What if something else went wrong?
Wouldn't Shen Yangge's head feel ready to split?
They had caught the men, but convicting and executing them on the spot wasn't really an option. After all, they owed the common people an explanation, and they needed to leave a record for future generations.
They could deal with the Fourth Prince however they pleased, but not the Second Prince. He was of the late emperor's bloodline, while Chu Xuanzhen, who held the title of Crown Prince, was not.
So if Chu Xuanzhen acted against the Second Prince without justification, he would clearly lose the officials' support. Some scions of the great families aligned with the Second Prince and Fourth Prince would also be displeased, giving them a pretext to raise an army in rebellion.
Therefore, if Chu Xuanzhen wanted to eliminate these major problems at their root, he could not touch Chu Xuanzhi for the time being. Even when he did act, he would have to lay out every piece of evidence of his crimes before the people and court officials.
He had to show them that even someone of the late emperor's bloodline would be treated just like anyone else if he committed a crime.
With that in mind, Shen Yangge put on his clothes and smoothed out his wrinkled sleeves.
Just then, someone knocked on his door.
He opened it to find the Eighth Prince wearing an unbearably smug grin.
"We worked perfectly together yesterday. After bottling everything up for so many days, I finally feel refreshed!"
The Eighth Prince strode inside, found a seat, and poured himself a cup of tea to wet his throat. "You have no idea how satisfying it was to see Chu Xuanzhi get put in his place. I hate people who can't tell right from wrong."