Chapter 111: The Clever Man

Qian Qianyi watched the two men collapse, paid it no mind, and merely furrowed his brow slightly.

After another moment, Ai'er walked in with a fawning, flattering smile, her voice cloying as she said, "Oh my, two young masters, Miss Liuxu is about to come out. One of you will have to make way..."

Ai'er walked in, saw the white foam at the corners of the two men's mouths, and her face changed. She reached out and pushed them, then suddenly screamed, "Someone come quick! Someone's been poisoned..."

Zhu Xu across the way craned his neck to look, then turned his head toward Qian Qianyi.

Qian Qianyi furrowed his brow, then paid it no mind and took a sip of tea. He still couldn't fathom Zhu Xu's purpose, so he kept his mouth shut and said nothing.

"Ah, this is terrible, the man is dead..."

"What, someone's dead..."

"Let me see, let me see..."

"Report this to the authorities, report it!"

The corridor outside the private room across the way suddenly fell into chaos—a crowd jostled and shouted at the top of their lungs.

Qian Qianyi shot to his feet, his face full of alarm as he looked across. But then, even more stunned, he turned his head to look at Zhu Xu, his plump face filled with terror.

Zhu Xu also made a show of standing up, wearing an equally startled expression as he turned to Qian Qianyi and said, "Minister Qian, did you happen to see what happened just now?"

Qian Qianyi heard His Highness Prince Hui's words, felt a chill run down his back, and his corpulent body gave a violent shudder.

Zhu Xu clicked his tongue and said, "Quick, notify the Shuntian Prefecture—Minister Qian is a witness."

Qian Qianyi's scalp went numb. He understood now—Zhu Xu had dragged him here precisely to dig a pit and force him to jump into it.

Though he still didn't know Zhu Xu's true purpose, his whole body had gone cold. Everything had indeed happened right before his eyes, and there was no denying it. His small eyes darted around as he racked his brain for a way out.

Before long, Zhao Han arrived with the Shuntian Prefecture men and surrounded Cuifang Tower, beginning the investigation in an orderly fashion.

"Did anyone witness the incident?" A Shuntian Prefecture runner paced up and down the corridor, shouting loudly.

Zhu Xu cracked melon seeds between his teeth, casually lifting his head to look at Qian Qianyi.

As Zhu Xu raised his head, Cao Wenzhao immediately caught on and said, "Minister Qian saw everything just now. This way, please."

Qian Qianyi's cheek twitched as he looked at Zhu Xu and struggled to speak: "Your Highness, there are plenty of witnesses here. This official really ought to—"

Zhu Xu tilted his fair, clean-shaven face up, beaming with a smile.

Qian Qianyi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, knowing he couldn't dodge this. He gritted his teeth and said, "As Your Highness commands."

Zhao Han stood in the middle of the music room, looking stern and imposing as he watched the runners conduct their investigation back and forth.

"My lord, there's a witness from the Hanlin Academy—Minister Qian Qianyi." A runner led Qian Qianyi in and bowed as he reported.

Qian Qianyi's face was the color of soybean paste. His mind churned with ways to wriggle out of Zhu Xu's trap. Seeing Zhao Han, he merely raised his hand expressionlessly and said, "Vice Minister Zhao."

Zhao Han had long since been informed by His Highness Prince Hui. Looking at Qian Qianyi with an unchanged expression, he said, "Someone, take down Minister Qian's full account of what happened, and have him affix his signature and fingerprint to confirm it."

Qian Qianyi was a thousand times unwilling, but he still followed the runner to the side to give his statement.

In Zhu Xu's private room, Zhu Xu stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Qian Qianyi, Zhao Han, and the others. Behind him knelt a middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man wore coarse hemp clothing, his head pressed to the ground. His voice strained to suppress excitement and hatred as he said, "This commoner thanks Your Highness. That Zhao bastard raped and killed my pair of daughters; that official bastard seized my family property by force and slaughtered my wife and children. So long as my great vengeance is achieved, this commoner will die without regret!"

Zhu Xu nodded and said, "What comes next may cost you your head. Have you thought it through?"

