AUBTN -Chapter 325 The Time-Limited Investigation

Inside the imperial study, the noise was as chaotic as a marketplace.

“Your Majesty! Prince Zhennan commanded vast military forces and was a pillar of the nation! Now he has died tragically in the capital—the murderer is utterly brazen, with no regard for the law!”

The Left Censor-in-Chief knelt on the floor, tears streaming down his face as he suddenly pointed at the two men standing nearby.

“The Regent Prince and Prince Jin have long harbored ambitions of weakening the feudal lords and seizing power! Now the military tally is missing, and the prince is dead. Aside from those two, who else would dare commit such a crime? I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly and give Prince Zhennan justice!”

“We beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!”

A large group of censor officials immediately dropped to their knees behind him.

Those sharp, accusing gazes looked as though they wanted to bore holes straight through Shen Jue and Lu Yan.

Yet neither of the two men even lifted an eyelid.

They simply stood there in silence.

On the dragon throne, the young emperor rubbed his temples, feeling a splitting headache coming on.

“My loyal ministers,” the emperor sighed, looking at them with a complicated expression, “the court is in an uproar. Do the two of you truly have nothing to say for yourselves?”

“A fabricated accusation needs no excuse,” Lu Yan replied coldly, every word firm and resonant.

“Last night was Mid-Autumn Festival. I remained in my residence the entire evening, admiring the moon with my wife. I did not step outside the manor even once. Everyone in Yuyuan Manor can testify to this.”

Shen Jue let out a soft laugh.

“What unfortunate timing. Last night, I too was dining with my wife at Yuyuan Manor, celebrating the festival together. What? Do all of you believe I possess the ability to split myself in two—eating hotpot with my wife while simultaneously going to the prince’s manor to murder and rob him?”

“Absurd!”

The Right Censor-in-Chief abruptly stood up.

“The servants in your estates naturally side with their masters! Such self-serving testimony cannot be accepted as evidence! Your Majesty, you absolutely must not believe their one-sided claims!”

Watching the court descend into chaos, the young emperor suddenly slammed his hand against the dragon desk.

“Enough!”

The hall instantly fell silent.

“Prince Zhennan’s assassination concerns the dignity of the nation. I will absolutely not tolerate it!” The emperor looked down at Shen Jue and Lu Yan from above.

“Since all the officials of the court harbor doubts, then this case shall be placed entirely in the hands of the Regent Prince and Prince Jin! Minister of the Dali Temple, Song Yu, will assist from the side. I give you seven days to uncover the true culprit and recover the tiger tally! If after seven days you fail to produce results…”

The emperor paused, his gaze turning sharp.

“Then matters will proceed according to the wishes of the ministers!”

After leaving the palace gates, the autumn wind blew coldly.

Song Yu, the Minister of the Dali Temple, was a middle-aged man in his forties with a stern and upright appearance.

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and cupped his hands toward Shen Jue and Lu Yan.

“Your Highnesses, this case is difficult… Prince Zhennan’s manor is probably already in complete chaos. Shall we head there now?”

“Of course.”

Shen Jue sneered.

“I would like to see who dares obstruct an official investigation.”

The three mounted their horses and, accompanied by their men, headed straight for Prince Zhennan’s manor in imposing formation.

However, just as they arrived at the gates, Lu Yan’s grip on the reins suddenly tightened.

Shen Jue narrowed his eyes as well.

Outside the imposing gates of the prince’s manor stood two slender figures side by side.

The moment Su Hewan and Yu Qing saw Shen Jue and Lu Yan arrive, they immediately stepped forward.

“Why are you here?” Lu Yan dismounted and strode over to Yu Qing in a few quick steps, his brows tightly furrowed.

Yu Qing lifted her head and said firmly:

“We’re husband and wife—we’re one body. If one prospers, both prosper; if one falls, both fall. I can’t let you face all this filth alone.”

On the other side, Shen Jue also walked over to Su Hewan.

Before he could speak, Su Hewan’s cool voice rang out.

“Husband, there’s no need to persuade me. If this case cannot be solved, then no one beneath the collapsing nest will remain unharmed. As husband and wife, we should advance and retreat together.”

Shen Jue and Lu Yan exchanged a glance, each seeing gratitude and emotion reflected in the other’s eyes.

At that moment, silence spoke louder than words.

