Chapter 204 House Arrest, A Clever Plan to Entertain Shen Chu
The Crown Prince looked at Shen Chu with a sinister gaze and rebuked her:
"I'm asking you about the Changsha Salt Administration case, why are you bringing up all this nonsense?"
Shen Chu looked completely innocent.
"Your Highness, I have been terrified and frightened throughout the journey. Does Your Highness know what this means?"
"What?"
Shen Chu looked heartbroken. "This means that the prisoners in Changsha have accomplices in the capital. Otherwise, why would they attempt to assassinate us and break us out of prison on our way to the capital?"
The crown prince's eyes flickered slightly.
"It's not necessarily true that your accomplices are in the capital. You're overthinking it."
Shen Chu cupped his hands and said, “Your Highness is wise. However, once this matter is spread, the people of the court and the public will be in a state of panic. Who will dare to go out on official business in the future?”
Now that Your Highness is assuming the reins of government, we urge Your Highness to investigate this matter as soon as possible to reassure the court officials.
The Crown Prince was speechless after Shen Chuyi flattered him so much.
There's a kind of anger that comes from knowing you're talking nonsense but being unable to call you out on it.
It took two groups of assassins sent by the uncle to discover that Shen Chu and Pei Yuan had not returned together at all.
It's hateful that they didn't find out the route Shen Chu took with Jiang Hongzhi.
I don't know where Shen Chu came from, but she arrived in the capital so quickly.
Having no other option, the uncle asked the empress to persuade the emperor to go to the Qinghe Palace for summer retreat and let him oversee state affairs.
He thought that as the Crown Prince, it would be easy for him to make Shen Chu hand over all the witnesses and physical evidence.
Who knew that Shen Chu would not only refuse to hand over witnesses and physical evidence, but would also keep bringing up the assassination attempt.
This person is so stubborn and unyielding, it's truly hateful.
He said somewhat impatiently, "Alright, I will send someone to investigate this matter."
Now, I have a question about the Changsha Salt Administration case. Answer me truthfully.
"Did you really return with the Sixth Prince? Are all the witnesses and evidence in his hands right now?"
Before Chen Chu could speak, he coldly added:
"Chen Chu, you'd better think carefully before you answer. If you dare to lie to me, you won't be able to bear the consequences."
Shen Chu raised her head and said with a smile, "I did indeed leave Anhua with the Sixth Prince, and the people of Anhua can all testify to that."
However, we were harassed by assassins along the way, which separated me from the Sixth Prince.
Left with no other choice, I had to lead a small squad of Flying Eagle Guards back to the capital first. As for whether the witnesses and evidence are still in the hands of the Sixth Prince, we will only know after the Sixth Prince returns to the capital.
If Your Highness does not believe me, you may send someone to investigate.
She was confident enough that the Crown Prince's men wouldn't be able to find out she had returned with the Luo family's merchant caravan.
Along the way, she witnessed Luo Heng's abilities firsthand.
Luo Heng has traveled all over the country over the years and is practically a living map.
No matter which city he set off from to reach the capital, he could always find several little-known paths.
So they deliberately chose to take the less traveled paths along the way.
Not only were they fast, but no one discovered their presence.
Even when they occasionally turned onto the main road, Luo Heng was very good at concealing the traces of their caravan.
This impressed Shen Chu greatly, and she was also glad that she had agreed to travel with Luo Heng, which allowed her to arrive in the capital safely.
"If Your Highness has no further instructions, I shall take my leave."
The crown prince stared at Shen Chu for a long time, then suddenly smiled.
"I promised Father that I would try this case as soon as possible. Since the witnesses and evidence have not yet arrived, Lord Shen, please stay in the East Palace to write the case file."
I hereby order you to complete and submit all the case files of the Changsha Salt Administration case by sunrise tomorrow.
"Someone come here and take Master Shen away to be settled."
Two imperial guards entered from outside the door.
"Please, Lord Shen."
Shen Chu rubbed her fingers together, her heart sinking slightly.
Is the Crown Prince going to place her under house arrest?
She smiled and did not resist, "Your humble servant obeys."
Having said that, he turned and left with the Imperial Guards.
After he left, the Crown Prince got up and went into his study.
Chief Minister Feng was sitting in his study. When he saw him enter, he stood up and bowed, "Your Highness the Crown Prince."
The Crown Prince waved his hand, "Uncle, please sit down and talk. Did you hear what Shen Chu and I were saying just now?"
Chief Minister Feng said, "Your Highness is confused."
The Crown Prince frowned. "Why do you say that, Uncle?"
Chief Minister Feng sighed, "Your Highness, we know perfectly well that Shen Chu and the Sixth Prince did not travel together."
But he insisted that assassins had separated him from the Sixth Prince, and that this was a deliberate test for Your Highness, the Crown Prince.
"Testing me? Was my reaction just now inappropriate?"
"His Highness should have acted as if he was unaware of the assassin's existence, showing shock and then anger."
But Your Highness didn't seem surprised by the assassination attempt, and even showed some impatience. Shen Chu must have guessed that Your Highness was involved with the assassination.
The crown prince disagreed.
"So what if he guessed? He has no evidence. Can he go to the Emperor and accuse me?"
"I am the Crown Prince. Even if he wants to sue, do you think Father Emperor would believe him and not me?"
Chief Minister Feng's expression darkened slightly.
"Has Your Highness forgotten about the moldy rice used for disaster relief? We went to great lengths to get His Majesty to forgive you."
Your Highness has Prince Heng's men watching you closely, and Shen Chu has no evidence.
But who knows if he might leak this to Prince Heng's men? What if Prince Heng's men seize on this...
The Crown Prince interrupted impatiently, "Alright, Uncle, stop lecturing me. I've been reading memorials all day and I'm exhausted. I don't have the energy to deal with Shen Chu."
Let's talk about what to do first. We can't keep Shen Chu locked up in the East Palace forever, can we?
What should we do if he keeps refusing to write the case file?
Are we really going to wait for Lao Liu to return with his men? I'm not confident I can snatch witnesses and physical evidence from him."
Feng Guojiu frowned.
"Chen Chu has been lying all along. Does Your Highness really think that the witnesses and evidence are with the Sixth Prince?"
Even if the Sixth Prince has witnesses and physical evidence, Jiang Hongzhi is not in the Sixth Prince's hands.
All other evidence is secondary; the most urgent task is to find Jiang Hongzhi and ensure he is never allowed to appear before His Majesty.
“Our people have already checked at the city gate. When Shen Chu entered the city, he did indeed only bring about twenty Flying Eagle Guards.”
There is no news about Jiang Hongzhi at all. We need to find out from Shen Chu where he hid Jiang Hongzhi.
"Does Your Highness really intend to have him stay in the Eastern Palace to write documents?"
The prince shifted to a more comfortable position, half-lying on the soft couch, yawning as he asked, "Uncle, just tell me what to do."
A hint of disappointment flashed in Prime Minister Feng's eyes.
He had carefully taught the prince for ten years, yet the prince remained arrogant and unmotivated.
I really don't know if it was right or wrong to go to such lengths to elevate him to the position of crown prince back then.
"How to get someone to tell the truth? Use drugs, torture, or even a honey trap. Do I need to teach Your Highness these things?"
The prince rubbed his chin, suddenly perked up, and an excited smile appeared on his previously tired face.
"After my uncle said that, I suddenly thought of a brilliant plan to 'entertain' Shen Chu."
"Don't worry, I'll definitely find out Jiang Hongzhi's whereabouts tonight."
The prince jumped off the bed and left with great interest.
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