Chapter 60: Capturing the Thief
Wang Han winked at the crowd. Zhonglang Jiang Jiao Wei pointed at the assassin, leaped to his feet, and shouted, "Traitor, you slander me! When did I, Jiao Wei, become the mastermind behind this? Kill him!"
One call led to a hundred responses, and everyone present suddenly became agitated.
Someone rushed out of the mansion and shouted loudly, and a group of soldiers rushed in from outside the door.
Jiao Wei and his men took courage. Although they did not carry swords at the banquet, they were all veterans of the battlefield and could kill the assassin with their fists.
Seeing that chaos was about to break out, the prince's left guard hurriedly protected the prince and retreated together.
At the critical moment, the sound of swords and knives was heard behind them. Everyone turned around and saw that the soldiers who had just rushed in were waving their swords at Jiao Wei's men.
Jiao Wei was shocked when he saw this.
Where is Cui Pan? He looked around the crowd and found that Cui Pan was not among those who rushed in.
At some point, an archer dressed in the uniform of the Crown Prince's Right Guard had already stood on a high place in the Governor's Office.
"Everyone, please do not move!" someone shouted. "Anyone who disobeys will be charged with regicide and executed without mercy!"
Everyone recognized that person, it was Major General Xie Xiao!
For a moment, even Jiao Wei didn't dare to move. Then someone came up and held him and his men down.
Wang Hom feigned fear, hiding in a corner without uttering a word. Now the situation took a sharp turn for the worse.
The assassin rebelled and Cui Pan did not arrive.
He and Jiao Wei had originally planned a backup plan. If the assassin failed, they would use a mutiny to force the prince to stop and kill the assassin, but this was unsuccessful.
He could only hope that the prince would be cowardly.
However, he saw the Crown Prince calmly walk out from among the guards and said in a steady and soothing voice, "Today's matter will be judged impartially. Please do not be alarmed."
Then, he looked around and asked, "Where is the Prince of Yuzhang?"
Hearing this name, everyone was shocked again.
I saw a figure in white coming out from outside the door. He was tall, handsome, and as agile as the wind.
"All the rebels have been captured. Please give your instructions, Your Highness." Sima Jun came before the prince, saluted and spoke loudly.
The prince looked at Wang Han with a smile on his face.
"In your opinion, what should we do now?"
Wang Han's face was stiff.
He looked at Sima Jun who suddenly appeared, then looked at the hypocritical prince, and he already had the answer in his mind.
All this was arranged in advance, and he was outmaneuvered.
Who had played a trick on him, leaking the news? Wang Hao felt his heart beating like a drum, raging with anger.
After a while, he walked up to the crown prince, bowed, and said, "I believe this matter is too complex to be resolved in one go. I request that the rebels be apprehended and interrogated one by one."
"That's right, Minister of Justice," the Crown Prince nodded. He then suddenly looked at Sima Jun and asked, "Is Zhang Su, the Doctor of Law from the Court of Justice, here?"
"Dr. Zhang has arrived in Jingkou," Sima Jun replied. "He's at the inn right now."
"That's very good." The prince nodded. "Mr. Zhang is fair and impartial, and he handles cases wisely. It would be perfect for him to handle this case."
Wang Han's heart sank.
Everything was indeed arranged early.
He stared at the prince and suddenly said, "Please, Prince, hand this case over to me for trial."
The Prince said, "The Minister of Justice is going with me to the East Sea Grand Sacrifice, so how can he have time? Besides, investigating cases is the duty of the Chief Justice, so there is no need to trouble the Minister of Justice."
"This assassination attempt was aimed at the Crown Prince. How can we neglect it?" Wang Han said. "The Northern Palace is the pillar of the imperial court. Now that it is implicated, it also concerns the country. I request that you preside over this case to deter the treacherous and corrupt!"
The Crown Prince put away his smile and said sternly, "Wang Pushe is right. This is a matter concerning the state, so how can we neglect it? These people are coming for me, so I cannot be negligent. In this case, I will personally preside over the trial, and Wang Pushe will accompany me. How do you think?"
