Proud Feather

Chapter 100 Lure the Snake
The movements of the Crown Prince's palace cannot be kept secret from those who are interested, especially when rumors are deliberately leaked.

"The princess went to the East Palace, and the Crown Princess didn't even leave her a meal. She was in a very bad mood."

"The Crown Princess ordered Fang Wu to be arrested and brought back, where he was severely beaten."

"Fang Wu was thrown out, and he looked like he had been beaten quite badly."

"Poor Crown Princess, all she can do now is vent her anger. The matter is already settled, what can she do?"

"Where did the princess go?"

"I went to the Bowen Hall and called Gao Mian over to give him a good scolding. But since I still needed his help, I let him go."

"That idiot, I don't know what he was thinking, actually siding with a princess who knows nothing. He's doomed, isn't he?"

"You don't understand. He's not siding with the princess; he's trying to use her to curry favor with His Majesty. He's got a lot more to do than this!"

"Alright, forget about them. We have a lot of things to arrange. Let's get on with the cleanup!"

……

In the Bowen Hall, Gao Mian, who had just been scolded, was about to leave.

"Come back!" Chu Ling shouted. "You haven't finished your business yet!"

Gao Mian had no choice but to turn back. Then several eunuchs went out and closed the doors and windows that needed to be closed, and guarded the places that needed to be guarded, so that not even a fly could get in.

He understood immediately: "What are your orders, Princess?"

Chu Ling beckoned, and he and Jiang Shijun both leaned over. She then quickly recounted what had happened at noon.

Gao Mian and Jiang Shijun were overjoyed. It was a truly unexpected turn of events; with Zhu Fan's letter, the evidence of the confession was broken. But why didn't the princess say so directly?

Jiang Shijun had become familiar with the princess's style over the past few days, and immediately asked, "Do you think this is not enough?"

Chu Ling nodded: "Throwing out this letter has cleared Zhu Fan of suspicion, but we still don't know who the murderer is, and we'll be caught in a tug-of-war again. Moreover... as you should have realized, Minister Lin has someone backing him. If it's a direct confrontation, we can't win."

Gao Mian paused for a moment, then said softly, "It's not too late for the princess to understand now. The imperial court is a place where people can kill without shedding blood; you can't hold back if you can."

Chu Ling wholeheartedly agreed: "I underestimated them, which is why I suffered this loss."

Jiang Shijun quickly tried to comfort her: "How can you blame the princess? They even killed the crown prince!"

Chu Ling didn't dwell on that, and continued, "On the contrary, this is a good opportunity for us. They think the case is closed, and we can lure them out..."

The two understood her meaning and bowed together, saying, "We will obey the princess's orders."

Chu Ling took out the cloth bag brought by Daoist Lingxu: "The confession has been confirmed to be fake, but the truth about Zhu Fan's death still needs to be revealed. You two are both experts in criminal law, so let's see if you can find any loopholes."

"Yes."

The two carefully studied Zhu Fan's letter. It contained little content, only briefly describing his situation, and then included a token, asking them to follow the messenger to make arrangements.

After reading it, Jiang Shijun asked, "Is the handwriting on this letter the same as the confession?"

After reading the confession, Gao Mian nodded: "It's pretty much the same. The confession is a bit messy, which is normal, since it was written in blood in prison."

"That's strange," Jiang Shijun pondered. "The confession contradicts the contents of this letter. Could someone have forced Zhu Fan to write it? The Crown Prince had already arranged for the Zhu family mother and son to be settled. Zhu Fan has no other weaknesses! Could someone have forged the handwriting so well that even the scholars couldn't recognize it?"

His words reminded Gao Mian, who said, "Princess! I think I know the reason!"

"Oh?"

Gao Mian pointed at the letter: "Why do the scholars think the confession is genuine? Because the handwriting matches the calligraphy and paintings found in Zhu Fan's room! What if those calligraphy and paintings are also fake?" Chu Ling suddenly realized: "In that case, as long as the forgery is roughly accurate, it can fool them!"

"That's right, the key to breaking through this matter is..."

"Xianle Tower!"
-
At 1:00 PM, Fang Wu limped into the alley.

Several houses in the alley had their doors open; some maids were picking vegetables, some were washing clothes, and some children were running around playing.

Upon seeing him appear, they immediately called the children back and slammed the courtyard gate shut.

Fang Wu's expression froze, and he silently returned to his house.

"Husband!" A woman came out to greet him, her face full of anxiety. "What happened? Did you do something to offend the Crown Prince? I heard the Crown Princess beat you up!"

These words struck a nerve with Fang Wu, who retorted irritably, "What could I do? I was just summoned to testify, wasn't I? I told the truth, how did I offend the Crown Prince? They don't know the inside story, and even you are blaming me!"

Madam Fang softened her tone: "That's not what I meant... Since you didn't do it, why did the Crown Princess hit you?"

Fang Wu said angrily, "What reason do women need when they're being unreasonable? She's just venting her anger on me because she's embarrassed! Alright, my wound hurts terribly, hurry up and treat it for me!"

"Oh……"

At the same time, Yang Yu, who had just returned to the Imperial Academy, was summoned again.

He looked at Chu Xiaojiu, whom he had just parted ways with that morning, with displeasure: "What are you doing now? Wasn't the matter finished?"

After leaving Xianle Tower last night, he spent the night at the Kang Prince's Mansion and only returned to the Imperial Academy this morning. That Chu Xiao Jiu really doesn't let him study properly.

Chu Xiaojiu shrugged: "This time it's not my fault, the princess called you."

Yang Yu was stunned for a moment.

Chu Xiaojiu sighed, "You still don't know what happened, do you? Let me tell you, Zhu Xingshou is dead."

"What?" Yang Yu was taken aback.

Chu Xiaojiu pulled him aside and whispered about what had happened that morning.

Yang Yu's face darkened: "Princess, we're in trouble. With Zhu Xing Shou dead, there's no way to verify this case."

"You also think Zhu Xingshou isn't the murderer?"

“Isn’t it obvious?” Yang Yu said. “If she were really the murderer, she wouldn’t have reacted that way last night.”

Chu Xiaojiu clapped her hands: "That's what the princess thinks too. But now the case has reached the Emperor's court, and Zhu Xingshou's confession is irrefutable evidence. If it can't be overturned in time, the case will be closed."

Yang Yu indeed asked, "What does the princess need us to do?"

Chu Xiaojiu smiled and put her arm around his shoulder: "I knew you wouldn't stand idly by."

Yang Yu pushed him away with disdain: "Don't waste time, just say it!"

Chu Xiaojiu leaned closer: "To overturn the case, we need to prove that the confession wasn't written by Zhu Xingshou, but Xianlelou is no longer reliable. We need to find somewhere else..."

Yang Yu listened and nodded, then asked, "When does the princess want it?"

"Before tonight."

"So urgent?" Yang Yu didn't ask any further questions. After a moment's thought, he had an idea. "This isn't difficult. You know many playboys, so you must know who has dealings with Zhu Xingshou. My friends are all scholars, so they'll be easier to deal with..."

Chu Xiaojiu clapped his hands and laughed, "Our partnership is flawless! Let's go, let's get started!"