Wasn't he supposed to be beaten to death? Why did this powerful cousin love him so much?

While Jiang Sese and Xie Jue were still on their way back to Beijing, news of Chen Jingang's death had already reached the capital.

Several senior princes in the imperial clan couldn't sit still any longer.

The Yangzhou government hastily concluded that the incident involved river bandits who robbed people of their money, without even capturing a single person alive. This perfunctory handling of the matter clearly shows that they do not respect the imperial family.

After discussing it, the princes decided to go to the palace together to ask Emperor Jingyuan to uphold justice.

Inside the Zichen Palace, Emperor Jingyuan merely raised his eyelids to glance at the few people kneeling below the steps, and said indifferently, "Rise."

The old prince, who was at the head of the group, rose shakily, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, we have heard the details of the murder of Prince Duankang, and we are deeply troubled. The local officials hastily closed the case, claiming it was a bandit raid that robbed the area, and that all the perpetrators escaped without a single survivor being captured. This is far too perfunctory!"

In terms of seniority, the old prince who came was Emperor Jingyuan's uncle.

He was a respected figure among the imperial clan, and it was he who spearheaded the effort to invite everyone to the palace to demand an explanation.

Several princes nearby echoed his sentiments, their words earnest and their expressions filled with grief and indignation.

"Prince Duankang is of royal blood. If we fail to thoroughly investigate the root cause, capture the culprit, and punish him severely, all members of the imperial family will live in fear, and we fear that the hearts of our relatives will be chilled! We earnestly request Your Majesty to issue an edict and select a trusted imperial envoy to go to Yangzhou to thoroughly investigate this case!"

Emperor Jingyuan put down his vermilion brush and slowly began to speak: "During Chen Jingang's years in Yangzhou, the wife of the prefect of Taizhou committed suicide by drowning, and the wife of the magistrate of Jiangdu County was abducted by him and taken to a separate residence. The magistrate of Jiangdu County is still missing... Are you aware of these things?"

The hall fell silent.

The group exchanged glances, their expressions subtly changing.

Although they didn't quite understand the specifics.

However, it is impossible to say that they were completely unaware of Chen Jingang's actions.

Emperor Jingyuan said, "The secret reports from local officials have been suppressed under my imperial desk for years, every single one of them blocked by the Imperial Clan Court. I kept silent, and you all thought everything was without a trace. Now that he has lost his life, you all rush to the palace to plead for justice, humph!"

The old prince at the head of the group collapsed to his knees with a thud, his forehead pressed against the cold gold bricks. His voice trembled as he repeatedly said, "Your Majesty, please understand, we were truly unaware of this."

Whether you know it or not, you must say you don't know at this moment.

Several others behind him also knelt down, the imposing manner of questioning them vanished, leaving only fear throughout the hall.

Emperor Jingyuan sat upright on his throne, looking down at the princes kneeling all over the steps below, and said: "Regarding the case of Chen Jingang, I have ordered the Censorate to cooperate in the investigation, and the Court of Judicial Review to go to Yangzhou together with the Embroidered Uniform Guard to collect witnesses and physical evidence."

"I hereby appoint Xie Jue to oversee this case."

Upon hearing Emperor Jingyuan specifically name Xie Jue as the supervisor, the princes in the hall were immediately speechless.

Everyone present knew Xie Jue's methods.

Once a case falls into his hands, he will never handle it hastily or carelessly.

Emperor Jingyuan ordered Xie Jue to handle the matter, which served as an explanation to the imperial clan. The princes had nothing more to say and bowed as they withdrew, saying, "Your Majesty is wise! We take our leave."

After everyone left, Emperor Jingyuan said indifferently, "Xie Junheng really knows how to cause me trouble."

Wang Huaijin had served Emperor Jingyuan for most of his life and had seen all sorts of storms. But when Emperor Jingyuan suddenly uttered this sentence, he couldn't quite figure out what it meant.

Once outside the hall, Wang Huaijin suddenly stopped in his tracks. A fine layer of cold sweat instantly soaked through the back of his inner garment, and his whole body felt chilled.

