Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress-Chapter 736 - 733: Defenseless by everyone_1

After expressing his gratitude, Fang stood up.

Not long after, Bai Jinxiu entered the main hall with the Imperial Physician and the Crown Princess Consort’s nanny. Behind them was a trembling servant escorted by two Bai family guards.

"Bai Jinxiu greets the Crown Prince!" Bai Jinxiu bowed.

The Imperial Physician and the Crown Princess Consort’s nanny also bowed to the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince withdrew his gaze from the trembling servant and, suppressing his curiosity, looked at Bai Jinxiu and asked first, "How is the Princess of Zhen?"

Bai Jinxiu bowed again. "Thanks to the Imperial Physician sent by the Crown Princess Consort, after the Imperial Physician prescribed medicine for my eldest sister, her condition stabilized. I have come again under my eldest sister’s order to report something to the Crown Prince."

Bai Jinxiu glanced back at the trembling servant and said, "I heard from the Princess of Zhen’s servant that this person came to the Princess of Zhen’s residence claiming to have something extremely important to tell my eldest sister after I left to seek the Imperial Physician from the Crown Prince’s residence."

As she spoke, Bai Jinxiu wiped her tears with a handkerchief. "My eldest sister was in critical condition at that time but still worried about what this person had to say. She got up with difficulty, and when I returned to the residence with the Imperial Physician and the Crown Princess Consort’s nanny, my eldest sister had already summoned this servant to the courtyard. Just as the Imperial Physician, the nanny, and I were about to enter, I heard the servant telling my eldest sister that Wang Qiulu and the King Liang’s household were closely connected."

"My eldest sister, upon hearing that Wang Qiulu was alive, immediately questioned the servant about who saved the treasonous Wang Qiulu and whether it was his master or King Liang. This servant claimed to know nothing other than delivering a message. As the matter involved a traitor, my eldest sister asked me to bring the person to the Crown Prince’s residence for a thorough investigation."

The Crown Prince tightened his grip on the armrest and looked at the servant.

Elder Fang’s pupils also constricted, convinced that it was indeed Li Mingrui causing trouble from behind the scenes, though unaware of what Li Mingrui had instructed Wang Qiulu to say to the Crown Prince.

The Bai family guards released their hold, and the servant immediately fell to his knees. "Crown Prince, Crown Prince, I truly know nothing. I was only delivering a message from my young master to the Princess of Zhen!"

"What did your young master instruct you to say to the Princess of Zhen?" the Crown Prince asked sternly.

"My young master only instructed me to tell the Princess of Zhen that Wang Qiulu was closely connected with King Liang’s household and to be extremely cautious. That’s all. I truly know nothing else. Please, Crown Prince, see clearly," the servant cried.

The Crown Prince’s expression grew darker, and he had almost concluded that Li Mingrui was behind this.

Li Mingrui had first sent a message to Ren Shijie and Elder Fang to hand over Wang Qiulu to them and then sent someone to inform the Princess of Zhen that Wang Qiulu was closely connected with King Liang. What was Li Mingrui’s true intention?

"You may not know now, but you will when Li Mingrui arrives," the Crown Prince said coldly. He despised anyone using schemes right under his nose. Did Li Mingrui really think his cunning was so superior that even the Crown Prince couldn’t see through it?

Soon, the Minister of Judicial Review, Lu Jin, arrived at the Crown Prince’s residence. Upon entering and seeing the assembly in the main hall, he was puzzled and, after exchanging courtesies, sat down. Ren Shijie then slowly explained the whole story to Lu Jin.

Just as the Crown Prince ordered Wang Qiulu and the prison guard from the Court of Judicial Review to be brought up, Li Mingrui arrived.

Li Mingrui was also uncertain, as it was the Crown Prince’s personal guards who had summoned him, and they knew nothing except that the Crown Prince had sent them.

Li Mingrui suspected that perhaps Elder Fang and Ren Shijie had incriminated him and was quite confused. From his years of investigation, Elder Fang was known for being power-hungry, so why would he now let Li Mingrui take the credit?

Thus, summoned by the Crown Prince, only one possibility remained. Something had gone wrong, and Elder Fang and Ren Shijie were shifting all blame onto him.

But what had gone wrong?

Could it be... Wang Qiulu?

Upon seeing Li Mingrui stride through the main gate of the Crown Prince’s residence, Bai Jinxiu, seated, sneered and turned to face him, her lips curled in scorn.

"My young master! Save me!" The servant cried upon seeing Li Mingrui, "I was only delivering a message."

A chill ran down Li Mingrui’s spine upon recognizing Bai Jinxiu and his servant. He realized that the Princess of Zhen had brought the matter to the Crown Prince. Feigning ignorance, he respectfully stepped forward to greet the Crown Prince. "This humble servant greets the Crown Prince."

"Li Mingrui, do you know your crime?" The Crown Prince asked coldly, glaring at the kneeling Li Mingrui.

Maintaining his respectful demeanor, Li Mingrui kept his head down. "Crown Prince, this humble servant was summoned late at night and is confused, unaware of any crimes committed."

Calculating in his mind, Li Mingrui was certain that Elder Fang and Ren Shijie must have already informed the Crown Prince of... everything. With Bai Jinxiu and the servant present, he couldn’t deny it. He had to quickly concoct a plausible explanation.

Glancing at the somber Elder Fang, he speculated aloud, "Perhaps it concerns Wang Qiulu?"

"I ask you, why did you frame the Princess of Zhen?" The Crown Prince’s voice rose.

He could not openly admit it was revenge for his younger brother, or the Crown Prince would question why he informed the Princess of Zhen of Wang Qiulu’s survival.

After a brief silence, Li Mingrui bowed heavily before the Crown Prince. "Your Highness, I was compelled by circumstances! When King Liang’s rebellion failed, and he was confined by the Emperor, I, recalling old times with King Liang, sought the Emperor’s permission to occasionally send people to care for him. But who knew... King Liang coerced me into helping him rescue Wang Qiulu."

Li Mingrui looked at the Crown Prince with feigned transparency and sincerity. "King Liang threatened that if I didn’t help, he would accuse me of being King Xian’s accomplice before the Emperor and the Crown Prince, claiming I tended to him out of fear of exposure. My death alone would be inconsequential, but I couldn’t implicate my entire family. Furthermore, given my father’s high position, even if the Crown Prince believed us, the Emperor might not."

The Crown Prince gritted his teeth, fists tightly clenched, and sneered, "King Liang..."