Chapter 138: Sun Mingzong is dead
Chen Heng was startled and had no choice but to reach out and catch the person.
The expected pain of a heavy object hitting his arm did not come, and the young man in front of him did not fall or stumble, but stood steadily in front of him.
Seeing Shen Heng's distracted look, Jiang Heng pulled out the flower branch from his waist, patted Shen Heng's cheek, and said with a frivolous smile, "You are back to your senses, young master."
Jiang Heng's actions could be described as intimate. Being teased by someone of the same sex, Chen Heng took two steps back, his lips pressed tightly together as he stared at him. After a long pause, he uttered, "Your Highness, this is rather too frivolous."
Jiang Heng raised his eyebrows and stared at the person in front of him with interest. "You didn't recognize me in the tree just now, how did you recognize me now?"
Chen Heng turned his face slightly away, avoiding his gaze, and spoke concisely: "Clothes."
Jiang Heng lowered his head to look at his robe and suddenly laughed.
He was in a hurry. This martial robe was custom-made in the northern border. No wonder he was recognized at a glance.
"Prince." At this time, the subordinates hiding in the dark hurriedly appeared and stood in front of Jiang Heng.
Chen Heng pulled Chen Zhiyang, whose mouth was slightly open, aside.
Jiang Heng saw their reactions and uttered a soft sigh before looking at his subordinates. "What's the matter?"
The subordinate's back was slightly bent, and his head was lowered, clearly showing great respect to Jiang Heng. "A murder has occurred in the suburbs of Beijing, and people from the Dali Temple are rushing here. If the prince doesn't return home quickly, he will most likely run into them."
After all, the Huaiyuan Marquis Mansion is currently under the supervision of the imperial guards. Jiang Heng should be in the mansion, but he appeared in Qingjing Temple outside the capital.
If someone with ulterior motives reports it, it would be considered a serious crime of deceiving the emperor.
Jiang Heng, however, was unconcerned. "Murder? Who died? They even dispatched the Dali Temple."
The subordinate quickly replied, "It's Sun Mingzong of the Sun family."
Fearing that Jiang Heng didn't understand these people in the capital, the subordinate explained, "He caused trouble with the Third Princess at the hunting ground, and later became the future consort of the Princess, granted marriage by His Majesty."
"He had an appointment with a good friend to relax in the mountains today, but somehow he slipped and fell into empty space, and he died instantly."
Jiang Heng narrowed his eyes and chuckled. "I heard that Xiao Fufeng and Concubine Rou were extremely unhappy with this marriage. It's such a coincidence that the prince consort died for no apparent reason just as the wedding was approaching."
The subordinate lowered his head and dared not speak.
"Let's go back to Beijing." Jiang Heng walked towards the mountain gate.
When she reached Chen Heng, she suddenly threw the flower branch into his arms and glanced at him from the corner of her eye, "Beautiful flowers should be paired with beautiful women."
He looks like a playboy who is teasing a boy from a decent family.
Shen Zhiyang covered his mouth and looked at his elder brother with wide eyes.
Chen Heng's brows were calm as he bowed to Jiang Heng, "Thank you for the compliment, Your Highness."
Jiang Heng laughed and soon disappeared outside the mountain gate.
When Chen Shuwei came over, he saw Chen Heng placing a bunch of flower branches under the flaming wishing tree, while Chen Zhiyang was fiddling with a fortune stick on the low bushes.
There is a small copper bell hanging under the stick, which makes a crisp tinkling sound when touched by the fingertips.
Chen Heng pulled Shen Zhiyang over and glanced at the copper bell, "This lucky sign belongs to Jiang Heng."
Shen Shuwei approached and looked at the copper bell thoughtfully, "The bell that Ayang picked up and hung on the carriage looks very similar to this one."
As he was speaking, the fortune stick was blown by the wind and turned over, revealing the words on the back.
Chen Shuwei was stunned for a moment after seeing the words clearly. This was a blessing for the deceased Huaiyuan Hou.
The copper bells and red tassels swayed in the wind, and the crisp sound of the bells never stopped.
As Chen Shuwei sat in the carriage returning to Beijing, he was still thinking about the fortune stick. Did Jiang Heng appear here today to pray for the deceased elders in his family?
The carriage drove into the city. Just as the driver was about to turn around, a young man in disheveled clothes suddenly ran out of the alley with a terrified look on his face and fell in front of the Shen family's carriage.
The driver was so frightened that he tightened the reins. Before he could get off to check on the man, a team of well-equipped guards suddenly rushed out, "He's over there!"
The coachman was frightened by this sudden change. Just as he was stiffening his body and preparing to ask the masters in the carriage for instructions, Chen Shuwei lifted the curtain of the sedan chair and leaned out.
The young man had a lot of scratches on his face. He was pinned to the ground by a group of guards, struggling and screaming, "You can't arrest me! I didn't kill anyone! Let me go!"
The leading guard frowned, took out a piece of rag and stuffed it into his mouth, then lifted him up by the collar and said, "Take him away!"
The guards carried the young man up and walked back, and the onlookers all hid with their heads down.
Chen Heng leaned out and asked, "What happened?"
Chen Shuwei lowered his eyes and said, "Just now, a team of guards arrested a man on the street."
"Hmm?" Chen Heng noticed the strangeness in Shen Shuwei's tone and turned his head to look at her.
Chen Shuwei exhaled, "Brother, the guards who arrested people are from the Huaiyuan Marquis's residence."
She had seen the patterns on those people's clothes in the Huaiyuan Marquis Mansion.
Hearing that the arresters were from the Huaiyuan Marquisate, and considering the plea for mercy he had just heard in the carriage, a dark light welled up in Chen Heng's eyes. "They must be arresting the people who climbed the mountain with Sun Mingzong today."
"Sun Mingzong fell and died while climbing a mountain."
Shen Shuwei looked at Shen Heng in surprise. Shen Heng said nothing more and signaled the driver to return to the Shen Mansion as soon as possible.
"Jiang Heng suspected that Sun Mingzong was murdered, so he took his friends with him today and captured them?" Chen Shuwei listened to Chen Heng's account of what happened in Qingjing Temple in the carriage, his brows furrowed slightly. "But isn't he being guarded by the Imperial Guards now? Doesn't such a brazen act really damage His Majesty's reputation?"
It's not just a disgrace to the emperor. Jiang Heng's action clearly shows that he doesn't take the emperor's words seriously and is very arrogant.
Chen Heng leaned against the carriage, closed his eyes, and said, "Since the beginning of winter, His Majesty's health has been deteriorating day by day, and he has recently been absent from court. And now, something has happened to Crown Prince Xiao Chengming, and rumors of a request for a new crown prince have even reached the Hanlin Academy."
Chen Heng slowly opened his eyes, his expression somewhat complicated, "Jiang Heng is also a relative, so it stands to reason that he can also climb to the throne."
Xiao Chengming was reported by Jiang Heng for illegally mining iron ore and has been placed under house arrest by the emperor for investigation. Now, if it is proved that Sun Mingzong was deliberately murdered, the disaster will inevitably be attributed to the third prince Xiao Chengping.
The emperor had only three adult princes. If Jiang Heng really managed to defeat two of them, the only remaining one, Xiao Chengsi, would be stupid and ignorant and not a threat at all.
That's why Shen Heng said this.
Shen Heng didn't notice the strange expression on Shen Shuwei's face at this time.
She could conclude that Jiang Heng was a woman, and was her goal really the throne? But what was the reason?
Although she had only met Jiang Heng once, she felt that she was not a person who was keen on power.
She should take some time to meet Zhao Yun.
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