Chapter 579: Falling into a Trap
Chapter 579: Chapter 579: Falling into a Trap
Shen Ningning’s first instinct, surprisingly, was to suspect Mo Lingwei.
’Could Brother have done this?’
’To make me give up Lu Shaoyuan?’
But after all the years she’d known him, she squashed the thought the instant it arose.
’It couldn’t have been Mo Lingwei.’
’He might be domineering, but he would never do something like this.’
Lu Shaoyuan murmured in shock beside her, "She’s dead... How can she be dead? If she is, who’s going to clear my name?"
The crowd of onlookers had already started pointing and murmuring—
"Why would a perfectly fine young woman jump from the building?"
"It looks like she was murdered to me!"
"I just heard a waiter from inside say that the younger son of Mrs. Meng, the head of the merchant guild—that would be Second Young Master Lu—got drunk, forced himself on a girl, and then refused to take responsibility!"
"What? Something like that really happened? No wonder the Princess rushed over. Second Young Master Lu must have been afraid it would affect his marriage to the Princess, so he killed her to keep her quiet!"
Public opinion, especially when fueled by malicious speculation, has always been a terrifying force.
In just a few short moments, no one cared about the truth anymore.
On everyone’s lips, Lu Shaoyuan was already a murder suspect.
Mo Lingwei immediately dispatched the personal guards he had brought with him to lock down the scene, disperse the crowd, and forbid the spreading of rumors.
He then quickly strode into the tavern.
His personal guards followed close behind, swiftly surrounding and securing the tavern, clearing out all the patrons.
The Shopkeeper, his face pale with fright, hurried after Mo Lingwei, pleading, "Your Highness, my family and I are all law-abiding people! This tavern has been open for almost ten years, and this is the first time anything like this has ever happened!"
"I don’t know why Second Young Master Lu would kill someone. He just came here to drink with a group of people, and when he got drunk, he went to rest. I don’t know any of them at all! Your Highness, you mustn’t shut down my establishment! My entire family of eight depends on it to survive!"
Mo Lingwei’s thin lips were pressed into a line on his stern face as he completely ignored the Shopkeeper’s desperate pleas.
Only when he reached Shen Ningning did he shoot a stern glare at Lu Shaoyuan beside her before turning to the Shopkeeper. "Bring some sobering soup. Immediately."
The Shopkeeper sighed in resignation and turned to leave.
Looking as if he’d been dealt a heavy blow, Lu Shaoyuan sat by the table, his face ashen. He pressed a hand to his brow, muttering over and over, "How did this happen? How did this happen...?"
Mo Lingwei looked at Lu Shaoyuan and said coldly, "The world is full of treacherous people. You’re just getting the hang of doing business. You don’t realize that the hardest part isn’t making money, but dealing with people. It seems you’ve fallen into someone’s trap."
After he spoke, he looked at Shen Ningning, his eyes filled with unconcealed concern.
He had rushed over the moment he heard the news, afraid that Shen Ningning would be implicated and criticized by others.
The young woman, however, was just watching him quietly with a questioning gaze.
"Are you all right?" Mo Lingwei asked.
Shen Ningning shook her head. "Brother, why are you here?"
Mo Lingwei replied, "I was already scheduled to leave the palace for an inspection tour today. I heard there was trouble here while I was nearby."
Shen Ningning frowned. "So quickly?"
Barely a quarter of an hour had passed between Lu Shaoyuan’s incident and Mo Lingwei’s arrival.
’For the news to have spread so fast, it must have been part of the plan!’
Lu Shaoyuan slammed his fist on the table. "It must have been Mr. Long! I’m going to find him right now!"
Shen Ningning quickly grabbed him to stop him.
"Don’t be so hasty. If Shuyan was willing to commit suicide just to frame you, who knows what will happen if you go looking for Jiang Shanglong. It’s not too late to go after the investigation has turned up some leads."
Mo Lingwei immediately called over one of his personal guards. "Go and round up everyone who was drinking with Lu Shaoyuan last night. Take them to the government office for questioning."
Shen Ningning suddenly added, "Take my token with you. I’m afraid my brother’s men won’t be enough to handle it all."
As she spoke, she handed over her Princess’s Jade Order.
After Shen Ningning was made a Princess, she had three hundred guards at her Princess Mansion, ready to be dispatched.
Mo Lingwei glanced at her.
’He had the keen sense that by arranging for her own men to help apprehend Jiang Shanglong and the others, she was showing a lack of trust in him.’
But Mo Lingwei said nothing. He simply nodded to his personal guard, allowing them to take the Jade Order and depart.
Lu Shaoyuan was beside himself with anguish.
"I can’t understand it. Jiang Shanglong is getting old, and his shipping business has been in decline. As far as I know, his books are deep in the red. My investment at a time like this would be nothing but beneficial for him. Why would he want to harm me?"
Just then, the waiter brought the sobering soup. Shen Ningning sat down beside him and poured him a bowl.
"Perhaps he wasn’t the one behind it, but a thorough investigation starting with him is sure to turn up some clues. Don’t worry for now. Drink the soup first."
Lu Shaoyuan took the bowl, his eyes bloodshot as he looked at Shen Ningning. "You have to believe me. I truly haven’t done anything to betray you."
Shen Ningning nodded. "Of course I believe you."
’Lu Shaoyuan wasn’t that kind of person. Besides, even if he had done it, Shen Ningning didn’t plan on blaming him.’
Standing nearby, Mo Lingwei saw this exchange. A deep look of displeasure flared in his eyes, but he forcibly suppressed it.
He turned his head, trying his best not to watch them, hoping to calm the storm in his heart.
Under Shen Ningning’s comforting words, Lu Shaoyuan’s frayed emotions began to settle, and his thoughts grew clearer.
Shen Ningning guided him in recalling the details of the previous night.
He only remembered that after Jiang Shanglong left, the other managers took turns drinking with him, which was why he had gotten so drunk.
"I can usually hold my liquor, but I never expected to get completely drunk," Lu Shaoyuan said, pressing his temples, filled with endless regret.
Mo Lingwei sat in a nearby chair, listening quietly. His handsome, pale face remained impassive.
Suddenly, he asked, "You went out to a banquet and didn’t bring an attendant?"
Lu Shaoyuan shot upright. "That’s right! I brought my attendant. Where did he go...?"
He looked down at the soup bowl in his hands.
Sobering soup...
"I remember now! The other managers sent him to the back kitchen to get some sobering soup for me."
’My attendant must not have come back, or things never would have gotten this out of hand.’
Hearing this, Mo Lingwei and Shen Ningning exchanged a look of understanding and walked toward the door, both intending to check the rear courtyard.
Lu Shaoyuan hurriedly followed them.
The Crown Prince’s personal guards had already surrounded the entire tavern, and guards were posted in the rear courtyard as well.
When Mo Lingwei and the others arrived, several of his personal guards were standing watch at the four corners of the yard.
The tavern had been completely cleared of people. Lu Shaoyuan searched the kitchen but couldn’t find his attendant.
Shen Ningning scanned the area. Mo Lingwei, standing beside her, wondered aloud, "Do you think they took him?"
’If these people were set on framing Lu Shaoyuan, they wouldn’t have left his attendant behind.’
Shen Ningning’s gaze swept across the courtyard before finally landing on the only large water cistern.
She reached out to lift the lid, but Mo Lingwei grabbed her wrist.
"Don’t let it frighten you. I’ll do it."