eurekapd Chapter 285 Robbery on the Imperial Street
Chapter 285 Robbery on the Imperial Street
Emperor Wenjing remained silent for a long time.
Several officials who had received instructions from Consort De immediately stood up, pointing at Su Mu with angry expressions.
"Lord Su, stop making baseless accusations! His Highness Prince Yong has always been of upright character, how could he have done such a heinous thing? You must be fabricating lies to slander His Highness Prince Yong for your own selfish gain!"
Su Mu recognized the man as one of Consort De's men and frowned, staring directly at the minister.
"Lord Zhao, you accuse me of slander. Then I would like to ask, how do you explain this evidence?"
"The witnesses are all there; there's no room for your sophistry!"
Lord Zhao was speechless for a moment after being rebuked, his face turning red, but he couldn't find the right words to refute.
At this moment, another person stepped forward, speaking with a sarcastic tone: "Lord Su, this evidence could be real or fake. Who knows if you fabricated it to achieve your own goals?"
Some of the remaining officials had originally supported Su Mu's strict investigation of Prince Yong, but seeing Emperor Wenjing's attitude, they hesitated and remained silent.
The hall was quiet and somewhat oppressive for a moment.
Emperor Wenjing frowned, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Su Mu and the court officials. After a moment of contemplation, he slowly spoke.
"Su Mu, I will send people to investigate the evidence you have presented in detail."
"But this matter concerns the reputation of Prince Yong and the honor of the royal family, so it cannot be concluded hastily. Before I have personally investigated and clarified the matter, you must not publicize it again, so as not to disrupt the order of the court."
Su Mu felt a chill in his heart. He knew that Emperor Wenjing was favoring Prince Yong and was stalling for time.
But he was unwilling to accept it.
He kowtowed again: "Your Majesty, the evidence against Prince Yong is conclusive. If we do not investigate thoroughly as soon as possible, I fear it will chill the hearts of the people. How will the grievances of those innocent people who were harmed by Prince Yong be redressed?"
Emperor Wenjing's face darkened, and a hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes.
Suddenly, Prince Chen stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Father, I believe that what Lord Su said is not unfounded."
"Recently, the people of the capital have been discussing the matter of Prince Yong, and public sentiment is unsettled. If the truth is not found out as soon as possible, there is a risk of unforeseen events. I hope that Your Majesty will prioritize the overall situation, thoroughly investigate this matter, and give the people an explanation."
Upon hearing Prince Chen's words, Emperor Wenjing's gaze suddenly darkened.
He glanced coldly at Prince Chen, then impatiently stood up.
"I am tired. If there is nothing else, the court may adjourn."
After saying this, Emperor Wenjing stood up and left.
Su Haifu was stunned for a while before hurriedly following after them.
Su Mu was extremely anxious. Watching Emperor Wenjing's departing figure, she couldn't help but raise her voice and call out, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty..."
However, Emperor Wenjing did not stop walking and disappeared from everyone's sight in the blink of an eye.
Upon seeing this, the ministers in the court began to whisper among themselves.
Those ministers who originally supported Su Mu couldn't help but have second thoughts when they saw Emperor Wenjing's attitude.
The ministers of Consort De's faction wore smug expressions.
The official Zhao who had spoken earlier seized the opportunity to say sarcastically, "Some people should weigh their own abilities before acting. Don't overestimate yourselves and invite trouble upon yourselves."
After Emperors Wen and Jing left, the remaining officials also departed one after another.
Su Mu remained kneeling on the spot, head bowed, seemingly lost in thought.
Yun Shang walked over and extended his hand to him, "Lord Su."
Su Mu heard the sound and looked up at Yun Shang.
He hesitated for a moment before taking Yun Shang's hand and using it to slowly stand up, his eyes filled with exhaustion and resentment.
His voice was deep and somber, "Given His Majesty's attitude, this case will likely be shelved, and the injustices suffered by those innocent women..."
