He should have a good, long talk with the Empress to ask what exactly the Crown Prince meant by this.

Chu Yu, who disliked being touched, sat in the carriage wearing his new set of clothes. The carriage rolled steadily along the imperial road. His raven-black hair was tucked away in a hair crown, and with the rolling of the wheels, the jade tassels hanging at his chest swayed gently. He held a scroll of books in his hand, eyes cast downward, reading.

They were already on the road, leaving Yong City County for the capital. Following behind was the carriage of the second young master of the Shen family, Shen Wenzhi. And further back were the prison carts responsible for the transport.

The imperial guards brought from the palace were not enough, and their primary duty was to guard the Crown Prince, so a batch of guards was recruited from the local prefectural office to oversee the prisoners.

Eunuch Chen lifted the curtain to glance at the prison carts trailing behind, his heart filled with unease.

“Your Highness,” he said, letting the curtain fall. “At most, by tomorrow, Prime Minister Wang will know what happened in Yong City.”

At this moment, the Chu Yu who sat before them no longer resembled the gentle, approachable youth who had dealt with Ji Linxi and the others. He leaned against the soft cushions, his gaze fixed on his book. A quiet, cold indifference shrouded his refined brows, and he radiated an unconcealable, majestic aura.

Yan Huai stood to the side, arms folded, clutching his sword. “And so what? He should be worried about how he will answer to Your Highness.”

“Sigh.” Eunuch Chen sighed heavily.

How could this matter be so simple? If the Crown Prince’s wings were fully developed and he were the undisputed future monarch, this wouldn’t be so headache-inducing—dealing with the Wang family would simply be that: dealing with them. But the problem was that the Crown Prince’s wings were not yet fully formed, the Emperor remained in robust health, and his favor for Consort An and the Sixth Prince grew daily. The Emperor already had thoughts of naming a new successor but had held off for the sake of the country’s foundation.

At such a time, the Crown Prince desperately needed the support of court officials. Prime Minister Wang was clearly his greatest asset at present. Wouldn’t doing this be equivalent to pushing away a powerful ally?

The Crown Prince was ultimately too young and too naive. To sacrifice his own interests for the sake of a few lowly commoners… once they returned to the palace, he feared the Empress would be furious.

…

In the Prime Minister’s residence, past the stone lions and high-hanging plaques, Prime Minister Wang had been idling in his study after the evening court session, teasing the parrot in its cage. When he heard the butler’s report, his expression changed abruptly.

“What did you say?”

“The Crown Prince went to Yong City County and arrested my uncle’s entire family?!”

“Your servant only just received the news. The messenger has been riding at top speed. According to the timeline, the prison carts will arrive in the capital tomorrow. Prime Minister, what should we do?”

Prime Minister Wang sat silently for a long moment. “Send the messenger to see me. And send someone to call Chi Yi over.”

Wang Chi Yi was his eldest son. By the time the next round of imperial examinations came around next year, he would be ready to sit for them; it was time to prepare him to take over as the pillar of the Wang family.

The butler bowed and left. A moment later, he brought in a man wearing simple, dust-covered robes. As soon as the man entered, he knelt. “Your lowly subordinate, Gong Fu, a local official of Yong City, pays respects to the Prime Minister.” Having ridden at breakneck speed to beat the Crown Prince’s carriage to the capital and warn the Prime Minister, he hadn’t rested, and his eyes were rimmed with dark shadows.

From outside, a young man in brocade robes stepped in, holding a hand warmer. “Father, you called me?” He casually chose a chair to sit on, sparing only a passing glance at the kneeling petty official.

Prime Minister Wang couldn’t be bothered to reprimand his beloved son. He looked at the official, his expression gloomy. “What crimes did my uncle’s family commit to end up in the Crown Prince’s hands?”

Wang Chi Yi’s pupils dilated. “What? Great Uncle and the others were caught by the Crown Prince? Isn’t the Crown Prince ill, recuperating in the Eastern Palace?”

Prime Minister Wang sneered. “I fear the ‘illness’ was a pretense, and the secret crossing of the river was the reality.”

