Lose My Heart to the Lovely Kitten Princess - Chapter 34
Chapter 34: Unfilial son
He Yuanbai’s eyes turned slightly duskier when he sensed the coldness in Chu Yunshen’s eyes.
He quickly composed himself and continued with a smile on his face, “Your Highness, the morning before Deputy Minister Gu’s daughter was murdered on 26th February, I visited Young Master Di at home, but he wasn’t in. I waited for a long time, but he didn’t turn up. When I was leaving, I bumped into Young Master Di at the entrance as he was hurrying home. I recall there was a lot of mud and grass on his wheelchair and even asked him how he got into such a mess.”
Although Chu Yunshen stroked the cat nonstop, his hand paused, and he raised his head to look at He Yuanbai standing below when he heard this.
Mud and grass on his wheelchair?
Would an average person notice this?
He Yuanbai made eye contact with Chu Yunshen.
Then Chu Yunshen veered his cold stare away and gestured for He Yuanbai to continue as he stroked the cat.
He Yuanbai continued, “He panicked when he saw me and said he went out of the city to offer incense at Hanshan Temple.”
Then He Yuanbai looked at Chu Yunshen and explained, “Ever since Young Master Di got hurt, he has been in low spirits. So I told him Abbott Huike of Hanshan Temple outside the city was a reputable monk, and he ought to visit when he had the time. Young Master Di took up my advice and started going to Hanshan Temple often to offer incense and listen to Abbott Huike preach about Buddhism.”
“It seems Young Master Di trusts Sir He a lot,” said Chu Yunshen as he played with the cat with his head lowered while he spoke to He Yuanbai standing below.
“We are just friends,” replied He Yuanbai. He Yuanbai was startled as Chu Yunshen sounded like there was hidden meaning in his words, but it was uncertain what he was referring to.
“Oh, I see,” said Chu Yunshen ambiguously as he smiled at He Yuanbai and gestured for him to continue.
He Yuanbai paid obeisance to Chu Yunshen and continued, “I went to Hanshan Temple to visit Abbott Huike yesterday. Knowing that we were friends, he asked what Young Master Di was busy with and why he hadn’t been visiting lately. I was puzzled, so I asked Abbot Huike about Young Master Di’s trip to Hanshan Temple on the 26th, but he said Young Master Di hasn’t visited after the 20th. Yet Young Master Di claimed he visited Hanshan Temple on the 26th to offer incense. Then Deputy Minister Gu’s daughter died on the 27th. After connecting the dots, I felt something was amiss, so I hurried over to report it to Your Highness.”
“What Sir He is driving at is that…” said Chu Yunshen with an uninhibited smile and an unusually wicked look in his dark eyes, “… Young Master Di killed Deputy Minister Gu’s daughter?”
“That’s not what I meant,” explained He Yuanbai as he bowed.
Chu Yunshen laughed coldly. Like father like son.
His father was a wily old fox while he was a cunning baby fox.
Xiaowu had a nagging feeling that Prince Jing didn’t like Young Master He as he stood there listening.
But why?
Young Master He looked so warm and gentle that it must have been impossible to get angry with him.
Although he was a fourth grade court official, he had no airs when he spoke to a little guard like Xiaowu and was good-natured.
Also, he placed righteousness above friendship by reporting his suspicions about Di Yushu.
The man was perfect. So why would Prince Jing give him such an awful attitude?
“Heh,” chuckled Chu Yunshen coldly. He stroked the cat’s fur and said, “I’ll send someone to check on the things you have reported.”
“Then allow me to take my leave, Your Highness,” said He Yuanbai before he bowed to Chu Yunshen and left.
Xiaowu glanced at He Yuanbai, who had gone afar. Then Xiaowu turned to look at Prince Jing as he quietly teased the cat with his head lowered.
He scratched his head but remained hesitant to speak. Then he quietly organized the leads in his mind.
From the looks of it now, the man who murdered Deputy Minister Gu’s daughter must have been Di Yushu.
