Plotting with You: The Forensic Scientist in Ancient Times!-Chapter 520 - 519: Harboring Doubts

The guards exchanged glances, and the leader nodded. One of the guards, grasping the handle of his sword, walked cautiously towards the prison cart. Approaching the peephole, which was only the size of a fist, he looked inside and met the gaze of Lu Qing.

The guard was startled.

It was one thing for others not to recognize someone, but these princes, even if it had been years since the Third and Fourth Princes were summoned to the Capital, they dared not forget their appearance to avoid inadvertently offending a nobleman.

Inside that prison cart indeed sat Prince Xiaoyao, Lu Qing.

However, the Prince Xiaoyao usually seen in the Capital, whether dressed in official robes attending court or in his splendid attire when parading around the Capital, was always clad in exquisite fabrics, with a golden silk crown and white jade hairpin, though not overly extravagant.

But now, in the prison cart, Prince Xiaoyao looked unkempt, in cheap cloth, with none of his usual grandeur, looking as disheveled as possible.

The guard snapped back to reality, quickly ran back, and nodded to the Deputy Captain who had sent him: "It really is Prince Xiaoyao..."

The Deputy Captain was shocked, seemingly not trusting these words, hurriedly stepped forward for a personal look, and upon seeing it was indeed Lu Qing, he was surprised and quickly collected himself, instructing his guards, "Why are you not promptly inviting Prince Xiaoyao out from there!"

The guards, upon hearing the order from their superior, immediately stepped forward and began to break open the bronze lock on the prison cart door.

"Sir, this must not be done!" The nephew of King Fan hurried forward to try to stop them, but dared not actually grab the palace guards, and circled anxiously beside them, "My uncle was appointed the king of Fan Country by the Holy Emperor himself! Everything was fine until Prince Xiaoyao and others entered the mansion, after which he suddenly died!"

"How can you release the prisoner before the truth is clear!"

The Deputy Captain almost pushed him over but, considering that he was King Fan’s nephew, decided it would not be good to go too far and withdrew his hand.

"You yourself said that the truth is not yet clear! And yet you keep Prince Xiaoyao in such a shabby prison cart, treating him with such neglect. Are you not afraid that once the truth comes to light and Prince Xiaoyao is found innocent, the Holy Emperor will be furious and punish you?" He countered with the nephew’s own words.

The nephew was stunned, seemingly having not considered this possibility, and was left at a loss for words.

During his moment of hesitation, the lock was already broken, and Lu Qing and the others were helped out one by one from the prison cart.

Zhu Yu had not been out of the prison cart during daylight for a long time. Previously, when they were allowed to leave the cart for necessities, it was usually when it was almost dark, and mainly in forested areas.

The bright sunlight outside was a bit overwhelming for her eyes, and it took quite a while to adjust and finally open them fully.

Following the Deputy Captain’s orders, another group of guards forcibly opened King Fan’s coffin, finding inside a definite corpse without any signs of disguise, with no trace of anyone hiding inside or out of the coffin, they reported back to the Deputy Captain.

The Deputy Captain, seeing how this situation seemed complex, understood that it was beyond his capacity to decide, quickly sent someone to report, while he and his men blocked the entrance.

"Sir, what is this..." King Fan’s nephew, anxious upon seeing the situation, said, "My uncle died mysteriously, and we traveled tirelessly to the Capital of Jin Country to seek justice from the Holy Emperor, to have him punish the murderer!"

"You release the murderer without a word, and now open the coffin... Are you disregarding our Fan Country? Even after death, should our King Fan’s remains be treated so?"

Compared to the nobles who frequented the palace daily, the guards naturally did not regard King Fan highly.

Not just King Fan; to them, any king of Fan Country was the same.

After all, they were in distant fiefs, and without summons, they couldn’t even enter the Capital.

Even if they came, so what? No one in palace service ever advanced simply by relying on a distant Vassal King.

However, these words could not be spoken aloud.

Though befriending a Vassal King wouldn’t smooth their career, offending them was still asking for trouble.

Thus, the Deputy Captain smiled at the Vassal King’s nephew, cupped his hands, and said: "We were merely performing our duty, ensuring the Holy Emperor’s safety by inspecting the coffin, with absolutely no intent of disrespecting King Fan."

"Besides, coffins cannot be brought into the palace under any circumstances.

I have already sent someone to the Legal Officer of Jingzhao Mansion to temporarily store King Fan’s remains in the Cold Corpse House there, where the Ice Room ensures preservation."

"If you seek justice, I believe in the Holy Emperor’s wisdom to unravel the mystery, so preserving King Fan’s remains is the most prudent course."

I must say, though this Deputy Captain held a minor position, interacting daily with top court officials allowed him to speak smoothly and flawlessly, appearing unbiased.

And with his words, King Fan’s nephew could no longer express dissatisfaction, as how many heads does he have to risk bringing his uncle’s remains directly into the palace, courting wrath with the Sovereign of the World.

Not just bringing in the coffin and remains, even the attitude of the guards at the gate made him uncertain.

Earlier, the messenger assured them that Prince Xiaoyao, despite his noble background, was not of true royal blood and had no friends in the Capital, having lived frivolously, drawing the public’s ire, and that even Emperor Jin disliked him.

Thus, they felt justified seeking justice in the Capital, believing Emperor Jin would satisfactorily resolve the matter.

However... seeing how the palace guards seemingly favored him, and treated Prince Xiaoyao with respect, left him unsure.

But having come this far, with the prisoner already locked in the cart outside the palace gates, thinking about it now was too late; the only option was to carry on with the plan unwaveringly.