The Marquis Mansion's Elite Class-Chapter 223

Since there were no witnesses, it was impossible to prove that Zhai Li was the mastermind behind this scandal. Therefore, he adamantly denied any knowledge of the matter and shifted all the blame onto his subordinates.

Being the mastermind and being guilty of lax supervision are two entirely different crimes.

The Crown Prince said with a stern face, "Minister Zhai, do you think I would summon you for questioning without sufficient evidence? Can you guarantee that your subordinates would willingly take the fall for you, risking their own safety and that of their families? And what about the officials who visited the underground venue?"

Zhai Li's expression faltered.

The Crown Prince narrowed his eyes and said, "If I promise them leniency in exchange for truthful confessions, how many of them do you think would be willing to point the finger at you?"

Zhai Li finally began to look nervous. "Your Highness, even if they accuse me, does that count as evidence? I could just as easily claim they are framing me."

The Crown Prince scoffed, "Are you too confident in yourself? How do you know they don’t have physical evidence? Minister Zhai, they are officials too. Who doesn’t understand the art of self-preservation? Do you really think you’re the only clever one here?"

"You!" Zhai Li stood up in agitation.

The Crown Prince reprimanded him, "I advise you to come clean. If you do, you might still receive a lighter punishment. But if you remain obstinate and refuse to confess, by the time the evidence and witnesses are all in place, it will be the downfall of your Weiyuan Earl Manor."

Zhai Li glared at him for several moments before sneering, "Your Highness, I have an old saying for you. One should never act too ruthlessly, especially in official matters. Otherwise, even you may not be able to bear the consequences."

The Crown Prince chuckled, "Instead of threatening me, Minister Zhai, you should think about how to defend yourself when the evidence is presented. Guards, take him away and keep him under strict surveillance."

After Zhai Li was taken away, Tongya was also temporarily detained in the holding cell, leaving only Zong Jincheng and the Crown Prince in the room.

The little troublemaker, having just heard such a shocking revelation and witnessed the confrontation between the Crown Prince and the minister, was still processing everything.

The Crown Prince waved his hand in front of Zong Jincheng’s face, "What’s wrong? Are you scared speechless?"

Zong Jincheng swallowed and said, "This is such a huge case. Am I even allowed to hear this?"

The Crown Prince couldn’t help but laugh, "Well, until the truth comes out, you’ll have to keep this a secret."

The little troublemaker nodded vigorously, "Your Highness, don’t worry. My lips are sealed."

The Crown Prince nodded and then asked, "Was there anything you didn’t understand earlier?"

Zong Jincheng tilted his head and thought for a moment before saying, "Yes, that high-ranking official who spoke first…"

"The Left Censor-in-Chief of the Court of Censors, Lv Tai," the Crown Prince introduced.

"Ah? So that’s the head of the Court of Censors…" Zong Jincheng thought to himself, realizing that the second-rank official position the Crown Prince wanted him to take was the same as Lv Tai and Minister Xu’s positions.

The little troublemaker continued, "That Minister Lv, why did he suggest that Your Highness report to the Emperor before continuing the investigation? Why not report while investigating?"

He noticed that the Crown Prince had not taken Lv Tai’s advice.

The Crown Prince smiled faintly, "Because he doesn’t want me to continue the investigation. He’s trying to protect himself. In situations like this, it’s either because he has something to hide or he’s worried about his subordinates. Even a charge of lax supervision could damage his career."

Zong Jincheng frowned, "But without uncovering the truth, how can we give justice to those girls? He’s already a second-rank official, almost at the top of the hierarchy. Could a charge of lax supervision really cost him his position?"

The Crown Prince chuckled, "As you said, he’s almost at the top, but not quite. If he’s found guilty of lax supervision, he’ll have no hope of further promotion."

Zong Jincheng still didn’t understand, "How can a promotion be more important than so many lives?"

The Crown Prince lowered his eyelashes and said softly, "Yes, it shouldn’t be."

The underground venue was surrounded, and all the young girls were rescued, including Jing Zhe’s sister.

However, due to the large number of girls involved in the case, they were brought in batches for questioning, and soon the holding cells were filled to capacity. Since the three kids were of no use and took up too much space, they were sent home that evening.

The investigation at the yamen was in full swing.

Wave after wave of people were brought in, and Xu Wan noticed that the Crown Princess’s mood was growing increasingly somber.

She didn’t know the reason but didn’t feel it was appropriate to ask. After picking up the three kids, the Crown Princess told them to return to the manor, as she would stay behind to wait for the Crown Prince.

Xu Wan thanked her, "Thank you, Your Highness, for today. If there’s anything we can do to assist, I’m ready to bring Jincheng and the others back at any time."

The Crown Princess nodded, "Go back now."

On the carriage ride home, Zong Wenxiu kept looking out the window, worried about Tongya.

The little troublemaker comforted him, "Brother, don’t worry. With His Highness here, Tongya will be fine."

Zong Wenxiu anxiously said, "But Tongya has been questioned all afternoon. I’m afraid she won’t be able to handle it."

Zong Jincheng thought for a moment and shook his head, "No, she seemed to be in good spirits, very strong."

Zong Wenxiu smiled bitterly, "When we were kids, she’d get scared of bugs and had to sleep with her aunt on stormy nights. I thought she… Over the past four years, she must have suffered a lot."

Xu ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‍Wan patted his shoulder, "Don’t worry. Once this is over, we’ll be able to bring her home."

After returning to the manor, Zong Wenxiu explained Tongya’s identity to the family. The Old Marquis and Old Marchioness finally learned that Chancellor Yan still had many relatives alive, but they had kept silent to avoid implicating the marquis’s household.

The Old Marchioness was heartbroken, "You and your mother kept such a big secret from us. If you had told us about Tongya’s disappearance earlier, we might have been able to find her sooner."

Zong Wenxiu hung his head, not daring to speak.

Back then, they had thought Tongya had simply gone missing. They never imagined she had been abducted and nearly met a terrible fate.

Xu Wan came to his defense, "Mother, knowing earlier might not have been entirely good. This case seems to involve many people, and without the Crown Prince’s intervention, we might not have been able to save Tongya."

Hearing this, the Old Marchioness finally understood. She turned to Zong Jincheng and asked, "Jincheng, what exactly happened? How did Tongya get involved with so many people? Your grandfather mentioned that many officials in the capital have been taken in for questioning. This seems like a major incident."

Zong Jincheng, having promised the Crown Prince not to reveal too much, only shared what he could, "We saw Tongya at the dance hall and wanted to buy her freedom. I even offered five thousand taels, but the other party kept raising the price to eight thousand taels, determined to outbid us."

The Old Marchioness was shocked, "Eight thousand taels for a young girl? Who in the capital has that kind of money to throw around?"

New n𝙤vel chapters are published on freeweɓnøvel.com.

Zong Jincheng nodded furiously, his anger evident, "I was wondering the same thing—who in the capital could be wealthier than our marquis’s household? But Tongya told me that the person bidding against me had no intention of paying eight thousand taels. She had already been reserved by him, so no matter how high I bid, even up to a hundred thousand taels, I couldn’t win her."