The Marquis Mansion's Elite Class-Chapter 252

When the physician entered to take the pulse, the Chief of the Dali Temple also hurried over upon hearing the commotion. Seeing only Zong Jincheng, the little rascal, he craned his neck, trying to spot the Crown Prince.

Zong Jincheng grinned and said, “His Highness hasn’t arrived yet. I’m just here to scout the place.”

The Chief of the Dali Temple: “…”

I hate these kids who are always full of energy.

However, it wasn’t long before the physician came out, looking astonished. “Young Master Zong, the lady inside is not pregnant.”

Everyone was shocked. “What did you say?!”

The physician confirmed again, “She is not pregnant, and there are no signs of a miscarriage.”

The Chief of the Dali Temple immediately glared at the official. “Are you sure you took him to see Madam Wang?”

The official stammered, “Y-yes… Madam Wang is the only one not detained. She’s temporarily staying in the backyard.”

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The Chief of the Dali Temple quickly reacted. “Go, bring another physician to check her pulse. Also, arrest the physician who examined Madam Wang yesterday and bring him back for questioning!”

“Yes, ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‍sir.”

Due to the unexpected result brought by Zong Jincheng and the physician, the Dali Temple started work early, and the noisy commotion marked the beginning of a new day.

The little troublemaker waited outside with the physician for the Crown Prince. He sat obediently on a chair, his little legs swinging happily, his mood absolutely delightful.

Hehe, he had accomplished something great.

When His Highness arrived, he would surely be praised.

The physician, with drooping eyelids, looked on the verge of tears: Why am I not allowed to leave after the examination? I just want to go home and sleep…

As the sun slowly rose, the Crown Prince finally arrived. From a distance, he smiled and called out to the little troublemaker, “Jincheng, you’ve earned the top merit.”

Zong Jincheng quickly jumped off the chair and ran over excitedly. “Your Highness, am I amazing? I’ve made huge progress!”

The Crown Prince chuckled. “Yes, so much progress that I can hardly believe it. I’ve never seen such a clever child in this world.”

“Hahaha… Yay, Your Highness praised me again!” The little rascal jumped for joy, grabbing the Crown Prince’s sleeve and spinning around in excitement.

The officials on duty couldn’t help but smile like doting aunties.

Even the grumbling physician felt a bit soothed…

Ah, forget it. He’s just a simple, happy child. No need to take it to heart.

The new day’s interrogation began.

Madam Wang indeed wasn’t pregnant, but upon hearing the news, she only panicked for a moment before expressing disappointment. “It seems the physician made a mistake. I thought I could have another lovely child… What a pity.”

“Bold woman! Did you deceive your mother-in-law into taking the blame for you by pretending to be pregnant?” The Chief of the Dali Temple began to scold her confidently.

Madam Wang, with tearful eyes, pleaded, “Your Honor, you’ve wronged me! I truly did not commit murder. Liu Wu and I were deeply in love, as all the neighbors know. And these marks on my body, look, they are evidence.” As she spoke, she began to loosen her scarf.

At that moment, Liu’s Mother suddenly rushed out from the back room. She had been listening to Madam Wang’s accusations and roared in fury, “You poisonous woman! You lied to me! You said Liu Wu abused you, that you were pregnant and wanted to protect the child, that your first strike against Liu Wu was self-defense to survive! You manipulated me, reminding me of the pain of losing my child years ago, and made me kill my own son! You deceived me! You deceived me!”

Madam Wang was startled by her sudden appearance and cried out in fear, “Mother-in-law, what are you saying? I don’t understand… How could I have struck Liu Wu? I don’t hate him at all. Only you, only you hated him. You’re the one who killed Liu Wu. Mother-in-law, how could you be so cruel? What will become of me and my child now?”

Seeing her still playing the victim, Liu’s Mother was driven to madness. “You vile woman! Ahh! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!”

What had been suspected the day before as a mother-in-law taking the blame for her daughter-in-law had now turned into a daughter-in-law deceiving her mother-in-law into committing murder. The two women, one old and one young, tore into each other in the Dali Temple.

Madam Wang, frail and delicate, was pinned to the ground by Liu’s Mother. If not for the officials pulling them apart, her face would have been disfigured.

Meanwhile, the interrogation of the physician concluded: Madam Wang’s physician had been bribed by her to enter the Dali Temple and falsify a pregnancy report, using money that had originally been given to her by Liu’s Mother.

Following this lead, the Chief of the Dali Temple investigated Madam Wang’s financial records and eventually uncovered her lover. Though Madam Wang was plain in appearance, her lover was fair-skinned and handsome. However, he was a coward who confessed everything after a beating.

It turned out they had planned to take over Liu’s Mother’s family fortune. They manipulated Liu’s Mother into killing Liu Wu, and once she was sentenced to death, Madam Wang would inherit the estate as Liu Wu’s widow.

The lover kowtowed and begged for mercy. “Your Honor, spare me! This was all Madam Wang’s plan. I had no part in it. Though I was her lover, I was more like her kept man, waiting for her to get the money so I could buy an official position…”

The Chief of the Dali Temple could no longer contain his anger. Ignoring the Crown Prince’s presence, he kicked the man. “Buy your father’s position! The court has long abolished the practice of purchasing official titles. Where do you think you’re buying one? How dare you spout such nonsense in the Dali Temple? Do you have no respect for the laws of Great Chu?”

The officials were wide-eyed with shock.

Seeing the Crown Prince shift slightly, they quickly rushed to restrain their superior, whispering, “Sir, calm down. The Crown Prince is here.”

The Chief of the Dali Temple: “…”

I forgot about that.

Well, there goes my chance for a promotion.

Zong Jincheng whispered beside the Crown Prince, “Your Highness, what’s a purchased official title?”

The Crown Prince explained softly, “It’s when the court allowed commoners to donate money in exchange for official positions. Though they were mostly honorary titles, some people abused them to exploit the people, so the court abolished the practice.”

Zong Jincheng nodded thoughtfully. “That does seem unfair. It’s good it was abolished. But wait, if it’s abolished, how does he plan to buy a position?”

The Crown Prince replied calmly, “Officially, it’s abolished, but unofficially, some still manage to obtain positions through connections.”

“Huh?” Zong Jincheng tilted his head. “Wouldn’t that be discovered?”

The Crown Prince smiled and shook his head. “There are too many officials, big and small. They protect each other, so it’s not easy to uncover.”

Zong Jincheng pondered. “What if people reported them? The whistleblowers could be rewarded with promotions or silver. That would break their alliances and encourage mutual oversight.”

This was something the Crown Prince had taught him: divide and conquer.

The Crown Prince didn’t dismiss the idea outright but gently guided him. “That’s not a bad idea, but the culture of reporting needs to be carefully managed. Otherwise, it could lead to factionalism and false accusations.”