The Command to Pamper the Husband - Chapter 93

The Capital Magistrate watched helplessly as the Duke’s carriage departed.

He felt deeply troubled!

On one side, there was the Duke.

On the other, the Crown Prince.

And on yet another side, there were the unruly commoners.

In these times, being an official was truly difficult!

Taking a deep breath, the Capital Magistrate began walking towards the Duke’s Estate.

He had left in such a hurry that he didn’t even take his own carriage.

He truly felt troubled.

These days, if an official didn’t travel by carriage, were they even considered an official?

The crowd did not block the Capital Magistrate; once the Duke’s carriage left, they followed it back to the Duke’s Estate.

In front of the Duke’s Estate.

Song Jin leaned against the stone lion at the gate, standing there idly, waiting.

The Crown Prince stood opposite her, looking at her thoughtfully.

After a long silence, the Crown Prince smiled faintly and walked towards Song Jin.

Song Jin shivered and instinctively took a few steps back.

Seeing her reaction, the Crown Prince’s smile grew even wider.

How amusing.

“Little Brother, leave the door open for me tonight.”

Song Jin rolled her eyes. “Brother, don’t you have anything to do? If you’re really bored, why not read a storybook or something?”

The Crown Prince’s attendant…

Our Highness’s specialty is reading storybooks; how could that be considered as something to do when bored?

When our Highness is truly bored, he usually spends his time reading the documents assigned by the Emperor.

Moreover, our Crown Prince’s love for storybooks is well-known.

Is the Fourth Prince mocking our Highness?

The Crown Prince, however, didn’t think much of it and just smiled. “Oh? So, Little Brother has a storybook to recommend?”

Then, the Crown Prince suddenly took a step forward, getting very close to Song Jin.

“Have you ever read a storybook about soul swapping?”

The Crown Prince’s voice, slightly hoarse and low, carried a trace of enchantment, like a cat scratching at one’s heart.

After speaking, he stared at Song Jin intently.

Song Jin shivered uncontrollably.

Soul swapping?

Which storybook writer would dare write such a thing!

Pursing her lips, Song Jin huddled her shoulders and smiled cutely. “The stories in those books are just made-up tales, Brother. You wouldn’t believe them, would you?”

The Crown Prince, standing close to Song Jin, smiled. “Made-up tales? Naturally, I don’t believe them. However, someone once said that art imitates life. Perhaps it’s true? What do you think, Little… Brother?”

Song Jin’s heart pounded.

She had to remember that the handsome and upright prince in front of her was not a kind person.

He was someone who could order dozens of assassins to kill without hesitation.

What did he mean by this? Did he discover something?

Her heart pounded wildly.

Licking her lips again, Song Jin huddled her shoulders and smiled softly, “Well, Brother, some also say that believing too much in books is worse than having no books at all.”

The Crown Prince extended his hand, reaching over Song Jin’s shoulder to brace himself on the stone lion behind her.

Using his arm and body, he almost encircled Song Jin.

“Is that so? Who said that?”

Their noses were almost touching.

Song Jin instinctively squatted down and slipped out from under the Crown Prince’s arm.

Taking a big step back, sweating and unsure how to deal with this perverted prince, she spotted the crowd returning.

“Brother, they are back.”

Song Jin was almost in tears with joy.

Seeing her reaction, the Crown Prince looked at her amusingly for a moment before turning to look at the returning people.

The Duke’s carriage had just come to a stop.

The Crown Prince retracted his arm, standing there with an imposing air, tapping his fan against his palm as if nothing had happened.

The Duke stepped out and immediately saw the Crown Prince. He hurried forward, “Your Highness.”

The Crown Prince nodded, “Have you seen the Emperor?”

The Duke was indeed a seasoned official. Though he had been flustered before, now that he had brought out his third son to be punished, he had regained his composure.

“The Emperor is merciful. The entire Duke’s Estate is deeply grateful. I never expected that my wretched son would commit such a heinous act.” The Duke clenched his fist, speaking with extreme anger.

His voice was not low, perhaps deliberately raised.

Not only did the Crown Prince hear him clearly, but even the people in the front row of the crowd also heard him.

Upon hearing this, the crowd immediately began to whisper.

“Did you hear? The Duke said it was his son.”

“Bah! They probably just threw out a Consort’s son to take the blame. These families have plenty of sons and daughters from Consorts. Whenever something happens, they use them as scapegoats.”

“So you mean? Those corpses were the Duke’s doing?”

“No way, the Duke is old. He probably can’t even stand up straight.”

“Stand up straight? Are you saying these corpses were all…”

“Of course, why else would they all be female corpses?”

“No, no, no. The coroner said the cause of death was their necks being twisted.”

…

As the discussion grew louder, the Crown Prince looked at the Duke indifferently, “So, Duke, do you know who the real culprit is?”

The Duke was about to respond but then had a sudden realization.

How could he know the real culprit at this time?

It should be investigated by the Capital Magistrate or the Ministry of Justice. They should find the real culprit.

If he knew the real culprit without an investigation, wouldn’t that prove he was covering it up?

How dangerous!

The Duke shook his head, “With such a huge incident, who else could it be but those unfilial sons in my mansion? The servants certainly wouldn’t have the guts.”

After speaking, the Duke looked at Song Jin.

“Fourth Prince, the Capital Magistrate and I will jointly investigate this case. The Emperor has ordered me to cooperate with Your Highness. How would Your Highness like to proceed with the investigation?”

Song Jin replied, “At the Capital Magistrate’s office, someone accused you of murder to silence witnesses and of secretly operating a gold mine…”

Before Song Jin could finish, the Duke looked shocked. “What?”

Song Jin, with a gentle expression, smiled and said, “The accuser’s name is Qian Lai, who claimed to have handled the case for you in Yuzhou. I came to your mansion because he said he was buried alive in the flower garden of the east courtyard. He said a jade pendant of his was buried there, which is evidence.”

With a sigh, Song Jin continued, “But who would have thought, before we could verify the evidence, the corpses from your mansion came out on their own.”

The Duke…

Did the corpses really come out on their own?

No, it was the Heavenly Hound who threw them out.

At this thought, the Duke’s gaze towards Song Jin turned sharp.

The Heavenly Hound had come with the Fourth Prince.

Judging by how close the Heavenly Hound was to the Fourth Prince…

Could it be the Fourth Prince who ordered the Heavenly Hound to throw out the corpses?

Although this idea seemed bizarre, the Duke couldn’t help but think so, and the more he thought about it, the more it seemed likely.

Humph!

Narrowing his eyes and suppressing his killing intent, the Duke looked pained. “I have failed to discipline my children properly and deeply regret and blame myself.”