Ban Huai's assassination case spread throughout the entire capital within a day. Compared to Zhao Jia, who had no presence at all, Ban Huai's identity was incomparably precious. Regardless of whether he had any real power or not, the news of his assassination was enough to cause panic among the nobles.
There weren't many people in the world who weren't afraid of death, especially nobles who lived extravagant lives.
Some of the nobles who had good relations with the Ban Family came to visit with gifts. When they saw Ban Huai lying on the bed with a dispirited appearance, they couldn't help but say a few words of encouragement. Most of them told him to take good care of his body and that he would have good fortune after surviving a great disaster.
There were also some people who had nothing else to say, so they praised Ban Huai for finding a good son-in-law. For the sake of his assassination case, Ban Huai ran around and worked hard, even drawing the criminal's portrait. Only now did everyone realize that it wasn't that Cheng Anbo wasn't good at drawing people, but that he didn't like drawing. However, in order to help his future father-in-law find the criminal, he made an exception.
A gentleman with principles was admirable, but a junior who put down his principles for the sake of his elders was also moving. Originally, there were many people who mocked Ban Huai behind his back for finding a son-in-law who looked down on the Ban Family. Who would have thought that this son-in-law not only didn't show any disrespect to the Ban Family, but was also respectful towards Ban Huai. He hadn't even married a girl from the Ban Family, but he was already worrying about the Ban Family's matters as if they were his own.
Now, everyone was envious of Ban Huai. What kind of dog shit luck did he have to find a good son-in-law who was so respectful towards the girl's parents?
No wonder there were people who wanted to assassinate him. Maybe it was because his luck was so good that people couldn't stand it anymore.
His Majesty issued two imperial edicts, asking the Supreme Court to investigate the case as soon as possible. He even asked the Ministry of Justice to assist in the investigation. The entire capital was in a state of panic because of this. This also let everyone see how much importance the Ban Family had on the Emperor.
Because the character drawn by Rong Xia was too close to the criminal himself, even if the criminal's appearance was very ordinary, there were still people who revealed the identity of the criminal for the reward of fifty taels of silver.
It turned out that this person was one of the stewards of the Prince Hui Mansion. However, ever since Prince Hui and his wife had died in the fire, and Prince Hui and the princess had been raised in the palace, many of the servants in the Prince Hui Mansion had been dismissed. As for the steward who had been exposed, his household register had long been revoked. The reason for the revocation was that he had died in the fire.
A person who was supposed to have died in the fire was killed, and the person he killed was the Duke Of Jingting. No one would believe that there was no conspiracy behind this.
Unfortunately, Jiang Yuchen and Jiang Kangning, who were raised in the palace, had a harder time in the palace after this incident.
There had long been rumors in the capital that Prince Hui was the mastermind behind the assassination of the Princess Royal. However, Prince Hui had already died in the fire, and His Majesty had never mentioned this matter. Thus, even if many people had suspicions, they didn't dare to say it out loud.
But now, the former subordinates of the Prince Hui Mansion wanted to assassinate the Duke Of Jingting. What was the reason?
There could only be one reason, and that was that the former subordinates of the Prince Hui hated the Princess Royal for ruining their plan to assassinate His Majesty. However, the Princess Royal had already died, and the only person they could take revenge on was the Princess Royal's son, the Duke Of Jingting.
Many people began to sympathize with the Ban Family. Their biggest backer had died in order to save His Majesty, and now the mastermind behind the scenes hated them. How unlucky was this?
One day later, the bailiffs found the corpse of the former subordinate of the Prince Hui in a ruined temple. After careful examination, they found that the steward had been dead for at least twenty hours.
It was obvious that his claws had been exposed, and the mastermind behind the scenes was desperate enough to kill the steward.
Then, the coroner found a pearl in the steward's mouth. This pearl was of excellent quality, and it looked like it was embroidered on clothes or shoes by womenfolk.
The steward had hidden this pearl in a wormhole in his teeth. If one didn't look carefully, no one would know that there was such a thing in his mouth. Could it be that he was unwilling to die, so he deliberately left this thing on the murderer's body?
The officials of the Supreme Court suddenly had a headache. How did this involve a woman again?
However, with this pearl, they had a clue to investigate the case. Thus, the Supreme Court sent people to investigate all the channels that provided pearls in the capital, especially the channels that provided pearls to the nobles.
