After thanking him, Old Fang stood up.

Soon after, Bai Jinxiu entered the main hall with the imperial physician and the nanny from the Crown Princess’s side, followed by a young servant who was being escorted by two Bai family guards and trembling uncontrollably.

“Bai Jinxiu pays respects to Your Highness!” Bai Jinxiu bowed.

The imperial physician and the nanny from the Crown Princess’s side also bowed to the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince withdrew his gaze from the servant being escorted by the Bai family guards, suppressing his curiosity, and looked toward Bai Jinxiu, asking first: “How is Princess Zhenguo?”

Bai Jinxiu bowed again: “Thanks to the Crown Princess sending an imperial physician, after the physician prescribed medicine for eldest sister and she took it, eldest sister’s condition stabilized. Bai Jinxiu has come again under eldest sister’s orders to report something to Your Highness!”

Bai Jinxiu looked back at the servant who would be trembling and unable to stand without the support of the Bai family guards, saying: “I heard from Princess Zhenguo’s servants that this person came to Princess Zhenguo’s mansion after I left to seek an imperial physician at the Crown Prince’s mansion, wanting to see my eldest sister, claiming he had extremely important matters to tell my eldest sister personally!”

At this point, Bai Jinxiu wiped her tears with a handkerchief: “My eldest sister’s physical condition was critical at the time, yet she still worried about the urgent matter this servant mentioned. She struggled to get up, and when I returned with the imperial physician and the nanny from the Crown Princess’s side, the eldest sister had already forced herself to have this servant summoned to the courtyard. The imperial physician, the nanny from the Crown Princess’s side, and I had just reached the door when we heard this servant telling my eldest sister about Wang Qiulu’s close dealings with Prince Liang’s mansion.”

“When my eldest sister heard that Wang Qiulu was alive, she pressed this servant about who had saved the treasonous criminal Wang Qiulu, asking who this servant’s master was, whether it was this servant’s master who saved Wang Qiulu, that criminal deserving ten thousand deaths, or whether it was Prince Liang who saved him! But this servant knew nothing when questioned, saying he was only delivering a message. Eldest sister felt this matter concerned a treasonous criminal, so she had me bring this person to the Crown Prince’s mansion, requesting Your Highness to investigate thoroughly…”

The Crown Prince’s hand gripping the armrest tightened as he looked toward the servant.

Old Fang’s pupils also contracted, feeling that Li Mingrui was indeed plotting behind the scenes. If only they knew what Li Mingrui had instructed Wang Qiulu to tell the Crown Prince.

When the Bai family guards released him, the servant immediately fell to his knees: “Your Highness, Your Highness, this humble one truly knows nothing… this humble one was only delivering a message for my family’s young master to Princess Zhenguo! It was my young master who told me to say this to Princess Zhenguo!”

“What did your young master tell you to say to Princess Zhenguo?” the Crown Prince asked with a stern face.

“My young master only told me to say that Wang Qiulu had close dealings with Prince Liang’s mansion, and to ask Princess Zhenguo to be extremely careful and guard against this! He said nothing else… this humble one truly knows nothing, please Your Highness discern clearly!” The servant began crying as he finished speaking.

The Crown Prince’s expression grew increasingly dark, already almost certain in his heart that this matter was Li Mingrui’s doing.

This Li Mingrui first sent a message to Ren Shijie and Old Fang, handing Wang Qiulu over to them, then sent someone to deliver a message to Princess Zhenguo saying Wang Qiulu had close dealings with Prince Liang. What exactly was Li Mingrui trying to accomplish?!

“You don’t know now, but you should know when Li Mingrui arrives…” The Crown Prince’s eyes were ice-cold. He couldn’t stand anyone playing tricks under his nose. Did Li Mingrui think his schemes were so clever that even the Crown Prince couldn’t see through them?!

