Chapter 47

Danger was creeping closer to him.

Before long, the constables brought the man up.

Jiang He posted notices throughout the city, offering a large reward. The Jingzhao government also used the pretext of capturing the wanted criminal to search for Xue Lingyu's whereabouts, but they had found nothing in the past few days. Xue Lingyu seemed to have disappeared from the city, but now he was the first person to claim to have a clue.

Physician Yang couldn't help but feel nervous, worried that if someone really found the eldest son, wouldn't his plan be in vain and he would have to return to the Jiang family to suffer?

Behind the constable was a kind-faced middle-aged woman. She was extremely capable in her every move, and her eyes were very bright. She looked somewhat like a businesswoman.

Just as Su Yawan was about to ask a question, the middle-aged woman bowed to Jiang He and greeted him, "Young Master."

Jiang He's eyelids twitched, recognizing the owner of the Shuifang Jewelry Shop. She had even taken Xue Lingyu to this shop before.

Su Yawan's hand hovered in mid-air. After blinking for a long time, she finally understood the relationship between the middle-aged woman and Jiang He.

It turns out they were from the Jiang family's business; that makes things much easier.

The shopkeeper bowed deeply to Su Yawan: "Greetings, Lord Su. I saw the notice that they are looking for the young master. I met the young master a few days ago. I hope I can help you, Lord Su and the young master."

Suyawan gestured for her to continue.

After some deliberation, the shopkeeper recounted the entire story of how she met Xue Lingyu.

"The young master was out socializing the day before, and even in his drunken state, he came to the shop and picked out several boxes of lip rouge. The young master liked them very much, and the next day, he even came to the shop wearing the lip rouge given to him by the young master to choose jewelry. However, the young master didn't seem to be in a good mood. Afterwards, a young man dressed in a wealthy manner entered the shop, and I heard the young master call him... Fifth Prince..."

Jiang He didn't miss a single word the shopkeeper said. This matter involved the royal family, so it was bound to be of great importance. As a commoner, she absolutely could not afford to offend such powerful and influential people.

Jiang He glanced at Physician Yang kneeling on the ground and assured the shopkeeper, "Shopkeeper, please continue. If anything happens, I, Jiang He, will take responsibility. You don't need to worry."

These words reassured the shopkeeper, and she continued, "After the Fifth Prince came in, he kept talking to the young master. The young master's expression was not good. I was standing far away, and I could only vaguely hear the Fifth Prince saying something about having many children and grandchildren, and whether or not to go and see the young master's children."

Jiang He couldn't help but interject, "What was his reaction?"

The shopkeeper looked at Jiang He and truthfully bowed his head, saying, "It seems that the young master agreed to the Fifth Prince's request, and then left with the Fifth Prince."

That was all she knew.

She had assumed that the young master was acquainted with the fifth prince and that the two were going to catch up, but she never expected to hear about the young master's disappearance on the very day he visited her shop.

Jiang He simply couldn't understand this, "He actually left with the Fifth Prince voluntarily..."

Everyone knows what the Fifth Prince is up to. He wants to marry into the Jiang family and has tried to harm Xue Lingyu behind her back countless times. Even in the past, Xue Lingyu and the Fifth Prince did not have a good relationship; they were practically at odds.

No one knows where Xue Lingyu went after meeting the Fifth Prince; the only clue ended there.

Jiang He's rekindled hope has once again plummeted into despair.

She was afraid she would never find Xue Lingyu in her lifetime.

The Imperial Prison of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was a place of terror and wolves that struck fear into the hearts of court officials. Even the most iron-willed generals could not endure three days of torture and had no choice but to confess.

The Imperial Guards and the Embroidered Uniform Guards were the emperor's right-hand men, holding prestigious positions and wielding immense power.

There are precedents of royal family members being imprisoned in the imperial prison, but few of them manage to leave alive. Moreover, the Fifth Prince has two lives on his hands and has violated palace rules by fleeing, so he must be severely punished.

