After severing all ties with family and friends, the villain's entire family was filled with re

Chapter 142 A Ready-Made Scapegoat

Qin Wan was not very familiar with the matter of Xiao Jingyan's mother.

Qin Wan knew that Emperor Xiao had many beauties in his harem, but only a handful of them could successfully give birth to children, and even fewer could give birth to princes.

Xiao Jingyan's birth aroused the envy of many people, and his ability to grow up smoothly must have been due to his stupidity.

But this also made Qin Wan suspicious. If he really was mentally challenged, how could he have survived until now unharmed?

Coupled with what happened before and today, Qin Wan became even more suspicious.

She stared intently at Xiao Jingyan's expression, hoping to find a loophole.

Xiao Jingyan lowered his eyelids, his expression remaining largely unchanged. Just as he was about to speak, a sound suddenly rang out from outside the cubicle.

"Gentlemen, your dishes are here!"

The next second, the waiter called to the other waiters and brought over the dishes that Xiao Jingyan had ordered.

Since there were only two people eating, they didn't order much, and the food was quickly set out.

The last pot of wine was poured, and the waiter left.

This whole process takes only the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Their conversation was also interrupted by this sudden intrusion.

Xiao Jingyan seemed to have forgotten what Qin Wan had asked earlier, and said, "Wan'er, the yellow wine last time was too strong. This time it's a milder peach blossom wine. Try it!"

As he spoke, Xiao Jingyan poured Qin Wan a glass.

Qin Wan accepted the answer with a smile, and the topic was thus diverted.

But Qin Wan still harbored doubts that Xiao Jingyan was not as simple as he seemed.

The most important reason she was willing to marry him was his foolishness, which she could easily manipulate.

But if he was faking it, then she would have to change her plans.

......

outside the city.

Deep in the woods.

"My lord, please forgive me. The Sixth Princess was not in the carriage, but her maid. I failed to complete my mission!"

The man was dressed in a black robe, the large hood of which covered his entire face, leaving only his mouth visible.

Upon hearing this, the black-robed man's lips twitched slightly, and he spoke in a slightly hoarse voice.

"How much was lost?"

"The men we sent could have all returned, but they encountered the Fifth Prince's men during the pursuit, so... everyone except my men was lost!"

The man in black robes froze slightly, his shoulders twitched, and he gasped.

The kneeling man continued, “According to the plan, the Sixth Princess was supposed to come outside the city to watch the horse races. However, she invited Miss Qin from the Pingding Marquis’s mansion and changed the plan along the way, which caught us off guard. I have already investigated and found out that the Sixth Princess’s carriage left the city again at her behest. Could it be that she knew about our plan?”

The man in black robes slightly curled the corners of his lips, his mouth slightly open, as if he were to utter two words: Qin Wan!

"We have a ready-made scapegoat for this, so let's make it cleaner!"

"Yes!"

......

The following day at noon.

Inside the Ministry of Justice prison.

Zhang Yue lay in the middle of the cell, his prison clothes soaked in blood, his body covered in wounds, and his faint breath sustained him.

It gives the impression that someone is about to die.

Looking through the cell door, Zhang Jiu was astonished to find that these beasts from the Ministry of Justice were so ruthless.

"My lord, normally, visits to such criminals are forbidden. I only opened the door out of respect for you, but it will only take the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Please hurry!"

Marquis Zhongyi Zhang Jiu ignored him and rushed in the moment the door opened.

The jailer snorted, showing absolutely no respect.

He wouldn't have taken the risk if he hadn't been given enough money.

Zhang Jiu knelt down in front of Zhang Yue, looking at his body covered in wounds, yet he didn't know how he could have done such a thing.

"Yue'er, Yue'er, your father has come to see you!"

Zhang Yue, who was in a coma, heard someone calling his name and forced himself to open his eyes.

When he saw that it was Zhang Jiu, he knew that Zhang Jiu had come to save him, and tears of grievance welled up in his eyes.

"Father, quick, take me out of here! It hurts so much! They beat me so badly they broke three whips! If I hadn't passed out, they probably would have beaten me to death!"

Zhang Yue complained, and these words were like knives, piercing Zhang Jiu's heart and causing him great pain.

But he couldn't take Zhang Yue out today.

But he wouldn't give up; this was his only son.

"Yue'er, just hold on a little longer, your father will definitely get you out of here!"

Zhang Jiu suppressed the hatred in his heart. He was a man with a noble title, and he couldn't let his son be bullied by these beasts. He would remember this grudge.

He then said, "Tell your father what you have done. Did you arrange the assassination of the Sixth Princess?"

To rescue Zhang Yue, he needs to know the whole truth, even if it means turning black into white, it has to be done on this premise.

Tears streamed down Zhang Yue's face. With each word he spoke, his body convulsed with pain, but he had to endure it; it was his last hope.

"Father, I didn't intend to assassinate Xiao Lingyun. I just wanted to teach her a lesson. I arranged for people from the Spark Society to use fire to scare Xiao Lingyun and embarrass her in public. I didn't mean to kill her. Father, you have to believe me!"

Zhang Jiu frowned. This was different from what he had heard. He had taken leave from the morning court session today to investigate this matter.

The investigation revealed that Zhang Yue not only arranged for the opera troupe to burn Xiao Lingyun in public at the fireworks festival, but also orchestrated an assassination attempt outside the city, nearly killing the palace maids around Xiao Lingyun.

There was already evidence of this, and it was on its way to the Ministry of Justice, which is why Zhang Jiu was so eager to know the truth so that he could do something about it.

But his son denied the assassination attempt.

Could it be that this really wasn't done by his son?

Zhang Jiu asked again, "Didn't you arrange the assassination outside the city?"

Zhang Yue overheard the incident in his cell and immediately denied it, saying, "No, it wasn't me! How could I have the guts? Assassinating a princess is a capital offense. Besides, how would I know the princess would leave the city yesterday? This is a frame-up! Father, you must save me!"

Zhang Yue is now scared; he feels like his head is about to be lost.

"My lord, it's time, please hurry!" a jailer outside urged.

Zhang Jiu glared angrily, startling the jailer into immediately lowering his voice.

He then looked at Zhang Yue and said, "Since this matter is a frame-up, there must be flaws. You wait in the jail for a while, and I will definitely get you out!"

Zhang Yue nodded, "Oh, right, there's one more thing. During the Spark Gathering, I personally witnessed the Fifth Prince..."

Zhang Yue recounted the detailed process of how the sparks flew and Xiao Jingyan rescued Qin Wan and Xiao Lingyun, especially the item he had that could extinguish fires instantly.

Zhang Jiu frowned; he had never heard of such a wondrous thing before.

"Father, go find the Fourth Prince and tell him what I said, so he can save me!"

Zhang Jiu patted Zhang Yue's shoulder lightly and nodded.

Zhang Yue watched him leave the cell and, still feeling uneasy, gave him another word of advice.

"Father, you must save me!"

After leaving the prison, Zhang Jiu didn't go anywhere else, but went straight to find Xiao Jingyu.