Chapter 56: Fear of Punishment
“What’s the situation?” After leaving Chen Xiyi’s courtyard, Wang Li asked the person who had arrived.
The visitor was one of his retainers, a strong and agile figure.
“We’ve tracked down the hideout of that group of thieves. It’s in a courtyard north of the city. Fierce they are, but they are just a bunch of novices,” the retainer immediately reported.
Wang Li’s retainers mingled in the lower social circles, including wandering heroes and street performers. These retainers formed Wang Li’s information network and public opinion machinery.
Moreover, being locals in the capital, they had connections in both the black and white markets, making their intel very reliable.
Thus, Wang Li had instructed these retainers to investigate the culprits who assaulted the crown prince today.
“Good. Come up with a way to have the Dali Temple capture them. It would be best if you could get the Third Prince to confess; you’ll be there when it happens,” Wang Li whispered to outline the next steps of the plan to the retainer.
This retainer was not just a subordinate, but also one of his trusted confidants, so Wang Li felt at ease using him.
“Understood, Your Highness,” the retainer clasped his hands in salute, then hurried off to execute the plan.
Wang Li hesitated for a moment, looking at the brightly lit courtyard not far away, before finally stepping in.
The courtyard was where Lü Xian lived, and he intended to resolve this matter first.
As for his original wife?
That was long irrelevant. If Chen Xiyi didn’t take action, he would find a way to orchestrate an accident for her, or perhaps let her catch a chill and fall ill.
If there hadn’t been such an incident before, he would have just divorced her and provided a wealthy life for her, but sacrificing himself as Prince Zhuang to pave a way for her relatives could lead to complications later on.
The next morning, after working through most of the night, the Dali Temple captured the assailants who had attempted to kill the crown prince. After some interrogation, it turned out that the Third Prince was behind it.
Upon learning this, everyone at the Dali Temple was stunned; it felt like a collective disaster was impending.
It should be noted that only the Third Prince remained alive among the crown princes, and it was said that even he had been attacked, but he had miraculously survived with some injuries.
Now, considering everything, it was chillingly unsettling.
All the other princes were dead, leaving just the Third Prince; who would inherit the throne?
Naturally, it would be the Third Prince.
Previously, some had speculated about this, considering he was the only one left, but the problem with such speculation was that you couldn’t openly discuss it.
But now, with this band of thieves practically confessing, the situation had escalated dramatically.
Even if it was genuinely the Third Prince who orchestrated it, there was no way to reveal it now. With only one prince left, as long as nothing else occurred, his ascension to the throne was basically a foregone conclusion.
There were other methods, such as reporting to His Majesty and letting Emperor Li make the decision.
However, it was rather awkward that Emperor Li was also missing.
Compared to the assassination of the Crown Prince, the news of Emperor Li’s death needed to be more confidential, especially since only a few people were aware, plus those who wished to cover it up were making it even more discreet.
But this matter couldn’t be left unresolved.
The head of the Dali Temple felt as if he were being roasted over an open flame, especially since the spit was unstable—one misstep could send him tumbling directly into the fire.
To catch the Third Prince? They dared not do that.
Yet if they did not pursue him, the fallout from this mess could cost them their positions.
And losing their positions wasn’t even the worst part; what if they had to eliminate witnesses to preserve the royal reputation? That would be far more disastrous.
Thus, the situation fell into a deadlock.
At precisely this moment, Wang Li and the elders of the clan fortuitously arrived at the Dali Temple to inquire about the situation, which only increased the pressure on the head of the Dali Temple.
The situation made the pressure on the Chief of the Dali Temple even greater.
He hesitated, unsure whether to say it’s good or bad.
There are no secrets that can’t be revealed, especially when someone is intentionally causing trouble. Just a few words and everything is exposed.
The elder of the clan immediately became furious and demanded the Chief of the Dali Temple take people with him to the Third Prince’s residence to fetch the person.
With Prince Zhuang Wang Li also supporting him, the Chief of the Dali Temple, his face extremely grim, took the officials and these two to the residence of the Third Prince.
“Dead? This…”
In the bedroom of the Third Prince’s residence, a corpse was hanged by white silk in mid-air.
The Chief of the Dali Temple felt as if he was splashed with cold water in the dead of winter, completely unprepared for the fact that the Third Prince actually ‘committed suicide.’
“Take down the corpse and let the coroner properly examine this self-judging Third Prince,” Wang Li said.
“Yes, my lord, let someone in.” At first, the Chief felt indifferent, but as soon as he processed the phrase self-judging, he shuddered all over.
Self-judging? Judged himself out of fear.
With the Prince’s death, who stands to gain the most? Suddenly, the Chief of the Dali Temple realized that the arrival of Prince Zhuang and the elder of the clan was perhaps too coincidental.
As the Chief of the Dali Temple, investigating and interrogating were naturally part of his duties.
Fortunately, he was a smart man and didn’t reveal that he understood anything. Instead, when a coroner came in, he spoke up: “Conduct a thorough check; the Third Prince self-judged out of fear, and do not disturb the corpse to maintain dignity.”
The coroner was also an official who had been mingling for a long time. Squinting his eyes, he naturally understood his superior’s meaning. After a simple examination, he declared: “Hanged to death.”
As for anything beyond this? It didn’t matter; it just needed to be recorded properly, and it was best not to meddle in other affairs.
Clearly, everyone in the Dali Temple knew one thing: they were caught in a huge whirlpool, and a small misstep could lead to doom.
“Collect the corpse and send it back to the clan,” the elder of the clan said, seeing that the recording was done and making a conclusion.
Was that it? No, this was just the beginning.
Everything was going smoothly; Wang Li accompanied the elder of the clan, protected by a large number of guards, as they left the Third Prince’s residence.
“The elder seems to be in good spirits,” Wang Li asked with his eyes narrowed.
The elder, however, said unhurriedly: “I must thank Prince Zhuang; without his reminder, how could I have taken advantage of that spiritual nourishment?”
Hearing this, Wang Li smiled. This old man had listened to his advice yesterday and relied on his status to scavenge from the Emperor’s remains.
Clearly, he had gained quite a bit; otherwise, why would he accompany Wang Li today?
“Not at all, it is only right for someone in your esteemed position to receive such honors,” Wang Li knew he still needed the clan’s help, so he had to flatter the other party.
The elder of the clan understood the flattery; having heard it all his life, he was immune to it. Now he was more focused on actual benefits: “If you have time, I can go to your residence to rest for a bit; I also want to pay my respects to Immortal Fuyao.”
Hearing this, Wang Li politely declined: “Let me invite the immortal to the palace first, then the elder can visit later.”
Wang Li was indeed the kind of person who wouldn’t let go without seeing results. If you want to further curry favor, fine, but you have to fulfill your promise of making him emperor first.
(End of this chapter)
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