In the end, the emperor still considered his sibling relationship with the fifth prince and did not order the Imperial Guards to torture him, but simply kept him imprisoned to await his fate.

In the imperial prison, the fifth prince saw many things he had never encountered before. The Imperial Guards never avoided him when interrogating and whipping prisoners. Several times, they dragged bloody corpses past him, which frightened him so much that he turned pale and trembled with fear.

Those servants who followed the Fifth Prince, as well as his personal attendants, were not so lucky. They were all tortured and interrogated before being thrown into prison to await their deaths.

The emperor ordered the Imperial Guards to pry open these people's mouths and make them reveal everything the Fifth Prince had done. Unexpectedly, the confessions contained far more information than the emperor himself knew.

In order to marry into the Jiang family, the Fifth Prince resorted to all sorts of dirty tricks behind the scenes, which was completely unlike the behavior of a prince.

This matter involves the Jiang family, Jiang He's beloved concubine, and Jiang Wanyi in the harem. The Emperor understands that this matter must be resolved, otherwise there will be discontent in the court.

Therefore, Emperor Wei personally came to the imperial prison.

The Imperial Guards had already pried open the mouths of the Fifth Prince's entourage, and their testimonies had been compiled. The Empress Dowager read through the testimonies and almost lost control of her emotions. If it weren't for the sake of the royal family's reputation, she would have slapped the Fifth Prince.

The Fifth Prince, seeing that the Emperor had finally come to see him, assumed he was there to be released. However, the Emperor immediately threw the confession in his face, saying with exasperation, "Look at the mess you've made! A prince of your stature, yet you do such despicable things! You even dared to use a drug like 'Red Beauty Elixir'! Have you forgotten...?"

The emperor paused, his gaze towards the fifth prince filled with disappointment.

The Fifth Prince skimmed through the confessions and cursed inwardly, "None of these servants are reliable; they actually spilled those beans..."

Although he was Emperor Wei's younger brother, Emperor Wei was able to deal with the Xue family without hesitation when Xue Taifu, who had raised him, fell seriously ill. This shows that Emperor Wei was not a kind-hearted ruler.

The Fifth Prince panicked immediately. If the Emperor were to truly harden his heart, he would definitely not have a good ending.

He knelt down, deliberately producing a few tears, adopting a weak posture, and pleaded with the emperor, "Your Majesty, I was bewitched. I am a prince, yet I am inferior to Xue Lingyu in every way. If it were before, it would have been fine, but now he is the son of a disgraced official, and he even tries to take things from me. I was just angry and that's why I made such a grave mistake. I beg Your Majesty for mercy."

These words calmed Wei Di's anger somewhat, but if he were to be let off lightly, she would have a hard time explaining it to Jiang Wanyi, especially since human life is not a game.

Including Xue Lingyu, the Fifth Prince has three lives on his hands. Although his personal attendant denied that the Fifth Prince killed Xue Lingyu until his death, Xue Lingyu's disappearance was inextricably linked to the Fifth Prince.

As long as Xue Lingyu does not reappear alive, the Fifth Prince will have no choice but to bear this crime.

Such a brutal event as the loss of two lives is unheard of. Looking at the Fifth Prince, who was crying and sobbing, the Emperor finally came up with a foolproof plan.

"If that's the case, then you should go to Fahua Temple to become a monk and spend your life with the ancient Buddha and the dim lamp. This will not only preserve your life and keep you away from the troublesome capital, but also atone for the sins you have committed."

The Fifth Prince already has a notorious reputation. Even if he stays in the capital, no noble family will be willing to marry him, and he will have to endure the gossip and criticism of others for the rest of his life. It would be better for him to go to a quiet place.

This was already the most thoughtful plan the Emperor had devised for the Fifth Prince.

But the Fifth Prince shook his head desperately, tugging at the Emperor's robes, his face full of reluctance.

"Your Majesty, I am your own brother. How can I become a monk? How can I leave the capital? Your Majesty, you can't do this to me!"

