The Command to Pamper the Husband - Chapter 181

The Third Prince was burned and fell into a coma. Master Deqing was assassinated with weapons. Before that, Noble Consort De and the Empress had jointly incited Consort Li, almost causing a rift between the Emperor and Great General. Additionally, there was the case of the Duke. To this day, the heir of the Duke was neither seen alive nor dead. Even Zhao Dehai, who was close to the Empress Dowager, had vanished.

These recent events made it difficult for the Emperor to lift his spirits.

Even on the upcoming New Year’s Eve, the Emperor couldn’t hold out until the end and retired early.

The harsh winter season was finally coming to an end with the arrival of the New Year.

During the New Year, the court took a seven-day break.

However, due to the cases of the Third Prince and Master Deqing, others took a break, but the Ministry of Justice couldn’t.

They worked tirelessly for seven days. On the eighth day, when the court resumed, the Minister of Justice followed the Emperor to the Imperial Study after the morning court session.

Whether it was due to recent physical ailments or the immense mental pressure, the Emperor’s face looked extremely unwell.

“How is it?” the Emperor asked.

Back in the Imperial Study, warming his hands by the dragon-shaped heater, the Emperor sat behind the desk and took a few sips of bird’s nest porridge handed to him by the Chief Eunuch.

The Minister of Justice’s face looked even worse than the Emperor’s.

“Your Majesty, regarding the Third Prince’s case, I have done my best, but I haven’t caught a single suspect.”

Not only had they failed to catch the person who threw the oil-soaked mat while riding the horse, but they also hadn’t identified the one who threw the firestone in the crowd.

The Emperor hummed heavily in response. “No clues at all?”

The Minister of Justice replied, “Since taking up the case, the Ministry of Justice has been investigating non-stop. Later, due to the incident at Deqing Temple, even the Deputy Minister of Justice personally patrolled the streets, but found no clues.”

Licking his dry lips, the Minister of Justice sighed.

“Although the perpetrator galloped through the streets, causing many citizens to curse him, very few remembered his appearance.”

The situation was too chaotic at the time. People were too busy dodging to take a good look at him.

“Those who were at the roadside and did notice him gave descriptions that don’t match up to form a coherent image.”

The Ministry of Justice usually relied on portraits to catch criminals. If they didn’t know the person’s identity, they would create a composite sketch from eyewitness descriptions.

The Emperor frowned. “You can’t create a composite sketch?”

The Minister of Justice smiled wryly. “Some said his eyebrows were like silkworms, others said they were like steel needles, and some said he had no eyebrows at all. Similar discrepancies existed for other features. We couldn’t piece together a single face.”

The Emperor frowned and slammed the table. “Nonsense! A person has only one face. How can there be so many different versions? Unless it’s a Sichuan opera face change, those deceitful commoners are lying. Interrogate them, and the truth will come out.”

The Minister of Justice dared not respond to the Emperor’s outburst.

The Emperor huffed. “And the arsonist, still no capture?”

The Minister of Justice shook his head. “At the time, the only ones close enough to set the fire were the prison guards of the Court of Judicial Review. We couldn’t identify any traitor among them.”

The Minister of Justice’s eyes flickered as he frowned.

The Emperor noticed his expression and asked, “What is it? Speak up.”

The Minister of Justice hesitated. “It’s just that when I investigated the guards, their statements were almost identical.”

Logically, since they were all near the sedan, their testimonies should be similar. However, their statements were identical, which was unusual. They were in different positions, so their perspectives should vary. This indicated someone might have coordinated their testimonies.

This was the biggest suspicion, yet the Ministry of Justice couldn’t identify who orchestrated it, or perhaps they couldn’t investigate further. The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was an ally of the Second Prince.

The Second Prince and the Third Prince had always been at odds. Objectively, the Second Prince was the most suspicious. The one who could control the guards was most likely the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review himself. This made it impossible for the Minister of Justice to investigate, even though the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review had been suspended.

The Emperor pondered and voiced his thoughts, “Do you suspect the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review?”

Logically, he was the most suspicious. However, the Minister of Justice shook his head. “Your Majesty, I believe the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review is innocent.”

The Emperor raised an eyebrow.

The Minister of Justice explained, “The Minister has always been close to the Second Prince, and the Second Prince and the Third Prince have political differences. The Second Prince is an obvious suspect. I don’t think he would do something that would draw trouble to himself. Besides, the original plan was for the Third Prince to face a trial by three courts soon. The Second Prince had no reason to act at this critical moment.”

“Then who do you think did it?”

The Minister of Justice shook his head. “I don’t know. This case has hit a dead end. I keep thinking…”

The Minister of Justice suddenly fell silent, casting a timid glance at the Emperor before quickly lowering his head.

“Speak clearly!” The Emperor slammed the table in frustration.

The Minister of Justice immediately said, “I keep thinking, the one who burned the Third Prince, could it be… Your Majesty?”

The Emperor was taken aback.

He always knew the Minister of Justice was bold, but this was beyond his expectations.

How dare he say such a thing to the Emperor’s face?

“Presumptuous!”

The Minister of Justice knew he had said something outrageous and knelt down immediately.

The Emperor glared at him. “Why do you suspect me?”

The Minister of Justice licked his lips. “Because if the Third Prince were truly tried, if anything incriminating were found, Your Majesty might act out of fatherly love…”

The Chief Eunuch was stunned. This was audacious!

“Out of fatherly love, I wouldn’t let him face trial, but I would burn him to death?” The Emperor laughed in anger.

The Minister of Justice, with his unyielding resolve, said, “Perhaps the executor did not control the extent properly.”

The Emperor and the Chief Eunuch were both speechless.

The Emperor rolled his eyes. “You sure have a vivid imagination!”

The Minister of Justice lowered his head. “This wasn’t my idea.”

The Emperor’s heart sank.

If this was the Minister of Justice’s idea, he would just consider it boldness and not pursue it further. But if it was someone else’s idea…

“Who said that? Where did you hear it?” The Emperor’s once calm face darkened suddenly.