Peng Rui walked in, catching her off guard. She quickly returned to Huo Danlan's side, and Chu Chun brought her a basin of water to wash her hands.
Peng Rui also knew Ouyang Ping. Seeing Ouyang Ping's head, he asked in confusion, "Was it him who shot the arrow just now?" If it was true, then things would get interesting.
Zhihai nodded without saying a word.
“This person is not Mr. Ouyang.” Peng Rui examined the head carefully and came to an answer that everyone was willing to believe.
Huo Danlan asked, "If it's not Mr. Ouyang, then who is this person?"
Peng Rui examined it carefully again. "This junior officer needs to investigate. It's almost dawn. Princess, Miss Huo, Miss Sun, please prepare to return to the city."
After saying that, he turned around and signaled to his deputy to take the head away. Huo Danlan and the old woman exchanged a glance. The old woman suddenly attacked Zhihai. Zhihai reacted quickly, and the two started fighting in the outer room in an instant.
Sun Yun gripped Huo Danlan's hand tightly, too nervous to speak, wondering why the two were fighting.
However, Zhao Shu, Huo Danlan, and Peng Rui knew about it, but they just watched quietly from the side. After about thirty moves, the two separated.
After they separated, the old woman approached Huo Danlan and reported, "Miss, that medicine boy was more skilled. He was the master. This old servant stopped him at the Five Mile Courtyard and used the traps there to kill him."
Zhihai was very fast. From chasing out to returning, it took less than half an hour. After the old woman finished speaking, he also spoke up: "Indeed, this person's kung fu style comes from the Jiangnan area, and Ouyang Ping is also from Jiangnan."
Peng Rui chimed in, "In that case, we need to go to Jiangnan to investigate."
Finding the real culprit is important, but the most important thing is that Ouyang Ping is gone. Who will treat the Crown Prince? This is why Huo Danlan stood outside silently all this time. She didn't know how to tell the Crown Prince that Ouyang Ping, who could have saved him, might be dead.
This is a cruel reality that could destroy the crown prince's chances of survival.
"Let's leave this matter to Lord Liu, who will also be in charge of the Ministry of Justice," Zhao Shu said. Whether the head belonged to Ouyang Ping or not was no longer important. She dared not trust Ouyang Ping anymore; the Crown Prince's leg could not be treated by Ouyang Ping.
Moreover, she harbored a hidden worry: that Ouyang Ping was indeed someone else's man, and the reason she hadn't acted sooner was because of the gold mine. Now that so many people had arrived, if she couldn't take the gold mine, she would have no choice but to kill the Crown Prince.
If you can't have it, no one else can either.
However, this analysis also has its flaws. If no one suspects him, he could easily stay by the Crown Prince's side forever.
If she couldn't figure it out, she stopped thinking about it. It was just a matter of life and death. Only a few people wanted the Crown Prince dead. If she couldn't find the murderer, she would eliminate them one by one in the future. After all, they had indeed plotted to harm the Crown Prince, so their deaths wouldn't be a loss.
She had washed her hands and turned to go into the inner room. Once inside, Liu Huan had already heard the gist of what was going on. Before Zhao Shu and Huo Danlan could speak, he said directly, "Your Highness, please rest assured, I will definitely bring the murderer to justice."
Liu Huan and Zhao Shu thought differently. He believed in minimizing killing if possible, and avoiding both excessive and indiscriminate killing. He wanted to serve a wise ruler, not a tyrant. If he killed all those who might be the masterminds, how would history judge this emperor? A tyrant? A foolish ruler?
How should a monarch's posthumous title and temple name be chosen after his death? A monarch's name, both before and after his death, must be taken into consideration.
Only those who can untangle a tangled mess are wise rulers and capable ministers.
With no objections from the others, Zhao Shu walked to the edge of the Crown Prince's bed and sat down. "Brother Crown Prince, you promised you wouldn't give up."
