His expression turned severe. Slamming his hand against the table, he barked, “Cheng Lan, you actually dared to commit adultery with the commander of the imperial guards, Chen Qi, and frame the Second Prince? Guards, take the Second Princess Consort to Fengyang Palace and await further orders!”
What?!
Fengyang Palace was a prison for members of the imperial clan who had been convicted of crimes!
A wave of terror surged through Cheng Lan. Completely at a loss, she stammered, “No, I didn’t. I didn’t…”
Murong Chen now understood that the Emperor was shifting the blame onto Cheng Lan to help him escape punishment. He thought to himself, Cheng Lan is ambitious. She first committed adultery with Chen Qi, then incited him to fabricate a dragon robe and weapons and force me into it—
“Murong Chen, you’re despicable!” Cheng Lan lunged at him.
However, a group of guards rushed forward like wolves and tigers, covering her mouth and dragging her away.
The great hall fell silent. The officials present remained calm, not even blinking.
They knew Cheng Lan had been framed.
But so what?
She was nothing more than an insignificant daughter born to a concubine. No one would care about her.
They were all calculating the situation in their minds. The Emperor was determined to protect the Second Prince. If they continued pressing the matter, their fate might well be worse than the Second Prince’s.
The Third Prince, Murong Ye, was unwilling to accept this outcome. He cast a glance to his left.
A censor understood his meaning and stepped forward. “Your Majesty, the law states that an imperial prince who commits a crime is to be punished just like a commoner. The Second Prince—”
The Emperor interrupted him indifferently. “Minister Feng, you must be getting on in years. Perhaps you’ve become a little hard of hearing.”
Murong Chen immediately cut in. “Lord Feng must have heard clearly. Cheng Lan confessed just now. I was framed.”
Several of the officials present could not help showing looks of disdain.
He had forcibly framed and harmed his own wife, using such despicable methods, yet he could still put on that calm and unconcerned face. His conduct was truly shameless.
The Second Prince was utterly useless!
Thinking this, several senior ministers steeled themselves and stepped forward to object. The Minister of Justice even summoned all the servants from the Second Prince’s residence to the great hall and had them recount the entire course of events themselves.
Their hatred for Murong Chen outweighed their fear of the Emperor. One after another, they rushed to reveal all the things Murong Chen had done.
When the Emperor learned that Murong Chen had poisoned everyone in his residence, even he felt his blood surge and nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. There were more than two hundred people in the prince’s household, including his guards and personal soldiers. How could the deaths of more than two hundred living people possibly be concealed?
Now that the truth had been exposed in front of all these ministers, no one could save him!
The Emperor was utterly disappointed in Murong Chen. Pressing his fingers against his brow, he waved his hand dejectedly. “Take the Second Prince to Fengyang Palace as well.”
Murong Chen was horrified. “Father, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me this once—”
Before he could finish, guards rushed forward and dragged him away.
“Father…”
Murong Chen’s anguished cries echoed throughout the great hall.
The ministers and princes lowered their heads, afraid to provoke the Emperor’s wrath, but they could not suppress the upward curves of their lips.
The princes in particular were practically about to burst out laughing.
Removing one useless prince meant greater security for the realm. For the other princes, it also meant one fewer rival. It was a situation in which everyone benefited.
Hidden in the shadows, Cheng Yao found it rather boring. The male and female supporting characters were too stupid. They had been eliminated so quickly that she had not even gotten the satisfaction of accomplishing anything.
Fortunately, she had already collected all the valuables from the Second Prince’s residence into her spatial storage. That would have to serve as some consolation.
As Cheng Yao was thinking this, a dark figure suddenly shot toward her.
Her heart jolted. In the next instant, she flickered and vanished from the spot.
The hidden guard’s pupils contracted sharply. He struck out with his palm, and the flower stand and pots in that spot were reduced to powder.
Yet the hidden guard could not see anyone. His expression turned solemn, and he made a hand signal. Several even more imposing hidden guards appeared and took up positions around the Emperor.
