Chapter 165: Easier to Please Than in His Past Life

Chapter 165: He Is Easier to Soothe Than in His Past Life

Jiang Shuning had just finished bandaging a burn victim when she looked up and saw a heart-stopping sight.

Her heart tightened, and ignoring the dirt on her hands, she hurriedly got up and rushed without thinking between Xiao Lingchuan and the enraged crowd.

"Everyone, calm down! Please, calm down and listen to me!"

Her sudden appearance brought the tense standoff to a brief halt.

The townspeople, recognizing the "Doctor Jiang" who had once treated them, their angry looks softened a bit, though the suspicion and grief in their eyes remained undiminished.

"Doctor Jiang, step aside! This has nothing to do with you! We want to deal with this heartless Fourth Prince!" someone shouted.

Jiang Shuning made herself stay calm and spoke loudly, "Fellow villagers! There must be a misunderstanding here! Please think carefully—since the Fourth Prince arrived in Nanshuo, has he ever done anything to harm the people?"

She looked around, her gaze steady and sincere: "If His Highness truly saw the sick as burdens, when the Nanyue Cat poison broke out, why didn’t he simply lead his troops to kill all the infected people? Wouldn’t that have been easier and let him get back to the capital faster to report in? Why would he instead hide out in the cellar with everyone, risking infection himself, holding out for so many days while waiting for us to arrive?"

"Now, with this being the last batch of patients, and everyone on the verge of recovery, with Nanshuo about to return to its former peace, why would His Highness bother to set a fire and kill them, making his soldiers say stuff like that? Don’t you think it’s completely illogical?"

"This is clearly someone pulling strings behind the scenes, deliberately framing the Fourth Prince! If you all, in your anger today, just throw this blame around on His Highness, you’ll be doing exactly what the real culprit wants!"

Jiang Shuning’s words were logical and powerful.

The townspeople, blinded by anger at first, started to calm down after hearing her analysis.

Yes, Doctor Jiang had a point.

If the Fourth Prince truly wanted to kill them, why wait until now?

When they were at their sickest and most helpless, wouldn’t it have been easier?

Moreover, back then, even if he had killed all those infected with the Nanyue Cat poison, they wouldn’t have complained.

Thinking it over, the soldiers’ words did seem a bit too deliberate, as if they wanted everyone to know it was the Fourth Prince’s order.

Murmurs began to spread through the crowd, and the gazes directed at Xiao Lingchuan, though still filled with sorrow, didn't have that same burning hatred anymore.

"What Doctor Jiang says... seems to have some merit..."

"But... but our loved ones are dead! The fire was indeed set by those armored soldiers, and those words were spoken by them..." an elderly man said, his voice trembling, tears streaming down his face. "Who, then, is to avenge their deaths?"

Xiao Lingchuan looked at the slender figure shielding him, a mix of feelings stirring inside him.

He stepped forward, standing next to her, his deep gaze sweeping over the grieving faces of the crowd, his voice steady and resolute:

"Dear villagers, I understand your feelings right now. The lives lost cannot be brought back, but I promise you, this matter was not my doing."

He paused, his tone carrying firm resolve: "If you trust me, give me a few days. I will figure this out, find the true arsonists and murderers who harmed the innocent, and get justice for the dead and an answer for everyone in Nanshuo!"

His voice had a calming effect, yet also carried clear authority.

The townspeople exchanged glances, their raging fury seeming to subside as if by some unseen force.

They looked at the tall, stern-looking prince before them, then at Jiang Shuning beside him, whose expression was gentle but her gaze firm. They started to relax a bit.

Finally, the elderly man who had wept earlier spoke, his voice hoarse: "Very well, we will trust His Highness this once! Please, Your Highness, must find the murderer of our families, to give our innocent dead some peace!"

As he spoke, he began to kneel.

Xiao Lingchuan, lightning fast, caught him: "Elder, no need for that. Uncovering the truth and clearing the names of those who died unfairly is a prince's duty of Daye."

"Thank you, Your Highness! Please find the truth!"

The other townspeople followed suit: "Please find the truth!"

Voices rose and fell, still sorrowful, but now mixed with hope rather than sharp accusations.

Xiao Lingchuan nodded, his voice solemn: "I will. Wait for my news!"

With his promise, the crowd’s emotions finally settled somewhat. Under the soldiers’ guidance, they left reluctantly, looking back over their shoulders, leaving behind only the charred remains of the fire and the sharp smell of smoke in the air.

Only when the last figure disappeared around the corner did Xiao Lingchuan slowly withdraw his gaze.

He turned to look at Jiang Shuning beside him, his cold demeanor toward the crowd softened a bit, his eyes complex.

Then, to her surprise, he gave a respectful bow to her: "Thank you for your help earlier, Miss Jiang."

Jiang Shuning was caught off guard.

It was the first time she had seen Xiao Lingchuan so polite, and she was at a loss for words.

Had he had a change of heart?

He continued, "If not for your timely words, today’s matter would have been hard to resolve. I owe you one."

"You're too kind, Your Highness. We are allies now, so of course I'd help you. Besides, I just said what had to be said, believing that Your Highness is not one to kill the innocent." Jiang Shuning paused, then asked with concern, "How does Your Highness plan to find the true arsonist? If you need my help, feel free to ask!"

"No need. I have my own methods!" His voice went cold again as he turned to leave, as if unwilling to say more.

Watching his almost cold, distant back, Jiang Shuning felt a wave of helplessness.

Why was he so moody?

