After the imperial court session was over, Felix went to his palace in a sullen mood. Everyone knew that Jacob was on his side. Now that Jacob had fallen into the hands of Matthew, Felix was worried that Jacob would soon spit out everything.

"Felix," Walden called, to stop Felix.

"Let's talk about it when we get back," Felix said at once. He was somewhat uneasy. He couldn't get involved in this business regarding Howard, because his actions would be constrained if his father suspected him.

"Felix, what's going on? Why is Howard still alive?" Walden was confused. He thought that it was Felix who had rescued Howard in secret.

"Was it not you who secretly replaced him with a prisoner?" Felix asked in confusion. He thought it was Walden who had rescued Howard. But it turned out not to be the case. Who could have rescued Howard?

"No, it wasn't," Walden said nervously. "Felix, you told me not to get involved in this business. That's why I didn't meddle in it. If Father hadn't said that Howard was still alive at the imperial court session, I wouldn't even have been aware of that."

Felix frowned. If it was not Walden, who could it be? Could it be Harrison? It was impossible. If Harrison was capable of doing it by himself, why would he have come to ask for his help? But then, who on earth was it?

"Was it Uncle Matthew?" Walden guessed. In the imperial capital, only a handful of people could do such a thing secretly without being noticed.

"No way!" Felix shook his head. "Uncle Matthew wanted Howard to die, so he wouldn't have saved him. What's more, Harper and Howard are sworn enemies because Howard killed her grandmother. Even if Uncle M

prison, he was long gone. He had used the broken pieces of the bowl to cut the veins of his wrists. He wrote the word "INNOCENT" in bold strokes with his blood on the wall of the prison and then followed up his first wound by stabbing the pieces into his neck, and he died from blood loss. The cell was full of his blood.

When Matthew learned that Jacob had committed suicide, he wasn't surprised. He already knew that Felix was very cruel. When a person became useless to him, he would discard him without a second thought, just as what had befallen Howard.

Matthew reported to the emperor directly that Jacob committed suicide in the prison and left the word "INNOCENT." The emperor smelled something suspicious in this. If Jacob was innocent, why did he commit suicide?

"Did he really commit suicide?" the emperor asked earnestly.

"The coroner has examined the corpse. He did kill himself," answered Matthew plainly. "He used the broken porcelain to cut his neck. He even used the blood to write on the wall."

"What do you make of this?" the emperor asked slowly. After all, this matter had been delegated to Matthew.

"Your Majesty, he may have killed himself for fear of punishment," Matthew said after thinking for a few seconds. "Whether he was innocent or not can't be proved after his death. Therefore, he might have committed suicide for fear of a more dreadful punishment."

"Do you think it was he who rescued Howard?"

"Your Majesty, I dare not say anything about the matter without evidence. I will report to you after my investigation."

"Well, you may leave now. I enjoin you to find the truth as soon as possible," the emperor ordered.