There was a saying that the experts were always among the people. An old craftsman recognized that this pearl was a type of clam pearl that came from the seaside. It was very rare. High-quality pearls were sent to the palace by the imperial merchants, and the slightly inferior ones were bought by the nobles. This year, pearls of this quality were only sold to three families.
The Jingting Gongfu, the Count Of Zhongping, and the Shi Xiang Fu.
The people of the Supreme Court first investigated the Count Of Zhongping, and then found that these pearls were all used as the dowry of the Second Prince's wife.
As for the Jingting Gongfu, the Supreme Court went to the victim's family to ask, but the family didn't even remember whether or not they had bought these pearls. In the end, they found this box of pearls in the inventory list. It turned out that this box had never been opened since it entered the Ban Family's door.
The reason was that the Empress had sent a box of even better pearls, so they had forgotten about the inferior pearls.
The officials of the Supreme Court finally saw the extravagance of the Ban Family. They had forgotten such a good thing without any hesitation. It was obvious that they were used to using good things.
"Your Honor, the Jingting Gongfu is so rich that it makes people envious." A Supreme Court official walked out of the Ban Family's door and followed behind Liu Banshan. He sighed and said, "The potted plants in their house are all inlaid with precious stones. I've never seen such a gorgeous thing."
It was a pity that he didn't have a daughter. Otherwise, it would be good if he could get married to the Ban Family.
"I've seen it before." Liu Banshan seemed to have thought of something. He smiled and said, "The Ban Family has been a rich family for hundreds of years. It's not strange for them to have good things in their house."
"But isn't there a rumor outside that when the Ban Family followed the Ancestor Emperor to conquer the world, they didn't get many good things because of bad luck?" The official said, "Even now, there are still storytellers who talk about things that happened more than two hundred years ago. The Ban Family's ancestors fought because of this." He gave a thumbs up and said, "But their luck was because of this."
Liu Banshan looked at his colleague's little finger and sighed. "Lord Wang, how do you think we should pay a visit to the Shi Family?"
The Lord Shi, who was speaking with fervor and assurance a moment ago, suddenly fell silent. Marquis Shi was now the most powerful person in the imperial court, and the Crown Princess was his eldest daughter. How could they, small officials, dare to offend him? When they went to the Xie Family's house just now, they still had some confidence. But facing the Shi Family …
"Let's go. Since we're investigating the case under the Emperor's orders, I'm sure Marquis Shi won't make things difficult for us given his loyalty to His Majesty." Liu Banshan straightened his clothes and said to the people behind him, "If Marquis Shi can't understand our painstaking efforts, then we can only report it to His Majesty."
The Supreme Court officials thought, "Please don't make it sound so tactful."
Shi Chonghai was talking to his eldest son about the assassination of Ban Huai when he heard a servant say that the Vice Minister of the Supreme Court wanted to see him.
"Why is Liu Banshan coming to our house at this time?" Shi Chonghai frowned and said to his eldest son, "Go and receive him. Tell him I've already gone to bed."
"Yes." Shi Jin had a bad feeling in his heart, but he didn't say it out loud in front of Shi Chonghai. He left his father's courtyard. When he walked out of the second gate, he ran into Shi Feixian, who was coming back from outside.
"Feixian, have you been out?"
Shi Feixian hadn't been out for a long time because of the rumors outside.
Shi Feixian forced a smile. "Yesterday, I made an appointment with a few of my sisters to meet at the poetry club. But they all had something to do, so I moved the date to today."
Shi Jin was worried that something would happen to her if she stayed at home all day. It was good that she could go out for a walk. So he nodded and said, "The capital has been a bit chaotic recently. You have to be careful."
Shi Feixian nodded silently. Today, she talked to her sisters who often hung out with her and found that they didn't seem to be as close to her as they used to be. But she couldn't find anything wrong with their expressions. She was angry and sad, but she couldn't do anything.
She hated Ban Yu and those hedonistic sons for spreading rumors, but she also hated the Second Prince for not standing up and speaking up for her. All men in the world were like this. In their free time, they thought that you were pretty and talented, so they would say things like adoring and admiring you.
But when it happened, they disappeared one after another.
The Second Prince was like this, and so was Xie Qilin.
Men …
Heh.
Liu Banshan and several officials of the Supreme Court waited in the main hall for two hours. Finally, the Shi Family arrived. But it wasn't Shi Chonghai who showed up, but Shi Jin.
"Lord Liu, officials of the Supreme Court, what kind of auspicious wind blew you here today?"
