There were endless gossips in the capital city, which even caught the emperor's attention in the palace. Just as he was about to order Sheng Jinyu to conduct a thorough investigation, Sheng Jinyu was absent from the capital due to his busy schedule. Coincidentally, the crown prince was free these days. With a wave of his hand, the emperor ordered the crown prince to look into the matter.
The crown prince was extremely annoyed. He grabbed the Prince Xiao and gave him a good scolding. Soon after, the father of one of the Prince Xiao's concubines came out to confess his crime and submit to the law.
However, immediately afterwards, news spread in the capital that the man was just a scapegoat, and the real culprit was actually the prince himself.
The incident became a big sensation. The Prince Xiao was besieged on all sides. In a fit of anger, he even led his men to various teahouses and arrested all the storytellers who were vividly telling the story.
At that time, Lu Wanning was leisurely enjoying a show in a teahouse. How could she ignore such a scene? Immediately, she fought with the Prince Xiao's attendants. After all, she was a weak woman, and soon fainted to the ground.
This was a serious matter. When Lu Hannian learned that his sister had been bullied, he led his guards to block the main gate of the Prince Xiao's mansion and caused a stir with the prince.
Lu Hongxi was also extremely angry. As a military general, he usually didn't interfere in the political affairs of the capital. But now he drafted a memorial and submitted it to the emperor, accusing the Prince Xiao of disregarding the law and committing crimes.
In the main hall, the Prince Xiao and the Prince of Zhennan quarreled. It seemed that if the emperor didn't give them a reasonable explanation, they wouldn't back down.
The crown prince couldn't calm their anger, and the emperor was also at a loss. Just then, Sheng Jinyu, wearing his official robe and holding a dossier, strode into the main hall. He knelt down and presented his case. Not only did he mention the case of the missing girls, but also the case of the nunnery fifteen years ago, as well as a dozen cases of fallen women in the towns around the capital over the years. There were a total of seven or eight cases in all.
Each and every one of these cases pointed directly at the Prince Xiao.
The emperor flipped through the dossier and was so angry that he threw the thick stack of documents forcefully at the Prince Xiao's head.
The Prince Xiao didn't dare to say a word. He just knelt on the ground, shivering. Then he looked up, his eyes full of pleading, at the crown prince.
Sweat rolled down the crown prince's forehead. Sheng Jinyu had clearly planned this for a long time. What annoyed him most was when the Lu family had joined hands with Sheng Jinyu.
Lu Hongxi was his uncle. How could he do this? How could he?
For some reason, the face of Lu Wanning appeared in the crown prince's mind. He had known since childhood that she was charming and cute. Now she seemed to be even more presumptuous, but there was always something different in her presumptuousness.
The thought flashed by. The crown prince had already knelt down as well. He was still wondering whether to plead for the Prince Xiao or to abandon such a good pawn.
Lu Hongxi had already looked up and said loudly, "Your Majesty, I think this matter must not be dealt with ambiguously."
Then a member of the royal family couldn't help but step forward and said, "After all, this matter was not directly done by the Prince Xiao. At most, it was just a matter of poor family management and lax control over his subordinates."
Lu Hongxi sneered, "You say it was poor family management and lax control? How do you know it wasn't done deliberately?"
The old royal family member glared angrily at Lu Hongxi, "The Prince Xiao is the son of the previous emperor and the emperor's younger brother. Why are you, General, so aggressive?"
Lu Hongxi didn't give in at all, "Do you mean that because he is of royal blood, he can ignore the law and the common people?"
In the main hall, the two sides refused to yield to each other. For a moment, the situation couldn't be resolved.
At this moment, the crown prince slowly said, "Father, I think the law should also take human feelings into account. As our great - uncle said, the prince was just poor at family management and lax in controlling his subordinates. Those who commit crimes should be severely punished. The prince also has his faults and should be punished according to the law for his lax control over his subordinates."
The Prince Xiao, lying on the ground, breathed a slight sigh of relief when he heard this.
Seeing that the emperor had been silent for a long time, the crown prince turned to Sheng Jinyu and asked, "What do you think, third brother?"
Sheng Jinyu had kept his mouth shut throughout the whole process. When the crown prince asked him, he seemed not to hear and just knelt there as if in remembrance.
The emperor asked, "A Yu, the crown prince is asking you."
The crown prince paused. His fingers unconsciously curled up. Since when had the emperor stopped calling him Yi'er? Whether in public or in private, the emperor always liked to call the third brother A Yu.
He was the eldest son of the emperor and the crown prince. Why was the emperor always partial to that ruthless man?
Sheng Jinyu looked up, his eyes firm, "I think that in small matters, showing favoritism may be just for fun, but in matters of great importance, we must not, cannot, and are not allowed to show favoritism!"
His words were sonorous. The emperor laughed heartily, "Well said! Not allowed to show favoritism! Good! Prince of Zhennan."
Lu Hongxi was stunned for a moment and quickly replied, "Your servant is here."
"This major case involves a wide range of people. All these eight cases will be fully entrusted to you to handle."
Lu Hongxi stared at the emperor in disbelief, "But Your Majesty, I... I'm a general. I don't know how to handle these cases..."
The emperor waved his hand, "Why don't you know? I have so many subjects, but there are few who dare to give straightforward advice. I trust you. I'll hand the Supreme Court over to you. I want to see the results of these eight cases within a month. I hope you won't disappoint me!"
Lu Hongxi immediately bowed and said, "Your servant receives the order!"
If the crown prince had just felt a little jealous before, now he was extremely shocked. Why did the emperor hand these cases to Lu Hongxi? The emperor had clearly been wary of Lu Hongxi. Lu Hongxi's influence was already remarkable. If he were involved in the court affairs, wouldn't he be even more uncontrollable in the future? Why would the emperor do such a thing?
The Prince Xiao was already kneeling on the ground, crying and complaining about his injustice.
The emperor had already stood up, "Save your words for the Prince of Zhennan."
The eunuch quickly shouted, "Court is adjourned."
Lu Hongxi was holding those case files, completely at a loss. He quickly walked up to Sheng Jinyu and said in embarrassment, "Your Highness, Prince Yu..."
Before he could finish his words, Sheng Jinyu's face turned pale. He just raised his eyes, and before he could even stand up, he fainted.
There were exclamations all around. The eunuchs came over and carried Sheng Jinyu to the side hall. Then they immediately sent a young eunuch to summon the imperial physician and invite the emperor.
Lu Hongxi stood there blankly for a long time, not knowing what to do. Looking back, he saw the crown prince's gloomy eyes. After hesitating for a moment, he decided to avoid suspicion and turned to leave.
The crown prince stepped forward, "Uncle..."
Lord Wang, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, rushed over, "Your Highness, Your Highness. I'm here. It's really great that His Majesty has ordered Your Highness to assist me. I wonder if Your Highness is available today. Let's go back to the Supreme Court together and sort out these cases properly."
Lu Hongxi was never one to sit idle. Since he had taken over the cases, he couldn't handle them carelessly. So he replied, "Then let's go."
"Your Highness, please be patient. After Prince Yu wakes up, allow me to question him. There are several cases that have already been closed. It was Your Highness who discovered something fishy about them during the investigation, and they need to be thoroughly investigated again."