Chapter 131: Fear
Imperial study.
The emperor sat solemnly behind his desk, while the second prince sat pale-faced on a thickly cushioned chair at the side. He had just recovered from a serious injury, and his breath was weak, with a wry smile on his lips.
"Father, I heard today that the assassination case was traced back to my brother. I was so anxious that I had to go to the palace.
Your Majesty also knows that over the years, I and my brother have had many differences in political views. However, no matter how big the differences are, I know my brother's character. He has always been gentle and kind, and would never assassinate you.
Now these people are harassing my brother, and I am afraid that my father has wrongly accused me. "
The second prince spoke frankly and stated his attitude directly, "I was just afraid that you, father, would think that it was me who instigated others to slander the crown prince."
The emperor indeed thought so.
But now that the second prince said these words himself, the doubts that had arisen in the emperor's heart were dissipated a lot.
Seeing the emperor's reaction, the second prince said, "Father, if I were to say, this matter itself is problematic. Why didn't someone else instigate that palace servant, but Gao Xinyang? Gao Xinyang is not only a guard in my brother's mansion, but also someone that my grandmother gave to my brother.
Because of my mother and my grandfather, the Empress Dowager does favor me a little, but precisely because of this, this assassination is a strategy that kills two birds with one stone.
No matter how far this case is investigated, either my brother will suffer or I will suffer, but both I and my brother are innocent. "
The Second Prince spoke with sincerity and anxiety, sweating profusely.
The emperor looked at him and was silent for a long time, then asked, "How do you know it's definitely not him?"
The second prince immediately said, "Father, this case is obviously someone trying to frame my brother. If my brother really did it, he has secret guards in his house. He could have used them to threaten the palace people. Why use Gao Xinyang?"
What's more, what has been found out in this case so far?
There is no solid evidence, but a lot of random things. It is obvious that the other party knows that they cannot convict my brother of this assassination case, and they are eager to start from other directions. "
The emperor sneered, "Among those who impeached the prince, many are close to you."
The second prince's face was pale, and he was eager to confess, "That's why I'm worried. I'm afraid these people will be used as pawns, and your father will mistakenly think that I instigated them. I swear to God, I really didn't do anything."
If the Second Prince was simply pleading for the Crown Prince, the Emperor would have suspected that he was just being hypocritical. But now, the Second Prince openly wanted to clear himself, so the Emperor believed him to some extent.
What's more, the scene where the second prince blocked the knife that day really shocked the emperor.
Deep down in his heart, he was unwilling to doubt the Second Prince.
"If it's not the prince, who do you think it is?" Glancing at the gauze wrapped around the second prince's chest, the emperor's voice slowed down a little.
The second prince shook his head and said, "How would I know? I still have to wait and see what happens with the Dali Temple and the Minister of Justice."
The emperor looked at the second prince, was silent for a moment, and suddenly asked: "Su Yunhe is in the prince's mansion?"
The second prince's heart skipped a beat. He tried his best to control his emotions and stared at the emperor with wide eyes. "Ah?"
Shock and bewilderment were expressed to the fullest .
The emperor waved his hand and said nothing more, only telling him to go back and rest to recuperate.
After leaving the imperial study, the second prince breathed a sigh of relief, only to realize that the cold sweat on his back had already soaked his clothes.
After leaving the palace, the second prince went straight back to his residence. When he returned, the Duke of Zhenguo was already there. He greeted the second prince and personally helped him lie down on the couch. The Duke of Zhenguo then asked, "How is it?"
The second prince took a deep breath and leaned weakly on the soft pillow. "Fortunately, fortunately, grandfather reacted quickly, otherwise it would have caused a disaster."
The failure of the imperial guards’ search yesterday made the Duke of Zhenguo wary.
At the court this morning, he also thought that many people would want to impeach the commander of the imperial guards, after all, he had injured the Crown Princess.
But there was not a single impeachment.
The Crown Prince's men did not take any action, and even the Third and Fourth Princes' men remained indifferent.
If they don't take action, then the entire court will still have only people from the Zhenguo Party impeaching Rong Que.
What has this become?
It clearly created a one-man show for the Zhenguo Gong Party!
The emperor's expression at that time made the Duke of Zhenguo tremble with fear in his heart, and as soon as the morning court was about to start, the Duke of Zhenguo did not have time to leave the palace, so he ordered a palace eunuch to quickly send a message to the second prince, asking the second prince to enter the palace immediately.
This eunuch was the Empress Dowager's servant, and was always on hand to deliver important messages in case there was any. During the morning court session, the Empress Dowager specially arranged for him to serve near the Golden Throne Hall, and it just so happened that he was used today.
The second prince drank a sip of tea to calm down his nerves, looking like he had just survived a disaster. "I wonder how much of father's doubts have been dispelled. This time, we were careless."
The Duke of Zhenguo shook his head, "No one expected something like this to happen."
Su Yunhe was brought back to the Prince's Mansion. The Duke of Zhenguo was very sure that as long as Su Yunhe was found, the Prince would be completely nailed down. It was also because of this that the commander of the imperial guards dared to be so arrogant last night.
But, something that seemed like a sure thing failed.
Not only did they fail to find Su Yunhe, but they also killed the commander of the imperial guards. The Crown Princess must have cheated. But if the commander of the imperial guards had not taken action at that time, it would have been useless even if the Crown Princess had cheated.
So, in the final analysis, it was the fault of the commander of the imperial guards.
Unfortunately, this matter happened so suddenly that there was no time to notify the other court officials of the Zhenguo Party one by one last night before the morning court session began.
The result was what happened today.
What’s even more coincidental is that no one impeached the commander of the imperial guards.
This is just too bizarre.
The Duke of Zhenguo twisted his fingers and said to the Second Prince, "Just rest and recuperate. Whether His Majesty believes it or not, it has already happened. I will take care of the rest."
The second prince nodded. He had always been in awe and admiration of his grandfather.
"Is there something wrong with He Chao? He was the one who suggested our strategy of pursuing the victory." The Second Prince said worriedly, "But we didn't mention Su Yunhe to He Chao, so he shouldn't know about it, right?"
"I'm not sure. After all, according to the situation at that time, pursuing the victory is indeed the best strategy. I will go back and test him." The Duke of Zhenguo patted the Second Prince on the shoulder and stood up. "You should take good care of your health and don't worry about anything else for now."
The second prince sighed gloomily, "It's all my fault. If Gao Xinyang's mother hadn't been rescued, we wouldn't be in such a passive position."
Gao Xinyang's mother was taken away by the steward of the Second Prince's mansion and locked up in one of the Second Prince's farms.
Last night at midnight, the manager hurriedly reported that someone had been kidnapped.
It goes without saying who kidnapped Gao Xinyang's mother. It must have been the prince.
If the prince can kidnap people, then Gao Xinyang is a dead chess piece and we can't expect him to bite the prince again.
It was a good game, but now it has turned into a dead end in your hands.
The assassination case ended in a dead end.
Su Yunhe is in a dead end.
How come it all ended up in a dead end?
What exactly went wrong?
Seeing the Second Prince's anxious eyes turn red, the Duke of Zhenguo couldn't bear it. He originally didn't plan to tell the Second Prince about this. He hesitated for a moment and said, "Don't worry, I have other arrangements. Yu Qing is here."
