Chapter 302: The Arrival of a Prince

Nalan Fang squinted his eyes, slowly opened his right hand as if pushing open an invisible door, and said with deep emotion, “That night, under the cover of darkness…”

“Alright, alright, just get to the point,” Lin Qiupu interrupted him.

“General Wang sent men to kill me, setting fire to the village. My entire family was slaughtered. Luckily, in the midst of danger, my loyal servant Li Xiang donned my clothes and died in my place, allowing me to escape the village. I reached a cliff, and just then, I heard a crack in the sky… then a swoosh… and then a thud. I had crossed over to this world.” He nodded solemnly.

Lin Qiupu was stunned for a good five seconds. After organizing his thoughts, he asked, “Can you be more specific? Never mind, that’s not important. Were you wearing clothes when you crossed over?”

“As a gentleman, I would never appear naked before others. Naturally, I was dressed when I crossed over,” he nodded again with emphasis.

Lin Qiupu was impressed by this logic, but he managed to ask the crucial question. Pointing to the stolen item on the table, he said, “Did you have this with you?”

“Indeed.”

“But we’ve just identified this as a stolen item from a jewelry store. How did it end up on you? See, it even has the ‘Zhou Taifu’ inscription. This couldn’t possibly be currency from your dynasty, right?”

Nalan Fang was dumbfounded for a moment and then said, “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“Stolen goods… do you understand that? Why were they on you?”

“Do you think I’m a thief?” Nalan Fang looked around indignantly. “Utterly ridiculous. I am a prince with vast wealth. Why would I engage in such lowly activities?”

Lin Qiupu had had enough. He stepped out for a break and found a group of officers outside, trying to stifle their laughter. “Is this funny? Don’t you have work to do?” he scolded.

The officers composed themselves. One of them suggested, “This guy must be crazy. Let’s send him to a mental hospital.”

“Don’t rule out the possibility that he’s faking it. The jewelry store lost so much; he could face over twenty years in prison. Faking insanity might be his way out.”

“If he’s an accomplice, why would he openly use a gold ingot?”

“I still think we should send him to a mental hospital.”

“Stop discussing this,” Lin Qiupu cut them off and turned to Chen Shi. “What’s your take?”

“I think his logic is too clear and coherent to be a typical madman. The stolen goods on him suggest he had contact with the gang. Following his line of thought might lead us to more clues.”

“Why don’t you give it a try?”

“Uh, I’m not really interested in robbery cases…”

“How much did you spend redeeming that gold ingot? Haven’t been reimbursed yet, right?”

Chen Shi got the hint. “Fine, I’ll give it a try. Just my luck!”

Chen Shi entered the interrogation room and greeted Nalan Fang, “Hello, we met at the psychology center.”

“Psychology center? You mean the teahouse?”

“Uh, sure, teahouse works. You know who we are, right?”

“Officers of the court.”

“Good. You’ve been referring to yourself as ‘the prince.’ Are you of royal lineage? You said General Wang killed your family. Is he trying to usurp the throne?”

“No, although I am of royal blood, I did not grow up in the palace.”

“And where did you grow up?”

“I am the illegitimate son, my mother, Lady Ji, was much favored by my father. The palace was rife with power struggles between my two elder brothers and their factions. Fearing I’d get entangled, my father entrusted me to a wealthy family in Seven Mile Village.”

“How did you learn about your royal lineage?”

“My foster father had a token and a letter from my birth father explaining my heritage.”

“Why would General Wang target you? You were an illegitimate child living in a village. You shouldn’t have posed a threat.”

“Quite the contrary!” Nalan Fang slowly rolled up his sleeves and placed his hand on the table dramatically. “My father favored my second brother and planned to depose the crown prince. Court factions vied in secret, ultimately leading to my brother’s death. My father then considered making me the heir. Hearing this, General Wang sought to use me as a puppet. Heaven pitied me and allowed me to cross into this world, thus saving me!”

Chen Shi felt a headache coming on but pressed on. “So you were the intended crown prince. But now that you’ve crossed over, it’s like you’re dead. Won’t the crown prince suffer again?”

“No, recently I heard that the crown prince was killed for his misdeeds.”

“So, General Wang is definitely going to usurp the throne?”

“My poor father!” Nalan Fang sighed deeply. “With General Wang’s power, our dynasty’s century-long legacy may fall into the hands of a traitor.”

“Mr. Nalan, please wait here for a moment.”

Chen Shi stepped out, and Lin Qiupu asked, “Finished already?”

“How can I finish? We need to approach this differently. I think he’s suffered some trauma and is using this fantasy to cope.”

Peng Sijue arrived, and Lin Qiupu asked if he had found anything. Peng Sijue shook his head. “No criminal record, but his white blood cell and platelet counts are high, and his CRF levels are well above average, indicating he’s been under severe stress recently.”

Chen Shi’s guess was confirmed. “He’s creating a new identity to escape reality.”

“Send him to a mental hospital,” Lin Qiupu suggested.

“A mental hospital is just like a prison, isolating him from society. I think he’s not a criminal. It wouldn’t be right. Let’s keep him here for now.”

“We don’t have space here. Wang, find a nearby guesthouse for him and put a tracker on him so he doesn’t wander off.”

Peng Sijue added, “Get him some clothes, too. Take his current outfit to my lab.”

An officer quickly set off to make arrangements. Lin Dongxue, Xu Xiaodong, and Xiao Li returned from an investigation and saw everyone gathered outside the interrogation room. “Any big developments?” they asked.

“Take a look inside,” Chen Shi said.

Inside, Nalan Fang was reciting something, shaking his head like an old-fashioned tutor. Lin Dongxue covered her mouth, laughing. “Is he into cosplay? Where did you find him?”

“You missed quite a show.”

The officer returned, saying all nearby guesthouses were full due to the holiday. Lin Qiupu turned to Chen Shi.

Chen Shi sighed, “I’ve got to go.”

“Let him stay with you. All expenses covered by the department.”

“Why me?”

“Consider it a favor to the team.”

Chen Shi reluctantly agreed, “Just my luck.”