……

On the canal, an official boat slowly sails north.

Xie Ping quickly entered the cabin, bowed, and whispered, "Young Master, a messenger has ridden along the canal embankment to the ship. He is a messenger from the capital who has come to deliver an imperial edict."

Xie Jue looked up and met Jiang Sese's gaze for a moment.

Jiang Sese's heart tightened slightly.

The group was still on their return journey by water, and there was still a long way to go before reaching the capital. His Majesty specially sent someone thousands of miles to deliver the imperial decree. Could it be that something unexpected had happened in Chen Jingang's case?

Jiang Sese never expected that Chen Jingang would actually die.

It is truly shocking that a prince of such high rank would die at the hands of a few river bandits.

The matter was the subject of much discussion in Yangzhou. Some people privately speculated that there must be an inside agent in the mansion. Otherwise, how could a group of bandits drifting on the river know where the mansion's defenses were weak and how could they bypass layers of patrols and go straight to the inner chambers?

Some say that it was divine intervention that brought Chen Jingang to this end, as he had abused his status as a member of the imperial clan to run rampant in Yangzhou. He had committed many evils and deserved his just deserts.

Some commoners secretly murmured that even if the river bandits were bold, they wouldn't dare to sneak into the royal palace in the prefecture and commit murder. Perhaps they had political enemies behind them who instructed them to do so.

The royal family also speculated on this.

The royal family speculated that the attack on Chen Jingang was a pretense, and the real intention was to launch an attack on the royal family.

They weren't standing up for Chen Jingang, but for themselves.

The rumors spread far and wide, with many conflicting accounts, but no one could provide any concrete evidence. The government hastily decided that the bandits were seeking revenge, and yet they failed to capture a single survivor, further fueling speculation among the common people.

Xie Jue stood up, straightened his robes and sleeves without changing his expression, and stepped out of the cabin.

Below the gangway at the stern, a messenger from the Imperial Guard, covered in dust and sweat, immediately knelt on one knee upon seeing Xie Jue appear and read out the imperial edict.

The content of the imperial decree was exactly the same as what Emperor Jingyuan had said to the members of the imperial clan in the Zichen Palace.

In the case of the murder of Prince Duankang, Chen Jingang, the Censorate was ordered to cooperate in the investigation, and the Court of Judicial Review, together with the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was ordered to search for witnesses and physical evidence. The entire case was handed over to Xie Jue for personal supervision.

Xie Jue stood quietly with his hands at his sides, listening intently. After the imperial edict was read aloud, he stepped forward, accepted it with both hands, and carefully glanced through it. His face remained expressionless, and he simply nodded slightly, saying, "Your subject Xie Jue accepts the edict."

The messenger from the Embroidered Uniform Guard bowed and took his leave. The accompanying clerk led him to the rear cabin to rest for the time being.

When Xie Jue came in, Jiang Sese asked nervously, "How is it?"

Xie Jue sighed for a moment, then said with a half-smile, "His Majesty ordered me to oversee this case."

Jiang Sese first responded with "Oh, oh," then froze, "Huh??"

Tell Xie Jue to investigate himself?

Isn't this like letting a mouse into a rice bin?

Others may not know how Chen Jingang died, but Jiang Sese already knows from Xie Jue.

Jiang Sese asked, "Since His Majesty has appointed you to oversee this case, should we turn our boat around and return to Yangzhou?"

Xie Jue shook his head and said, "The Dali Temple and the Embroidered Uniform Guard have already sent people to investigate in the area. We don't need to turn back. We will return to the capital along the original route."

Jiang Sese hesitated, then said, "But what about the imperial family..."

Xie Jue's gaze was indifferent as he said, "It's alright. What the imperial family wants is a thorough investigation. His Majesty handing the case over to me is the explanation they deserve."

But Jiang Sese still had reservations, "...Does His Majesty know?"

I know that Xie Jue was behind this.

Xie Jue lowered his eyes and said calmly, "He's just Chen Jingang; His Majesty doesn't care whether he lives or dies."

As long as we can give the royal family an explanation, there won't be any problems.

The key is to be able to deal with the royal family.