"Lord Shi, you're too polite. We took the liberty to disturb you. Lord Shi, please forgive us."
After exchanging greetings, Shi Jin invited everyone to sit down. He saw that the officials of the Supreme Court looked unnatural, and Liu Banshan's expression didn't look right either. He said lightly, "You don't visit a temple without a cause. If you have something to say, please speak frankly."
"I do have a request. Have you ever seen this kind of pearl on a woman's body?" Liu Banshan opened a box. There was a pearl inside.
Shi Jin frowned. "Pearls are very common. As a man, how can I stare at a woman's body? What do you mean, Lord Liu?"
"Lord Shi, you've misunderstood. This pearl was found in the mouth of the mastermind of the assassination of the Duke Of Jingting." Liu Banshan didn't seem to care that this pearl was found in the mouth of a dead man. "We found that this pearl is a new kind of clam pearl. In the whole capital, only three families have bought it."
Shi Jin's face darkened. "Lord Liu, do you mean that our Shi Family is one of the three families?"
"That's right." Liu Banshan didn't back down in the face of Shi Jin's ugly expression. "In addition to your family, the Count Of Zhongping and the Jingting Gongfu have also bought it."
Shi Jin lowered his eyes and took a sip of tea when he heard the name of the Jingting Gongfu. "Since Lord Liu wants to know the whereabouts of the pearl, I'll send someone to check it out."
Rich families all had their own stewards and supervisors. They would keep records of what they bought and who used it. Less than half an hour after Shi Jin spoke, a servant came to report that the family had indeed bought this kind of pearl. Although this kind of pearl was rare, the madam and the young miss thought that it was too small, so they didn't use it to make hairpins. Only the young miss took some to make embroidered shoes a few days ago.
The eyes of the people in the Supreme Court lit up when they heard the words' embroidered shoes'. An impudent official couldn't help but ask, "Lord Shi, could you let me take a look at these embroidered shoes?"
"How dare you!" Shi Jin put down his teacup heavily. "Are you here to humiliate my Shi Family or to investigate a case?"
How could he take out embroidered shoes for these men to see?
"Sirs, you are all well-read people. How can you make such an absurd request?"
"Lord Shi, please calm down. My colleague was impatient and offended you with his words. Please forgive him." Liu Banshan stood up and cupped his hands toward Shi Jin. "Lord Shi, please rest assured. There are women in the Supreme Court. How could I dare to offend Miss Shi?"
The reprimanded official finally reacted. He hurriedly stood up and apologized, "I spoke too quickly and didn't make myself clear. Please forgive me."
Liu Banshan didn't wait for Shi Jin to speak. He directly asked a woman in the uniform of the Supreme Court to come out from behind him and said to Shi Jin, "Lord Shi, please lead the way."
Shi Jin looked at Liu Banshan coldly and didn't say anything.
Liu Banshan smiled and looked into Shi Jin's eyes without saying a word.
"It seems that Lord Liu came prepared," Shi Jin said coldly. "How come I didn't know that there were women in the Supreme Court?"
"Lord Shi has been working in other places for the past few years. I'm afraid that you don't know much about the affairs of the capital," Liu Banshan said with a smile. "Because some of the cases in the Supreme Court involved women, after a strict discussion among the officials, His Majesty decided to choose some women who were well-educated and came from a clean background to work in some departments. Although their ranks aren't high, they have been of great help in many things. "
Shi Jin glanced at the woman in the uniform of the Supreme Court. She was about 30 years old and her hair was combed into a simple bun. Her appearance was very ordinary, but her eyes were very determined. She didn't look like a woman, but more like a man.
He didn't want these people to enter his second sister's courtyard because he wasn't sure if his second sister really had nothing to do with this matter.
He knew his sister well. She looked good on the surface, but she was very stubborn and easily got into a dead end. Even if someone told him that his second sister hired people to kill the Duke Of Jingting in order to let Ban Han observe three more years of mourning and not let Ban Han marry Rong Xia, he would still believe it.
The more he thought about it, the more he couldn't let the people from the Supreme Court in, at least not now.
However, his reluctance didn't mean that Liu Banshan would give up. This case wasn't a small matter. If they couldn't find out the truth within five days, they wouldn't even have to offend the Shi Family. They would be in trouble first. Moreover, this case involved Cheng Anbo's future father-in-law. No matter what, he had to get to the bottom of this.
"Lord Shi, we're investigating the case under orders. Please don't make it difficult for us."
