Lin Yajun narrowed her eyes slightly, thinking to herself that she knew without asking that it must have been the prince consort who had upset Zhao Canchen.
"Did the prince consort insult you?" Lin Yajun's voice was gentle, but those who knew her well knew that it contained a hint of anger.
Zhao Canchen quickly shook his head, "No, not at all." His tone seemed hesitant, as if there were still some things he hadn't said.
Lin Yajun looked at him with her bright eyes, "Just tell me what's on your mind, don't worry about it."
Zhao Canchen hesitated for a moment and said in a low voice, "Your Highness has taken good care of me over the years, and the Princess's Mansion has paid a heavy price for it. Not only did my eldest son fail to be granted the title of Prince, but he also lost his position as the Prince Consort. Now, he can only make money by running brothels and casinos. In a way, the Princess's Mansion has been implicated because of me."
"I understand." Lin Yajun nodded thoughtfully.
After all, in this dynasty, merchants were even lower than military households, several classes below them. It would be strange if a dignified prince consort were reduced to running a brothel to support his family.
She thought to herself, "In that case, it's understandable that the Prince Consort has some resentment towards Zhao Canji. As long as he doesn't harm Zhao Canchen, I naturally won't lay a hand on him."
Zhao Canchen and his two companions walked briskly back to the Lin residence, the sunlight casting long shadows on them.
As he walked, he kept thinking to himself: Should I ask Xiaojun for her hand in marriage...?
Suddenly, a commotion came from the intersection of Xishi Road, attracting their attention.
They stopped and turned to look, only to see a large crowd surging towards a street like a tidal wave, shouting, "Someone has died in the brothel!" The shouts echoed in the air, filling everyone with terror.
Lin Yajun and Zhao Canchen exchanged a startled glance, both seeing disbelief in each other's eyes.
Looking in the direction the crowd was rushing, they discovered that the place the people were running towards was actually the Hundred Garden Brothel owned by the prince consort.
Lin Songhao also heard the shouts of those people. His curiosity was instantly ignited, and he said eagerly to Lin Yajun, "Sister, I want to go and see what's going on in the brothel."
Lin Yajun hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded and instructed, "Haodi, you can go and see, but be careful."
"Got it, sis!" Lin Songhao replied excitedly, and his body shot off like an arrow towards the brothel, a sharp dagger clutched tightly in his hand.
Lin Yajun and Zhao Canchen stood there, watching Lin Songhao's departing figure, both feeling somewhat uneasy.
Not long after, Lin Songhao rushed back like a gust of wind, his chest heaving violently, clearly having run very fast.
He said breathlessly to Lin Yajun and Zhao Canchen, "It's terrible, sister! Empress Hu's brother, Prince Hu, has died in the room of a prostitute in a brothel!"
"Ah!" Zhao Canchen exclaimed, a wave of shock and unease washing over him.
He couldn't help but worry about the princess and her husband, wondering if this incident would cause trouble for the princess's residence.
Lin Yajun's thoughts drifted back to the day the three of them went out to buy a shop, when they encountered Hu Shizi walking by in the Hundred Flowers Garden, and the scene where he spoke rudely to Zhao Canchen.
Lin Yajun was filled with indignation. She secretly took out a poisoned needle from her sleeve, aimed at Prince Hu, and swiftly shot it out. The poisoned needle pierced the air like lightning and accurately entered Prince Hu's body.
Upon hearing Lin Songhao say that Hu Shizi had died a terrible death, Lin Yajun was shocked.
After recalling what had happened before, she hurriedly asked Lin Songhao, "How did that guy surnamed Hu die?"
A thought flashed through her mind: Could it be that I shot him with a poisoned needle, causing him to die from the poison?
Lin Songhao's voice was low and trembling, "Prince Hu died a terrible death. His eyes were gouged out, his tongue was cut off, there was a hole in his chest, and his heart was ripped out." His body trembled involuntarily, as if he could still feel the horrific scene.
Upon hearing this, Lin Yajun's heart sank, and a chill ran from the soles of her feet to the top of her head.
Zhao Canchen and Lin Yajun looked at each other, their eyes meeting, and they both saw the same fear in each other's eyes.
They all thought of the same possibility: Hu Shizi had been cruelly executed because he had offended Zhao Canchen in front of the brothel.
Zhao Canchen muttered, "I knew he'd be like this one day..."
Lin Yajun muttered, "He deserves it." She glanced warily at the crowd that kept running past them to watch the brothel, and whispered, "Let's talk about it when we get back."
The three of them continued walking silently toward the Lin residence. No one spoke along the way; only the wind rustled through the leaves, and some leaves that had not yet withered completely drifted to the ground and were swirled around by the wind.
After walking down the street, the number of people running to see what was going on gradually decreased, and the surroundings became quiet. Lin Yajun finally couldn't contain her curiosity and asked in a low voice, "Has he ever bullied you before?"
Zhao Canchen nodded slightly in affirmation, then said softly, "There were several times, but none as excessive as that one time in front of the brothel." His voice was very soft, as if he was afraid of being overheard.
Lin Yajun nodded and continued to ask, "How did he bully you before?" She wanted to find clues from Hu Shizi's words and actions—whether the Duke's mansion was involved in the assassination of Zhao Canchen.
Zhao Canchen remained silent for a moment, recalling those unpleasant experiences.
After a while, he began to recount: "Once, he deliberately mocked me in front of everyone, saying that I was a useless person who needed someone to protect me."
"On another occasion, he encountered me at the Prince Song's residence and questioned me about my status as a resident there."
“At the princess’s residence, he sowed discord between the princess’s eldest son and his son, saying, ‘It’s because of him that you haven’t been granted the title of Prince.’ This caused both of the princess’s sons to avoid me.”
As Lin Yajun listened to Zhao Canchen's account, a surge of anger welled up within her. She hadn't expected that man to be so despicable, to bully Zhao Canchen like that.
In the past, Hu Shizi's harassment of Zhao Canchen was mostly veiled and indirect, which made people feel uncomfortable.
Afterwards, Prince Hu publicly cursed at Zhao Canchen.
Upon hearing this, Lin Yajun thought to herself: The person who was secretly protecting Zhao Canchen was obviously also angered by Hu Shizi's behavior, which is why he took action in the brothel today and completely eliminated Hu Shizi.
Zhao Canchen felt a sense of unease: Prince Hu was no ordinary man; he was not only Empress Hu's younger brother but also the heir of the Duke's mansion. The sudden death of such a prominent figure would likely cause a huge uproar in the court and among the people.
He hesitated, wondering whether he should propose marriage to the Lin family and marry Lin Yajun.
Marrying her was his greatest wish, but it would also put her in great danger.
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