi, whom others described as talented, humble, polite, and refined.
He came out through a secret passage in the study.
There is a secret passage in the Wu King's study that leads to a house outside, where Ruan Xingzhi has recently been studying.
Ruan Xingzhi respectfully bowed to the King of Wu.
King Wu nodded, gesturing for Ruan Xingzhi to come into the study to speak.
Upon entering the study, King Wu was about to have tea served to Ruan Xingzhi when Ruan Xingzhi stopped him.
"Cousin, I have to rush back later, so let's get straight to the point!"
The King of Wu nodded.
"You know about it?"
Ruan Xingzhi nodded.
"I know a little, but not very clearly. When I came here, I saw the carriages of the Shen family and the Huangfu family heading towards the Shangguan residence."
"Cousin, you didn't kill him, did you?" Ruan Xingzhi asked seriously.
The King of Wu immediately shook his head.
"I'm not that stupid! Killing the old man from the Shangguan family will do me no good, I won't do such a foolish thing."
Ruan Xingzhi also breathed a sigh of relief.
He was right; his cousin wouldn't be that stupid. This kind of thing definitely couldn't have been done by someone from the King of Wu's side.
"Cousin, just because I believe you doesn't mean others will!"
The King of Wu remained silent for a long while before speaking again.
"It certainly wasn't the Crown Prince who did it; the Crown Prince wouldn't be that stupid."
Xingzhi, do you think... it might be from the King of Zhao's place...?
Ruan Xingzhi immediately shook his head.
"Impossible. King Zhao has repeatedly distinguished himself in battle in the north and is at the height of his power. He would never do such a thing."
"Who could have done it?" King Wu asked immediately.
After a moment's thought, Ruan Xingzhi shared his thoughts.
"Perhaps Lord Shangguan himself committed suicide!"
King of Wu...
"How is that possible? What exactly does that useless crown prince possess that would make that old man risk his life to protect him?"
Ruan Xingzhi chuckled softly.
"He's the legitimate heir! In their eyes, the Crown Prince is the heir apparent, and doing anything for the heir apparent is considered righteous!"
If my cousin were also a legitimate son, that elder would have done the same for him.
Ruan Xingzhi's words left the King of Wu speechless.
Is it really that important to be born in the Queen's womb?
"Xingzhi, what should I do now?" King Wu looked at Ruan Xingzhi.
Ruan Xingzhi's expression remained unchanged.
"The Ministry of Justice should be the most anxious right now. They should treat this as an ordinary murder case and investigate it accordingly."
They dared not get involved in the power struggle between the princes.
What we need to do now is to steer these events toward the struggle for the position of prince.
The struggle for princely power is nothing more than you framing me and me framing you, isn't it?
That makes things much easier from here on out.
Cousin, you should stay at the manor for the next few days. Whatever the people from the Ministry of Justice say, you should say it.
"If you didn't do it, then it wasn't you!" Ruan Xingzhi reminded him.
King Wu nodded, feeling a little calmer.
"and you……"
“I know what to do! Cousin, it’s just that one member of the Shangguan family died. You are a prince.”
Even if all the spears are pointed at you, who would dare to make you pay with your life, given that you are His Majesty's bloodline?
"At most, he'll just be demoted to a commoner!" Ruan Xingzhi said slowly.
King of Wu...
It's just being demoted to a commoner... is that all?
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