After a few steps, he suddenly stopped, as if struck by a thought, and whirled around.

He strode back to stand before Jiang Shuning, his deep eyes locking onto hers, even sharper and more piercing than when he faced the angry crowd, carrying a tone of scrutiny and interrogation.

"Jiang Shuning," he said, his voice low and laced with suppressed anger, "Do you truly admire Xiao Huaijin that much?"

Jiang Shuning was baffled by his sudden question, completely unable to follow his train of thought: "Your Highness, what are you talking about?"

Where did this come from?

One moment they were discussing the arson case, and the next, he jumped to Xiao Huaijin?

Xiao Lingchuan sneered, his eyes growing colder: "Don’t deny it! You once said yourself that the sachet was for your beloved! That sachet embroidered with the character ‘Jin’—dare you say it wasn’t for Xiao Huaijin?"

This again!

Jiang Shuning almost wanted to roll her eyes.

How long was he going to hold a grudge over this sachet?

Had his hot-and-cold behavior toward her all this time been because of it?

She took a deep breath and explained patiently, "Your Highness, the sachet was indeed intended for the Fifth Prince, but not out of admiration—it was to express an apology."

"Apologies?" Xiao Lingchuan's brows furrowed, clearly not satisfied with that answer. "What do you owe him an apology for?"

Jiang Shuning met his piercing gaze and said calmly, "If it weren't for me, Your Highness, would you have pushed so hard for the marriage between the Fifth Prince and the Su family? I know this benefits both the Cui and Su families alike, and even the entire Daye court—it's an important move for you too.

But for the Fifth Prince, having his own marriage turned into a bargaining chip to connect two families must be really painful, don't you think? I feel like this all started because of me, and I feel guilty about it. That's why I wanted to make him a little sachet as a gift to express my apologies—nothing more."

Hearing this, the tension in Xiao Lingchuan's face eased a bit.

"Even so, you can't just fob me off with a sachet meant for someone else!"

The thought of that sachet embroidered with another man's name still bothered him.

Knowing she was at fault, Jiang Shuning could only lower her head and murmur, "Yes, I admit my mistake. I'll make you a new sachet, Your Highness."

If it weren't for Jiang Tianze suddenly showing up in Nanshuo and getting sick, she'd have had more time to make Xiao Lingchuan's sachet. As it was, the current one still needed its finishing touches and couldn't be given to him yet.

"Really?" Xiao Lingchuan raised an eyebrow, the anger in his heart magically disappearing at her words, even turning into a hint of anticipation. "Then I'll be waiting. Don't let me down this time!"

"Yes, Your Highness!" Jiang Shuning replied respectfully, letting out a silent sigh of relief.

She hadn't expected this to blow over so easily.

It seemed this life's Xiao Lingchuan was easier to handle than the one from her past life.

He gave her a long, hard look before turning and striding away.

Back in his tent, he immediately ordered Ling Feng, "Investigate! Everyone who passed by the southern shelter last night around the time the fire started—don't let a single one slip through! And keep a close eye on those who first stirred up the crowd!"

"Yes, Your Highness!" Ling Feng acknowledged and left.

Soon, Ling Feng came back with news.

From the night watchman and the guard at the shelter's warehouse, he learned that around midnight last night, four or five men in Daye military armor were seen sneaking through an alley. Shortly after, the fire started. When those men left, they seemed to be in a hurry and dumped something in an alley leading to West Street.

Ling Feng immediately led a search of that alley and, sure enough, found several pieces of armor carelessly abandoned in a hidden corner deep within, still bearing traces of soot and the smell of smoke.

With this clue, Xiao Lingchuan ordered a secret search within a five-mile radius centered on that alley, focusing on known idlers and those with criminal records.

Within half a day, Ling Feng returned with several suspicious individuals.

These men were uneducated, notorious thugs in Nanshuo City, frequenting gambling dens and brothels, drowning in debt.

Such people were easily tempted by money to commit heinous acts.

When the thugs were brought before Xiao Lingchuan, their faces were pale, and their legs trembled.

Xiao Lingchuan gave them a cold glance, his voice like biting frost: "Was it you who set the fire at the shelter last night?"

Seeing him seated above with a dark expression and an aura of fierce menace, they were terrified out of their wits, falling to their knees and kowtowing frantically.

"Your Highness, spare us! We know nothing!"

"Still lying? Bring out the torture!"

As Ling Feng raised his long whip high, their faces turned ashen, and they hastily confessed: "We confess! It was... an old woman! A mute old woman! She gave us a bag of gold and ordered us to set fire to the shelter and spread rumors, slandering... slandering that you, Your Highness, ordered the patients burned alive... She also made us wear stolen military armor to be seen deliberately..."

"The old woman said she'd give us more gold afterward! Your Highness, we were forced into it, blinded by greed! We never thought so many would die!"

"Where is that old woman now?" Xiao Lingchuan asked in a low voice, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

One thug tremblingly pulled a crumpled note from his pocket and offered it with both hands: "Your Highness, this... this is what the old woman left behind, but after last night, she never showed up again! We don't know where she went!"

Ling Feng stepped forward, took the note, and respectfully handed it to Xiao Lingchuan.

Seeing the familiar handwriting, a sinister, twisted smile slowly spread across Xiao Lingchuan's face—a smile that made the kneeling thugs shudder.

"Heh..." he let out a low laugh, filled with chilling murderous intent. "I was just wondering where to find her, and now she's delivered herself to me!"

Since she's come, she won't be leaving alive!