Shen Jue gently held Su Hewan’s slightly cool fingers.

“Alright.” Shen Jue’s voice, for once, lost much of its usual sinister edge.

“Then we’ll go together.”

Behind them, Song Yu stared in dumbfounded shock.

Who in the entire court didn’t know that the Regent Prince and Prince Jin were both cold-blooded kings of hell?

Yet today, the two princes were being completely kept in line by their wives!

“Since both Princess Consorts are so reasonable and understanding, then please enter the estate together,” Song Yu hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over.

The four of them walked side by side with Song Yu as they ascended the steps of the Zhennan Prince’s Manor.

The moment they entered, all they saw was a blinding sea of white mourning cloth.

Funeral paper fluttered through the air like snowflakes.

The servants, dressed in sackcloth and mourning attire, hurried back and forth, every face filled with fear and unease.

The mourning hall in the main chamber had already been set up, with a massive black lacquered coffin resting in the center.

“My Prince! You died such a tragic death!”

Heart-wrenching wails echoed from inside the mourning hall.

Princess Consort Zhennan, Liu Chaoru, dressed in heavy mourning clothes, was crying so hard she looked close to fainting, supported tightly by her maid Puyu.

The instant she heard the commotion outside and looked up to see Shen Jue and Lu Yan, her eyes immediately turned bloodshot.

“It’s you! You still dare to come here?!”

Liu Chaoru violently shook off her maid and staggered toward them, pointing at the two men as she cursed furiously.

“You two heartless traitors! You killed the Prince! For the sake of seizing military power from the Xiao family, you actually murdered him! Give my Prince back to me!”

“How dare you!” Zhao Zhou barked angrily.

“How can you shout so recklessly before the Regent Prince and Prince Jing?!”

“You think I’m afraid of you? If you’ve got the guts, then wipe out the entire Xiao family today!”

As Liu Chaoru screamed hysterically, the Zhennan Prince’s three sons—

Xiao Yunting, Xiao Yunfeng, and Xiao Yunhai—

all strode out of the mourning hall with reddened eyes, blocking the group’s path.

“What are you doing here?!”

Xiao Zhengnan’s second son, Xiao Yunting, gritted out through clenched teeth.

Behind them, the Zhennan Prince’s youngest daughter, Xiao Yuyao, knelt before the burning basin, weeping delicately like pear blossoms drenched in rain, trembling helplessly in a fragile and pitiable manner that naturally stirred sympathy.

Lu Yan stepped forward coldly.

“By His Majesty’s verbal decree, we are here to thoroughly investigate the assassination of Prince Zhennan.”

“Bah!” Liu Chaoru spat viciously.

“A weasel paying New Year’s greetings to a chicken! You killed him yourselves, and now you’re pretending to investigate the case? Everyone knows you’re here to destroy evidence!”

Seeing the atmosphere becoming increasingly explosive, on the verge of turning violent right in front of the mourning hall, Song Yu hurriedly rushed between the two sides, wiping sweat from his brow.

“Please calm your anger, Princess Consort! Calm your anger, Young Masters! I am Song Yu, Minister of the Court of Judicial Review! The truth of the case is still unclear, and there is no concrete evidence proving that the two princes are responsible. Since His Majesty has ordered the case solved within a fixed deadline, we naturally must inspect the scene and search for the real culprit!”

“Minister Song!” Xiao Yunfeng sneered.

“You expect us to let our father’s murderers investigate the case? Isn’t that the greatest joke in the world? Search for evidence? More like fabricate evidence!”

“That’s right! We don’t trust them!” the third son, Xiao Yunhai, shouted as he directly drew half his sword from its sheath.

The Imperial Guards and Eastern Depot agents also unsheathed their blades in unison.

Lu Yan’s gaze turned icy as he spoke word by word.

“This prince is tolerating your behavior out of consideration for your grief at losing your father. But if you continue obstructing the investigation and defying the imperial decree, then I don’t mind having everyone in this manor spend a few days in the Imperial Guard prison.”

Shen Jue adjusted his sleeve cuffs, his smile eerie.

“You’d better believe him. Prince Jing came from the Imperial Guards himself—he’s vicious.”

At those words, Lu Yan secretly shot Shen Jue a glare!

The faces of the three brothers immediately turned pale.

“Enough arguing!”

A cool female voice suddenly rang out.