freenovelworld Chapter 732 In this game of chess, from the very beginning, they were in an invincible position.
Chapter 732 In this game of chess, from the very beginning, they were in an invincible position.
That jade pendant was like a death warrant, completely shattering Princess Jiahe's last psychological defense.
Her mind went blank, a sudden "buzz." Tears streamed down her face without warning, and her voice trembled uncontrollably.
"Mother, Your Highness, no, that's not how it is! I...I don't know him!"
Princess Yongding was a woman who had weathered many storms. She only panicked for a moment before quickly regaining her composure.
She took a sudden step forward, shielding her trembling daughter behind her. Her well-maintained phoenix eyes were now filled with fierceness as she stared intently at Chen Jing'an.
"You audacious scoundrel! How dare you harass the princess here and tarnish the reputation of my royal residence!" Her voice was stern, each word like ice. "Guards! Seize this liar!"
The guards behind her moved at the sound of her voice, and the noble ladies who had been watching the spectacle fell silent in fear.
Zhao Chen'an remained silent. His unfathomable eyes lingered for a moment on Princess Jiahe's pale face, then swept over the glaring jade pendant on the ground, and finally settled on the seemingly deranged Chen Jing'an.
He simply raised his hand slightly.
The guards from the Eastern Palace behind him pounced on him like wolves and tigers, instantly pinning Chen Jing'an to the ground.
This action demonstrated his stance.
Between the dignity of the Yongding Prince's Mansion and the so-called truth, he chose the former.
Chen Jing'an panicked completely. His pipe dream of a comeback shattered, leaving only the cold reality. He was pinned to the ground, his cheek pressed against the cold earth, and he could smell the scent of death.
"It wasn't me! I'm innocent! Someone paid me to come here!" he roared, his voice filled with fear. "He told me to wait in this plum grove, saying... saying the princess would come to meet me!"
Upon hearing this, Princess Jiahe was like a firecracker that had been lit; all her fear and grievances transformed into boundless rage at that moment.
She suddenly broke free from the princess's hand, rushed forward, and with all her might, slapped Chen Jing'an hard across the face!
"Snapped!"
The crisp sound was particularly jarring in the silent plum grove.
"You bastard!" She trembled with rage, tears streaming down her face. "Who! Who sent you to harm me!"
"Jiahe, shut up!" Princess Yongding pulled her out-of-control daughter back with such force that Jiahe staggered.
The princess stopped looking at her daughter and instead squatted down, looking down at Chen Jing'an who was being held down on the ground. Her voice was so cold it could freeze.
"Speak! Who ordered you? Reveal the person behind this, and I might spare your life!"
As she asked her question, her eyes glanced, almost imperceptibly, at Crown Prince Zhao Chen'an standing to the side.
Zhao Chen'an's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
Of course he knew who was behind it all. Who else could it be but Gu Qingchen, the unyielding man who had just declared in his carriage that he wanted to find a son-in-law?
But he couldn't let this matter be found out.
Once the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion is involved, the two families will completely break off relations, and things will only escalate further and become even more uncontrollable.
“Your Highness,” he finally spoke, “there is indeed something fishy about this matter. A down-on-his-luck scholar might not have the guts to falsely accuse the Prince’s Mansion out of thin air.”
"I think it would be better to first detain the person in the Jingzhao Prefecture prison and hand him over to the prefect for strict interrogation, so as not to disturb the tranquility of the Buddhist temple here."
His words, though seemingly fair, were actually an attempt to smooth things over and push the matter away from the public eye.
Princess Yongding was extremely shrewd; upon hearing this, she immediately formed a fairly accurate guess.
The Crown Prince is covering for himself.
He didn't want the person behind him to be found out.
Princess Yongding slowly stood up, looking directly at Zhao Chen'an with a dignified and proper smile on her face, but there was no smile in her eyes.
"Your Highness is right. But such a despicable person would not dare to be so arrogant without a mastermind behind him. I just want to know who it is that has such a deep hatred for my Yongding Prince's Mansion that they would resort to such despicable means to ruin my daughter's reputation!"
She persisted relentlessly, her words implying that she was pressuring the Crown Prince for an explanation.
Zhao Chen'an's expression darkened.
In the shadows on the other side of the grove, Qian Zhenyun's men silently disappeared behind the trees, watching the guards drag away the shouting Chen Jing'an, a cold smile appearing on their lips.
Fortunately, the young master had given prior instructions.
The people who delivered the money and relayed the message were all unrelated vagrants temporarily found in the city. After the deed was done, they were sent out of the capital and disappeared without a trace.
Even if Chen Jing'an were to expose the truth, it would absolutely not implicate the Qian family, much less Gu Qingchen.
From the very beginning, they were in an invincible position in this game.