Chapter 191: I don’t want to leave the court, I just want to eat melons

[Let me find out who’s giving off the smell. Oh, it’s the Jinfu Assistant Judge.]

The Jinfu Assistant Judge hesitated, unable to speak his prepared words. He was stunned.

He didn’t smell of anything, did he?

The Tyrant King frowned, “It seems there’s an unusual smell in this hall. Mr. Li, did you pass gas?”

The Jinfu Assistant Judge immediately tightened his buttocks. “No, no, Your Majesty, I wouldn’t dare.”

The Xuanfu Envoy, standing behind the Jinfu Assistant Judge, couldn’t help but step back a bit.

“Mr. Li, your actions today are somewhat improper. Just yesterday, I had one of my servants thrown into the pond and fought Zhao Yin. And now you make me smell farts?” The Xuanfu Envoy glanced around the court but didn’t see the Seventh Prince.

At this moment, he missed the Seventh Prince terribly!

Rumor had it that the Seventh Prince was a good listener who understood others when no one else did. The Xuanfu Envoy was considering finding some time to drink and chat with him, hoping it would open up new perspectives on life.

The Jinfu Assistant Judge’s face turned red with embarrassment. “I didn’t pass gas! I didn’t!”

[The Jinfu Assistant Judge is correct. He didn’t pass gas.]

The Xuanfu Envoy, who could hear the little princess’s thoughts, moved back. He trusted the little princess more than the Jinfu Assistant Judge.

[Ah, the Jinfu Assistant Judge must smell bad because his sow gave birth to piglets last night. Others might not know, but I do. He has a peculiar habit of liking pigs. Last night, he sneaked the piglets into his bed to keep warm, and the smell on him is from warming pigs.]

[The Jinfu Assistant Judge’s sow has been replaced several times, and every new sow gives birth to piglets. With each batch warmed by him, the smell on him becomes increasingly similar to that of pigs.]

‘Pfft!’

The Xuanfu Envoy couldn’t hold back and laughed out loud.

The Jinfu Assistant Judge glanced back at him. What’s so funny?

Looking at the officials, he broke into a cold sweat. This was a disaster! Everyone knew about his affinity for warming piglets now.

The Tyrant King hadn’t expected that the seemingly clean Jinfu Assistant Judge had such a private quirk!

Little princess, please stop. The Jinfu Assistant Judge’s legs were going weak. He didn’t care about losing face, but why did he have to be the first to report?

Now the scandal was on him.

“Jinfu Assistant Judge, weren’t you going to report something? What is it?”

To avoid the little princess revealing more and to save his face, the Jinfu Assistant Judge quickly said, “Your Majesty, a scholar died on the street yesterday. Someone identified the young master of the Second Duke’s residence as the murderer. This morning, when I sent people to investigate, we found that the young master of the Second Duke’s residence had fled over the wall during the night!”

As this involved royal relatives, it was necessary to report.

“No one was sent to pursue him?” The Tyrant King, still eager for more gossip, quickly addressed the matter while Ah Bao hadn’t revealed her thoughts yet.

“Your Majesty…”

[The Jinfu Assistant Judge probably won’t catch him.]

The Tyrant King adjusted his posture. Ah, another big scoop?

The officials stood upright, eyes on the ground, remaining motionless.

Another juicy gossip at morning court—who knew? Over the past three days, their favorite activity was attending court. They would rise before dawn, get dressed, and wait at the palace gates for court.

The emperor’s presence was not enough; it was more fun to hold the little princess.

They had been blinded by the excitement before. They remembered when the little princess was a month old, and the emperor first held her at court. They had all opposed it.

Who would have thought that although the little princess couldn’t speak, she knew everything in her heart!

Their visit to the temple was also protected by divine light, and they were lucky to hear the little princess’s thoughts.

[The Jinfu Assistant Judge personally saw the Second Duke’s nephew climbing the wall.]

[The idea to climb the wall was also suggested by the Jinfu Assistant Judge.]

Jinfu Assistant Judge: …

Ancestors!

Little princess, please stop. If you keep talking, there will be nothing left of his dignity. Even the color of his underwear will be revealed.

[The Jinfu Assistant Judge isn’t colluding with the Second Duke’s nephew. He just knew that the nephew was wronged but couldn’t clarify. He let the nephew escape first to investigate the case and planned to have him return once the truth was clear.]

[The Jinfu Assistant Judge is so protective of the Second Duke’s nephew because the sow he has was a gift from him.]

Tyrant King: …

Civil and military officials: …

This sow was worth the gift!

It’s clear that the Jinfu Assistant Judge genuinely loves pigs. If it weren’t for his official position, he’d probably retire and start a pig farm as his greatest wish.

Moreover, they all knew that the Jinfu Assistant Judge’s wife was a plump woman, and her family was said to have raised pigs in the past…

These two are a match made in heaven!

“This matter will be handled by you. Be sure to uncover the truth and clear the victim’s name! No

matter who the culprit is, even if they are royal relatives, we will not tolerate any leniency,” the Tyrant King declared with determination.

After court, the Jinfu Assistant Judge quickly slipped away.

He feared his colleagues would gather and question him about the incident.

“Is the Assistant Judge in a hurry to see the piglets?”

“Believe it or not, the Assistant Judge running is actually quite cute.”

Hearing his colleagues’ comments, the Jinfu Assistant Judge: …

The pigs! They’ve discovered my secret!

Official No. 1: “Wow, the morning court session ended so quickly these past few days.”

Official No. 2: “Yes, I wanted it to continue. Ah, there are still twelve hours until tomorrow morning! How will we pass the time?”

Official No. 3: “Another day eagerly anticipating seeing the little princess and the emperor.”

They didn’t want to leave court; they just wanted to enjoy the gossip!

……

In the afternoon, Ah Bao took a nap and, still groggy, felt the carriage swaying. She heard bustling noises outside, as if they were at a market.

[Why am I on Uncle’s carriage?]

Ah Bao peeked outside and indeed passed through a market, approaching the Great Uncle’s residence.

“Awake, Ah Bao? Uncle specifically told the Concubine De that he would take you to the Duke’s residence to play today. Your Concubine Xin misses you and has been wanting to hug you. Also, Concubine Xin’s maids have prepared lots of delicious food for you.”

Ah Bao blinked her sparkling eyes. Though she wasn’t keen initially, the mention of food changed her mind.

She rubbed her small hands together. Yes!

The Great Uncle smiled, clearly pleased with himself.

Concubine Xin was three months pregnant. As it was her second child, her pregnancy was somewhat visible. However, since Concubine Xin’s pregnancy was unstable before the New Year, she had been resting in bed recently and couldn’t visit Ah Bao daily.

Thus, the Great Uncle used the excuse that Concubine Xin wanted to see Ah Bao but couldn’t enter the palace to ask the Empress Dowager for leave, saying he would take Ah Bao to the Duke’s residence for a visit.

In reality, the Great Uncle had prepared a little scheme to use Ah Bao’s thoughts to extract information—

He didn’t know that he was about to face an emotional outburst.