The clattering sound of hooves echoed on the ground. Lu Yinxi clasped her hands tightly and leaned against the corner of the bumpy carriage. It felt as if something was clutching at her left atrium, causing excruciating pain.
Please, please don't let Shang Luoshu be discovered!
She repeated this sentence in her heart over and over again, as if the more she said it, the more likely it would come true.
However, when the carriage stopped in front of the Prince Jing's Mansion and she heard the yamen runner's words drift into the carriage, the young girl's hope was dashed.
"The Supreme Court is handling a case.闲人 (irrelevant people) are not allowed to enter!"
For a moment, all kinds of gloomy and negative thoughts rushed into her mind. Lu Yinxi had to use all her strength to push them back into the depths of her heart.
She couldn't panic. After all, Shang Luoshu was the adopted son of the late emperor. Even Shang Mozheng wouldn't be so quick to take action against him!
Realizing this, the young girl pretended to be calm and gave Hongrui a quick glance. The smart maid immediately understood her meaning.
Roughly lifting the carriage curtain, Hongrui instantly transformed into an overbearing servant, her posture haughty. "Who do you think you are? How dare you stop the Fourth Miss of the Prime Minister Lu's Mansion?"
Prime Minister Lu?!
At the mention of this name, the overbearing yamen runner just now instantly became obsequious.
"I'm blind, Your Highness Fourth Miss Lu. Please don't blame me. But the chief of the Supreme Court has given orders that during the case - handling, no irrelevant people can enter."
The chief of the Supreme Court.
Lu Yinxi keenly caught the key information in his words. So, had this matter already alerted the chief of the Supreme Court?
Lowering her eyes in thought, the young girl was silent for a moment, then nimbly jumped down from the carriage shaft.
The yamen runner in charge of blocking only felt something flash before his eyes. Then he found a woman standing in front of him, with a calm expression but an extremely compelling aura.
"What if I must enter the mansion today?"
She was just a young miss from a boudoir, and her words showed no fluctuations. But the yamen runner somehow felt the pressure as if it came from a superior.
The same feeling was shared by Hu Xinya, the chief of the Supreme Court, who was now in the main hall of the mansion.
Regarding His Highness Prince Jing, Lord Hu's impression of him had remained from three years ago.
A general with outstanding military achievements. During the war against the Southern Chu State back then, there were countless rumors about him in the capital. In the month when he returned to the capital, matchmakers in the capital almost flattened the threshold of his mansion.
But this man had always been low - key. The day after he was crowned prince, he handed over his military power and didn't interfere in politics. He even only attended court according to his mood.
So when he heard that the Regent suspected Prince Jing of arson, Hu Xinya's first reaction was to wonder if he had misheard.
But this was after all an order from the Regent, and there was even a jade pendant as evidence. Helplessly, he had to lead a large group of people to the Prince Jing's Mansion in a grand manner.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered the mansion and before he could even speak, Prince Jing preempted him. "Lord Hu has quite a grand air. You even dare to surround this king's mansion?"
As he said this, there was a faint smile on Shang Luoshu's face. But Hu Xinya heard a hint of danger in it and immediately said, "Your Highness, please calm down. Your subordinate is only acting on the orders of the Regent!"
"On the orders of the Regent? So what you mean is that the Regent ordered you to surround this king's mansion?"
The Regent didn't explicitly say so, but it did imply this. But Hu Xinya couldn't say this, otherwise, it would be deliberately provoking the relationship within the royal family.
"Your subordinate wouldn't dare." Wiping the cold sweat off his forehead, Chief Hu tried to regain the initiative in the conversation.
"Your Highness Prince Jing, your subordinate is here today regarding the fire at the Regent's Mansion. Please cooperate."
"This king has heard about this matter,"
Leaning casually on the grand master's chair, Shang Luoshu folded his arms across his chest and looked puzzled. "So, Lord Hu, instead of arresting the arson suspect, why are you surrounding this king's mansion?
