Upon hearing this, Qian Zhongfeng could no longer hold back a cold snort. He said sarcastically, "The Princely Heir himself said the situation was urgent. I imagine all of today’s actions were taken out of necessity. What fault could there possibly be?"

Shen Yanchuan turned his head. "Lord Qian, as for what happened today, I still owe you an explanation—"

"I wouldn’t dare!" Qian Zhongfeng stared straight ahead, cutting him off forcefully. "The Princely Heir had his reasons for everything he did. What right do I have to meddle? It was merely intercepting a death row prisoner mid-transit. Or are we to actually punish the Princely Heir according to the law?"

He let out a cold laugh, the mockery in his words couldn’t have been more obvious.

Never mind that Shen Yanchuan was already acting on orders to investigate the Han Family and held special authority. Even without the Holy Emperor’s decree, it would be impossible to convict him for today’s actions.

He was, after all, the only son of Duke Dingbei and the direct grandson of the Eldest Princess. With a status like that, who could possibly touch him?!

However, Qian Zhongfeng was also famous for his blunt temper, which was why he had come to file an imperial complaint.

"Enough. A life was on the line. It is understandable that Yanchuan acted first and reported later."

Emperor Muwu spoke, glancing at Shen Yanchuan. "That Han Tong—"

Shen Yanchuan paused briefly. "It is highly likely he is connected to the murder of Lord Ye Zheng. He must be interrogated rigorously."

The man could not be killed until the investigation was finished.

Emperor Muwu said in a low voice, "It will not be too late to re-evaluate his crimes and punishment after Han Tong has been interrogated."

He looked at Qian Zhongfeng and waved his hand. "You are dismissed."

Qian Zhongfeng had wanted to say more, but seeing the situation, he could only bow and take his leave.

「...」

After Qian Zhongfeng had left, Emperor Muwu turned his gaze back to Shen Yanchuan.

"Tell me everything that happened today, in detail."

Shen Yanchuan sending men to intercept a death row prisoner was indeed against protocol, but now was not the time to pursue such matters.

The death of Ye Zheng was the most pressing matter to investigate.

Shen Yanchuan recounted the entire sequence of events exactly as they had happened.

After he finished listening, Emperor Muwu was silent for a long time.

Shen Yanchuan, for his part, did not seem anxious and waited quietly.

Finally, Emperor Muwu spoke in a grave voice. "We recall that while Ye Zheng had disagreements with some officials at court, none of it amounted to a life-or-death feud. And he did everything he could to support that younger brother of his. If Ye Heng truly did this... what was his motive?"

In his years as an official, Ye Zheng had been upright and principled, never forming cliques. Although he offended some people, it was this very character that earned him Emperor Muwu’s admiration.

Had he not angered the Emperor in a moment of impulse, Ye Zheng would surely have become a high-ranking minister at court by now.

Compared to his elder brother, Ye Heng was inferior in every respect. He had only managed to establish himself so quickly in the Capital City by riding on Ye Zheng’s coattails.

How could he possibly murder his own brother?

Shen Yanchuan’s gaze lowered slightly. "This matter has not been fully investigated yet. I dare not speculate."

Emperor Muwu narrowed his eyes and snorted.

"So now you choose to be cautious with your words. Why didn’t I see you considering things so carefully when you sent men to intercept Han Tong?"

As if not detecting the reprimand in his tone, Shen Yanchuan smiled faintly.

"Since it was Han Yao who exposed the matter, he was the natural place to start. Unfortunately, he was unconscious, and nothing could be gotten out of Han Tong. Unexpectedly, he delivered himself to our doorstep today. Your Majesty ordered a thorough investigation into Lord Ye Zheng’s death. It was only right for me to act decisively and not let any potential leads or clues slip away."

"Until the truth comes to light, everything is mere speculation. In the end, the evidence must speak for itself."

’He really has absolved himself completely.’

Emperor Muwu knew his personality and couldn’t be bothered to argue with him.

"Let’s set the other matters aside for now. You just said a box was found in the Han Family’s residence?" Emperor Muwu asked. "What was inside? Have you seen it?"

Shen Yanchuan nodded.

Emperor Muwu’s expression turned solemn.

"Describe it to me in detail."

「...」

「Long Princess Mansion.」 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

The moment the Eldest Princess, who had just returned from the palace, walked through the door, she saw the gloomy face of Princess Qingyang.

She was a little surprised. "Qinyang, didn’t you go to the Han Family’s residence? Why are you back so soon?"

Princess Qingyang grew vexed just thinking about it. "Don’t even mention it! I was going to escort Chutang home, but my brother sent me back. Hmph! He clearly thought I was in his way!"

The Eldest Princess asked worriedly, "How are Chutang’s injuries?"

"The wound isn’t deep, but she was already injured before. After all the commotion today, she’ll probably need a long time to recover."

The more she thought about it, the more worried Princess Qingyang became.

"Maybe I should go to the Ye Mansion to check on her after all!"

The Eldest Princess stopped her. "If you go now, you won’t be much help. You’ll just get in the way. It’s best to wait for now."

Princess Qingyang already had one foot over the threshold. Hearing this, she hesitated, then finally returned resentfully, pouting.

"If I can’t go, how come my brother can?!"

’He just thinks I’m noisy!’

In truth, the Eldest Princess was also very worried about Ye Chutang’s condition, but her grandson had always been measured in his actions, so she could only suppress her concern.

"Let’s just let that girl Chutang get some proper rest first."

Princess Qingyang grew angry as she recalled the day’s events. "It would be one thing if she were just injured, but you don’t know—today, Han Yao told her, right to her face, that her parents and older brother were murdered by Ye Heng!"