The middle-aged man thumped his head to the ground again and said, "Your Highness, rest assured—once my vengeance is achieved, this commoner has no reason to live on. I will do whatever Your Highness commands!"

Zhu Xu turned to look at him and said, "Good. In a moment, go to the Shuntian Prefecture and turn yourself in. I promise you—so long as you don't wish to die, I will keep you alive."

"No need!" The middle-aged man stood up, looked at Zhu Xu, and said, "This official has lost all will to live. I'll go to the Shuntian Prefecture and turn myself in now."

The group watched the man walk out. Cao Wenzhao was still puzzled and asked, "Your Highness, who is this man?"

"Your Highness." Cao Wenzhao had barely finished speaking when Zhao Han's voice sounded from outside.

Zhu Xu chuckled softly, waved a hand at Cao Wenzhao, and said, "Come in."

Cao Huachun and Cao Wenzhao both looked puzzled as they watched Zhao Han push the door open and enter.

It was Zhao Han's first time meeting Zhu Xu. He hastily bowed and said, "This official, Zhao Han, pays respects to His Highness Prince Hui."

Zhu Xu sat in his chair and said, "Is Minister Qian's testimony all in order?"

Zhao Han said, "Yes, Your Highness. Witness and physical evidence are all complete. That Zhao fellow and that Guan fellow each put arsenic in the other's drink and poisoned each other to death. However—"

"However, what they originally intended to use was ****, not arsenic—am I right?" Zhu Xu finished the sentence for him.

Zhao Han was taken aback and said, "Yes. May I ask how Your Highness came to know this?"

Zhu Xu's smile turned somewhat eerie as he said, "In a moment, someone will come to the Shuntian Prefecture to turn himself in. You will interrogate him personally. Also, this case exceeds the jurisdiction of the Shuntian Prefecture. When you return, immediately organize the case files and transfer them to the Ministry of Justice."

"The Ministry of Justice?" Zhao Han didn't understand the reasoning, but he knew this case was a hot potato that must not land in his hands. He quickly said, "Yes, Your Highness. This official will handle it immediately upon returning."

Zhu Xu nodded and said, "Right—as for the man who turns himself in, find a way to keep him out of the Ministry of Justice's prison. I want him alive."

Zhao Han thought for a moment, then said, "Minister of Justice Wang Ji has a close relationship with Minister of Personnel **xing. This official can use that as grounds to keep the prisoner detained at the Shuntian Prefecture."

Zhu Xu raised an eyebrow. This Zhao Han was quite clever—he'd probably already figured something out, hadn't he?

Zhao Han cautiously glanced at Zhu Xu and added, "This official has already written to the Ministry of Justice. Your workshop falls under the Shuntian Prefecture's jurisdiction—they overstepped their authority in handling it. At most, their people will withdraw by tonight."

Zhu Xu looked at this Zhao Han, his eyes brightening. He truly hadn't noticed before—this man was a clever one.

A smile played at the corner of his mouth as he sized Zhao Han up and said, "Well done. Tonight, go to the workshop and collect thirty thousand taels of silver."

"This official thanks Your Highness!"

Zhao Han was delighted inwardly—not because of the silver, but because from now on he counted as one of His Highness Prince Hui's people. With a sufficiently solid backing, setting aside promotion, anyone who wanted to move against him would first have to consider the consequences of offending His Highness Prince Hui!

Cao Huachun and Cao Wenzhao listened from the side, and a look of sudden understanding dawned in their eyes.

After Zhao Han left, Cao Wenzhao said with a delighted expression, "Your Highness, you've certainly handed Minister Zhao a difficult problem."

That official's son was the son of Guan Yingzhen, one of the leaders of the Chu faction; that Zhao young master was the grandson of **xing. Minister of Justice Wang Ji had an extraordinary relationship with **xing. The Chu faction would certainly not let the matter rest, and given the Donglin Faction's habitual aloofness, they would likely make a show of avoiding suspicion.

If this case truly dragged on like this, it was quite possible that several second-rank court officials would plead illness and resign.

"A difficult problem?" Zhu Xu stood up, squinting with a faint smile. "I didn't go through all this trouble just to hand him a difficult problem."