The Command to Pamper the Husband - Chapter 87

“You officials, protecting each other,” Shen Yue thought, rolling his eyes inwardly. He continued to cling to the Crown Prince’s arm with a coy expression. “And there’s more, Brother…”

Before Shen Yue could finish, the Magistrate looked at the Crown Prince and Shen Yue in disbelief.

The Crown Prince despised the Fourth Prince. How come…?

He had heard rumors that the Fourth Prince had publicly clung to the Crown Prince’s arm, but he hadn’t believed them until now.

A shiver ran through him as he tried to suppress his shock. “Your Highness, please understand. That gold belt does not belong to me. It’s a false accusation by the Fourth Prince.”

Shen Yue rolled his eyes at the Magistrate. “Everyone knows I’m poor. Even my consorts pay for their own servants. If this belt was a setup by me, I’d need money to buy it, wouldn’t I? This belt is worth at least tens of thousands of taels of silver.”

“Your Highness, it truly isn’t mine,” the Magistrate insisted, focusing on the Crown Prince.

His composure slowly returned. After all, he was the Crown Prince’s man, and the Crown Prince wouldn’t abandon him. Besides, the Crown Prince loathed the Fourth Prince.

The gathered crowd was eager for gossip, their eyes shining with curiosity. A gold belt worth thousands of taels was a big deal.

It had been a long time since the capital had seen such a significant case.

The Crown Prince’s entrance, with Shen Yue clinging to his arm, deepened his suspicions. He turned and looked at Shen Yue’s face with a complicated expression.

“Fourth Brother?”

Shen Yue nodded enthusiastically, still holding his arm. “Yes, Brother!”

The Crown Prince…

This was definitely different from the Fourth Prince he knew.

The real Fourth Prince would never react so cutely.

This had to be like those stories of soul-swapping in the novels.

Reality was stranger than fiction, proving once again that art imitates life.

Taking a deep breath, the Crown Prince gently removed his arm from Shen Yue’s grasp and walked toward a chair.

The Magistrate quickly followed. “Your Highness, you must believe me. This is all the Fourth Prince’s scheming…”

Seeing the Crown Prince’s doubtful expression, Shen Yue’s mind raced. He couldn’t let the Crown Prince take control of the situation.

Just as the Magistrate turned to speak to the Crown Prince, Shen Yue stepped forward and swiftly pulled off the Magistrate’s shoe.

The Magistrate, mid-sentence, found himself suddenly shoeless.

Both the Magistrate and Lu Zhan were stunned!

Oh my!

What was Shen Yue doing?

Wasn’t this disgusting?

The onlookers gasped collectively.

What were they witnessing?

The Fourth Prince had just publicly removed the Magistrate’s shoe!

Their shock quickly turned to fascination as they saw the golden threads and tiny jade beads on the Magistrate’s sock.

Holding the Magistrate’s shoe, Shen Yue stood triumphantly. “Do you have any more excuses, Magistrate? Did I put these socks on you?”

The Magistrate…

He never would have imagined the Fourth Prince would remove his shoe in public!

Who does that!

“How dare you… How dare you…”

Furious, the Magistrate pointed at Shen Yue.

Shen Yue raised an eyebrow. “I’m just presenting evidence. As you said, cases require evidence. Without it, it’s contempt of the law, just like when you convicted Wang Fugui’s son.”

Lu Zhan stood by, his mind reeling.

Things were not going as they had planned.

Not at all.

He had no idea what Shen Yue would do next.

But for now, things seemed to be going well.

Except that his master…

His master wouldn’t have known about the Magistrate’s flashy socks.

Shen Yue’s gaze turned to the Crown Prince. “Brother, the Magistrate’s salary shouldn’t be enough for such luxury, right? What should we do now?”

The Crown Prince looked at Shen Yue with deep interest.

“I wonder how Fourth Brother knew about the Magistrate’s golden belt and socks?”

In truth, even the Crown Prince hadn’t known about the Magistrate’s extravagant use of gold.

He cast a cold glance at the Magistrate.

The Magistrate shivered visibly.

In the cold winter air, with one foot bare, the shivering was relentless.

Shen Yue remained calm and lied smoothly, “I happened to see the Magistrate’s golden belt once while using the latrine.”

The Magistrate immediately retorted, “Nonsense! I’ve never used the latrine with you. Everyone avoids you!”

The Magistrate was clearly agitated by the mention of the golden belt and socks.

Shen Yue shrugged. “Deny it all you want, but everyone here saw it.”

With a sigh, Shen Yue continued, “I’m not a favored prince anyway. I’ll just report the case to Father Emperor and let him assign someone else to investigate.”

The Magistrate, who had been adamant about going to the palace himself, now looked desperately at the Crown Prince.

His eyes pleaded: Help me, Your Highness.

The Crown Prince gave him a cold look.

Help you? How?

Even if he wanted to, how could he explain the Magistrate’s golden-threaded socks and jade beads?

And the glaringly flashy golden belt? Wasn’t he afraid it would pull his pants down?

The Crown Prince couldn’t fathom the Magistrate’s actions.

But his interest in Shen Yue only grew.

“Even if you go to the palace, Fourth Brother, you should finish investigating Duke’s case first. Father assigned you and the Magistrate to it, giving you authority. Now that the Magistrate can’t continue, you’ll have to handle it.”

“Your Highness…” The Magistrate’s voice trembled.

The Crown Prince’s cold gaze silenced him.

Shen Yue watched the Crown Prince warily.

This was the prince who had sent assassins after Shen Yue in Yuzhou.

Why would he be helpful now?

But the Crown Prince’s words suited her perfectly.

Hesitating briefly, Shen Yue turned to Qian Lai. “Wang Fugui accuses Duke’s Third Young Master. Whom do you accuse?”

Qian Lai, still stunned by the recent events, gathered his resolve.

He had heard of the Fourth Prince’s reputation as a fool.

But this was no fool.

Except for being somewhat effeminate, he seemed quite normal!

Besides, he owed his life to the Fourth Prince.

Taking a deep breath, Qian Lai declared, “I accuse Duke’s Third Young Master of murder and Duke of illegal gold mining.”