"That's a bit funny. Lord Liu, are you investigating our Shi Family under orders?"
Lord Liu retorted, "Since your family has a clear conscience, why are you afraid of us?"
"That's ridiculous," Shi Jin said with a sullen face, "Did you have the same attitude when you investigated the Xie Family and the Ban Family?"
"Lord Shi, you think too much," Liu Banshan said with a fake smile, "The Count Of Zhongping and the Duke Of Jingting didn't refuse our request. They clearly told us the origin of the pearls and didn't hide anything."
The people from the Supreme Court all broke out in cold sweat for Liu Banshan. Was he going to directly go against the Shi Family?
"Young, Young Master, Princess Fule is here!" A servant hurriedly ran in, panic still on his face.
Shi Jin stood up from his chair, "Who did you say?"
"Fu, Princess Fule." The servant thought of the guards brought by Princess Fule and felt a chill run down his spine. They weren't here to visit, they were here to cause trouble.
Before Shi Jin could say anything, he heard a commotion outside. A woman in a green dress walked in quickly, anger still on her face. "Lord Shi, I'm an uninvited guest. Don't tell me you don't welcome me?"
She walked like the wind with a horsewhip in her hand. Behind her were guards with swords. She didn't look like she was here to visit, but more like she was here to cause trouble.
Just when the people from the Supreme Court thought that the two sides would fight, Shi Jin didn't get angry. Instead, he said gently, "Your Highness, please sit down and let's talk. I welcome you very much."
Ban Han sat down on a chair, "People in the capital always say that I'm rude and unreasonable. Since I'm used to being rude and unreasonable, Lord Shi, you don't have to be so polite with me. I heard that your mansion bought a batch of pearls, but you don't want the people from the Supreme Court to check them. Why is that? "
"Your Highness, I think there's a misunderstanding," Shi Jin tried to persuade her, "My sister is a weak woman. If it's said that her clothes were checked by the Supreme Court, it won't be good for her. Your Highness, you're also a woman. You should understand the difficulties of women. "
"Lord Shi, I'm afraid you've forgotten what your sister did. Since a woman shouldn't make things difficult for another woman, why did she make things difficult for me?" Ban Han looked into Shi Jin's eyes, "Since Lord Shi doesn't want us to check, that's fine. As long as Lord Shi swears that this has nothing to do with your sister, I'll leave your mansion without saying anything."
Shi Jin looked at Ban Han's angry eyes and closed his eyes.
Four years ago, he fell in love with a lively girl. However, this girl already had a fiancé. Feeling disappointed, he asked to go to the border and didn't come back until last year.
The girl he imagined would be married was still single. However, she was more lively and beautiful than four years ago. She was so dazzling that he didn't dare to look at her. Now, this girl who was about to marry someone else was looking at him seriously for the first time. However, there was no affection in her eyes, only anger and hatred.
He thought that his feelings from four years ago had already turned into the past. However, every time he saw her, he would be reminded of the feelings he once had.
"Your Highness … why do you have to be so aggressive?" Shi Jin sighed, "This matter has nothing to do with the Shi Family. You came here so rashly. If you can't find any evidence, how will you face yourself in the future?"
"What's wrong with taking a risk for my family? If I'm wrong, I'm willing to apologize to the Shi Family in front of everyone in the capital." Ban Han sneered, "I'm not afraid of losing face. I'm only afraid that my family will be hurt and I can't find the culprit."
Shi Jin looked at Ban Han in a daze and didn't say anything for a long time.
"You're actually like this …"
So absurd, so unruly. How could there be such a woman in the world?
Shi Jin's heart was oppressed by complicated and indescribable emotions. He looked at Ban Han and asked a question that he shouldn't have asked.
"Have you thought about how Cheng Anbo will look at you?"
How many men in the world could accept such a woman?
The eyes of the world and the words of others were bloody knives that destroyed the relationship between husband and wife. Every knife could stab into the heart and cause it to bleed and bleed.
Upon hearing this, Ban Han laughed, "I chose to come here today and disturb your family. I didn't think about how others would look at me. In this life, I only have a father and a mother. They treat me like a pearl and treasure, and love me like their own blood. If I only repay them after considering how others look at me, then how can I have the face to be their child? "
After hearing these words, the members of the Supreme Court, who had originally thought that Ban Han was being absurd and rude, were slightly moved. For the sake of her family, a woman could break through the rules of the world. She didn't even care about how others would look at her. Such a sincere heart …
Seeing that Shi Jin was standing there without saying anything, Ban Han said, "Lord Shi, I'm sorry for my rudeness."
