Chapter 48: Isn

Evening was approaching, the Prince's private cell.

Xiao Yuanhang sat steadily in the middle, with Xiao Ningchen and Xiao Er standing behind him, while a tall thug in his early forties knelt before him, his body covered in scars and his mouth tightly gagged with a torn cloth.

An old woman knelt beside him, and Zhou Dahai stood behind them.

As he had expected, once Zhou Dahai left the Prince's Mansion and entered his home, Master Xu appeared, Xiao Er immediately seized him, and after several rounds of harsh questioning, Xu revealed that all along a granny surnamed Zhou had been giving him orders.

Upon learning that Zhou Dahai had returned to the capital, that Zhou granny instructed him to immediately go gather information and then deliver it to a teahouse.

Xiao Ningchen ordered Xiao Er to send Master Xu back to the Prince's Mansion, then he rushed to the teahouse, knocked the Zhou granny unconscious and carried her back.

In the dim dungeon, the walls were lined with all kinds of execution devices, grim and terrifying.

Xiao Yuanhang gave the Zhou granny a once‑over; her clothes were exquisite, her hairpin rings remarkable, and he asked straight away, "Speak. Whose granny are you? Who is your master? Why did you strike at my son?"

The Zhou granny had never seen such a scene; she trembled all over, but realizing that confession would mean death, she clenched her teeth and remained silent.

Xiao Yuanhang smiled, "A loyal servant, indeed. Men, bind her, beat drums and gongs, parade her through the streets for all to see, then send her to Jingzhao Prefecture, telling everyone that this person infiltrated Prince Ning's mansion, attempted to covertly harm me, and was caught on the spot; her crime is unforgivable."

"I shall see then whether your master will come to rescue you, and what face your family and children will have living in this world!"

"Yes!" Xiao Er stepped forward, grabbed the Zhou granny by the collar and was about to walk out.

The Zhou granny cried out in shock, "Honorable Prince Ning! You! How can you utter false words to frame this old servant!"

Xiao Yuanhang curled his lip, "You have poisoned and harmed my son; isn't it only natural that I frame you?"

Xiao Ningchen looked at his own father with admiration; no wonder the father was invincible on the battlefield—this unconventional yet pinpointed tactic, no matter who the opponent is, only leads to being crushed.

"No! Don't send me away!" the Zhou granny shouted in panic, struggling fiercely.

Prince Ning waged war across the lands, safeguarding the state and the people's safety; whether in court or among the populace, his prestige was immense.

If he truly dealt with her this way, she would certainly die, let alone her family being implicated; she feared they'd never recover, becoming street rats with no face to live in this world—how is that different from exterminating an entire clan?

Xiao Er showed no mercy, dragging her to the doorway.

The Zhou granny completely collapsed, shouting, "I confess! I confess everything! Don't send me away!"

Only then did Xiao Er lift her back before Xiao Yuanhang and hurl her heavily onto the ground.

The Zhou granny was smashed to pieces, her hairpin rings falling from her head, hair in disarray, tears streaming, she sobbed, "I, the old servant, was by the side of Minister of Works Zhao's legitimate wife, Lin."

Xiao Yuanhang frowned slightly, "Minister of Works Zhao Heng, the Lin Xiangyue couple? Why would they poison my son?"

"Yes, yes! The Zhou granny, knowing that the matter had come to this, saw no way out and could only confess honestly."

"The Longchang Escort Agency, on the surface the property of Mrs. Lin's older brother, is in fact actually owned by the Lin family and Minister of Works Zhao. Using the escort agency as a front, the lady has opened shops and businesses in many places."

"She… she had long been envious of the Prince's mansion's trading house. So she ordered this old servant to find a reliable elder within the escort agency to keep watch over the trading house's activities, until she discovered the letters and silver notes that Zhou Dahai had sent home."

"The lady thought this was an opportunity, so she instructed people to take Zhou Dahai's wife and child away."

"Where are they now? How many people are guarding them?" Xiao Yuanhang interrupted her immediately.

Zhou Dahai suddenly lifted his head, looking at him gratefully.

"They are in the southern suburbs, Pingqiao Town, in the alley by the well of Zhangjia Village; the innermost house there is guarded only by two old women, with no one else watching."

"Xiao Er, send a few men to retrieve the people and also bring back those two old women who were in charge of guarding them."

"Yes!" Xiao Er turned and went out to make arrangements.

"Thank you, Prince! Thank you, Prince! Your great kindness cannot be repaid!" Zhou Dahai fell to his knees, kowtowing repeatedly; his wife and child were finally saved.

Xiao Yuanhang remained unmoved, pointing at the Zhou granny, "You, continue speaking."

"The lady originally intended to make Zhou Dahai comply, ordering him to covertly take the account books, figure out the Prince's mansion's trading house's foundations, so she could get ahead everywhere, cut off its financial channels, and take over its major clients."

"But the young master turned out to be a business prodigy; she could not gain any advantage, instead he restrained every move, and the business worsened. The lady then entertained thoughts of killing the young master."

The Zhou granny glanced up at Xiao Yuanhang's expression, then quickly lowered her head again.

Xiao Yuanhang silently stared down at her; after a moment, "Xiao Er! Pull her out and send her to Jingzhao Prefecture!"

The Zhou granny was shocked, "Prince! I have confessed everything! How can you break your word?"

Xiao Ningchen also looked at his father in surprise; this old granny was clearly the key witness, keeping her to identify the Minister of Works couple was appropriate, so why now…

Xiao Er stepped toward her inch by inch, while the Zhou granny scrambled backward, her complexion growing paler.

When Xiao Er reached her, she wailed like a slaughtered pig, "I won't go! I won't go!"

Xiao Yuanhang rose to his feet, "You cunning old servant, saying only half and hiding the rest, what use do I have for you?"

The Zhou granny's face turned ashen; she hadn't expected Prince Ning to have already seen through her thoughts.

Just as Xiao Yuanhang was about to leave, Xiao Er's large hand landed on her, and the Zhou granny struggled desperately, "I speak! I say everything!"

Only then did Xiao Yuanhang sit back down.

The lady's reason for wanting to kill the young master is that Minister of Works Zhao misappropriated the official silver from last year's repair of the Canal River embankment to plug the deficit in her own business.

"She had thought she could soon crush the Prince's mansion's trading house, but… who could have imagined! Under the young master's management, the trading house not only wasn't crushed, but its business flourished even more, even snatching many of her own major clients!"

"Seeing the hole get bigger and impossible to hide, the lady panicked completely! That's when she developed murderous intent, ordering the poison to be given to Zhou Dahai so he could poison the young master."

"The lady feared that if the young master died violently, Zhou Dahai would be arrested and possibly unable to withstand punishment, so she sought this poison to make it appear the young master died of a serious illness."

The Zhou granny knelt on the ground, kowtowing like crushing garlic, "I, the old servant, have said all I know, truly everything! Please, Prince, discern the truth!"

Xiao Yuanhang still gave her no respite, "Since you know the affairs outside the Minister's residence so clearly, you must also know what goes on inside. Continue."

The Zhou granny suddenly sat upright, her eyes filled with terror as if she had seen Yama himself.