After Deputy Minister Gu suspended Di Yushu from his duties, he idled around and frequented brothels. Then he got into a brawl with a rich man’s son over the top courtesan and fell from the second floor, leaving him crippled and impotent.
Young Master He heard Di Yushu threaten to teach Deputy Minister Gu a lesson multiple times while he was recovering, so he certainly had a motive.
Also, the assassin said his client was wearing a jade pendant with hornless dragons engraved on it and seated on a wheelchair.
Both their statements pointed to Di Yushu being the culprit.
Now Young Master He provided further information about Di Yushu being away from home on 26th February and coming back with dirt and grass on his wheelchair and lying about visiting Hanshan Temple.
All evidence and statements pointed at Di Yangze’s son, Di Yushu, as the murderer of Deputy Minister Gu’s daughter.
“Your Highness, I’ll send someone to catch Di Yushu and throw him into jail!” said Xiaowu as he bowed to Chu Yunshen.
“Go receive 20 paddles from the punishment officer.”
“Huh?” replied Xiaowu with his chin nearly falling to the ground. What did he do this time?
All he said was to put Di Yushu behind bars. Why did Prince Jing punish him?
But when Chu Yunshen glanced at him, Xiaowu quickly went to the punishment officer to receive punishment.
Chu Yunshen narrowed his eyes. Then he raised his head to glance in the direction He Yuanbai had left, and his lips curved into a cold bloodthirsty smile as he said, “Little fox!”
Mu Bai watched as Xiaowu limped before him. He raised his brow and smiled wickedly, “Did you piss His Highness’ cat off again?”
“I swear I didn’t! How could I dare provoke the cat? I don’t know what got into His Highness. The case was clearly about to get solved, but he punished me for no reason!” said Xiaowu somewhat indignantly.
“On the verge of getting solved?” asked Mu Bai as he took out some medication for Xiaowu.
Xiaowu nodded and replied, “The deputy minister of agriculture reported crucial information to His Highness today, so Di Yushu is definitely the murderer.”
“He Deyong’s son?” asked Mu Bai as he frowned. Then his hand froze in mid-air with the medication.
It was He Deyong!
When the country was in crisis, Prince Jing was sent to the frontier to fight.
Prince Jing wrote several times, telling He Deyong to send the army provisions. Yet the old fox claimed the government failed to collect enough grain, and many regions suffered from drought, and food was scarce, so he genuinely couldn’t supply any provision for the army!
Without enough provision, army morale was low. Faced with both domestic and foreign threats, Prince Jing could only personally lead elite troops to launch a surprise attack on the enemy from behind. After fighting a bloody battle for a day, he finally managed to defeat the enemy.
If his master, the Medicine King, didn’t give Prince Jing the Huanhun Pill, he would’ve perished in that battle.
“What?” asked Xiaowu perplexedly when he noticed the odd expression on Mu Bai’s face.
Mu Bai tossed the medication to Xiaowu. Then he sat back behind the table to pick up his medical books and said indifferently, “I just recalled how the Minister of Revenue, He Deyong, kept delaying the army provisions when the Emperor sent Prince Jing to the frontier to fight.”
“Huh?” asked Xiaowu in surprise. He stayed back in the palace to help handle Prince Jing’s mother’s funeral and didn’t head to the frontier with him.
But he keenly remembered the countless scars which Prince Jing came back with from that war.
Chu Yunshen carried the lion cat onto the bed after he washed up a night.
“Little fellow?” asked Chu Yunshen as he raised the cat’s bandaged paw, “Does it still hurt?”
Chu Yunshen asked Mu Bai about why the little fellow had been in low spirits and kept looking weak of late.
After examining the cat for some time, Mu Bai concluded the little fellow might have gotten bored since she couldn’t go anywhere with her paw injured.
“We won’t go to the justice department tomorrow. I’ll take you out for some fun instead.”
Chu Yunshen discovered the cat instantly turning to raise her head and looking at him with her bright eyes glinting.
