Chapter 15: The Scapegoat Princess Is Sentenced to Death (15)

“Zhou Hui, is it still possible for me to return home due to illness?”

If Prince Lu had been assassinated—even if his hands and feet were cut off—Zhai Hongxia wouldn’t be this panicked. At worst, they could catch the culprit and bring them to justice. But after the curse turned his hands and feet into pig hooves, it became truly difficult to predict the outcome.

Even without delving too deeply, just a simple thought was enough.

The fact that someone dared to curse the prince today and succeeded—would they dare to curse the current emperor tomorrow?

It was hard to imagine Emperor Guangwu not worrying about this.

Once an incident potentially threatened the emperor’s life or dignity, it could never be taken lightly or ended casually. An upheaval or a witchcraft scandal would be inevitable.

And witchcraft scandals—

Had never involved people’s hands turning into pig hooves!

Having thoroughly studied history and knowing Emperor Guangwu’s character, how could Zhai Hongxia not be alarmed?

“Sir, it’s too late. Unless you suddenly drop dead right now, the only options are to either successfully exorcise the evil from Prince Lu or find the mastermind behind this.”

Zhou Hui was equally helpless.

But too late was too late!

Even if the governor fell ill now, he would first have to submit a memorial to the Ministry of Revenue. After the Ministry’s review, a replacement official would have to be found to carry official documents and travel to the prefectural government for handover, which would take at least two to three months. By then, Prince Lu’s situation would surely have already happened—how could anything be done in time?

Sudden death was a different matter. In that case, the local deputy would immediately ride fast to inform the superior officer. Though they couldn’t take the emergency expedited route over 800 miles, they could still hasten things without having to immediately notify the Ministry of Revenue. The superior officer would arrange for the deputy to act as governor temporarily before informing the Ministry. Then the Ministry would arrange a replacement official to take over.

The process would be handled by the deputy acting as governor.

When a person died, it was of utmost importance. If Emperor Guangwu had any sense of honor, he wouldn’t allow the former prefect to be implicated because of Prince Lu’s incident.

After all, the man had devoted his life to service, working himself to death.

“Sigh, forget it. With Prince Lu’s trouble, I, as prefect, cannot remain unscathed. Zhou Hui, take my personal calling card and visit Prince Lu’s mansion immediately.

It would be best if you could see Prince Lu in person, even touch his hands and arms to confirm whether they really have changed.

Or if it’s some kind of illusion or sleight of hand.

The new steward at Prince Lu’s mansion must be as anxious and fearful as I am. When you meet him, appeal to his emotions and reason with him. After all, our goals should be the same. As for the rest, use your judgment. Also, be sure to find out what the new steward intends to do.

Does he want to continue blocking the news or what?

If he wants to keep it secret and cooperate with me, have him secretly come to see me. If he doesn’t want to block the news, he should come openly and report to the authorities. In any case, everything must proceed according to protocol.”

Although the vassal princes now acted recklessly without fear of punishment from their father, Emperor Guangwu, two things remained absolute taboos. First, they were forbidden to leave their fiefdoms without imperial edict. Prince Lu had left twice only because Emperor Guangwu ordered him to go to the capital. If he dared to sneak back himself, he would face severe punishment.

Second, they were not allowed to fraternize privately with local officials.

For safety, vassal princes generally avoided contact with local officials, and officials themselves dared not meet them secretly in their mansions.

If a meeting was absolutely necessary, it had to be witnessed by many people to show it was official business, not a clandestine private meeting with hidden plots.

In short, it was to prevent collusion and rebellion.

That was why Zhai Hongxia dared not go to Prince Lu’s mansion personally but sent a trusted aide secretly. How the steward at the mansion responded would determine the method of their meeting—whether openly or discreetly.

“I understand. I’m also very curious about what Prince Lu looks like now. I’ll go immediately. When I first arrived, the mansion was still brightly lit; I imagine they have no mind to sleep at this hour.”

After agreeing, Zhou Hui quickly took his leave.

He took the prefect’s personal calling card and went to visit Prince Lu’s mansion.

Meanwhile, Zhai Hongxia’s remaining drunkenness had completely faded, and unable to sleep, he paced back and forth in the pavilion, thinking, agonizing, and waiting.

...

As soon as the news that Zhou Hui carried the prefect’s personal calling card to visit reached Dong Huaide, he knew the news inside the mansion must have leaked. Otherwise, there was no reason for a prefect’s trusted aide to risk a late-night visit.

But the weight of so many bad news had already made him decide to give up resistance. He soon stopped worrying and immediately sent someone to bring Zhou Hui over.

Upon meeting, he spoke frankly:

“Prefect, you must already know what happened in the mansion. Tell me, what do you think?”

This blunt question forced Zhou Hui to swallow all the carefully prepared words, leaving him unsure how to reply. After a moment, he said:

“The prefect wants me to see Prince Lu with my own eyes!”

“The rest depends on you. If you want to keep the news secret, please come quietly to the prefect’s residence later; the prefect will speak with you personally. If not, it’s best to go openly to the local government tomorrow and file a complaint. The prefect will do his best to investigate.”

Basically, there were two choices: either keep the matter confidential and investigate covertly, or openly report to the authorities and start an official investigation.

There was no other option. After all, Prince Lu’s condition was obvious. They couldn’t keep him locked in his mansion forever—neither letting him out nor allowing him to return to the capital.

“You all already know. How could you continue to keep it secret? Blocking the news is useless. The matter will only escalate. Focusing attention on Prince Lu’s hands and feet turning into pig hooves might just buy us a chance.

I choose the latter. Tomorrow morning, I will personally go to the local government office to file a complaint. Our mansion will cooperate with the investigation. I hope you, Prefect, will conduct a thorough inquiry to find the culprit or help restore Prince Lu. Otherwise, no one can escape responsibility.

I heard you investigated many old cases at the Supreme Court.

I hope you’re truly capable.”

Hiding the truth was impossible now. The only way was to respond actively and seek a solution, hoping for a glimmer of hope. If Prince Lu could be restored or the mastermind found, at least some credit would be earned.

Otherwise, it would be a matter of fate.

Or it was time to prepare for the worst in advance.

“As for seeing Prince Lu with your own eyes.

Wait a moment. The imperial physician is currently preparing a calming decoction for Prince Lu. Once he drinks it and falls asleep, you can go and see him. But the physician and I have checked many times. It’s definitely no illusion. Prince Lu’s hands and feet have truly become pig hooves.”