Wang Han looked at the prince with a serious look.
After a while, he suppressed his reluctance and bowed, saying, "I obey your command."
——
Since setting out from Jiankang early yesterday morning, Sun Wei and others have hardly had any rest.
When they returned to Chu's house, Sun Wei asked A Ru to rest, but he sat in the hall.
"Princess, don't you want to rest?" Aju asked.
Sun Wei just said that he would go there in a while.
In fact, how could she sleep?
She knew the dangers of the Governor's Mansion. Even though she had foresight and had done her best to mitigate the danger, no one knew what might happen.
She was afraid that her efforts would fail, that all her efforts would be in vain, and that everything would return to the way it was in her previous life. Unable to carry anything, she could only remain trapped in this house, waiting for news.
The waiting was truly unbearable. Sun Wei searched for a few books to read, but couldn't finish a single word. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, falling onto the hallway; cicadas chirped softly. The house was serene, yet she felt no sleep at all. She could only stare blankly at the scenery.
I don't know how long it was, but suddenly I heard faint voices coming from the outer courtyard.
Sun Wei's heart moved.
Ever since her last life, she had the ability to distinguish Sima Jun from a chaotic cacophony of voices. She hurried out, but no one was in sight. Instead, the steward was approaching.
"Is the prince back?" she asked hurriedly.
"That's right," the steward replied with a bow. "The prince came back specifically to wash and change his clothes, and he'll be leaving soon. He said he's busy today and might not be back tonight."
Sun Wei's heart finally relaxed a little. Since he had time to come back and change clothes, it must be going well over there. She just didn't know what the situation was.
"Why did the prince come back to change clothes?" Sun Wei asked again, "Is there something urgent?"
"This..." The steward hesitated for a moment and said awkwardly, "I dare not make up stories. I just saw some bloodstains on the prince's clothes."
Sun Wei's gaze froze.
"The prince is injured?"
"The prince didn't summon the doctor, so I guess he wasn't injured."
Sun Wei calmed down and went to Sima Jun's yard.
Thick dark clouds gathered at the edge of the sky, giving the remaining sunlight a golden edge. The golden light was scattered across the courtyard, making the dark areas darker and the bright areas brighter.
It was the corridor he had passed by in the morning, and Sima Jun was walking towards him from the other end again.
Seeing his swift steps, Sun Wei breathed a sigh of relief, believing he was indeed unharmed.
Sima Jun stopped when he saw Sun Wei.
The woman's smile was gilded with the remaining golden sunlight, and was very warm.
She walked forward lightly, bowed, and asked, "My Lord, is everything going well today?"
Sima Jun looked away, glanced at the courtyard, and said, "It seems to be going well. Thank you for your concern, Madam."
"I'm glad it went well." Sun Wei seemed relieved and continued, "Have you been carrying the amulet I gave you this morning?"
Looking at that expectant face, Sima Jun felt like rolling his eyes again.
He actually brought it with him.
At first, he had forgotten about the amulet, and only realized it when it fell out while he was changing clothes. But for some reason, he somehow managed to put it back into his arms.
But this must never be admitted, especially in front of this woman.
Otherwise, who knows what weird things she would say, and who knows what she would stuff into his mouth next time.
He had no intention of fulfilling her expectations, and remained expressionless, just walking straight ahead.
"What's the point of carrying something so insignificant?" He said without even turning his head. "I'm going out for a while."
Sun Wei looked at his back and sighed in her heart.
In their previous life, when they met, it hadn't been more than a few years since then. Back then, he was always so superior, and Sun Wei could only look up to him. Did she ever realize he had such a stubborn temper? Like a child deliberately defying others?
"Prince." Sun Wei called.
Sima Jun stopped and looked back at her.
"Swords have no eyes, be careful."
Her gaze was still gentle, but it no longer made him resist.
Sima Jun said "hmm" and continued walking forward.
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