Conan's physique? The Crown Princess is involved in a murder case again

Xu Xingyin was locked up in Chenguang Courtyard by the nanny sent by Xu Xiuzhu that day without even having his wounds treated.

Chen was accused of "not being able to teach her daughter well", her housekeeper rights were taken away from her and she was confined to Zhilan Courtyard.

Xu Chaoge was also forced to suspend his studies and stay at home for "disobeying his elders"...

At the same time, the marriage of Xu Wanrui, the youngest daughter of Duke Xu, was also decided amid rumors.

Duke Xu's Mansion actually betrothed Xu Wanru to an actor.

It was heard that Xu Wanru was kidnapped by robbers on her way out of the mansion to pray for blessings. When Duke Xu's mansion tried its best to find her, it was the actor who rescued Xu Wanru from the thieves.

In order to repay the actor's kindness, Duke Xu's mansion decided to marry the ninth daughter of the fourth house to the actor.

The seventh daughter of Duke Xu was dependent on the Prince of Zhi.

He actually persuaded Princess Zhi to go to the palace to ask for permission to marry Queen Lu. Although the result is still unknown, the news has become known to everyone.

Therefore, public opinion was reversed for a while, and everyone said that Duke Xu's family was willing to marry off their legitimate daughter to a lower class in order to repay their gratitude, which showed that their family tradition was upright.

It is also said that the Prince of Zhi has turned over a new leaf, which means that the Seventh Miss of the Duke's Mansion must be a beautiful woman.

When Jing Zhichen heard this, the direction of public opinion had already changed due to the finalization of the marriage, but Jing Zhichen stopped flipping through the book and asked out of the blue:

"Tell me, which is more effective, blackmail or kindness?"

……

The news was spreading like wildfire outside, but Xu Xingyin didn't hear a single word of it.

After the house arrest, most of the servants in Chenguang Courtyard were reduced. Now there are only three personal maids left in the courtyard.

Xu Wanru secretly asked her maid to bring food to Xu Xingyin, and enclosed a letter filled with words of apology.

After reading it, Xu Xingyin handed the letter to Dangui and kept it.

Even if Shi's embarrassment to her had nothing to do with Xu Wanru, she didn't want to get involved in the affairs of the fourth room anymore.

When Jing Zhichen appeared, Xu Xingyin was sitting by the window reading a book.

She was wearing a light green dress, and her hair was casually tied up without even a pearl flower on it. She looked clean and tidy without any sign of embarrassment, which made her particularly pitiful.

From her calm look, I know she is being punished.

If you don't know her, you might think she is just cultivating herself.

Seeing Jing Zhichen, Xu Xingyin behaved extremely calmly. He stood up and saluted with a dignified manner, then asked Jing Zhichen why he came.

"The case of the God's wedding has been concluded. I think you have made an invaluable contribution to this matter, so I came to inform you."

"Have you found out who is behind this?"

"The man who called himself Mr. Duan has been arrested. All the evidence points to him, and he has admitted it himself. Most of the girls he captured were sold to brothels, and he has made a lot of money from this in the past few years."

Xu Xingyin nodded when he heard this. It made sense that people died for money and birds died for food.

Seeing this, Jing Zhichen said meaningfully, "But I think this matter is definitely not that simple."

"Oh?"

Xu Xingyin was obviously interested. He put down the book in his hand and looked at Jing Zhichen eagerly.

"Because of the news you brought me last time, I ordered people to privately find the kidnapped girls and question them. Unfortunately, one of the girls, Dingxiang, said that she accidentally met her sister Baolian in the capital these two days.

Two years ago, her elder sister was also kidnapped on the pretext of a wedding ceremony for the gods. According to the kidnappers' confession, most of those girls were sold to brothels in various places.

But that day Dingxiang saw her sister dressed as a woman, and all of her clothes were silk and satin, which showed that she was not from a brothel."

"But it's not uncommon for a man to redeem a prostitute and take her into the palace as a concubine."

"You know better."

Jing Zhichen glanced at Xu Xingyin and said this with a hint of sarcasm before continuing.

"You are right. I have also thought of this possibility, so I asked Miss Dingxiang to tell someone to draw a portrait of her sister and then search for her privately. Guess what happened?"

"What's wrong?"

"His elder sister changed her name to Wenjun, and transformed herself into a young lady from a small family in Jiangnan. She married a fifth-rank official in the capital with a clean record. Although he was not a high-ranking official, his position was very important."

"This……"

Xu Xingyin thought for a while and asked hurriedly, "Are you saying that the disappearance of these girls is very likely a means to win over the officials in the court?"

Jing Zhichen was very satisfied with Xu Xingyin's quick understanding. "Yes, this can also explain why Xu Jiu heard the thief's words of advice, 'Great Fortune'."

“I didn’t expect that a ghost story would be so involved.”

"It's far more than that." Jing Zhichen paused for a moment, and then spoke in an unusually serious tone, "I suspect this matter is related to the officials in Jiangnan."

"Jiangnan?"

Xu Xingyin, who hadn't heard this word for a long time, was stunned for a moment.

To her, Jiangnan was like a glass sugar jar that carried her sixteen years of beautiful time. It was colorful and dazzling, but later it was broken into pieces because of its excessive beauty, and only sugar mixed with the sharp fragments remained.

Every time I want to taste that sweetness, I get hurt by the fragments.

Jing Zhichen didn't seem to notice anything wrong with Xu Xingyin. He nodded and continued on.

"Jiangnan has always been a prosperous place. If officials in Jiangnan continue to use such unspeakable means to know everything about the court, once they have second thoughts and want to deal with the court, it will be a struggle that will cause great suffering to the people."

"What should I do?"

Xu Xingyin was a little anxious. "The Zhennan General's Mansion has guarded Jiangnan for His Majesty for many years. My grandparents and two uncles have dedicated their lives to this land. If Jiangnan is in chaos due to war, they would not want to see it the most!"

"We must not let down our guard when it comes to the safety of our country. It is always better to take precautions before it happens. I plan to report this matter to my father in secret, and then go to Jiangnan to investigate in person."

The various ethnic groups in the south of the Yangtze River have been entrenched for many years, and it is difficult for ordinary officials sent by the imperial court to go there without being influenced by various forces.

After all, not doing your job honestly is a small matter, but losing your life in the south of the Yangtze River is a big matter.

If the crown prince comes in person, his title alone will be enough to crush a group of people.

Moreover, Jing Zhichen has a clear mind and will not be influenced by the interests of any party. He is indeed the best person to thoroughly investigate this case.

But at the same time...

A thorough investigation of this matter would undoubtedly threaten the interests of those who benefited from it in Jiangnan. In addition, the journey to the capital was long, so the trip would probably be dangerous.

Although Xu Xingyin knew that Jing Zhichen must be aware of the danger, he still couldn't help but give him some advice.

"This trip will be filled with dangers. Your Highness is worth a fortune, so you should think twice before going."

"I have thought about this matter for a long time, and I have no choice but to go."

Seeing that Xu Xingyin cared about him so much, Jing Zhichen raised the corner of his mouth calmly, then lowered the corner of his lips and turned his head to ask Xu Xingyin.

"Do you want to go to Jiangnan with me?"