All the guards and imperial troops surged forward to protect the Emperor.
The Emperor was somewhat flustered. Surrounded by his men, he began retreating. Several officials stood in front of him protectively and demanded, “Is there an assassin?”
Cold sweat trickled down the hidden guard’s forehead. “This person’s skills are extraordinary. It seems they know how to become invisible…”
“Invisibility?” The Emperor’s face went white. Someone who came and went without a trace could kill him as easily as turning over a hand.
“Protect His Majesty! Protect His Majesty!”
The commander of the imperial troops and the commander of the guards realized how serious the situation was. They panicked and surrounded the Emperor so completely that not even a drop of water could pass through. Li Peiyun even brought over armor and a breastplate for him to put on.
Hidden in the darkness, Cheng Yao was also somewhat startled.
Still, seeing the vile Emperor caught in such chaos gave her a certain sense of satisfaction.
She did not dare stay any longer, because the Emperor’s hidden guards were exceptionally formidable.
She had held her breath and concealed herself in an obscure place, minimizing her presence as much as possible, yet they had still sensed her. Their martial arts were evidently even more advanced than those of Zhan Haoting’s hidden guards.
It was truly terrifying. These must be the legendary martial arts experts. If she made even the slightest mistake, she might die without ever knowing how.
Cheng Yao had only just returned to the prince’s residence when someone from the palace arrived to summon Zhan Haoting for a discussion.
Zhan Haoting was leaning with most of his body against his wheelchair. He beckoned her over.
Taking her soft little hand in his, he said in his deep, magnetic voice, which carried a hint of tenderness, “There’s no need to worry. Stay home and wait for me.”
Cheng Yao brushed aside a stray lock of hair from his forehead. “Be careful.”
Zhan Haoting gave an almost imperceptible nod. The warmth in his eyes deepened.
After he left, Cheng Yao teleported to the accounting office of the residence.
There were five accountants there, each at his own desk, working leisurely with a cup of hot tea beside him.
Cheng Yao hid in the shadows and flipped through the account books. She wanted to find out what industries and businesses Zhan Haoting owned.
In the end, she went through all the books without finding anything useful.
Old Madam Zhan was the old master’s second wife. She resented the fact that he had loved Zhan Haoting’s biological grandmother all his life, and as a result, she also disliked his entire branch of the family.
She was officially in charge of the household affairs, but in reality, the one managing the estate was her distant niece, Second Madam Zhan.
That woman was extremely greedy. She had siphoned off layer after layer of money from the household accounts.
All the profitable businesses had been transferred into the names of the people in the second branch. What remained in the account books were either barely profitable ventures or outright losses.
Old Madam Zhan and Second Madam Zhan were immensely pleased with themselves, secretly mocking Zhan Haoting for being foolish.
They had no idea that Zhan Haoting had deliberately allowed them to steal in order to maintain the residence’s outward appearance of normalcy.
He controlled all the truly profitable businesses himself. The assets they had taken amounted to little more than a drop in the ocean.
In other words, Zhan Haoting’s real account books were not here.
After thinking for a moment, Cheng Yao slipped into his private treasury.
The novel had mentioned that on the day the residence was confiscated, the imperial troops discovered a secret passage in one of the storerooms. They found a vast amount of gold, silver, and other treasures in the hidden chamber.
But that had only been part of Zhan Haoting’s wealth. Sensing that something was wrong in advance, he had transferred much of it elsewhere, laying the foundation for his powerful rise in the place of exile.
Zhan Haoting had foresight, and with her reminder as well, he had been so busy these past two days that he was rarely seen. He had most likely been dealing with this matter.
Sure enough, when Cheng Yao teleported into the secret chamber, only scrap metal and four walls lined with ancient books remained.
This was the place Zhan Haoting had hidden most carefully. If an outsider managed to reach it, it would mean the Emperor had ordered it.
So he had not even bothered pretending. Apart from some fixed assets he had not had time to deal with, he had moved everything else out.
