#150 - Public Enemy
“The Prince of Shun's entire household was massacred last night!”
“What?! How did you hear about this?!”
“The whole city is talking about it, how can you not know! Haven't you seen that the streets are full of constables today?!”
“Didn't they say that the investigation into the assassination attempt on the Prince a few days ago hadn't yielded any results yet? Was it the same group of people who did this?”
“Who knows? There's a rumor that it was the Xuantian Society.”
“The Xuantian Society? Why would they kill Prince Shun?”
“You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?”
“Sigh, what's happening to Da Ning lately...”
“...”
Just as Wei Changtian had predicted, the next day, the news of the Prince of Shun's family being massacred spread throughout the entire city of Shu like wildfire.
Ning Qingyu had been in Shuzhou for over twenty years, and he usually kept a low profile. He would occasionally write a good poem that was widely circulated, so most of the people had a good impression of this Prince.
But who knew that such a Prince who was indifferent to worldly affairs would die inexplicably like this?
In addition to regret and shock, discussions about "who is the mastermind behind this" also spread rapidly, becoming the most popular topic of conversation for almost every household after dinner.
The government is incompetent, a bunch of good-for-nothings, probably colluding with bandits.
The "Joint Investigation Team" from the capital was facing unparalleled pressure, and under this environment of public opinion, news from the palace quickly arrived in Shuzhou.
I have not closed my eyes for three full days after learning of this matter.
In the imperial edict, Ning Yongnian's grief and indignation were already overflowing. Just listening to the decree being read out by the imperial herald made people want to cry.
In addition to expressing his grief over the loss of his brother, he also mentioned three things in the edict.
First, the time limit for solving the case was directly reduced from "before the end of the year" to ten days. The Joint Investigation Team must solve the case within ten days, otherwise all members would be dismissed and sent back home.
Second, half a month later, the Imperial Guards from the capital would personally escort Ning Qingyu's body back to the capital for burial.
Third, the imperial court offered an extremely high reward of ten thousand taels of silver, encouraging the people to actively provide clues related to the missing Ning Yu'ke.
Under such heavy pressure from public opinion and the emperor's orders, the Joint Investigation Team created a storm in Shuzhou and finally "lived up to its mission" and found out the truth.
Eight days after the "Prince's Massacre" case occurred.
The Shuzhou Prefecture, the Suspended Mirror Division, and the Azure-Robed Army acted simultaneously, destroying the Shuzhou branch of the Xuantian Society in one fell swoop, and the branch leader Bai Shengan was captured alive on the spot.
After a day and night of continuous interrogation, Bai Shengan not only confessed to his crimes, but also revealed a "shocking" secret -
The two assassination attempts against Ning Qingyu were actually all instructed by Princess Rou'an, Ning Yu'ke!
Although this sounded so unreliable, it was somewhat reasonable to a certain extent.
Bai Shengan was a dead man, and there was no reason for him to slander Ning Yu'ke before his death.
Moreover, why did everyone else die, but only Ning Yu'ke mysteriously disappear?
Even if she really escaped by luck, why hasn't she shown up yet?
Even if there were still many doubts, when all the contradictions pointed to Ning Yu'ke, most people already had a very obvious inclination in their minds -
Ning Yu'ke has a guilty conscience! She doesn't dare to show up!
People are always willing to believe what they want to believe, but it is difficult to realize whether this "willingness" is their own subjective "intention".
Therefore, as soon as the Joint Investigation Team announced the results of the investigation, although it did not explicitly point out in the document that Ning Yu'ke was the mastermind, the passionate public anger was still ignited instantly.
The act of beating or murdering parents and other elders is called "wickedness" and is a capital crime under the Da Ning law.
And from a moral standpoint, especially in this world that values family concepts so much, the heinousness of such behavior is probably not enough even if one dies a hundred times.
For a time, the people of Shuzhou City, and even the entire dynasty, were doing their best to scold Ning Yu'ke.
“Princess, this is the notice that the Prefecture just posted today, please take a look.”
“Okay.”
In the dark room where the sun never shines, Ning Yu'ke's face was a little pale, whether it was because she hadn't rested well in the past few days, or because she hadn't seen the sun for too long.
She gently took the writing-filled Xuan paper from Wei Changtian's hand, and after reading it slowly, a bitter smile appeared on her face.
“Young Master, is everyone in the world scolding me now?”
“Yes.”
Wei Changtian did not "kindly" deceive Ning Yu'ke, but answered truthfully: "Although it is not explicitly stated in the notice, most people do think so."
“...”
Ning Yu'ke's lips trembled slightly, and her head was buried even lower.
“I understand...”
“If the Princess has nothing else to do, then I will go up first.”
Wei Changtian nodded: "I may have to go out for a few days tomorrow, during which Yuan'er will still come to deliver food and change clothes for you. Please stay here in peace, and we will talk about other things when I come back."
“Mm.”
Ning Yu'ke first responded softly, then suddenly stopped Wei Changtian who was about to leave.
“Young… Young Master… I… I have something else to ask.”
“What is it?”
“I saw in the notice that my father and sister's remains will be sent back to the capital for burial. I… I want to see them one last time when they leave.”
“Princess.”
Wei Changtian turned his head back, his brows furrowed slightly: "Do you know the risks involved?"
“I…”
Ning Yu'ke's body trembled slightly, and her voice was very soft: “Right, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t cause such trouble for Young Master.”
“Please… Please forgive me…”
“...”
Sigh, she's just giving me a difficult problem.
Wei Changtian sighed inwardly.
It was understandable that Ning Yu'ke would have such thoughts. After all, her whole family was dead, and it was only natural to want to send them off one last time.
But the risk of this matter was too great. Wei Changtian even suspected that Ning Yongnian insisted on transporting the body back to the capital for burial just to take the opportunity to lure Ning Yu'ke out.
Looking at Ning Yu'ke, who had become the "public enemy of the people", Wei Changtian hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he didn't say anything definitive.
“I will consider this matter.”
“Thank… Thank you, Young Master! Thank you, Young Master!”
Ning Yu'ke was stunned when she heard this, and immediately her face was full of excitement: “I just need to take a look from afar, just one look will be enough…”
“Princess, I didn't promise you.”
Wei Changtian narrowed his eyes, his tone a little impatient: “Please remember what you promised that night in the carriage.”
“I can help you, but I can't help a burden!”
“Burden…”
Ning Yu'ke instantly closed her mouth, her breathing first becoming rapid, and then gradually becoming steady.
After a few breaths, she suddenly slowly stood up from the chair, then slowly supported her forehead with her hand, and knelt down in front of Wei Changtian in the most humble posture.
The long white dress was like a blooming peony, and the dark, smooth black hair was scattered on the ground, as if also showing submission.
“Young Master, this servant will not dare to do it again in the future…”