Could it be that you suspect this king?"
With just this light - hearted sentence, Hu Xinya felt his cold sweat about to break out again. "Your subordinate is terrified. It's just that the Regent gave your subordinate something this morning."
Saying this, Chief Hu took out a jade pendant from his sleeve. As he handed it to the man, he secretly glanced at him from the corner of his eye.
However, what he saw was even greater confusion on Shang Luoshu's face.
"So, Lord Hu, based on this jade pendant, you've determined that this king deliberately set the fire last night?"
"Your subordinate wouldn't dare. Your subordinate just dares to ask Your Highness Prince Jing, where were you at the Ugly Hour last night?"
The Ugly Hour was exactly when the fire broke out at the Regent's Mansion.
"After midnight, this king was naturally sleeping in the bedroom."
"Is there any witness?"
"All the servants in the mansion can testify for this king."
"Your Highness also said that everyone in this mansion belongs to you. According to the rules, they can't be witnesses."
So last night, no one could testify that Shang Luoshu had been in the mansion the whole time.
The jade pendant left at the Regent's Mansion and the lack of an alibi. At this moment, the suspicion of arson on the man had risen to ninety percent.
"I can testify for His Highness Prince Jing!"
A clear female voice suddenly joined in. Against the backlight, Lu Yinxi walked calmly into the main hall.
Seeing a stranger come in, Chief Hu's first reaction was to get angry. How could an outsider interfere with the case - handling of the Supreme Court?
However, from the corner of his eye, he noticed that His Highness Prince Jing's calm face suddenly showed a slight change. Years of experience in handling cases told him that His Highness Prince Jing knew this young girl.
Moreover, he had clearly ordered people to surround the Prince Jing's Mansion tightly. Under such circumstances, for someone to still be able to enter, either they were extremely skilled in martial arts or had a noble status. In either case, he didn't dare to offend.
"May I ask who this young girl is..."
The young girl bowed politely to him. "My surname is Lu. I'm the fourth daughter in my family."
There were many people with the surname Lu in the capital, but the one with a fourth daughter was only one particular family.
"Are you the Fourth Miss of the Prime Minister Lu's Mansion?"
"Exactly!"
Swallowing hard, Chief Hu's mind suddenly went blank.
If he remembered correctly, just now this Fourth Miss meant that she could prove that His Highness Prince Jing wasn't at the Regent's Mansion at the Ugly Hour last night.
???
"Miss Lu, you should think twice before you speak."
"No need to think twice. What I said is the truth."
Her gaze quickly swept past Shang Luoshu, then locked back onto Hu Xinya. A glint flashed in her eyes and her voice was soft.
"So, does Lord Hu understand what I mean? Last night, His Highness Prince Jing and I... Um..."
Suddenly, it went dark in front of her eyes. The young girl only felt herself being forcefully pulled into someone's arms. Before she could react, she was forcibly taken away from the spot.
Hu Xinya, who had just realized that he seemed to have heard a secret, could only watch this scene unfold right in front of him.
This? This?? This???
"Shang Luoshu!"
Struggling to push the man in front of her away, Lu Yinxi's face was flushed, and the corners of her eyes were also a bit red.
"Do you know what you're doing? My... "
"I know."
Her words were interrupted by a finger. Shang Luoshu's eyes were deep, and his gaze on the young girl seemed to be on fire.
"You don't have to go to such lengths for me."
It was just a small刁难 (provocation) from the Regent. There was no need for her to suffer again because of this.
"What are you talking nonsense about? If I don't use the... the method, the Regent will..."
"I know. Don't worry. I have my own way."
The index finger turned into a damp palm on Lu Yinxi's lips. At this moment, in the man's sight, there were only those phoenix - like eyes that seemed sharp but were actually gentle.
"I have my own way to deal with this matter. Your... " Thinking of the person sitting in the front hall, Shang Luoshu swallowed the words "secret method" on his own.
"So, don't worry."