12dz Chapter 416 The Young Marquis was arrested by the Ministry of Justice
Chapter 416 The Young Marquis was arrested by the Ministry of Justice
Qin Miaoxi sneered twice, "This humble woman thought the Crown Prince hadn't seen me alive!"
The sarcastic remarks displeased the eldest prince, but he couldn't show it in front of Lu Shiya, so he could only force a smile and say, "Madam, you jest."
"The Crown Prince has just recovered from a serious illness. The lakeside is damp, so it would be best for him to rest and recuperate."
Qin Miaoxi didn't give him a friendly look either, and said directly, "The Third Princess is being executed today. The Princess and I are going to see her off on her final journey, so we'll take our leave now."
She grabbed Lu Shiya's wrist and helped her stand up, but after taking only two or three steps, she suddenly stopped.
Turning to look at the eldest prince, her eyes held an unusual depth, she then asked, "Doesn't the eldest prince need to go to the execution ground?"
The eldest prince pursed his lips and remained silent.
She clicked her tongue twice, "After all, the Third Princess is your imperial sister!"
"Halt! Did I, the prince, say you could leave?"
Suddenly, the eldest prince let out a sharp shout, and with his outburst, the guards hidden everywhere surrounded the two of them.
Unable to contain her anger, Lu Shiya confronted him directly, asking, "Your Highness, what is the meaning of this?"
"Princess, please forgive me. I am the one who needs to stop the Lady of the Marquis. You may leave first."
Lu Shiya instinctively shielded the person behind her, saying, "The Lady of the Marquis is a guest I invited. It would be unreasonable for the First Prince to stop my guest."
"In that case, I'm sorry."
The eldest prince did not make an exception. Instead, he gestured with his chin to the guards and kept a closer eye on the two men.
"you……"
Qin Miaoxi stepped forward and pulled her back, shaking her head slightly to indicate that she should not act rashly.
"I wonder what instruction Your Highness has given me in stopping this humble woman?"
The eldest prince exclaimed, "This tea is excellent. Why don't you, Lady Hou, accompany me to taste it?"
Lu Shiya was secretly anxious. This was clearly a trap, and she didn't know what awaited her.
She glanced at the solemn-looking guards around her, a nameless anger rising from the bottom of her heart. She couldn't help but speak in a sharp, cold voice, "Your Highness, if you have something to say, just say it directly. There's no need to beat around the bush."
The eldest prince ignored her words and continued drinking his tea.
Qin Miaoxi gave Lu Shiya a wink, signaling her to calm down, while she sat opposite him, calmly sipping her tea.
The eldest prince smiled with satisfaction, "That's right, don't rush things."
[If my father hadn't ordered me to stop you, I wouldn't have bothered wasting my time here.]
Emperor Meiji?
Qin Miaoxi immediately came up with three or five guesses, but before she could figure them out, she heard footsteps coming from downstairs.
She suddenly raised her voice, "Your Highness, what's the point of just drinking tea like this? Why don't we... play a drinking game?"
The eldest prince immediately became interested, "Tea instead of wine?"
"Yes." Qin Miaoxi called over the waiter and ordered seven or eight more kinds of tea, which she poured into a cup and said, "I've heard that drinking too much tea can lead to tea intoxication. Taking this opportunity, I would like to have three cups with the Crown Prince."
"readily!"
The two of them started playing drinking games in such a way that Lu Shiya was completely taken aback.
As the footsteps faded into the distance, Qin Miaoxi felt relieved, and her smile deepened.
Fifteen minutes later, Ziyan came upstairs carrying pastries. The moment she saw her young mistress surrounded, she immediately questioned, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
"Ziyan, come here!"
Ziyan walked over with suspicion, and her fingers touched the pastry basket as she took it. Qin Miaoxi smiled and took out a plate of pastries, placing it in front of Lu Shiya, saying, "Try it, it tastes pretty good."
Lu Shiya picked it up and took two bites, but couldn't taste it.
Qin Miaoxi and the First Prince were unaffected and continued to gulp down their tea. Half an hour later, they had already gone through three pots of tea. The First Prince's cheeks were flushed with an unnatural redness, as if he were truly drunk.
Qin Miaoxi said helplessly, "Your Highness, I've had enough tea. May I leave now?"
The eldest prince stood up unsteadily. "Of course, I will personally escort Lady Hou back to her residence."
"Do not……"
"Yes, I will." The eldest prince waved his hand. "Make way, everyone, and escort the Lady of the Marquis back to her residence."