The Fifth Prince's accusations made the Emperor even more irritable. She frowned and said, "You should have thought of this day when you used a beautiful woman to make decisions and repeatedly ignored my advice."

The emperor's birth mother was framed by villains in the harem and died because she gave birth to a daughter and a son, which attracted too much attention.

People only know that the Beauty Elixir can cause a person to lose their fertility, but they do not know that if taken for many years, the body will become weak and eventually become bedridden and die silently.

The fifth prince was reprimanded, but he still refused to obey, insisting, "But I am a prince, born noble, how can I be with a lowly monk?"

“If you are unwilling, then there is another way.” Emperor Wei recalled the suggestion of the ministers of the previous dynasty: “The envoys from the Western Regions came to pay homage, wanting to ask for a royal man to marry their king. If you are unwilling to give up your wealth and honor, then go and marry him. Becoming the king’s consort of the Western Regions will not be a disservice to your status.”

The previous dynasty had long advised the emperor to choose the fifth prince as a candidate for a marriage alliance, but the western regions were plagued by endless sandstorms and dust, and the living environment was not as comfortable as that of Fengman. At first, the emperor was reluctant to let his younger brother suffer.

The Fifth Prince was still unwilling; he preferred to stay in the capital rather than go to that desolate place.

"Your Majesty, my sister, I beg you, please have pity on me."

The emperor was too lazy to argue with him anymore. He brushed his hand away and turned to leave.

No matter how pitiful the Fifth Prince's pleas were, the Emperor's heart had hardened completely and would not waver in the slightest.

Xue Lingyu was overjoyed for several days after receiving ten taels of silver. Although his mind was blank and he looked somewhat simple-minded, as if he had gone mad, he was as clear-headed as a mirror. He remembered clearly that a steamed bun only cost one coin and a bowl of wontons only cost five coins!

Ten taels of silver is the annual expenses of an ordinary family in the capital. With just that money, Xue Lingyu would have no worries about food and drink.

But he refused; he wanted to wear beautiful clothes and pretty hairpins.

These thoughts seemed to be innate, as if he was destined to live that kind of life.

He didn't know why, but he always felt that his clothes had a strange smell. His skin was originally very fair, but it was covered with dust, which obscured his original appearance.

These past few days he's been secretly finding a deserted alley to sleep in, but he's gotten himself dirtier and dirtier.

Xue Lingyu disliked his dirty appearance. He planned to buy some clean clothes, wash his face thoroughly, and then ask around to see if anyone recognized him.

He always felt very familiar with this place; perhaps he had family here.

Xue Lingyu was excitedly planning everything, but little did he know that danger was quietly approaching him.

A mentally challenged man with a good physique and no relatives will naturally attract the attention of some people.

A note from the author:

Happy Lunar New Year's Eve!

Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2022-01-30 21:10:06 and 2022-01-31 21:18:00!

Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: chili-flavored candy and 1 yogurt;

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Yiren Qianxiao Zui Hongchen (9 bottles); Jiaotang Chawo (5 bottles);

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!

◎Latest Comments:

【Here it comes! Here it comes! Here it comes!】

[I'm so embarrassed from refreshing the update feed, sob sob]

【Happy New Year! 】

Happy New Year, Da Da!

Waaaaaah, my YuYu…

Happy Chinese New Year, everyone!! May the Year of the Tiger bring you great fortune!! (Ugh ugh ugh ugh)

A little bit of torture is fun, but too much is harmful. Please be gentle.

Please don't torture me ╭(_)╮

【Happy New Year! 】

【Happy New Year】

【Happy New Year! ! 】

I just hope that, for the sake of the New Year, the author can reunite the two of them soon. Right now, I only want to see the female lead pampering the male lead. Seeing this scene where the male lead might be bullied by bad guys makes me so sad.

Please, please have mercy!

Please, don't torture me!

[Waaaa, Xue Xue, don't turn into a rag!]

Isn't the skill of running with a baby something that's discovered after the child is a few years old?

-over-