The crown prince smiled upon hearing this, reached out and patted her head affectionately, saying, "Alright, I won't give up."
That bitter smile saddened everyone. Who could have imagined that the once-proud prince, the crown prince of Dayong, would become so dejected, completely losing his princely demeanor?
Zhao Shu nodded and hurriedly asked Chu Chun and the others to help her change the Crown Prince's clothes. However, Peng Rui brought a stretcher. "Princess, there's no need for that. The Crown Prince's leg injury hasn't healed yet, so he shouldn't walk around too much. Let's carry him on a stretcher."
Huo Danlan also thought it made a lot of sense, so she hurriedly told the Huo family's servants to bring the carriage into the courtyard.
When everything was ready, Xiao Zhuzi finally returned. As soon as he came back, he whispered in Zhao Shu's ear, "Princess, this servant has found Mr. Ouyang."
Zhao Shu quickly gestured for him to continue, and Xiao Zhuzi, having received the order, continued in a low voice: "It seems that Mr. Ouyang has been dead for at least two days. At the herb field, a door was burned down, and several wild dogs sneaked in despite the freezing weather. At first, I thought they were assassins, but when I rushed over, I found that Mr. Ouyang's body had been torn apart by wild dogs. What do you think of this, Princess?"
He arrived late and was unaware that the Crown Prince already knew that Ouyang Ping might be dead. In order not to upset the Crown Prince, he whispered to Zhao Shu.
Zhao Shu sneered. If Ouyang Ping had really been dead for two days, why hadn't his body been found yet, but instead discovered by a pack of wild dogs? This tactic is called "drawing the firewood from under the cauldron." If they couldn't take the gold mine, they would kill the crown prince. If they couldn't kill the crown prince, they would try to make him commit suicide. What a vicious heart they have.
However, Zhao Shu deserves to reward Xiao Zhu for his thoughtfulness. "Tell Lord Liu about this. The Crown Prince already knows. Also, tell him about how Mr. Ouyang once sent a letter to his friend by carrier pigeon. Go and make preparations. Let's return to the city."
As they were talking, Granny Zhong arrived in a hurry with a group of soldiers. The snow on the ground had almost melted, and Granny Zhong's skirt was covered with water, but she didn't care.
Seeing that Zhao Shucai was slightly relieved, and after checking that she was not injured, he patted his chest and said, "Princess, I am so glad to see you. When the Empress Dowager received the news, she wished she could come in person. I was kept outside by General Peng's subordinates for quite a while, otherwise I would have seen you much sooner."
Zhao Shu was unaware that Peng Rui dared to stop the Empress Dowager's people, but thinking about it, she could understand. At the time, things were in chaos inside, so it was reasonable not to let people in.
"I've troubled the Empress Dowager again. Please rest assured, Granny, I will go back to the city with you now, and my brother, the Crown Prince, will come along too." Zhao Shu glanced back at the Crown Prince who was being carried out.
When Granny Zhong saw the Crown Prince, she knelt down and kowtowed, tears streaming down her face. "This servant welcomes Your Highness the Crown Prince. Your Highness has suffered so much." She had watched the Crown Prince grow up. Apart from Zhao Shu, the Crown Prince was the Empress Dowager's favorite. The Crown Prince was also filial and often went to Cining Palace to dine with the Empress Dowager. Now, before he had even come of age, he had suffered so much. How could she not feel sorry for him?
That damned murderer dared to humiliate the Crown Prince so severely! If Heaven has eyes, it will surely make them suffer a terrible death!
Accompanying Granny Zhong was Physician Peng, whose young apprentice, carrying a medicine chest, staggered over to Zhao Shu and kowtowed to the Crown Prince from a distance. The Crown Prince ignored him, so Zhao Shu told him to rise. After standing up, he mysteriously approached Zhao Shu and said, "Princess, I saw that many people were buried alive outside the manor. I'd like to borrow these people for a while. What do you think of this?"
"You want to?" Zhao Shu asked incredulously.
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