Su Mu suddenly laughed, his voice full of sarcasm.
"How can the life of an ordinary person compare to that of a prince?"
“Lord Su, watch your words!” Prince Chen’s voice rang in Su Mu’s ear, carrying a hint of warning.
Su Mu glanced at Prince Chen, then clenched her hands tightly at her sides, and said nothing more.
He knew that Prince Chen meant well in reminding him.
The palace is full of spies, and what he said in his impulsiveness will probably reach Emperor Wenjing's ears very soon.
But it doesn't matter.
He insisted on investigating the Yong Prince case, and Consort De would not let him off the hook either.
Seeing that Su Mu was distraught, Yun Shang wanted to invite him to ride away from the palace, but Su Mu refused.
Yun Shang had no choice but to leave with Prince Chen first.
Only after everyone in the main hall had left did Su Mu slowly get up and walk out of the palace.
He even risked his father's life to investigate the Yongwang case, but now the emperor's attitude is so different. How could he not feel despair and anger?
Su Mu's steps were heavy, each step feeling like he was dragging a thousand-pound burden.
As soon as Su Mu stepped out of the palace gate, a gust of cold wind blew by, and he felt a chill run through his body.
Consort De, as the birth mother of Prince Yong, disregarded human life and acted out of personal favoritism, leaving him powerless to do anything about it.
But how could Emperor Wenjing, as the ruler of a country, ignore the grievances of the people and only show favoritism to that scoundrel, Prince Yong?!
The servant brought the horse over, but Su Mu said, "You should go back to the manor first. I want to take a walk by myself."
Seeing his cold expression, the servant dared not say anything and left first.
After the court sessions, the officials had all left by carriage or horseback. At this moment, apart from the patrolling guards, Su Mu was the only person on the entire Imperial Street.
Su Mu should have gone to the Dali Temple.
But at this moment, he didn't know what the point of going to the Dali Temple again would be.
Emperor Wenjing's attitude today is practically telling his court officials that he doesn't want to punish Prince Yong.
Even if the evidence is conclusive.
The cold winter wind howled past, making the signs on the street flutter loudly.
Once outside the imperial city limits, the Imperial Street becomes much more crowded with pedestrians.
Su Mu walked along, her heart heavy, her thoughts a jumbled mess.
Just then, a gasp broke his reverie.
A frightened horse was seen running wildly through the street, and the man riding it looked panicked, having lost control of the horse.
The horse, like a wild beast, galloped wildly toward a child playing on the side of the street.
The child seemed stunned by the sudden turn of events, standing there with wide eyes and a face full of terror, forgetting to dodge.
Upon seeing this, pedestrians screamed and scattered in all directions, creating chaos in an instant.
Su Mu's heart tightened, and almost instinctively, he rushed towards the child without hesitation.
At this critical moment, Su Mu mustered all her strength, took a step forward, and tightly protected the child in her arms. Then she rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the collision of the frightened horse.
A startled horse swept past them with a gust of wind, the dust kicked up by its hooves landing on Su Mu and the child.
Su Mu slowly stood up, patted the dust off his clothes, and looked down at the child in his arms.
The child's face turned pale with fright, and his eyes were filled with tears, but thankfully he was unharmed.
Su Mu gently comforted her, "Don't be afraid, it's alright now."
The child then burst into tears.
At this moment, the child's mother squeezed through the crowd, saw that the child was safe and sound, and quickly took the child from Su Mu's arms.
Without even a word of thanks, she glanced at Su Mu in a panic, then hurriedly picked up the child and ran away.
Having bumped into the ground while dodging the horse, Su Mu felt pain in every bone in his body and had no time to think about the woman's strange behavior.
Just then, the startled horse that had already left suddenly galloped towards him, and almost at the same time, a sharp whistle pierced the sky.
The next instant, seven or eight men in black suddenly rushed out from both sides of the deserted street, holding long sticks and swinging them straight down at Su Mu!