The Eldest Daughter Returns: Imperial Uncle, I'm Pregnant!

Only after being reminded by the Crown Prince did the Emperor remember that when the Second Prince was thoroughly investigating the Ning family case a while ago, he accidentally discovered the crimes of Chen Dianqing, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and now the position of Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was vacant.

Xiao Yuheng, quick-witted, said, “Father, the situation is urgent. Why not let the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review temporarily take over as the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review?”

The emperor was still hesitating about whether to adopt the third prince's suggestion when Zhao Youguang, the prefect of Jingzhao, went to court looking dejected.

"Lord Zhao, how can you not tidy yourself up before coming to see the Emperor? What kind of behavior is this!" Xiao Yuheng reprimanded.

"Please punish me for my disrespect before the emperor in the future. As for the bombing in the west of the city, I have already arrested several suspects, and the search and rescue operation is almost underway. Those who could be rescued have been rescued. As for those who cannot be rescued after today, we have no way to help them. Therefore, I have come to ask Your Majesty for instructions on the next step."

“Lord Zhao has done his best. He has been at the scene of the explosion in the west of the city for several days and hasn’t been home for days, let alone changed his clothes.” The Crown Prince was willing to speak up for the Prefect of Jingzhao.

"That won't work either. Besides, listen to what Lord Zhao is saying. What does he mean by saying he has no other choice?"

Zhao Youguang was not afraid of the Third Prince at all. Despite his face being covered in dust, he retorted, "What are you saying? I am only telling the truth. Besides, this is what the Prince of Chu instructed me to say. The Third Prince, as a prince, is not going to the disaster relief site. Instead, he is here arguing eloquently. If I had known that the Third Prince had such good eloquence, I should have invited the Third Prince to comfort the disaster victims much earlier."

"Zhao Youguang!"

"Alright!" The emperor was so angry that he threw the memorial in his hand to the ground, stopping the conversation between the two.

The Crown Prince picked up the memorial, but without reading its contents, he organized it and placed it on the Emperor's desk.

“Father, this is no small matter. The end of the year is approaching, and we must investigate it thoroughly. Otherwise, the people will be filled with resentment. This is the capital, after all, and such a big mistake has occurred right under the emperor’s nose.”

"It must be that some small workshops made a mistake when producing fireworks and firecrackers. We just need to find those few merchants who had problems. Father, there is no need to worry about this." Xiao Yuheng also expressed his opinion. "Right now, let the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review investigate this matter. I think the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Zhong Jing, is also a talented person."

Xiao Yuheng is now focused on getting his people promoted as soon as possible, so that he can control the situation regarding the explosion in the west of the city. Even if something is eventually discovered, he can proactively minimize the damage.

"Your subject believes that it doesn't matter who the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review is. Right now, the disaster victims in the west of the city are more important. Since Prefect Zhao of the Capital Prefecture has already made some progress, it's not good to replace him halfway. Why don't we let Prefect Zhao continue the investigation with the Imperial Uncle?"

"Just do it."

Xiao Yuheng glanced at Zhao Youguang and then at the Crown Prince. Zhao Youguang was an incorrigible man. Despite being from a poor family, he was incredibly stubborn and refused to listen to anyone.

He simply couldn't believe that this guy could associate with the Crown Prince. Over the years, Zhao Youguang had never given face to anyone. Even if the Emperor was wrong, Zhao Youguang would dare to directly confront him without showing any respect.

Although his people can't take over now, at least no one else will.

For several days, the King of Chu and his princes were on-site providing disaster relief, which managed to quell public resentment. The King of Chu and his entourage also found the epicenter of the explosion, and all the key figures involved were killed in the blast.

However, the King of Chu still managed to catch one or two suspicious individuals.

In the dungeon of the Chu Prince's mansion, Gu Qingwan looked at several people tied to wooden frames. They didn't seem to have been subjected to any torture, but they were just too timid. A strong smell of urine filled the cell.

"Your Highness, this place is not clean. Why don't you go outside and wait a while? I will clean it up right away."

"It's alright, I just wanted to ask a couple of questions."

"Your Highness, Your Highness, I truly don't know! You are a Bodhisattva, please save me!"

"Shut up! Just answer whatever the princess asks you, or you'll be sorry!"

Gu Qingwan asked, "What is your connection with these two shops that exploded? Don't say you have no connection. Since the Chu Prince's Mansion arrested you, they must have investigated you. If you still don't behave yourself, then go with your family. After all, quite a few people died in this explosion. One more person won't make a difference."

Upon hearing Princess Chu's words, the person who had been about to retort immediately deflated.

"Your Highness, please understand. My name is Li Sen. The explosion occurred at my family's shop. However, my family's fireworks shop has been in business for two generations, and we have always been honest and upright in our business. Until a mysterious person approached my brother, Li Song, with an offer of immense wealth, which my brother ultimately accepted..."

"What kind of overwhelming wealth?"

“I don’t know, but I overheard my dad and brother talking. My brother said it was just putting a little more gunpowder into something and what would happen, but my dad strongly disagreed. They had a big fight over it, and my brother was almost kicked out of the house by my dad.”

"But your brother still did it secretly!"

Li Sen lowered his head, feeling somewhat regretful. If he had told his father when he discovered his brother was secretly doing it, this whole thing wouldn't have happened.

Are both shops that exploded yours?

"No, only one is my home, the smaller one. My brother's home was given to him by that benefactor so he could run it."

"Who is this benefactor?"

"We've never seen her before, but judging from her voice, she must be a woman. She always comes after dark, so we've never actually seen what she looks like."

"I'll ask you one last question: is this thing called a Thunderclap Bomb?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Sen immediately looked up at Princess Chu in surprise. How did Princess Chu know? Did the Chu Prince's Mansion, which his brother had built, already know about it?

"Your Highness, spare us! Your Highness, spare us! This was all done by that mysterious person. Our family knew nothing about it. Even I escaped because I went out drinking with my brother that day. Your Highness..."

"Shut up, I'm asking you if it's a thunderbolt."

"Yes, yes, yes, I heard from my brother that it's a thunderbolt."

"How many were made, and were any handed over to your master?"

“We didn’t make many, just a few. We were planning to hand them over to the master in the next couple of days…” Li Sen suddenly realized something, and his face immediately turned cold.

Gu Qingwan looked at the man in front of her with a smile.

"It seems you're not Li Sen, you're Li Song, right?"