She made a hand gesture, and several female guards behind her led the woman from the Supreme Court directly into the inner courtyard. It seemed that if the Shi Family didn't let go of the princess, she would lead them into the inner courtyard.
The members of the Supreme Court looked at Shi Jin nervously. They were worried that he would suddenly explode. If that happened, should they help Princess Fule or not?
However, Shi Jin didn't do anything. He didn't even ask the servants to stop Ban Han's people. He just kept a calm face and didn't say anything.
The members of the Supreme Court looked at their superior, Liu Banshan, helplessly. However, Liu Banshan didn't say a word. He just lowered his head and drank his tea. It was as if the tea in his hand was made from the tea leaves of the Holy Mountain. It was as if one could regain their youth and live a hundred years with just one sip.
"What kind of tea does the Princess like to drink?" Shi Jin sat back down and looked at Ban Han, "It is said that the Princess likes Da Hong Pao very much. Although we don't have such good tea, we still have some Bi Tan Piao Xue tea. If the Princess doesn't mind, please have a taste."
Ban Han's eyelashes trembled slightly, "No, thank you."
Shi Jin forced a smile and raised his hand to the servant. Soon, the servant brought in a cup of tea. It was the best Bi Tan Piao Xue tea.
Liu Banshan put down the Maojian tea in his hand and glanced at Shi Jin and Ban Han. His eyebrows twitched slightly, and he turned his head to look outside the door, allowing the awkward atmosphere to continue.
Time passed little by little. Most people's teacups were empty, but they felt even more uneasy. They had been in there for so long and still hadn't come out. This matter was probably not simple. However, if it really had something to do with the Shi Family, what were they after?
The Shi Family was now very powerful, and their daughter was the Crown Princess. The Ban Family was just an idle clan. They didn't fight for power with the Shi Family. What could they gain by assassinating Ban Huai? Moreover, the Prime Minister's Mansion couldn't even hire a good assassin. Why did they have to hire a few unreliable hooligans?
They couldn't possibly say that the Second Miss of the Shi Family wanted to kill Ban Han's father out of jealousy.
They might as well kill Ban Han. What was the point of killing their love rival's father?
"Lord Liu!" A guard from the Supreme Court rushed in and glanced at Shi Jin with a subtle expression. "Someone reported that a young woman passed by the ruined temple yesterday evening with a servant girl. We checked and found that the young woman was the Second Miss of the Shi Family. "
Shi Jin's hand trembled as he held the teacup. The tea in the cup splashed onto the back of his hand and scalded his skin.
"You're slandering me!" Shi Feixian walked in and pointed at Ban Han. "Ban Han, don't go too far. What's the point of killing your father? If I really want someone dead, it's not the Duke Of Jingting. "
"It's me, isn't it?" Ban Han sneered and stared back at Shi Feixian. "I've been thinking, since you hate me so much, why do you have to smile at me all the time? Wouldn't it be better if you pointed at my nose and argued with me?"
"I don't want to talk nonsense with you." Shi Feixian was already furious. She didn't think that Ban Yu would actually let his guards barge into her courtyard. This was too much of a bully. He didn't put her in his eyes at all. "What do you want?"
"I want to know who the mastermind is," Ban Han said coldly. "If Miss Shi has nothing to do with this, you don't have to be so angry."
Shi Feixian's chest heaved violently. She turned her head and looked at Shi Jin. "Brother, kick her out. This is the Shi Family, not the Ban Family where she can do whatever she wants!"
"Miss Shi, I'm afraid I can't let you have your way." Liu Banshan crossed his arms and looked at Shi Feixian with a faint smile. "My subordinates found a pair of embroidered shoes in your room without pearls. The shoes were also stained with the dust and hay of the temple. May I ask why a lady like you would go to such a place?"
Shi Feixian was stunned. She looked at Liu Banshan blankly and asked, "What do you mean?"
"Miss Shi." The smile on Liu Banshan's face gradually disappeared. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you'll have to be a guest at the Supreme Court for a few days."
"What right do you have to take me to the Supreme Court?" Shi Feixian sneered. "Who do you think you are?"
She was the daughter of the Prime Minister. These people wanted to convict her and take her to the Supreme Court just based on their words and a pair of embroidered shoes. It was ridiculous.
Ban Han sneered. "Miss Shi, why don't you go?"
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