The Command to Pamper the Husband - Chapter 114

Song Jin and Lu Zhan returned to the magistrate’s residence, each lost in their own thoughts.

In the palace.

The Minister of Justice stood in the Imperial Study, feeling somewhat stifled by the heated room.

The Emperor sipped his tea slowly. “Finished already? How much gold is there?”

The Minister of Justice clasped his hands together. “Your Majesty, the amount of gold at the Duke’s Estate is enormous. It will take about a month to weigh and calculate it all.”

The Emperor paused his tea-drinking and looked at the Minister, waiting for him to continue.

The Minister of Justice then said, “The Fourth Prince found gold in the magistrate’s courtyard.”

The Emperor’s face darkened instantly.

The Minister quickly bowed his head. “The Fourth Prince was investigating the magistrate’s gold belt. The magistrate claimed he found the belt. The Fourth Prince didn’t believe him and, recalling the gold discovered at the Duke’s Estate, thought there might be more in the magistrate’s courtyard. He had Lu Zhan dig, and they found gold. Lu Zhan then went to fetch me from the Duke’s Estate.”

The Emperor…

Was the Fourth Prince foolish or just lucky?

He had found gold at the Duke’s Estate and decided to use the same method to investigate others.

Isn’t that just foolish?

But he did find gold again.

Luck must favor the foolish.

Wait…

Wasn’t the Heavenly Hound involved in the investigation as well?

Maybe the dog guided him!

No, the Heavenly Hound is attuned to me, not him.

The Emperor’s thoughts churned.

The Minister of Justice continued, “I examined the gold, and the dried soil on it matched the soil on the gold from the Duke’s Estate. It’s safe to say they came from the same place.”

This statement cut off the Emperor’s internal criticism of the Fourth Prince.

The Emperor was initially stunned, then his face darkened like ink.

The Duked Duchess had told him that the gold from Linglong Mountain was to stabilize the dragon vein and compensate for the missing gold element in his fate.

The Duke had sworn that the gold hadn’t been touched.

And he had believed them.

Suddenly, the Emperor felt a pang of regret. It seemed that whenever something involved the previous dynasty or his throne, his rationality waned.

Now, gold had been found in the magistrate’s residence.

How to explain this?

If it were ordinary gold, that would be one thing, but it matched the Duke’s gold exactly.

The Emperor’s eyes narrowed, filled with a murderous gleam. The atmosphere in the Imperial Study turned cold.

The Minister of Justice continued, “When I was called from the Duke’s Estate, the Duke didn’t know about the magistrate. Currently, the Crown Prince is at the magistrate’s residence, so they probably don’t know about each other.”

The Minister’s message was clear, and the Emperor understood.

He frowned. “Why is the Crown Prince there?”

The Minister replied, “I don’t know. When I arrived, the Crown Prince was just being led to the gate by the magistrate’s steward.”

The Emperor snorted.

He knew about the Crown Prince’s spies in the Fourth Prince’s residence. Consort Jiang worked for the Crown Prince, so naturally, the Crown Prince would be concerned about her father.

If it were a common issue, it wouldn’t matter.

But if the Crown Prince knew and hid it…

The Emperor’s deep eyes revealed nothing of his true emotions.

After a long silence, the Emperor, his voice hoarse, ordered, “Imprison the magistrate in the Ministry of Justice’s prison and interrogate him. As for his household… enslave the women, exile the men.”

The Minister was stunned.

The investigation wasn’t complete, yet the Emperor had issued such a harsh order.

What if the magistrate was innocent?

As the thought crossed his mind, the Minister dismissed it with a bitter smile.

How could he be innocent? Who could hide gold in his courtyard without his knowledge?

And so much gold at that.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will handle it immediately. What about the Duke?”

The Emperor’s icy face twisted with a cruel smile. “Do not alert him. Instruct the commander of the guards to keep the courtyard sealed, allowing no one in or out.”

With the Ministry of Justice officials verifying the gold, the Duked Duchess would be occupied.

No one in or out meant house arrest.

The Minister of Justice nodded and left.

As he exited the Imperial Study, a young eunuch hurried away from the door and headed outside.

A palace maid from Consort Li’s quarters was waiting nearby.

After a brief whisper, the maid left hastily.

Inside the Imperial Study, the Emperor had the Chief Eunuch summon Zhao Jide.

“Tell me again about the Linglong Mountain matter.”

The Emperor’s face was grim as he sat behind his desk, his voice low.

Zhao Jide knelt, his heart stirring.

The last time he reported, the Emperor had focused more on his relationship with the Minister of Justice, suspecting collusion against the Duke.

Which was true.

But now…

Had something happened to change the Emperor’s perspective?

Zhao Jide took a silent breath and recounted the discovery of the gold mine as he had before.

When he finished, the Emperor asked, “Where is this Da Liu you mentioned?”

Zhao Jide…

Hadn’t the Emperor ordered an interrogation last time?

What kind of Emperor is this!

Zhao Jide had always been grateful to the late Empress, so he harbored resentment toward the current Emperor.

But he didn’t show it.

“Da Liu was brought to the capital with my family. Since I arrived first, he should be with them.”

His tone was uncertain.

After all, he had been under house arrest since entering the palace.

The Emperor frowned at Zhao Jide. “Are you complaining to me?”

Zhao Jide immediately prostrated himself. “I wouldn’t dare, Your Majesty. I’m merely speaking the truth.”

The Emperor snorted.

“Is there a merchant named Qian Lai in Yuzhou?”

Zhao Jide was taken aback, then nodded. “Yes, he is a respected local merchant. His son studies in the capital and is a classmate of the Duke’s third son.”

He had wanted to mention this earlier but never had the chance.

Finally, the Emperor asked.

The Emperor listened, then pondered. “What business does Qian Lai conduct?”

“He deals in cosmetics, Your Majesty.”

“Was his family always in the cosmetics business?”

Zhao Jide seemed to recall something. “Qian Lai’s ancestors were not merchants. He made money in the capital before returning to Yuzhou to start his cosmetics business. It grew from there.”

In the capital…

He must have worked with the Duke.

The Duke had admitted that Qian Lai oversaw the illegal gold mine in Yuzhou.

But if the mine was truly for the dragon vein, why would the Duke kill Qian Lai?

If there was nothing to hide, there would be no need to silence him.