Chapter 81: Chapter 81: White on the Outside, Black on the Inside

The person who reacted most strongly to this wasn’t Duke Jing, but Zhao Shu at his side, whose legs had already gone weak with fright.

Zhao Shu never imagined that the grave charge of "plotting to harm the Crown Prince" would fall squarely on her shoulders.

"I didn’t do it!" Zhao Shu cried in a panic. "Father, I didn’t try to attack the Crown Prince, I didn’t..."

"Shut your mouth!" Duke Jing’s head was already pounding; who knew his daughter could be so utterly clueless? After rebuking Zhao Shu, Duke Jing bowed his head. "Your Highness, there must be a misunderstanding. My daughter, while mischievous, would never harbor such treasonous thoughts..."

"So, is Duke Jing suggesting that I am lying?"

"I would never dare imply such a thing." Cold sweat streamed down Duke Jing’s back.

Li Yan said, "When your daughter saw me, she ordered her guards to charge, screaming for blood. This incident wasn’t only witnessed by my personal guards. The many citizens of our great Dayan all around us are also witnesses."

When Li Yan recalled that Zhao Shu had treated his own mother the same way just moments ago, a flash of hatred couldn’t be suppressed on his small, cherubic face. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

’If he had arrived just one step later today, would he have become a motherless child all over again?’

He had waited for so many years to finally see his mother. He would never allow anyone to harm her.

Duke Jing stammered, "...Your Highness, my daughter... she..."

Li Yan, however, gave Duke Jing no opportunity to plead. "Before I arrived, your daughter was attacking another young woman. They had no prior grievance, yet your daughter sought to kill her. Duke Jing, your daughter’s actions have violated the laws of our great Dayan. When she attacked me, I had guards to defend myself. But she attacked a defenseless, innocent woman. Even you, as Duke Jing, cannot cover for her. Otherwise, how will the people who witnessed this today speak of Dayan’s laws tomorrow? Will they say that for noble families, the law is nothing but a worthless decoration?"

Li Yan’s words not only doused Duke Jing in a cold sweat but also sent a chill down his spine.

It was just as the Crown Prince had said: there were many onlookers. News would spread by word of mouth. If he insisted on protecting his daughter, and word of this reached the Imperial Censors, he feared that by the next court session, a flood of memorials would be submitted to impeach him.

The Duke Jing Mansion, in its current state, could not afford to weather any major storms.

The current emperor was not known for his leniency. Moreover, the Crown Prince was the late Empress’s only child. Given Emperor Jing’an’s devotion to the late Empress, Duke Jing dared not imagine what would happen if this incident reached his ears. He wondered if their State Duke Mansion could even keep its plaque.

Besides his second daughter, he had a legitimate heir to consider.

Even if not for his own sake, he had to think of his heir.

Once he came to this realization, Duke Jing no longer dared to beg for mercy.

As for the commoner his daughter had been roughing up, Zhao Xulei naturally didn’t give her a second thought. If the Crown Prince hadn’t been involved, the incident with the merchant woman would have been trivial. Even if it reached the Jingzhao Mansion, he could have made it disappear with a few Silver Taels. Now, with the Crown Prince’s matter at hand, the woman was even more insignificant.

She was merely a footnote to the whole affair.

"I am at fault." Duke Jing lowered his head. "My daughter is unruly and has finally made a terrible mistake. I am fortunate to have been enlightened by Your Highness today. As such, I ask Your Highness to enforce the law impartially, judge her according to her crimes, and teach her a lesson."

Zhao Shu had thought she saw a glimmer of hope, but she never imagined that in a matter of moments, her own father would accept the Crown Prince’s narrative and agree to hand her over.

Even as much of an airhead as Zhao Shu was, she knew what awaited her if she was truly convicted of "assassinating the Crown Prince."

This was no longer a matter of face; it was a matter of her life!

"Father!" Zhao Shu shrieked. "I didn’t do it! I didn’t try to assassinate the Crown Prince, Father! Believe me!"

But Duke Jing, having just been personally helped to his feet by the Crown Prince, didn’t even turn his head at the sound of her screams.

Li Yan said, "Duke Jing, you understand the bigger picture. I am relieved. You can rest assured, I am not a petty man. I will hand this case over to Lord Gongsun of the Jingzhao Mansion, and he will handle it impartially. Should there be any extenuating circumstances in your daughter’s case, I trust Lord Gongsun will take them into consideration."

Duke Jing had felt a surge of resentment at the thought of handing over the daughter he had doted on for more than ten years. But upon hearing the Crown Prince’s words, his eyes lit up.

His heart pounded like a drum. "Your Highness means to say..."

Li Yan replied in an equally low voice, "With so many commoners watching, an explanation must be given to the public."

A look of dawning comprehension crossed Duke Jing’s face. He stroked his fine beard, then clasped his hands in a salute toward the small Crown Prince. "Thank you, Your Highness."

Li Yan nodded. "You may return home, Your Grace. Lord Gongsun will arrive soon, so you can rest easy."

With what he took to be the Crown Prince’s assurance, what else was there for Duke Jing to worry about? He quickly departed with his men, looking quite pleased.

As for his second daughter, why should he worry? In fact, feeling that she deserved a lesson from this ordeal, Zhao Xulei didn’t even bother to spare Zhao Shu a second glance before leaving.

Li Yan watched Duke Jing’s retreating back, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

’Of course he wouldn’t openly rip away all pretenses with a court minister. Even with a ’useless,’ idle duke who held no real power and posed no threat in his eyes, he would still put on a flawless show of decorum, leaving no room for criticism.’

From their earlier conversation, Li Yan could tell that Duke Jing couldn’t care less about his daughter harming an innocent person.

’Perhaps in the eyes of these nobles, the lives of common folk were as worthless as weeds, while their own were the only ones that were precious.’

’If that was the case, then how did their lives compare to his?’

Li Yan scoffed inwardly.

Ming Lingyi had let go of Li Yan the moment Duke Jing arrived.

She had no intention of overstepping her bounds and telling her Little Bun how to handle things.

However, when she saw Li Yan let Duke Jing leave with a smile, Ming Lingyi couldn’t help but press a hand to her forehead. She wanted to ask Li Yun just who he had found to tutor Li Yan, for him to possess such cunning at such a young age.

He was a master of appearing innocent while being utterly ruthless. Even she, his mother, was stunned by the performance.

Li Yan quickly turned around. Surrounded by the Eastern Palace guards, the ordinary people kept their distance.

"Mother..." Li Yan went PITTER-PATTER over to Ming Lingyi, calling out to her softly, his gaze a bit evasive.

He didn’t feel he had handled the situation improperly, but he was worried his mother wouldn’t approve.

Aunts Ting Yuyi and Yanxia had once told him that his mother, the Empress, was the kindest woman in the world. The palace staff on duty at Kunning Palace were rarely punished, because his mother treated everyone with such leniency.

’But he was different.’