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Ning Wang remained silent, so the Emperor had to send someone to the East Palace to pick up the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince woke up not long after Gu Jiao left. He didn't say a word and just stared blankly at the canopy.
"Is it really you? You've truly come back... You've come back for me."
"Why aren't you speaking? Are you angry with me?"
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. I felt so sad after you left..."
"Seeing you again made me realize that you've always been the one in my heart. I regret not marrying you."
"Don't fall in love with someone else, don't love her; she's not worthy of you."
"Being able to look at you like this is wonderful. Please, never leave me again."
“Shall we never be apart again? Let’s live a good life from now on, all right?”
The Crown Prince wanted to remove Wen Linlang's voice from his mind, but he found that no matter what he did, he couldn't.
Those words echoed in his mind over and over again like a knife, piercing his heart into a sieve.
The Crown Princess knelt by the bedside, her arms resting on the edge of the bed as she looked at him.
This posture, which was especially intimate and affectionate when their relationship was still strong, now represented her humility.
Since marrying the Crown Prince, she had always been pampered. The Crown Prince had never allowed her to suffer even the slightest bit, worrying if the floor was cold, if her knees were tired, if her arms were sore...
Now, she had been kneeling here at the bedside for almost half an hour, and yet the Crown Prince hadn't said a word.
"Your Highness." She finally couldn't help but speak. She held his cold and numb hand and pleaded, "Please believe me, I was set up by someone. It was Gu Jiao. She drugged me... That's why I said those nonsensical things."
It might appear that the Crown Prince was in charge in their relationship, but in reality, the initiative had always been in her hands. The Crown Prince always listened to her and could always be easily persuaded by her.
However, this time, the Crown Prince didn't respond.
He seemed like a puppet with his soul drained, staring blankly at the canopy.
"Your Highness..." The Crown Princess reached out to touch his cheek. He used to love holding her hand against his face like this, smiling as he called her Linlang.
There were some things she believed she wouldn’t lose for a lifetime.
But even if she lost them, she still thought she could easily retrieve them.
The Crown Princess couldn't believe from the bottom of her heart that the Crown Prince was no longer paying attention to her.
"Your Highness." She held the Crown Prince's hand once again and said, "I was truly drugged. I was on my way to buy your favorite snacks from Qinghe Pavilion. Do you remember, Your Highness? You love the snacks from Qinghe Pavilion, especially the lotus cakes..."
In truth, the Crown Prince didn't actually love eating lotus cakes in particular. It was just, it was the first thing he ate when he met Wen Linlang, and that pastry became associated with her in his heart.
From the age of thirteen to now, a full ten years had passed, and his simple liking had turned into deep affection. The only constant was that she had always been in his heart, occupying an increasingly significant place.
The Crown Prince had once thought that even if Wen Linlang demanded his life, he would willingly give it to her.
From the first day he married her, he could sense that she didn't love him, so he often had doubts. But he never gave up. He firmly believed that as long as he treated her well, one day she would give her heart to him.
But unexpectedly, she gave it to Ning Wang, not to him!
The Crown Princess choked up, saying, "Your Highness, please believe me. I was truly drugged! I didn't even know what I was saying... We grew up together. You should know my personality, right?"
That’s right, they grew up together, so he knew her too well.
She was intelligent and prudent. If it weren't for her deliberate indulgence, how could Ning Wang approach her so closely?
What hurt the Crown Prince the most wasn't her heartfelt words. Those could indeed have been the result of being drugged or something similar. It was when Ning Wang held her hand and gently told her that he would take care of everything. That was what truly stabbed him in the heart.
"Your Highness, are you suspecting that I have feelings for Ning Wang? Yes, there have been some interactions between Ning Wang and me, but I was forced... I have no family support, no power or influence. The only thing I can rely on is Your Highness's love. But he actually used Your Highness to blackmail me..." Tears from the Crown Princess fell onto the Crown Prince's cold hand, "He said he would kill Your Highness and me..."
The Crown Prince's throat moved, and he finally asked in a weak voice, "In your heart, is it Ah Heng... or Ning Wang?"
The Crown Princess suddenly froze.
……
Eunuch Wei came to summon the Crown Prince to the East Palace, but the Crown Prince turned over on the bed and said, "I don't want to see anyone."
The usually timid Crown Prince unexpectedly found the courage to defy the Emperor's orders after being hurt. Eunuch Wei didn't know whether to be happy or unhappy for the Crown Prince.
With such a significant event, both Kunning Palace and Yongshou Palace couldn't be kept in the dark. Empress Xiao, worried about her son, came to the East Palace first.
Empress Xiao said, "Eunuch Wei, please inform His Majesty that the Crown Prince is seriously injured and unable to get out of bed. Later, this Empress will personally ask the Crown Prince and explain it to His Majesty in Huaqing Palace."
There was no other choice.
Eunuch Wei looked at the Crown Prince, who seemed drained of his soul, with regret. He let out a sigh silently and returned to Huaqing Palace.
Empress Xiao adjusted the covers for the Crown Prince. He probably didn't want Empress Xiao to see his sorry state. He felt very humiliated, hurt, and wronged.
He kept his head turned inward, burying it tightly.
