Who put the yellow robe on me?

When this topic was brought up, a hint of solemnity appeared on Xiong Zhiheng's face again. "About a month ago... The Fifth Prince went to Tianxiang Pavilion for entertainment and claimed to have seen you there."

Jiang Chen's eyes unconsciously darkened, and he pursed his lips tightly, a complex wave of emotions stirring within him. His first reaction was suspicion, and he couldn't help but whisper, "Tianxiang Pavilion... that's the biggest brothel in the city. Although I used to go there often... cough cough cough..."

His voice stopped abruptly, and he suddenly realized that his words seemed a little inappropriate. But his heart tightened, and he recalled the various things that happened in the capital during his time in the Western Regions. The feeling of unease in his heart quickly spread.

"But I'm far away in the Western Regions fighting, how could I appear here? It's obvious that someone is deliberately spreading rumors!" He spoke again, but his tone was a little out of control, and there was obviously some resentment in his voice.

Xiong Zhiheng nodded and said, "That's right, I also felt it was strange, but due to the complicated situation at the time and the Ministry of Justice being plagued by internal and external troubles, I had no time to investigate further.

Over time, the rumor grew more and more outrageous, initially with a few people claiming to have seen His Highness, and then it evolved into many people claiming to have witnessed it with their own eyes, and they also described the image of 'His Highness the Sixteenth' vividly.

Jiang Chen frowned. He could imagine that once the news spread, it would cause a huge stir, not only for him, but even the morale of the army far away in the Western Regions would be affected.

His thoughts seemed to be stuck in a vortex, unable to extricate himself. In order to better control the situation, what was the best way to deal with it?

"Later, some people even said that this 'Sixteenth Prince' had met with other princes in the palace, which is puzzling." Xiong Zhiheng continued.

Jiang Chen's face darkened slightly, his eyes gleaming coldly. "It's obvious someone is pulling the strings behind the scenes, making the fake prince's actions in the capital confusing and paving the way for subsequent actions. They've made a big move, and it seems every move is against me. And the Thirteenth Princess' disappearance might have been planned long ago."

Xiong Zhiheng's heart trembled, and he nodded in agreement: "Your Highness, this is the clever part. The fake prince has never appeared in person. If the truth is not investigated, someone might take advantage of it and make you the target of public criticism."

Jiang Chen sneered, a murderous look flashing in his eyes. "Their plan is a bit too good, but I will never let them succeed." He paused and said slowly, "By the way, regarding the circumstances of the day the princess disappeared, have you found any related cases?"

Xiong Zhiheng nodded and then flipped open the file beside him: "Your Highness, I have read many files and feel that this one is suspicious."

Jiang Chen took the file and looked at it carefully, his fingertips lingering on a few pages: "Can you tell me in detail what is suspicious about this file?"

Xiong Zhiheng tapped a few key words in the file: "The day before yesterday morning, a night watchman hanged himself at home. According to his wife, he was addicted to gambling and was humiliated to death by his gambling den mates."

Jiang Chen frowned in thought, a cold look flashing in his eyes: "Night watchman? Addicted to gambling?" He paused for a moment and continued, "Let's go and take a look at this night watchman's home."

A hint of doubt flashed across Xiong Zhiheng's eyes, but when he saw the determination in Jiang Chen's eyes, he nodded and said, "Yes!"

The two men then took some palace soldiers and rushed to the northeast corner of the capital, their destination being the night watchman's simple and cramped residence.

The streets and alleys in the northeast corner of the capital were deep and narrow, the tiles on the roofs were already a bit old. In front of the houses, dead branches were tangled, the ground was muddy, and a few messy poultry made occasional cawing sounds.

Jiang Chen frowned even more tightly, and then entered the simple house.

Upon entering, I saw a simple coffin in the main hall. A few worn pieces of paper were taped to the cold coffin. The room was filled with a damp, musty smell, and the air seemed to be tinged with a hint of bitter medicine. The flickering candlelight cast a crisscross of shadows within the room, creating an unsettling, oppressive feeling.

A woman in white knelt beside the coffin, her head lowered. She looked rather frail. She wore no jewelry, only an antique-looking hairpin and a pair of slightly worn bracelets. She looked like an ordinary housewife.

But Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes slightly. Although the bracelet of the woman in white looked ordinary, it revealed an unusual luster and was obviously not simple.

The woman looked distraught, seemingly unaware of Jiang Chen and Xiong Zhiheng's arrival. She kept her head bowed, tears streaming down her face. Her sadness didn't seem to stem from the night watchman's sudden death, but rather from some hidden reason.

Jiang Chen walked lightly to the table, picked up a stick of incense from the table and lit it, then slowly walked towards the coffin, clasped his hands together, and lit incense silently.

There is a tablet in the main hall with the words "The seat of my late husband Bai Yinlang" written on it.

The woman suddenly seemed to sense something and began to sob softly.

The crying almost filled up the empty room. Gradually, the crying became more mournful, as if all the resentment and resentment were poured out at this moment.

The air in the main hall seemed oppressive, almost suffocating. Jiang Chen took a deep breath and closed his eyes slightly. When he opened them again, he looked at the woman in white with a deep scrutiny.

Xiong Zhiheng stood aside, his brows slightly furrowed, clearly at a loss for what to do. He remained silent, his head bowed, as if waiting for something.

Jiang Chen's eyes swept over the expression of the woman in white, and a thought suddenly flashed through his mind. That subtle emotional fluctuation just now seemed to have some other meaning.

His heart moved, and he said, "Mrs. Bai, I understand your pain right now, but please calm down."

The woman was stunned for a moment, then raised her head. Tears were still welling in her eyes, but her expression turned cold and stern. "Calm down? You want me to calm down? My husband died unjustly, and I've been a widow for him. Yet, I have to endure you officials coming here to question me? Do you really have any intentions?"

Although her voice was tearful, it was also filled with a strong sense of doubt and anger.

Jiang Chen's heart tightened. This woman was not the kind of fragile woman who would easily lose control of herself due to grief for her loved ones. Instead, her reaction was somewhat overly stressful and harsh.

This reaction gave Jiang Chen a profound warning - this case was not as simple as it seemed.

He looked at Xiong Zhiheng, shook his head slightly, and signaled him to stay calm.

"Madam Bai," Jiang Chen said in a deep voice, "We are only investigating the case. We have no other intentions. If we can help you find out the truth, it will definitely redress the injustice done to your late husband."

"Unjust? Do you think everything is an injustice?" A hint of sarcasm flashed across Mrs. Bai's face, and she immediately regained her composure.

"You are just making fun of other people's suffering. If you want to investigate, then go investigate the gambling den clerks! If they hadn't humiliated my husband, how could he have ended up like this?"