Gong Fu kowtowed. “This subordinate does not know the full details. I only know that the Crown Prince brought the young Marquis Yan to Yong City for a leisure trip. Then, dissatisfied with the local lodging, he hid his identity, calling himself ‘Second Young Master Shen,’ and went to the Wang residence with Marquis Yan. Everything seemed fine at first; the night before they left, Old Master Wang even prepared a farewell banquet. It was at that banquet that a crowd rushed out, accusing Old Master Wang’s son of abduction, rape, and murder, and accusing Madam Wang of homicide. More than twenty corpses were buried in the Wang residence.”

“The Crown Prince heard this and moved to investigate. Old Master Wang, unaware of the Prince’s identity, had his guards block the Prince and even drew his sword against him. The Crown Prince was enraged, detained the entire Wang household, and arrested the Magistrate and Prefect as well. After the investigation, he had them escorted to the capital to be handed over to the Court of Judicial Review.”

“What! Is Great Uncle insane? He dared to raise a sword against the Crown Prince?” The hand warmer fell to the floor; Wang Chi Yi stood up. “Is he senile? Does he want to drag our capital Wang family down with him?!”

Assassinating a member of the imperial family was a crime punishable by the execution of one’s entire clan—to say nothing of the Crown Prince. Wang Chi Yi turned to his father. “Father! We must distance ourselves immediately! We knew nothing of what Great Uncle did!”

“Do you think you can distance yourself just because you want to?” Prime Minister Wang squinted at him, his voice cold. “The Crown Prince truly has excellent methods.”

“What does this have to do with the Crown Prince’s methods?” Wang Chi Yi was puzzled. To him, it was all coincidence—bad luck for his uncle’s family. Surely the Prince hadn’t designed this?

Prime Minister Wang held the gold-wired cage and flicked his finger, opening the door. He picked up a pinch of feed. The parrot inside poked its head out, hopped onto his palm, and began to peck happily. Prime Minister Wang stroked the bird’s head gently. “The Crown Prince could have clearly secured the situation first, sent me a letter to notify me, and discussed a resolution. He could have even used this incident to demand a favor from me. Instead, he acted with lightning speed, arresting them and sending them to the capital to be tried by the Court of Judicial Review. I fear his trip to Yong City was no whim, and the ‘disruption’ at the banquet was not as simple as it appeared on the surface.”

Wang Chi Yi’s eyes widened. “Father, aren’t we on the Crown Prince’s side? Is the Crown Prince trying to deal with us? What benefit does this bring him?”

“Indeed… what benefit does this bring the Crown Prince…” Prime Minister Wang’s hand moved toward the parrot’s neck. The bird, unsuspecting, was suddenly throttled. It didn’t even have time to struggle before it lost its breath, its head lolling to one side.

The corpse was tossed into the cage. Prime Minister Wang smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes; it was chillingly cold. “Bring a bag of gold leaves,” he instructed the butler.

The butler brought the gold. Prime Minister Wang stood up without sparing another glance at the kneeling official. “Take this bag of gold and return to your Yong City County.”

Gong Fu kowtowed profusely in thanks, snatched the bag, and hurried out.

“Someone, prepare the sedan chair. I am going out.”

He should have a good, long talk with the Empress to ask what exactly the Crown Prince meant by this.

…

Ji Linxi was not having a good time. Since he had received his reward from the secretary and parted ways with Chang Xi and Zhao Yun, he had intended to go back to the Wang residence to retrieve his jewelry and the roast chicken and pig he had left behind. He hadn’t expected to find the residence heavily guarded, with no way to get in.

And just like that, a large sum of money was lost.

He wasn’t planning on returning to his original bamboo hut—other than a quilt and some crude items, there was nothing there anyway. For the last two days, he had been staying at the prefectural office. The office obviously wouldn’t provide him with high-quality quarters, so he had been sleeping in an unheated room. It was so cold at night he had to curl into a ball, letting no air in.

Fortunately, those days were coming to an end today.

__

[Author’s Note]

Wife (Chu Yu): Working hard to focus on career.

Gong (Ji Linxi): Working hard to pursue his wife.