"Imperial mother, I..." The Crown Princess was about to speak, but Empress Xiao raised her hand to signal her not to.
Empress Xiao went to the East Palace's study and said sternly, "Bring the palace maids and eunuchs around the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess!"
Eight palace maids, including Chunying, were brought in and knelt in a gloomy, oppressive line.
Without asking any questions, Empress Xiao's first words were, "Use corporal punishment!"
Eunuch Su raised his horsetail whisk and went to get the punishment rod, along with a few senior palace maids and eunuchs from Kunning Palace. They all took turns using the punishment rod on the eight individuals.
Among these eight, Chunying was the one with the most knowledge of what had transpired. While the others might not have been directly involved in anything, when people took actions, it was difficult to avoid leaving traces. These individuals had pieced together a considerable amount of information.
For example, the Crown Princess frequently left the palace alone.
Or, when the Crown Prince first heard about the Crown Princess's disappearance today, it was from Chunying's report.
Empress Xiao's gaze fell coldly on Chunying's face. Chunying trembled and prostrated herself on the ground, shivering, "Your, Your Majesty..."
Empress Xiao knew plenty of ways to pry open the mouth of a palace maid. How could the daughter of the Xiao Family really be good-natured? Just look at Marquis Xuanping. That man’s intestines were black. How could his sister be any different?
Empress Xiao gave Eunuch Su a meaningful look. He understood her meaning and dragged Chunying away.
Chunying didn't last a quarter of an hour in Eunuch Su's hands before she spilled everything.
The Crown Princess had a connection with Ning Wang.
Chunying was bought off by Ning Wang.
This incident was orchestrated by the State of Chen’s hostage prince, and Chunying was also bribed by him.
Chunying's words weren't clear and concise. She was terrified and her speech was disjointed. However, Eunuch Su had served by Empress's side for many years, and he was skilled in extracting the key points.
Empress Xiao asked, "So, you're saying that the State of Chen’s hostage prince orchestrated this incident, but the relationship between the Crown Princess and Ning Wang is real?"
Eunuch Su silently praised the Empress's keen understanding. She summarized the situation even better than he could.
Empress Xiao's gaze was icy, but she didn't lose her composure due to anger. She remained the dignified and elegant Empress of the State of Zhao.
She calmly asked, "I'm wondering, why would the State of Chen’s hostage prince do this? What does he gain from it?"
Exposing scandals within the imperial family, was it to bring shame to the imperial family?
That was too simple.
For ordinary people, such actions wouldn't be surprising, but Yuan Tang was the prince of the State of Chen. He must have wanted something more significant than humiliating the imperial family.
In fact, looking at the long-term perspective, pretending not to know and allowing Ning Wang to grow in power while maintaining his relationship with the Crown Princess was what would truly undermine the State of Zhao's imperial family.
"It seems like revenge. Does Ning Wang have any conflicts with him?" Empress Xiao immediately grasped the key point. "Go and invite the Sixth Prince of the State of Chen to the East Palace."
Eunuch Su replied, "Yes."
Yuan Tang arrived promptly.
He entered the reception hall and saw Empress Xiao seated in a chair.
Marquis Xuanping was the number one beauty... Er, no, the most handsome man in the State of Zhao. Naturally, his sister wouldn’t look bad.
However, objectively speaking, Empress Xiao was still two notches below her brother's beauty.
Seriously, why did a man have to be so good-looking?
Yuan Tang touched his folding fan and bowed slightly to Empress Xiao, smiling as he said, "Yuan Tang greets Empress Xiao."
Empress Xiao looked at Yuan Tang with a faint expression and said, "No need for formalities. You've schemed so much just to have an audience with this Empress, is that it? You have grievances with Ning Wang, and I also want to get rid of Ning Wang. If you have something to say, just say it."
Yuan Tang chuckled and touched his nose, saying, "Well... Your Majesty is quite straightforward, which leaves this Yuan Tang unsure of how to put it. It's nothing special, really. Just that Ning Wang's affair with the Crown Princess was discovered by Rui Wangfei and one of her friends. Ning Wang wanted to frame me and nearly had me killed by his assassins. I couldn't stand it, so I used some tricks to expose their relationship to the Crown Prince and the Emperor. I have no intention of being an enemy to Your Majesty, and if I've offended Your Majesty in any way, I ask for your forgiveness."
He deliberately avoided mentioning Gu Jiao's involvement in the whole affair, referring to her simply as "one of Rui Wangfei's friends," and he didn't bring up Liu Yisheng's severed finger either.
Empress Xiao looked at him sternly and said, "This Empress will investigate the truth of your words."
Yuan Tang smiled and replied, "Please do, Your Majesty."
Yuan Tang wasn’t afraid of her investigation, he was more afraid that she wouldn't investigate.
"Your Majesty." Eunuch Su whispered to her after Yuan Tang left.
The news about Wen Linlang and Ning Wang had a significant impact on Empress Xiao. She remained calm on the surface, but turmoil brewed within her.
However, her brother had taught her from a young age not to panic in times of crisis. She was Xiao Ji's sister, and she had to be stronger than most women.
Empress Xiao closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "Summon Rui Wangfei."
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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