The Command to Pamper the Husband - Chapter 116

After paying his respects, the Crown Prince stood there with a respectful expression.

“Father Emperor, the Minister of Justice has already sealed the Capital Magistrate’s residence, and the Capital Magistrate has been imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice’s jail. However…”

Before the Crown Prince could finish, the Emperor’s face darkened, and he snorted, “Don’t think I don’t know. Consort Jiang, who is with the Fourth Prince, is your spy.”

The Crown Prince immediately looked fearful. “I acknowledge my guilt. I was only afraid that my Fourth Brother might do something inappropriate, so I sent someone to keep an eye on him to prevent the situation from escalating.”

The Emperor snorted coldly again.

The Crown Prince trembled and said, “After all, my Fourth Brother’s fate is somewhat special. I fear that any of his actions might endanger the foundations of our Great Yan Dynasty. It was reckless of me. Please forgive me, Father Emperor.”

Zhao Jide was stunned. This father and son speak so bluntly. The Fourth Prince is still a prince, after all. Shouldn’t they consider my presence as an outsider?

Moreover, Crown Prince, sending someone to spy on the Fourth Prince is really inappropriate. Speaking so righteously about it, is that really okay? And the Emperor is not angry? He even admitted he knew the consort was working for the Crown Prince.

This means the Fourth Prince, who is allied with the Song family, holds a very low position. If his position is so low, how did the Song family manage to topple the Capital Magistrate and promise that position to him?

Zhao Jide was puzzled. He knew the Fourth Prince’s fate clashed with the Emperor’s and that his status was low, but he didn’t expect it to be this low!

The Emperor looked coldly at the Crown Prince. “Are you here to plead for Consort Jiang or for the Capital Magistrate?”

The Crown Prince hurriedly cupped his hands. “Father, you misunderstand. I am here for the Duke.”

The Emperor raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“The hidden gold from the Duke’s Estate was found in the Capital Magistrate’s residence. I thought, the Duke might have more residences in the capital. Could there be more hidden gold in those places? The matter of the private gold mine is significant. I request your permission to search the Duke’s other residences.”

The Emperor was a bit surprised. Had he misjudged?

In the past, the Duke had repeatedly tried to align with the Crown Prince, and the Capital Magistrate was indeed the Crown Prince’s man. Yet, the Crown Prince didn’t care about either.

Did he not know the importance of building his power base? Didn’t he realize that if he ignored issues within his circle, it would chill the hearts of his followers and prevent them from being loyal to him?

For a moment, the Emperor didn’t know whether to be wary of the Crown Prince or to advise him.

The Crown Prince, having finished speaking, stood there respectfully, saying no more.

After a moment of silence, the Emperor said, “Go ahead and investigate.”

Receiving these words, the Crown Prince immediately bowed and left.

The Emperor… He really didn’t plead for anyone.

Is this son of his so immersed in fiction that he doesn’t understand how to use political tactics?

Once the Crown Prince left, the Emperor lost interest in questioning Zhao Jide further and waved for him to leave as well.

In the royal study, the subtle scent of dragon incense filled the air. The Emperor took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, dragging his tired body to the large window.

The sun was already setting in the west.

Once the Duke’s Estate falls, who should the power in his hands be distributed to? Who will replace the Capital Magistrate?

Where did the heir of the Duke’s Estate go? Why did he disappear?

Did the eunuch by the Empress Dowager’s side disappear with him?

What does the sudden manifestation of the Heavenly Hound signify?

These questions swirled in the Emperor’s mind, threatening to overwhelm him.

He couldn’t make sense of any of them.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Justice stood in the courtyard of the Capital Magistrate’s residence, looking incredulously at his subordinate who had just reported back.

“Can’t find the Capital Magistrate’s wife?”

The subordinate cupped his hands. “When we sealed the residence, we found that Magistrate Jiang’s several concubines were locked in their respective courtyards, along with their children and servants. This made sealing the premises exceptionally convenient.”

In the past, sealing a large residence like this would cause a lot of chaos due to the many people living there. This time, however, everyone had already been locked up in advance.

Unusual.

“However, after thorough checking, we found that while all the concubines and their children were present, the Capital Magistrate’s wife and legitimate children were all missing. Additionally, during the inventory of property, we found that all items recorded as part of the Capital Magistrate’s wife’s dowry were also missing.”

The Minister of Justice was puzzled. What does this mean? They fled in advance?

“Continue the search!”

The subordinate obeyed and immediately carried out the order.

Just then, a minor official from the Ministry of Revenue hurried over.

“Your Excellency.”

The Minister of Justice turned, somewhat surprised to see him. The Capital Magistrate’s residence had just been sealed, and the Ministry of Revenue was already here to collect money?

“Your Excellency, the Minister of Revenue specifically sent me to inform you that an hour ago, the Capital Magistrate and his wife divorced. The legitimate children are in the custody of the wife, who left the residence with her children and her dowry, without taking any of the Capital Magistrate’s property.”

The Minister of Justice was astonished. Divorced? At this critical moment?

The official produced a register. “Please look, Your Excellency. This is recorded in the Ministry of Revenue’s registry. Their divorce was conducted according to legal procedures.”

In other words, their divorce was legitimate and complied with the laws of the Great Yan Dynasty. Once registered, it was official.

The Minister of Justice found the timing suspicious. This divorce happened just at the right moment. Once divorced, the wife and children had nothing to do with whatever happened to the Capital Magistrate’s residence. Legally, they couldn’t be held accountable.

Yet, the concubines had been locked in their courtyards.

The Minister of Justice found it amusing. It was as if the Capital Magistrate’s wife had foreseen what was about to happen and retaliated against the Capital Magistrate and his concubines.

Well… The Capital Magistrate did have quite a few concubines!

Since the wife had divorced, he no longer needed to pursue her. He ordered that everyone in the Capital Magistrate’s residence be taken to the Ministry of Justice’s jail, where further arrangements would be made. After sealing the main gate with an official seal, he left the premises.

With the Capital Magistrate’s case handled, he needed to return to the Duke’s Estate.

After bidding farewell to the official from the Ministry of Revenue, the Minister of Justice asked his subordinate, “Where is the Fourth Prince?”

He had planned to enter the palace with him, but the Fourth Prince had gotten a stomachache and now was nowhere to be found.

The subordinate shook his head. “Shortly after you entered the palace, the Fourth Prince returned and spoke with the Crown Prince. Then the Crown Prince left, and later, someone from the Crown Prince’s side came to fetch the Fourth Prince. I don’t know where they went.”

The Minister of Justice was puzzled. The Crown Prince had always despised the Fourth Prince. Why had they recently been acting like they had a close relationship?

This wasn’t normal.

But it had nothing to do with him!