Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 730: The Duke’s Perfect Counterattack in the Trial (3)_1

Chapter 730: Chapter 730: The Duke’s Perfect Counterattack in the Trial (3)_1

The distant sound of roosters crowing pierced the air as Xiao Ruiyuan, his mind made up, clenched his fist, his eyes shining with an unusual brilliance.

All was ready; he merely had to wait for dawn to thwart the conspiracy of King Heng and the Lin Family in one fell swoop. Once the cheating scandal was resolved and the threats of King Heng and the Lin Family were eliminated, he could visit the Mo Family to propose marriage without concern, and even if driven away, he would declare to all that such a beautiful lady was the object of his admiration!

...

While the Lord Wei Yuan House was filled with harmony, Prince Heng’s Mansion was shrouded in an impenetrable dark cloud.

King Heng, who had also stayed awake through the night, his eyes bloodshot, glared at Old Master Lin who was shaking slightly. His voice was chilling as though it rose from the depths of hell, "Repeat it for me one more time!"

Upon hearing this, Old Master Lin’s plump body shook even more violently, unsure whether he feared what King Heng might do to him or what terrible events were to come.

But facing King Heng, who was radiating a fierce aura, Old Master Lin wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and stuttered, repeating the words he had said earlier, "Your Highness, this humble official, this humble official sent someone to set fire to the prison, and they have not, have not yet returned."

"Smack!"

King Heng slammed his palm down on the table with such force that a corner of it snapped off. With blood-red eyes, he glared at Old Master Lin, not caring that the man before him was his maternal grandfather, and harshly rebuked, "Useless trash, unable even to manage such a simple task. I should never have entrusted this matter to a failure like you."

Old Master Lin, humiliated by his own grandson, showed a look of mortification but dared not express even a hint of dissatisfaction. In a rush, he argued, "This official has had people investigate, the Ministry of Penal Affairs has not caught the arsonist, and the man I sent is a killer trained by me for many years. Even if caught, he wouldn’t confess to setting the fire under our orders. I don’t think things are as bad as we feared."

"Hmph, even now you seek excuses for your own stupidity!" King Heng said coldly, far less optimistic than Old Master Lin, "I do not wish to argue with you. Send someone immediately to search, especially at the Prince’s Mansion. Once found, kill him at once. He must not be allowed to speak and identify me."

Since the killer had been trained for many years, he wouldn’t have failed to return after setting the fire unless he had been caught. In any case, he could not be allowed to live.

"This, this official obeys," Old Master Lin, feeling a chill throughout his body, mumbled his assent, bowing his head.

As he did so, King Heng swept out of the study like a gust of wind. Old Master Lin waited and waited for King Heng to speak again, but when he finally dared to open his eyes, he was astonished to find that the room was empty; King Heng had vanished without a trace.

Startled, Old Master Lin hurried outside to search for him but couldn’t find any sign of King Heng. He wanted to ask someone, but there wasn’t a single person available to question. At this hour, most of the servants in the Prince’s Mansion were already at rest, and even if he did ask, no one knew where King Heng had actually gone.

Thinking of places where King Heng could possibly be, a glint appeared in Old Master Lin’s eyes, and he rushed towards the Lin Family Mansion...

By dawn, the scholars gathered at the palace gates learned of the previous night’s fire in the Ministry of Justice’s Prison and how the main suspects of the cheating scandal had narrowly escaped death.

These scholars were not fools; they quickly realized the fire was set deliberately, aiming to silence witnesses. In a burst of righteous fury, whether they were scholars who had failed the exams or passed them, they all knelt at the palace gates, petitioning the Court to hold a public trial, to severely punish the criminals, and to restore the integrity of the examinations.

Many who previously believed in Crown Prince Chu Heng’s innocence, after this incident, shifted their stance and began to doubt him. The biggest suspect in the cheating scandal was indeed Chu Heng— if not out of guilt, who would send someone to break into the prison and silence the criminals?