Plotting with You: The Forensic Scientist in Ancient Times!-Chapter 519 - 518: Seeking Justice

"What else could we do?" Lu Qing replied with a smile, "Since it’s obvious they’re setting a trap for you, why not jump into this pit you already can gauge instead of waiting to fall into a new one they’ve dug for you in an unknown place?

Rather than being passive in a situation completely unknown, it’s better to be proactive like this."

Lu Qing’s words made sense, leaving Situ Jing momentarily speechless.

"Does anyone else know about your current situation?" he asked.

"Besides you, not even Prince Xu knows," Lu Qing replied with a faint smile.

Understanding dawned in Situ Jing’s eyes, and he nodded silently: "Is there anything else I can do to help?"

Lu Qing nodded, gesturing for Situ Jing to come closer, then whispered a few words in his ear.

Situ Jing listened solemnly, nodding repeatedly.

"Alright, I’ve remembered everything you’ve said." Finally, he sat up straight again and nodded solemnly to Lu Qing.

"By the way," Lu Qing seemed to suddenly remember something, and smiled at Situ Jing, "you were doing fine in Li State as a general, yet you were demoted and sent to a desolate place like Qinzhou to be a Capital City Captain. You must have felt wronged.

Previously, when your father and brother wanted to speak up for you in the court, they didn’t know where to begin.

Now it’s different. The instigator of it all, the Golden-faced Imperial Censor, has caused trouble, presenting a ripe opportunity to kick him while he’s down. If you miss this chance, there won’t be another."

Situ Jing was a bit stunned and remained silent.

Although the knockout drugs used by Situ Jing’s men were very effective, making even King Fan’s nephew, who only drank a bowl of wine, sleep soundly, they didn’t plan to stay outside too long. After eating and chatting with Situ Jing, they bound the hands of the five people with ropes again and returned them to the prisoner cart.

Situ Jing locked the prisoner cart again, instructed someone to carefully place the key back into the pocket of the guard holding it, gave Lu Qing a bow through the ventilation window of the cart, and quietly signaled his men to withdraw.

The group vanished silently into the night, as if they had never been there, leaving only a ground full of guards sleeping haphazardly.

That night, although it was still the cramped prisoner cart, having eaten some palatable food and had a chance to get some fresh air, or perhaps knowing Situ Jing’s men couldn’t have all left and someone must be secretly watching everything from the shadows, Zhu Yu slept particularly well.

The next morning, when King Fan’s guards awoke, they didn’t realize they had been tricked, only marveling at the village’s strong wine. The group lazily got up, tidied themselves a bit, and continued their journey to the Capital.

After satisfying his desire to drink and eat, King Fan’s nephew insisted on hastening the journey. The guards, knowing well enough the condition of King Fan’s body on this trip, no longer made any fuss.

So they sped up, traveling for over three days at a gallop, finally reaching the outskirts of the Capital.

Upon reaching the outskirts, King Fan’s nephew chose to stay an extra day, finding a bathhouse to clean and dress himself meticulously, also making sure that the guards changed their outfits, donning plain white hemp clothing, as if preparing for a funeral, with the waist cards of the Fanwang Mansion hanging at their waists. They even dismantled the wooden boards covering the cart holding King Fan’s coffin.

Thus, King Fan’s coffin was exposed to everyone’s view.

Arriving at the city gates, the certificate King Fan’s nephew pulled out from his pocket was completely different from the one used to enter Jin Country’s borders before.

This was evident in the particularly courteous reactions of the guards at the gates.

Zhu Yu couldn’t help but snort from within the prisoner cart.

Based on her observations along the way, she didn’t believe King Fan’s nephew had the wits to keep his identity low-key and avoid alerting the enemy, jeopardizing their entire plan.

If he had such wit and vigilance, he wouldn’t have been drugged by Situ Jing’s people and slept until late morning the next day.

It was obvious he had been instructed early on about how to proceed on this journey, merely following others’ directions to the letter.

Once inside the Capital, the group became much more conspicuous, pulling out paper money from who knows where as they marched, shouting, "King Fan’s wrongful death, resentment dissipated, evil spirits avoided!

The prince committed murder, sharing the people’s guilt, the Holy Emperor wise, presiding over justice!"

King Fan’s nephew no longer rode the carriage, but followed alongside the coffin, as if about to mourn King Fan inside the Capital.

Their stir drew the attention of many Capital commoners, some stopping to watch, while bolder ones followed from afar, curious to see what was happening.

In this way, they arrived outside the Imperial Palace.

Here, ordinary people couldn’t approach casually. The guards at the gate saw the mourners from afar and immediately approached, stopping them halfway.

"Who goes there? Do you know the crime for approaching the Imperial Palace unauthorized?!" the leading guard shouted, raising his sword, "Proceed and you will be killed without mercy!"

King Fan’s nephew quickly stopped, fearing he might be killed in the street if he moved any closer, and handed over his waist card with a fearful expression: "I am the nephew of the Vassal King of Fan Country. My uncle recently died suddenly, with Prince Xiaoyao implicated, and I have come to the Holy Emperor seeking justice for the murderer!

Please, grant us passage and inform the authorities!"

As he spoke, he magically produced a prepared document from his sleeve.

"Who do you claim killed your uncle?!" the guard at the Palace gates scrutinized him as if looking at a madman, "Prince Xiaoyao?!

Do you realize the crime of slandering a royal scion?!"

Though within the palace and the Capital, everyone knew Prince Xiaoyao, Lu Qing was not Emperor Jin’s biological son, but an adopted child from a meritorious clan relative, yet he still, in name, was a legitimate prince.

Facing the reckless accusations from a mere vassal prince’s nephew, the palace guards instinctively chose disbelief.

"If there’s any falsehood in what I say, may the heavens strike me down with a thunderbolt right now!" King Fan’s nephew declared righteously, pointing to the sky with one hand on his hip, "The murderer and evidence are in the prisoner cart behind us. You can verify for yourselves!"