The following morning
Chen Mo, who was still asleep in his dreams, was suddenly awakened by a loud noise. When he opened his blurry eyes, he saw that someone was standing outside the door.
Longhua
The guy who was beaten up by him yesterday still had a scar on his nose and a hint of malevolence in his eyes.
He had been prepared for being beaten up by Chen Mo yesterday, as he was very angry at him. Although he thought Chen Mo wouldn't dare to beat him, he never expected that Chen Mo would actually start hitting him, and even worse, hit him as hard as possible.
One punch down, almost beat his nose out of place.
"Prince, are you here to keep me company?"
Chen Mo smiled and asked.
Longhua's face darkened and he glared coldly at Chen Mo, "I've already given you one night to think about it. It's time for you to reveal the people behind you as well."
"No one's behind me."
Chen Mo waved his hand, expressing helplessness.
"You have no one behind you? Ha, do you think I'm a three-year-old? How did you, a discarded son of Chen family, know our plan and evade our spies, allowing Zhenwu Commandery to break our plan? How could you have had your high-level experts in Zhenwu Commandery willingly protect you all the time? Chen Mo, stop resisting now. At this moment, you are a prisoner. But the people behind you are powerless. I want to kill you; it's easy."
Longhua coldly snorted and said.
"I'm telling the truth no matter how you guess it. If you don't believe me, go ahead and keep me locked up."
"Hmph, you won't shed a tear until you see the coffin. If I don't give you a taste of my power today, I don't think you'll talk. Bring in the guards, open the door, and apply the torture."
Longhua loudly shouted, and the few guards standing by him immediately took out the keys and were about to open the door of Chen Mo's cell.
"Report..."
Just then, a loud noise came from outside the cell. Chen Mo's mouth slightly lifted, and Longhua's face tightened. He looked at Chen Mo suspiciously and said, "Say."
"Reporting to the Prince, early this morning, the Minister of Warfare, Zhao Dezhu, withdrew the case. He said that the person who murdered Zhao Wang is someone else, and he decided not to initiate a lawsuit against Chen Mo..."
"What?"
Longhua was immediately shocked. He angrily stared at the person who reported this, and then turned to look at Chen Mo, "All the evidence points to you. Zhao Wang is also the son of Zhao Dezhu, how did you convince him?"
Don't underestimate the bond between our nine families. Idiot... Chen Mo smiled and waved his hand, "I also don't know. How about the Prince help me investigate it?"
Longhua's face turned dark, and he coldly snorted, "Do you think that just because you got Zhao Dezhu to drop the charges, you can rest easy? Your assault on me has yet to be resolved. You will still be a prisoner. Bring in the guards, open the door, and apply the torture..."
"Report..."
Longhua hadn't finished speaking when another subordinate rushed in.
"What's it now?"
The plan to frame Chen Mo failed, and Longhua's face wasn't looking good. He angrily stared at the person who rushed in and shouted.
"Reporting to the Prince, rumors are spreading outside..."
The errand runner held a small newspaper in his hand, trembling as he spoke, his hands trembling as he offered it up to Longhua.
The capital is bustling, and as a result, there are many entertainment industries. Among them is the small newspaper. If there are any newsworthy events, they are basically passed on by word of mouth in the streets. Wealthy families have special scribes who copy the small newspapers, which is equivalent to modern newspapers.
Longhua took the small newspaper from the runner, muttering an oath of "big deal" and then began to read it:
Shocking! The Prince of Ning's son publicly molested a virtuous woman!
The male, silent and the female, crying! The Prince of Ning's son used the most treacherous means to force a virtuous woman, and falsely accused Chen family's third son and put him in prison!
The night at Ning Wang Palace, screams were heard, this was the falling of virtue or the annihilation of humanity!
...
Each headline, as large as a palm, was particularly eye-catching, and the content was no less explosive. They portrayed Longhua as a notorious sinner, and even more shockingly, they mentioned the incident of creating demon-like beings and the intention to plot rebellion.
Longhua's face turned black immediately, "Slander, this is clearly slander. Who dared to slander me, and let me know so that I can kill his entire family."
Longhua glanced at the signatory section of the small newspaper and was instantly stunned, the Ritual College Preceptor, Xu Changqing.
Apart from Xu Changqing, there is also a famous Confucian scholar in the capital. If it were anyone else, it would be manageable, but Longhua could use his power to suppress him and charge him with defamation.
However, Xu Changqing's status and position are not ordinary, even the current emperor has to give him some face. He is not someone who can be moved by words.
"Good, very good. I really didn't expect that you, this guy, have the courage to recognize the old fart Xu Changqing, and even get him to help you. It's wonderful. Do you think I'm afraid of you? Beating the Prince of a princely state has not been washed off your name. Even if my reputation is ruined, how can you escape from my grasp? Now my temper is high, and the consequences will be severe."
"Send someone to open the door, apply the torture..."
"Report"
"Doesn't he have a mother?"
Using a little torture is so difficult... Longhua was instantly enraged and barked, "Get out! Even if the heaven's sovereign comes today, I won't care. Just bring them all in and apply the torture..."
"Prince, it is the King who wants to summon you."
Thinking about how if he didn't report in time, he would be punished more severely, the errand runner quickly explained the reason.
After hearing this, Longhua's anger was extinguished in an instant. He suddenly had a bad feeling, picked up the small newspaper and glanced at it, then coldly glared at Chen Mo, "It's you; you're slandering me."
"Whether it's slander or not, only the king will know when he investigates. Since ancient times, plotting against the king is a serious crime. All previous rulers have always believed that it's better to err on the side of caution. If your Highnesses are truly innocent, why should they fear being questioned by the king?"
"Hmph, wait for you."
Longhua furiously threw the small newspaper on the ground and began to recall, "I have no weaknesses, there are no unfavorable evidences in Ning Wang Palace. Even if the female emperor investigates, she can't do anything."
No worries, everything will be fine. My cousin only suspects something, nothing more. Longhua kept comforting himself in his mind, trying to calm down as much as possible.
"Good, Prince, I'm waiting for you to come and sit in prison with me... But, I think, by the time you come, I should already be out, because I wasn't beating some Ning Wang's son; I was hitting the son of a traitor."
Chen Mo grabbed the fence with both hands, teasingly said.
Longhua's face was as cold as frost, and he turned to glare at Chen Mo coldly, "Chen Mo, you have found a way to seek your own death."