Qin Miaoxi's eyelids twitched, and she immediately coughed twice. "Alright, then thank you very much, Your Highness."
The group left the teahouse, and a moment later, the waiter hurriedly ran out of the teahouse and disappeared into the street.
When they returned to the Xuanping Marquis's residence, they were immediately greeted by someone as soon as they got off the carriage. The steward was extremely excited: "Madam, you're finally back! The young marquis has been taken away."
"what?"
"Madam Hou, please come with me to the Ministry of Justice."
Qin Miaoxi looked up at the newcomers with suspicion. The atmosphere in the Ministry of Justice was oppressive, and at a glance, she recognized many of them as people she had worked with on cases before.
"The case of the girl's skeleton has been closed, and the real culprit has been brought to justice. Is there anything else you would like to ask, Lord Shao?"
The Ministry of Justice clerk paused. "Coroner Qin, no, Madam Hou, the magistrate is not here to discuss the case of the girl's skeleton, but rather... the young marquis."
The young marquis has been arrested.
Qin Miaoxi raised an eyebrow. The Emperor had the First Prince stop her just to arrest Lu Qingchen?
Because of what?
And he even mobilized the Ministry of Justice; did he also commit murder?
Qin Miaoxi muttered with feigned disgust, "What did he do now? He even had to trouble the Ministry of Justice."
The bailiff was about to speak when the eldest prince interrupted him with a cough.
His expression changed slightly, and the familiar demeanor he had just displayed vanished instantly, replaced by a businesslike manner as he said, "Madam, please!"
"Alright, but I bought some things. Could the maid please take them back to the Marquis's residence first?"
The constable glanced at the food box Ziyan was carrying, and the eldest prince nodded to him secretly before smiling and saying, "Of course."
"Go and put away the pastries; these are all the Marquis's favorites."
Qin Miaoxi turned her head and gave a word of instruction, but secretly she was listening intently. Sure enough, after she finished speaking, she heard a disdainful sneer.
[You still want Lu Qingchen to come out alive? He's the Ghost-Faced Judge; he's dead enough already.]
"What did you say!?"
Qin Miaoxi stared at him in disbelief, her sharp gaze seeming to want to tear him to pieces.
The eldest prince felt a chill run down his neck and staggered back half a step. "What did I say?"
Lu Shiya whispered in her ear, "No one spoke just now."
Qin Miaoxi clenched her fists, stared at the eldest prince, and said coldly, "Leave now."
The eldest prince looked around and shouted at the yamen runners, "What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and take Lady Hou to the Ministry of Justice!"
"Madam Hou, this way please!"
Lu Shiya followed closely behind, saying, "I'll go with you."
"Ah."
At this moment, she had no time to care about anything else; her mind and eyes were filled with nothing but the Ghost-Faced Judge.
This is utterly absurd! How could the Ghost-Faced Judge be that纨绔 (playboy) Lu Qingchen? She must get to the bottom of this and not let Lu Qingchen ruin the Ghost-Faced Judge's reputation.
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Inside the Imperial Palace, Emperor Meiji was engrossed in his work, buried in memorials.
"The Ministry of Justice took him away?"
"Yes, but the young marquis refuses to admit it."
Emperor Meiji stopped writing, paused for a moment, and then chuckled softly. "Whether he admits it or not is irrelevant. If I say he is, then he is."
The young eunuch shrank his neck, not daring to breathe, let alone respond.
Lately, His Majesty's temper has become increasingly unpredictable and capricious. Everyone in the palace avoids him, and no one dares to approach him to serve. Unfortunately for him, he was on duty in front of the palace today. His heart was in his throat, and he was trembling with fear, afraid that if he said the wrong thing, he would be beheaded in the next second.
Emperor Meiji put down the memorial and closed his eyes to rest.
The eunuch immediately stepped forward to serve tea, a customary practice of the emperor when he was working.
"The tea is weak."
"Damn slave."
Where is Eunuch Wu?
This was the first time in a long time that Emperor Meiji had taken the initiative to inquire about the old servant who accompanied him.
"Eunuch Wu is still in the Cold Palace."
Is His Majesty going to bring Eunuch Wu back? That's wonderful! Only Eunuch Wu can keep His Majesty comfortable. If His Majesty is happy, then these little eunuchs will also have a good life.
"Well, let him stay there for now!"
Emperor Meiji continued with his affairs, but in the heart of the eunuch Wu, a storm was brewing. This time, Eunuch Wu had truly "fallen out of favor."