Chu Yunshen turned soft-hearted and stroked her little head. Mu Bai was spot on about her being bored.
“Go to bed,” said Chu Yunshen as he patted her furry head.
“Meow.”
Cheng Xiaoxiao immediately snuggled under the blanket obediently.
They finally didn’t have to go to the justice department.
She was getting bored to her wit’s end.
After Bai Wuchang cut their conversation short, she attempted to get in touch with Hei Wuchang and Bai Wuchang again, but they still refused to offer any leeway.
They kept telling her they were uncertain about when she could reincarnate and told her to wait in the earthly realm calmly.
Calmly wait?
How could Cheng Xiaoxiao stay calm?
All she did day in day out was eat milk paste.
Cheng Xiaoxiao was starting to get depressed.
She might not have to wait for them to inform her about reincarnation before she died and went down to the Netherworld to visit them.
No, Cheng Xiaoxiao didn’t even dare to die. Bai Wuchang said she couldn’t afford to die before the reincarnation quota was ready. If she died and lost this host, her soul would get extinguished.
Cheng Xiaoxiao had no idea she had completely transformed into a cat because she gave up her opportunity to reincarnate.
So even if Cheng Xiaoxiao died before her time was up, her soul wouldn’t get extinguished.
Instead, Cheng Xiaoxiao would get reincarnated as another animal.
“Your Highness, the horse carriage is ready,” said Xiaowu from outside early in the morning.
Chu Yunshen carried Cheng Xiaoxiao out of the room. When she caught sight of Xiaowu limping around, her low spirits instantly lifted.
“Meow
Xiaowu deserved it!
He asked for it!
That’s for keeping Cheng Xiaoxiao in a cage!
Chu Yunshen lowered his head to see the energetic little fellow in his arms and rubbed her furry little head. She was finally lively again.
Xiaowu furtively glared at the lion cat. How dare the little fellow gloat over his misfortune?
Outside Di Yushu’s room at the Di residence.
CLANG!
A porcelain vase got thrown out from inside.
“Get out!” came a hoarse and stern voice of a man.
The maids outside the room quickly squatted to pick up the broken vase pieces.
“Unfilial son! You unfilial son! Why didn’t you just die from the fall?”
Just as the justice department supervisor, Di Yangze, brought Chu Yunshen to Di Yushu’s room, a vase happened to get thrown out of the room and almost hit Chu Yunshen.
Di Yangze was so terrified that his legs went soft, and he almost knelt onto the ground.
“Are you deaf? Didn’t I tell you to get out?”
Another shout immediately came from the inner room, the moment Chu Yunshen entered with the lion cat in his arms.
“How dare you!” shouted Xiaowu as he went inside the room with his sword in hand. Before long, he dragged Di Yushu out of the room.
“Who are you! How dare you pull me like that! Men!”
“Shut up!” said Xiaowu as he yanked him before Chu Yunshen and flung him by Chu Yunshen’s feet like a rag.
“Pay your respects to His Highness!” shouted Xiaowu sternly.
Then Di Yushu looked at the people who had suddenly swarmed over in surprise. His Highness?
Why didn’t his father head to the justice department today?
“You unfilial son! Hurry up and pay your respects to His Highness!” shouted Di Yangze. He was dying to hack this unfilial son who did nothing but stir trouble for him!
Di Yangze had been a court official for years. Since he had only one wife and was always busy with work, he had very few children. His wife only gave birth to a son when he was quite old.
So Di Yushu was precious to the family.
Since his mother indulged Di Yushu from young and Di Yangze was always busy with work, he didn’t have the time to discipline Di Yushu, so he ended up causing this huge trouble today!
“Your Highness!” greeted Di Yushu. Despite being a blockhead, he knew his limits.
The man before him was Prince Jing!
So he immediately turned around and knelt on the ground.
“You unfilial son! Hurry up and confess your deeds!” shouted Di Yangze furiously with his limbs trembling.
