Were you really falsely accused, old man?!

Lu Yao emerged from behind the corner with an awkward smile, looking thoroughly embarrassed as everyone scrutinized him.

Though he had a reason for lying on the roof of a consort's courtyard, it was decidedly difficult to explain.

"Well..." Lu Yao brushed the bridge of his nose twice with a bent finger. "I was ordered to find Her Highness the little princess."

Jiang Yingcheng, who had been bustling around Cheng Yunmeng, poked her head out of the room. "Looking for Chengcheng?"

Lu Yao nodded with a smile. "There's something I'd like to ask Your Little Highness to help with."

Eunuch Changshun's gaze was probing.

Lu Yao was not the least bit flustered.

Before coming, he had already sought Emperor Mingze's permission, and he had a handwritten letter from the emperor for Eunuch Changshun in his possession. He feared no one's questions.

What he had not expected was that, after looking back and forth between him and the assassin on the ground twice, Jiang Yingcheng would first ask a completely unrelated question.

"Did you shoot that arrow just now?"

The little princess's voice was soft and sweet, like a beautiful butterfly cautiously extending its antennae.

Lu Yao did not know what she meant by this, but he still answered instinctively, "Yes."

He had found the bow and arrows in a corner of the courtyard. Upon seeing the two sides facing off, he had simply picked them up.

Jiang Yingcheng wrestled with herself.

[Would it be bad to just ask him to give Seventh Brother the credit?]

Jiang Yingcheng tapped her toes against the snow, her ten fingers anxiously twisting together.

007 had said that Auntie Yunmeng and Seventh Brother might need credit like this. Otherwise, harboring an assassin was a very serious charge indeed.

Both Lu Yao and Cheng Yunmeng, who had come out of the room out of concern, froze.

Lu Yao glanced at Eunuch Changshun's kindly smiling face and ventured, "His Highness the Seventh Prince possesses extraordinary archery skills! To think he struck an assassin with such formidable martial arts in a single shot!"

Jiang Yingcheng looked up in delight, while Cheng Yunmeng's fingertips trembled slightly.

Eunuch Changshun took the lead in agreeing. "Indeed! His Highness was truly valiant!"

The shrewd attendants who had accompanied them caught which way the wind was blowing and promptly followed suit-

"Ah, yes, yes, yes!"

"Indeed, indeed..."

Looking bashful, Jiang Yingcheng pattered over to Lu Yao and timidly accepted the bow and arrows from him. Only after making sure there was no displeasure on his face did she drag them through the snow to Jiang Xingran's side.

She tentatively reached out her chubby little hand, took Jiang Xingran's slender fingers, and closed them around the somewhat battered longbow.

"Hold on to it," Jiang Yingcheng said, proudly handing over the fruits of her labor like a burly man returning from work to give his earnings to his darling wife at home. "You can trade it for money!"

[Hehehe, Seventh Brother's going to be so touched he cries!]

Her little grown-up act successfully amused quite a few people in the courtyard, but Jiang Xingran merely stared at Jiang Yingcheng for a long while, his gaze dark and heavy.

A fine sheen of sweat covered the tip of the little girl's nose, and her cheeks were flushed pink from all her running around. Her eyes were clear and transparent, as innocent and childlike as any ordinary young child's.

She looked entirely different from when she used to bully him alongside Jiang Huai'an.

His grip on the bow tightened slightly, and the doubts in his heart deepened.

It was as though this Jiang Yingcheng had suddenly become a different person.

Lu Yao had not come alone this time. Emperor Mingze had specifically assigned him ten more guards and ordered him to keep Jiang Yingcheng safe at all costs.

That also conveniently allowed him to escort Ji Xiangyang to the Court of Judicial Review for trial.

Eunuch Changshun sent all the eunuchs to accompany Consort Lan to her audience with the emperor, then left the palace with the other two.

The carriage stopped outside the Court of Judicial Review. As usual, Jiang Yingcheng naturally offered Eunuch Changshun her hand, but this time he did not take her little hand as readily as before.

Jiang Yingcheng looked up in confusion, her large almond-shaped eyes brimming with hurt.

Eunuch Changshun surrendered to this adorable assault and resolutely reached out, enclosing her soft, boneless little hand in his palm.

His earlier resolve not to let outsiders gossip about the little princess was tossed clean out of his head.

He, Changshun, had not climbed to his current position for nothing!

Let him see who dared gossip about Her Little Highness!

Holding Jiang Yingcheng's little hand, Eunuch Changshun marched into the Court of Judicial Review with his head high and spirits soaring.

Lu Yao hurried after them, explaining as he walked, "Here's the situation. An elder whom I greatly respect was falsely accused and imprisoned, but we still haven't found evidence to clear his name. He's frail and cannot endure the hardships of prison, so I'd like to ask Your Little Highness to plead with His Majesty to let him return home. Once we have conclusive evidence, we can decide what to do next."

Lu Yao's eyes held an expectant gleam.

Everything he had just said was merely a pretext.

His true purpose today was to have the all-knowing "system" in Her Little Highness's mind help uncover the truth and clear that man's name.

Eunuch Changshun understood Lu Yao's true intentions almost instantly.

Duke Wang Jinglun had been unjustly imprisoned last month on charges of colluding with the enemy and betraying the country. Everyone knew he had been framed, but the person who reported him had far too much evidence. Emperor Mingze could only confine him in the Court of Judicial Review for the time being and instruct Lu Yao to look after him properly.

Lu Yao had spent almost the entire month running around in search of evidence, without the slightest success. Now that he knew Her Little Highness possessed such extraordinary abilities, how could he not be tempted?

Jiang Yingcheng did not understand why she had to come see the old man in person when all she needed to do was plead with her imperial father. Still, she obediently refrained from asking questions and slowly followed the two men.

The group soon arrived outside the cell holding Duke Wang.

Lu Yao had taken extremely good care of Duke Wang.

Not only had he specially prepared a soft bed for him, but the cell also contained a full three braziers, something ordinary prison cells did not have at all.

The prisoners in the two neighboring cells had even lain down on the sides closest to Duke Wang to steal a little warmth.

Meanwhile, the supposedly frail old man Lu Yao had described had stripped off his shirt and was doing one push-up after another in his cell. Beads of sweat covered his powerful muscles, making them gleam.

Lu Yao: "..."

Now this was terribly embarrassing for him.

Eunuch Changshun froze for a moment before crying out in alarm and bending down to block Jiang Yingcheng's view.

Duke Wang turned at the sound. His nonchalant expression stiffened briefly when he noticed the tiny, radish-sized figure in the middle of the group. He turned and hastily pulled on his outer robe, then gave a concealing cough. "You little brat, why didn't you let me know before bringing people here?"

Normally, Lu Yao would merely have laughed off this familiar trick of turning the blame back on him, but today-

[System Bro, System Bro, did you see that? That old man's muscles look even bigger than this Embroidered Uniform Guard uncle's!]

Not only did that sound rather like something a hooligan would say, it also dealt a decidedly unfriendly blow to his masculine pride.

He snapped, "Improperly dressed in a public place, with so little regard for decorum-were you really falsely accused, old man?!"

Wang Jinglun: "???"