The Command to Pamper the Husband - Chapter 55

The storybooks always said that when a remarkable woman appeared, she would be invincible wherever she went.

So now, such a remarkable woman had truly appeared before the Fourth Prince.

“Have you found out who is responsible?” The Crown Prince’s voice was calm.

The situation hadn’t strayed beyond the bounds of the storybooks, so there was no reason for him to panic. Even if someone seemed invincible, there were always clues that could be found and preemptively eliminated.

The attendant cupped his hands and said, “It was done by specially trained dogs.”

The Crown Prince…

His hand shook, almost dropping the book he was holding. He quickly looked up at the attendant. “Trained dogs?”

The storybooks didn’t mention that animals could be invincible. Moreover, those dogs were his!

Specially trained dogs were a rare breed, inherently proud and loyal only to the royal family. Once they recognized a master, they would never change. Now, his dogs had killed his men?

Despite all the storybooks he’d read, the Crown Prince couldn’t quite wrap his head around it.

The attendant, seeing the Crown Prince’s shock, inadvertently glanced at the storybook in his hand. His eyes twitched. Why on earth was he reading a storybook? Had he also been influenced, treating storybooks as guides for action?

The attendant quickly lowered his head and said, “Indeed, it was the dogs. After killing our men, they submitted to the Fourth Prince.”

The Crown Prince…

A dog, defecting? Wait, wait, something’s not right!

Firstly, a dog wouldn’t defect. Secondly, by the laws of storybooks, the troublemaker must be a woman.

No, he needed to calm down and not be thrown off by sudden changes. A woman, a woman, a woman…

The Crown Prince repeated the word nineteen times in his mind, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly, regaining his composure. “Any strange occurrences in Yuzhou?”

The attendant replied, “The strangest thing is that our men were killed by our dogs.”

The Crown Prince’s sharp gaze fell on the attendant.

The attendant…

Bowed even lower. “A hunter in Linglong Mountain used gunpowder to blow up a tiger’s den. The explosion revealed a gold mine that had been secretly mined. The local official, Zhao Jide, has arrested the illegal miners.”

The Crown Prince frowned. Illegally mining a gold mine. That was bold.

By storybook logic, those who dared such acts were usually high-ranking and fearless. Fearless…

The Crown Prince rhythmically tapped his fingers on the table. Steam from the teacup mingled with the scent of plum blossoms, filling the pavilion.

In the Great Yan Dynasty, only Duke would be so brazen and fit the storybook’s description. Duke’s daughter, Consort Li, was currently the most favored Consort of the Emperor. She had enjoyed three years of unwavering favor.

The Crown Prince rubbed his fingers and said, “Any incidents at Duke’s Estate?”

The abrupt change in topic startled the attendant, who quickly replied, “The Third Young Master of Duke’s family forcibly occupied a shop and conspired with the capital prefect to kill the shop owner…”

The Crown Prince waved his hand, “Fourth Brother went to Yuzhou because of this matter. I know.”

As he spoke, a flash of insight crossed the Crown Prince’s mind. He immediately flipped through a few pages of the storybook. Suddenly, he slapped the table, his eyes shining.

“That Fourth Brother, I really underestimated him! He went to Yuzhou, not just to investigate the shop owner’s wrongful death but to investigate the gold mine!”

The attendant, unable to keep up with the Crown Prince’s leaps in logic, simply listened.

The Crown Prince smiled with interest and patted the storybook in his hand. “Any other strange incidents at Duke’s Estate?”

The attendant continued, “A few days ago, the Third Young Master of Duke’s family argued with someone over a courtesan in a teahouse. In the scuffle, he accidentally killed someone, causing a fatal incident.”

Seeing no change in the Crown Prince’s expression, the attendant added, “The Third Young Master of Duke’s family is good friends with the son of a merchant in Yuzhou. To protect his business, the merchant volunteered to have his son take the blame for the Third Young Master. The young man is currently in death row.”

The Crown Prince nodded. As expected, Yuzhou again.

“According to my speculation, the merchant should be on his way to the capital by now. His son wouldn’t willingly take the blame.”

The attendant said, “That, I do not know.”

The Crown Prince ignored him. “The local official in Yuzhou, if I remember correctly, is the butcher scholar Zhao Jide.”

The attendant nodded. Zhao Jide was the top scholar twenty years ago. Despite his scholarly appearance, he was known for his skill in butchering pigs. No matter how fierce the pig, one chop from him would bring it down. He was a legend in the market.

Zhao Jide had been the local official in Yuzhou for sixteen years. Sixteen years ago, the Crown Prince had been just five years old. At that time, his uncle and the Empress had been assassinated overnight. His father, as the only remaining royal bloodline, had to ascend the throne.

After his ascension, his father, the current Emperor, replaced many local officials. This had always puzzled the Crown Prince. If it was to stabilize his power, why not replace the capital officials and main forces, but instead replace local officials?

But…

Never mind, it’s not for him to understand adult matters. As long as he could inherit the throne, that’s all that mattered. Why waste time thinking about it? Were the storybooks not entertaining enough to divert his thoughts?

Realizing his thoughts had strayed, the Crown Prince forcibly refocused. “Investigate Duke’s influence in Yuzhou. Also, find a way to communicate with Zhao Jide.”

By storybook logic, such a person might have great potential in the future. It’s necessary to recruit him in advance.

The attendant received the order and, seeing the Crown Prince had no further questions, bowed and left. As soon as he left, the Crown Prince sighed deeply and walked to the pavilion outside. Looking at the white plum blossoms, his gaze deepened.

After a while, he called a maid, “I remember having a storybook called ‘The Black-Bellied Princess,’ find it for me.”

…

After giving his orders, the Crown Prince returned to the pavilion to drink tea. Duke, however, could not sit still.

His eldest son, Xu Lin, had gone to the gold mine in Yuzhou ten days ago. There had been no news since. He had already sent people to investigate the gold mine. Those he sent had been gone for five or six days, and there was no word from them either.

In the palace, there was also turmoil. Zhao Fuhai hadn’t appeared for several days, and the Empress Dowager was conducting a thorough investigation. Although his secret dealings with Zhao Fuhai were confidential, it wasn’t certain that no one in the palace knew.

If the Empress Dowager discovered something while investigating Zhao Fuhai’s whereabouts…

Damn it, where exactly did Zhao Fuhai go!