Chapter 41 Master, something terrible has happened! The eldest son is dead!
Prime Minister Qin frowned, his face dark as he stared at the shouting servants. "Step back. Even if the sky falls, we'll have to wait until the case is over."
"Master, the treasury in the manor has been emptied by thieves."
Prime Minister Qin suspected the servant was lying to him, or that he had misheard, and refused to believe that his family had been emptied out just like Lord Liu's family.
This is truly devastating. All the money I've painstakingly saved up over most of my life is gone just like that.
"Everything's been moved out? How so? Are even the warehouse shelves gone?"
"Yes, sir, how did you know? Could it be that you... had someone move it?"
Before he could finish speaking, a roar burst from his throat, "Who the hell did this!"
"I don't know either. Madam told me to go to the government office to report to the authorities, but the prefect and the officials were not there. I couldn't find them, so I ran to the Dali Temple."
"I understand. I will investigate this matter personally."
Prime Minister Qin's piercing gaze swept over another servant, and he asked impatiently, "What has that rebellious son done this time?"
Qin Hu is always causing trouble outside, and I have to clean up his messes. I wonder what trouble he's gotten himself into this time. After this, no matter how much your wife tries to stop you, you have to send him back to his ancestral home and let him fend for himself.
Qin Hu's personal servant seemed to have his tongue tied in knots, "Master, the eldest young master... he's dead."
As a personal servant, he failed to protect his master, and the master and mistress will certainly not let him off the hook.
"Dead? Dead? When did he die? Why is it taking so long to report this?" Prime Minister Qin roared.
"...one hour ago."
"How did he die?"
"Today is the birthday of Young Master Wei. He hosted a banquet at Baihua Tower and invited the young masters of noble families. The young master drank too much. When he woke up in the morning, he saw Young Master Wei, who was in the Wei Kingdom, carrying Miss Yingying downstairs. The young master wanted to take Miss Yingying away to keep him company, but Young Master Wei refused and pushed our young master down the stairs, hitting his head and bleeding a lot. He died before the doctor arrived."
"The Wei family! Why the Wei family of all!"
The Duke of Wei's family is the Empress's maternal family, the only aristocratic family that can rival the Qin family. Avenging Qin Hu will not be an easy task.
If it were any other family, he could send people to ransack their house right now and make them pay for his son's life.
The veins on his forehead bulged, his knuckles were clenched so tightly they turned white, and the gavel creaked in his palm, almost cracking into pieces.
His eyes were bloodshot, his teeth were clenched so tightly they trembled, and a hoarse roar escaped his throat: "That unfilial son! I told you to keep an eye on him, so why did he go to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion?"
His chest heaved violently, and he slammed his palm down, causing the table to collapse and shatter, scattering wood fragments everywhere.
"Bang!"
"Young master, the young master said he was going to the academy, so the madam let him go and even sent people to keep an eye on him. But the young master did not go to the academy. Last night he came to the Dali Temple prison and then went to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion in the middle of the night."
"Damn it! He's in the Dali Temple prison?"
Prime Minister Qin narrowed his eyes slightly. "What was he doing in the prison?"
"We tortured Prince Xiao, trying to cripple his legs to get revenge. We almost killed him. Later, Princess Zhaoxue arrived and, along with her maids, beat us up. Prince Xiao and Young Master Shen ran away and went to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion."
"Guards, take the prisoner back to jail and we'll reschedule the trial for another day!"
Prime Minister Qin had no time to hear the case; after giving those words, he hurriedly left.
As he passed by Xiao Xuance, he paused and glanced at him sideways.
If it is found that he is involved in these two incidents.
The entire Xiao family, numbering in the dozens, was to be buried with his son.
Xiao Xuance's eyelashes trembled slightly, then returned to normal. Who did this?
When Prime Minister Qin walked past him, was his gaze filled with suspicion?
Apart from the matter of Qin Hu, he knew nothing about the emptying of the warehouse.
If he truly possessed such abilities, he would have done so long ago; why would he allow them to torture and humiliate him, making his life worse than death?
Xiao Xuance was taken back to the prison.
...
