Chapter 1741

Chen Chen Guanlou circled Song Wu's corpse once, then was asked to leave the study.

He was merely an outsider; allowing him a single glance at the corpse was already an exception.

Everyone at the scene was solemn, each harboring their own calculations.

Chen Chen Guanlou was the only one with a relaxed expression, doing nothing. He was curious about Song Wu's cause of death—foam at the mouth suggested poisoning, and the coroner's preliminary judgment wasn't wrong.

The scene had not yet been fully examined; the body could not be moved.

Song Wu's family wept outside the courtyard gate; the servants grieved as if mourning their own parents.

Upon hearing the news, Prince Ning arrived immediately, first inspected Song Wu's corpse, let out a cry of grief, and voiced the question on everyone's mind: "How did he die?"

"It's still uncertain; the exact cause requires thorough examination before any conclusion can be drawn."

Sun Sun Daoning's face was solemn as he added: "I have already ordered all persons in the mansion detained; all food and drink consumed tonight have been collected. Song Wu's personal belongings must also be inspected—should any disrespect arise, I humbly ask Your Highness to understand."

This was seeking Prince Ning's approval to prepare for the autopsy.

An autopsy would never be dignified. Song Wu's status was special; without Prince Ning's consent, the Ministry of Justice dared not act. If later some imperial clansman or even the Emperor flew into a rage and demanded accountability, they'd be left with nothing but stench.

With Prince Ning's guarantee, any fallout afterward could be blamed squarely on him.

This was shifting responsibility!

Prince Ning was the elder brother—elder brother as father!

Behind him stood Consort Xiao.

Consort Xiao was the birth mother; Prince Ning's nod was roughly equivalent to her nod. Even the Emperor could not bypass her to make a move.

Parents hold the power of life and death over their children. Now that Song Wu was dead, his posthumous affairs rightfully belonged to Prince Ning and Consort Xiao to decide. Even the Emperor was less legitimate than this mother-son pair!

Prince Ning nodded wearily: "I leave everything to Minister Sun. You must uncover the cause of my brother's death and give him justice. But given the current heat, I beg the Ministry of Justice to move swiftly—do not delay my brother's funeral arrangements."

"Your Highness, rest assured—the Ministry of Justice will spare no effort in this case."

With Prince Ning's consent, Sun Sun Daoning immediately ordered the Ministry's strongest forces to investigate the cause of death. Only by determining the cause could the killer be identified!

Autopsy on-site!

Five or six coroners locked themselves in a side room to examine the corpse, while Ministry officials supervised and clerks took notes.

Sun Sun Daoning seized the opportunity to begin interrogations, searching for clues.

The Court of the Imperial Clan personnel clearly wanted no part of it and complied fully with every Ministry request—acting as if the Ministry held full authority while the Court of the Imperial Clan merely assisted, bearing zero responsibility.

Sun Sun Daoning had no patience to argue with them.

If arguments were needed, they'd take place before the Emperor!

Prince Ning sat in the courtyard, waiting for news, his expression worn, exhausted, and with a hint of relief.

The youngest, most troublesome, most trouble-prone brother was gone—it was almost a blessing. After all, Song Wu had children; let him die! With him gone, his wife and children might finally have peace.

If he sought the Emperor's favor, perhaps Song Wu's widow and children could be released to live decent lives.

Those children, locked daily in a tiny, crumbling courtyard, neither studying nor learning—this couldn't go on. When they grew up, they'd be blind ignoramuses, all burdens on him. He'd die of frustration!

He had three or four sons, four or five daughters of his own—all costing money. Now he had to raise Song Wu's children too—he'd become a fool!

If the children were freed, they could study for a few years, learn some skills, then find jobs to survive—no longer needing his daily support.

He drifted too far into thought, sighing heavily, feeling as if his future had no horizon, no hope at all.

Chen Chen Guanlou approached: "You came alone? Where's your other brother?"

Prince Ning: …

Without looking up, he knew only Chen Chen Guanlou would speak to him so casually.

"Why are you here? Didn't you quit your post at the Heavenly Prison?"

"I'm still Chief Warden of the Heavenly Prison. Today I had free time, so I came to take a look. Song Wu's dead—does that make you happy?"

"Nonsense!"

His secret exposed, Prince Ning flinched.

He insisted: "He was my brother."

"The brother who caused the most trouble, the one who dragged you into punishment, cost you your office and rank."

Chen Chen Guanlou smiled faintly.

"Enough, enough—I won't press it. Guess how your brother died?"

"How would I know?" Prince Ning avoided the topic—it was dangerous. "Chief Warden Chen, as always, loves watching spectacles. Trying to extract words from me is pure waste of time."

Chen Chen Guanlou nodded, agreeing: "Song Wu's entire household—how many? Thirty souls? From now on, barring accidents, these thirty souls become your responsibility. Even if each person spends only twenty taels a month, that's six hundred taels total—seven thousand two hundred taels a year. That's just living expenses—no account yet for seasonal clothing, education, gifts, hospitality. When the nephews and nieces grow up, dowries and bride prices will come, plus homes, land, shops…"

The more he spoke, the darker Prince Ning's face grew!

Song Wu had been stripped of noble status; now he was dead.

As the elder uncle and head of the household, Prince Ning could not ignore his nephews, nieces, sister-in-law, or the concubines who bore Song Wu children.

They all had to live!

To live meant spending money.

Officially they were commoners, but they couldn't truly live on a few taels a month. Every imperial clansman's spit could drown him!

Twenty taels per person per month was already stingy.

He was a prince, an elder uncle, the head of the household—was six hundred taels a month too much for his brother's family?

As the nephews and nieces grew, expenses would rise. Altogether, he'd need at least ten thousand taels a year.

A astronomical sum!

Any accounting collapsed under scrutiny!

Prince Ning sucked in a sharp breath.

He stared at Song Wu's family outside the courtyard gate—not seeing people, but seeing a pack of gold-devouring monsters.

"How could it be so expensive?"

He didn't keep accounts on a normal day, nor did he have the habit of calculating them. If Chen Chen Guanlou hadn't reminded him, he wouldn't have realized on his own that over a year, so much silver had to be spent. He thought giving one or two thousand taels of silver a year would be enough.

He frowned and asked Chen Chen Guanlou, "Is there a problem with your accounts? How can one person spend twenty taels in a month? Two hundred taels a month for a whole household should be enough, right?"

Keeping it within three thousand taels a year, he could still accept.

Chen Chen Guanlou smiled brightly, "How would I know? I'm not a member of the imperial clan, and I don't keep accounts either. Why don't you ask the person who does—how much does a member of the imperial clan's offspring actually spend in a month? Right, their family's status is commoners; can they receive money and grain from the Court of the Imperial Clan?"

The Prince of Ning had a headache.

He decided that after returning to the manor, he would properly ask the steward, ask the accounting office, and also ask Wang Fei and his mother-consort. They kept the accounts and knew most clearly how much one person actually needed in a month—seasonal clothing, houses and residences, study and schooling, receiving and entertaining guests—how much silver did it all require?

He couldn't really let himself be a sucker, spending ten thousand taels of silver a year to support people.

That way of supporting them, he couldn't afford it!