Soon, Minister of the Court of Judicial Review Lu Jin arrived at the Crown Prince’s mansion first. Upon entering and seeing the tense atmosphere in the main hall, he was completely confused. After paying his respects and sitting down, he listened as Ren Shijie slowly explained the entire sequence of events.

Just as the Crown Prince ordered Wang Qiulu and the jailer from the Court of Judicial Review to be brought up, Li Mingrui arrived.

Li Mingrui was actually uncertain in his heart. The one who summoned him was a personal guard from the Crown Prince’s mansion, and this guard knew nothing when questioned, only knowing that the Crown Prince had sent him to summon Li Mingrui.

Li Mingrui guessed that perhaps Old Fang and Ren Shijie had exposed him, and he was quite puzzled. Based on his years of investigation and understanding of Old Fang… Old Fang was someone who coveted merit, so how could he let Li Mingrui receive this credit?

Then, now that the Crown Prince was summoning him, there was only one possibility: something had gone wrong, and Old Fang and Ren Shijie had pushed all responsibility onto him to shirk their own.

But what had gone wrong?

Could it be… Wang Qiulu?

Seeing Li Mingrui enter the main gate of the Crown Prince’s mansion, Bai Jinxiu, sitting in her chair, let out a cold laugh, turned to face Li Mingrui, her lips carrying mockery and sarcasm.

“Young Master! Young Master, save me!” The servant, seeing his master, immediately cried out, “This humble one was only delivering a message!”

Li Mingrui’s heart sank. Seeing Bai Jinxiu and his servant, he understood in his heart that Princess Zhenguo had brought this matter to the Crown Prince. He pretended not to know, respectfully stepping forward to bow to the Crown Prince: “Your subject pays respects to Your Highness.”

“Li Mingrui, do you know your crime?” the Crown Prince asked coldly, looking down at Li Mingrui kneeling on the ground.

Li Mingrui maintained his respectful demeanor, keeping his head lowered: “Your Highness, your subject was summoned by Your Highness in the night and is currently completely confused, not knowing what crime your subject has committed?”

Li Mingrui calculated in his mind that since Old Fang and Ren Shijie were here, they must have already revealed his claim about seeking revenge for his brother and therefore looking for evidence against Princess Zhenguo. With Bai Jinxiu bringing his servant here as well, he was unable to defend himself and needed to quickly think of a plausible explanation.

Speaking thus, Li Mingrui looked up at Old Fang, whose expression was grim: “Perhaps, it’s about the Wang Qiulu matter?”

“I ask you, why did you frame Princess Zhenguo?!” The Crown Prince’s voice involuntarily rose.

He couldn’t directly admit it was for revenge for his younger brother, because if the Crown Prince pressed further… if he was seeking revenge for his younger brother, why would he send someone to inform Princess Zhenguo that Wang Qiulu was still alive? How would he answer that?

Li Mingrui remained silent for a moment, then kowtowed heavily to the Crown Prince: “Your Highness, your subject was forced to do this out of necessity! When Prince Liang’s treasonous rebellion failed and he was confined to his mansion by His Majesty, your subject, remembering past friendship with Prince Liang, entered the palace to request His Majesty’s permission to regularly send people to care for Prince Liang! Who knew… Prince Liang would coerce your subject into helping him rescue Wang Qiulu!”

Li Mingrui looked up at the Crown Prince, whose expression was grim, deliberately appearing forthright with clear, honest eyes as he looked at the Crown Prince: “Prince Liang said that if your subject didn’t help him, he would claim before His Majesty and Your Highness that your subject was Prince Liang’s accomplice, claiming that your subject was afraid he would expose your subject, which was why your subject sent people to care for him so well! Your subject’s death alone wouldn’t matter, but your subject cannot implicate the entire clan! Moreover, my father holds a high position. If Prince Liang makes false accusations, even if Your Highness believes in our Li family, His Majesty probably wouldn’t believe us!”

The Crown Prince gritted his teeth, his fists clenched tightly, laughing coldly: “Prince Liang…”