To prove his innocence, the Third Prince sent men to search for the Taoist priest who spread the rumors.
The person vanished as if into thin air; they could not be found.
Unable to catch the person, they found someone similar, disguised him as a Taoist priest, and used his family members to threaten him.
If he doesn't cooperate and step forward to take the blame, they'll kill his entire family.
He led the Taoist priest to kneel in front of the palace gate, begging to see the emperor and to prove his innocence.
He knelt for three hours without drinking a drop of water. His face turned pale, and his body swayed slightly. He almost collapsed, but he supported himself with his hands and continued to kneel.
On the city wall, two figures stood on a high point, looking down.
Zhou Xuanming, the Director of the Imperial Observatory, held the astrolabe in his hands, glanced at the emperor beside him, and then quickly lowered his head, afraid that he would be discovered.
He secretly touched the secret letter in his sleeve, his fingertips trembling.
"Minister Zhou," the Emperor suddenly spoke, his voice low, "what do you think of the Third Prince's appearance and destiny?"
Zhou Xuanming put away the compass, cupped his hands in greeting, and replied, "Your Majesty, the Third Prince's destiny is noble; he indeed possesses the bearing of an emperor..."
The emperor narrowed his eyes, a fierce killing intent flashing within them.
Xuanming then made another twist, "However, the Third Prince's imperial appearance is because he resembles the Emperor by four or five points; from the perspective of destiny, he is destined to be a subject."
Zhou Xuanming broke out in a cold sweat, not daring to raise his head: "An emperor's destiny requires the Purple Star to be in his natal chart, with the Heavenly Minister shining upon him, and the dragon's aura to arise naturally. But the Third Prince..."
He gritted his teeth and continued, "Although his destiny is noble, he is only surrounded by auxiliary stars, and is ultimately not... a true dragon."
The emperor remained silent for a long time, then suddenly chuckled: "Minister Zhou has been observing the stars for many years, so I'm sure you wouldn't be mistaken."
Zhou Xuanming prostrated himself on the ground, his sleeve soaked with cold sweat from the secret letter inside.
The third prince, kneeling on the bluestone floor, seemed to only then notice the gaze above him.
He looked up at the Emperor, his lifeless eyes filled with excitement, his voice hoarse, "Father, Your Majesty, I have been wronged..."
The Emperor waved his hand, signaling the Imperial Astronomical Bureau officials kneeling on the ground to keep quiet and retreat.
The third prince and the Taoist priest were taken into the hall for questioning.
The third prince knelt on the ground. "Father, I have sent men to catch the person who spread the rumors. He has confessed to the mastermind behind it all."
The Emperor interrogated the man, "Who is the mastermind behind this? Why are you framing the Third Prince?"
The other party shouted, "The Prince of Zhenbei was kind to me. He was a great hero, loyal to the emperor and patriotic. That damned dog of a court killed him. I will take revenge! I will make you, that suspicious dog emperor, kill your most beloved son and regret it for the rest of your life! You will taste the bitterness of losing a loved one! Hahaha!!!"
"Damn it! How dare you insult my father!"
The third prince staggered to his feet, his eyes bloodshot, and his bare hands lunged at him.
The other person's hands were bound by ropes, but their limbs were still able to move, and they kicked him.
The third prince was kicked several meters away, spitting out a mouthful of blood, "Pfft~"
Just as the other party kicked the Third Prince, several dark figures suddenly emerged from the shadows. The leader of the guards kicked his knee and broke it with a crisp crack. The assassin screamed and fell to his knees.
The other guards punched and kicked him hard in the chest.
He coughed up a mouthful of blood and before he could even recover, he was grabbed by the neck and dragged outside.
Two bodyguards grabbed his legs and pulled him backward.
"Crack!"
The dull thud of bones and flesh shattering mingled with screams of agony, "Ah!—"
He only kicked the man to the ground after beating him half to death and then pointed his sword at his neck.
Awaiting the Emperor's instructions.
The Emperor ordered, "Guards! Drag him out and beat him to death with clubs."
"yes!"
When the Emperor saw that the Third Prince's lips were covered in blood and his robes were stained red, he hurriedly ordered, "Someone! Summon the imperial physician!"
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