Chapter 493: Chapter 493: Exactly as I Suspected

After saying that, Xia Wenjin mercilessly kicked Huangfu Yuxuan to the side of the road and swaggered away from him.

Huangfu Yuxuan curled up in pain, feeling as if all his bones were broken, his jaw shattered, and even his feet crumbled, overwhelmed by pain, anger, and panic.

He regretted not having his two Hidden Guards and two Guards with him today. Upon hearing that Xia Wenjin was coming to meet Xia Wanqing, he felt confident enough to dismiss them.

If he had Guards or Hidden Guards with him, he wouldn’t have been beaten so miserably!

Lying on the ground, his mind was a chaotic mess. What did Xia Wenjin say? Xia Wanqing knew that she hated people from the Government the most. If she knew he was an Imperial Grandson, she’d break the engagement with him immediately. That means Xia Wanqing didn’t tell her about his identity?

So, Xia Wenjin thought he deceived her?

How frustrating!

Wasn’t this beating unjust then? If he were seriously injured, where would he find his regrets?

After lying on the ground for a while, he realized the supposedly shattered places weren’t actually broken. Touching his jaw, nothing seemed to be protruding, which eased Huangfu Yuxuan’s mind a little. He slowly got up, his expression gloomy.

Although this woman was beautiful, her personality was too wild. She didn’t hold back when hitting people. However, being alone in the Jianghu for over a year, avoiding his subordinates, she indeed had some skills. Furthermore, she was the person Gongyang Puyu prophesied.

Taming this little wildcat might be interesting; today’s beating he would make up for on the bed later!

Huangfu Yuxuan walked away sulkily.

After being kicked several times, he limped slightly as he walked, but he couldn’t care about that now.

The Capital Guard Commander and Capital Governor, though busy, were shocked to hear of the major incident at the Crown Prince Mansion. The Crown Prince’s second son was severely injured, and the legitimate son was missing, prompting them to rush to the Crown Prince Mansion.

The Crown Prince was like an ant on a hot pan, having already sent his people out.

But since the opponent managed to abduct someone from the Crown Prince Mansion unnoticed, there was no certainty his people could find them.

The Crown Prince felt pain for Huangfu Wei, angrily looking at the Capital Governor and Capital Guard with the authority of the Crown Prince, reprimanding them for negligence.

What could the Capital Governor and the others do? They could only plead guilty.

However, they knew that the assassination attempt on Prince Cheng’s Heir was by this Crown Prince, who attacked him for no reason, failing the first time and attempting a second. This stirred panic in the Capital City.

Now his son was beaten, his son missing, he immediately panicked. But when he attacked Prince Cheng’s Heir, didn’t he think that he was also Prince Cheng’s eldest legitimate son?

Of course, the two could only complain inwardly and then asked if there were any leads.

The Crown Prince hesitated about the letter and note, initially reluctant to mention them.

If it was just Huangfu Chi being beaten, he might have kept it hidden, but now his precious legitimate son Huangfu Wei was also missing.

Earlier, upon hearing that her son was missing, the Crown Princess Consort had fainted from crying. If they didn’t find him soon, they’d be worried sick.

Reluctantly, he took out the letter and note.

Wen Yuanting exchanged a glance with Pei Yichang, both having an answer in their minds.

The Crown Prince shared this answer but was unsure, and he said in a low voice, "Can you find any clues?"

Wen Yuanting sighed inwardly and tentatively asked, "If it’s for vengeance of a murdered son, could it be Prince Cheng found out his heir was already harmed?"

The Crown Prince immediately said, "So Mr. Wen thinks the same, aligning with my thoughts!"

Wen Yuanting: "..."

Feeling he was being used as a pawn, it was clear the Crown Prince was waiting for him to say this. Knowing he was being used, there was nothing he could do, though he still reminded, "I was merely speaking hypothetically, after all, Prince Cheng is in Yunzhou, he couldn’t possibly come to the Capital City!"

The Crown Prince, somewhat agitated, almost rushed over to grab Wen Yuanting’s hand, saying, "You know, others can’t, but Prince Cheng can, he has the ability and the courage!"

Seeing the Crown Prince so agitated, with that trace of concealed fear deep in his eyes, Wen Yuanting and Pei Yichang felt speechless. Earlier, when he so blatantly attacked Prince Cheng’s Heir twice, they thought he didn’t know about Prince Cheng’s methods and courage. But it turns out he knew it all and still did it—wasn’t that asking for it?

They found it hard to sympathize with the Crown Prince, but given their responsibilities, they couldn’t ignore the situation.

Wen Yuanting said, "Your Highness, based on the letter and note, your suspicion might be correct, but perhaps not. The exact situation demands a thorough investigation. My colleagues and I at the Capital Guard will conduct a detailed search, striving to find the Ninth Young Master as soon as possible. However, may I boldly say, if this truly is the work of Prince Cheng, our capabilities might not uncover it!"

The Crown Prince, eyes narrowing, said in a displeased tone, "What do you mean by that? Haven’t even started the search and you’re already preparing an excuse?"

Wen Yuanting helplessly said, "Your Highness, what I mean is, since His Highness suspects this concerns the Imperial Family, our official ranks are low, and we shouldn’t overstep. Hence, this matter should be reported to the Emperor by Your Highness."

The Crown Prince frowned and waved his hand, saying, "Understood! Focus on your duties. Reporting to the Emperor is something I will handle!"

Wen Yuanting and his colleague hurriedly returned the note and letter, then took their leave.

Exiting the Crown Prince Mansion, the two exchanged a glance, both with wry smiles.

What a mess!

The Crown Prince targets Prince Cheng’s son, kills Prince Cheng’s Heir; Prince Cheng retaliates, injures the Crown Prince’s second son and abducts his legitimate son?

Could it really be Prince Cheng?

They were not sure.

After all, Yunzhou is thousands of miles from the Capital City.

Regardless of who did it, they were merely caught in a frustrating situation. Initially thinking that uncovering the cause of Prince Cheng’s Heir’s death might give them a break. But they had just reported the results to the Emperor, and soon more trouble arose. Their work never seemed to cease.

Last night, the Capital City was in chaos, not a moment spent idly by them.

Unintentionally, they discovered two places connected to the Crown Prince after following the situation, realizing the damaged properties last night were associated with the Crown Prince to varying degrees.

Their feelings were complex.

When those properties were damaged, they didn’t immediately suspect the Crown Prince’s involvement until a glaring clue led them to investigate, eventually tracing back to the Crown Prince.

Just like when they previously discovered it was the Crown Prince who attacked Prince Cheng’s Heir.

It was as if someone was manipulating them, guiding their noses forward.