“Why are you still in the palace?” The Emperor’s gaze carried an air of scrutiny.
“Your subject… Your subject was worried about Imperial Father!” Prince Rui said, his face immediately donning an expression of concern.
“You just said that there’s poison in My medicine?” The Emperor spoke slowly, as if he was very weak.
Prince Rui was about to nod, but then remembered the silver needle had shown no reaction.
He steeled his heart.
“To answer Imperial Father, Your subject received word that someone was going to poison Your medicine.”
“Your subject thus rushed to the small kitchen, and indeed caught the maid who was adding the poison.”
“Your subject was worried for Imperial Father, which is why he charged in, regardless of everything.”
“Oh? Xiao Lizi, is that true?” The Emperor asked Eunuch Li.
“To answer Your Majesty, Prince Rui tested it just now, and it was non-toxic,” Eunuch Li replied respectfully.
“Imperial Father, the silver needle didn’t change, but that doesn’t mean there’s no poison in the medicine!”
“That maid Your subject caught confessed clearly that there was poison!”
Prince Rui hastily defended himself.
The Emperor nodded faintly.
“All right. Where is the maid you caught?”
Seeing that his Imperial Father believed his words, Prince Rui was momentarily pleased.
“Imperial Father, Your subject had her brought outside the hall. Your subject will have her brought in right away!”
As Prince Rui spoke, he prepared to go out.
“Xiao Lizi, you go,” the Emperor ordered.
Eunuch Li acknowledged and walked out.
Before long, Eunuch Li returned, leading several people, his expression complicated.
Prince Rui turned his head triumphantly, but when he saw who had entered, he stood frozen in place.
“Second Brother, why are you here?”
Prince Ling released the guard’s arm and stepped forward to bow to the Emperor.
“Your subject pays respects to Imperial Father!”
The Emperor remained expressionless and asked the same question.
“Second Prince, why are you still in the palace?”
Prince Ling spoke with utmost respect, “To answer Imperial Father, today Consort Li suffered from discomfort, so she requested that Your subject remain in the palace to attend to her illness.”
“Oh? What ailment does your mother have? Has a physician been summoned?” The Emperor seemed quite concerned about Consort Li.
“To answer Imperial Father, a physician has already examined her.”
“Consort Li was afflicted by heatstroke, combined with an emotional upset, leading to headaches.”
“The physician has prescribed medicine. After taking it, she is already much better.”
The Emperor nodded.
“Then why aren’t you attending to your mother? Why have you come to the Hall of Supreme Harmony?”
Prince Ling bent at the waist, “Your subject’s lower back has gradually been recovering.”
“The physician instructed Your subject to walk more each day to facilitate a swift return to health.”
“When Your subject reached the Imperial Garden, he saw Fourth Brother leading people toward the Hall of Supreme Harmony.”
“Your subject was uneasy, so he came over to check.”
“Imperial Father, rest assured—Your subject has already apprehended all of Fourth Brother’s men!”
Prince Rui, upon hearing this, sensed great danger.
His men were clearly ambushed outside the palace—how could they have entered it?
“Second Brother, don’t slander me!”
“Aside from my personal guards, I brought no other men with me!”
Prince Ling clasped his hands toward the Emperor.
“Imperial Father, whether Your subject is lying or not, you can ask Eunuch Li.”
“He saw it all just now!”
Prince Ling then gestured to his personal guard.
“Bring everyone inside!”
The guard ran out and soon brought in a crowd of people.
Prince Rui saw that they were indeed all his own men.
He quickly fell to his knees with a thud.
“Imperial Father, Your subject is innocent!”
“Your subject absolutely did not bring them into the palace!”
Prince Ling clasped his hands to the Emperor.
“Imperial Father, this young maid said that Fourth Brother wanted her to poison Your medicine. She refused, so Fourth Brother had someone kill her.”
“As luck would have it, Your subject passed by and saved her.”
“She was nearly slain by Fourth Brother’s men!”
The Emperor saw that the maid’s neck was wrapped in bandages, and blood was still seeping through them.
The maid was deathly pale, on the verge of collapse.
A flicker of murderous intent passed quickly through the Emperor’s eyes.
“Second Brother, you’re slandering me!”
“Just now, I saw her trying to poison Imperial Father’s medicine!”
“And I never ordered anyone to kill her!”
“I only had the guards tie her up and bring her to the Hall of Supreme Harmony for Imperial Father to decide!”
Prince Rui tried to extricate himself.
He knew that if he couldn’t convince Imperial Father of his innocence, he was done for!
“Imperial Father, Your subject has evidence! Your subject truly received a message.”
Prince Rui began to fumble around on his person.
Soon, he found a strip of paper.
“Imperial Father, Your subject received this, and that’s how he caught the maid!”
Prince Rui urgently lifted the paper, trying to prove he was blameless.
The Emperor’s gaze shifted between Prince Rui and Prince Ling.
He naturally recognized the people on the ground as Prince Rui’s.
However, if Prince Rui had intended treachery, he would have charged in with his men, not come alone.
Yet Prince Rui was still in the palace so late, and his men were ambushed outside.
The intention behind this was clear to the Emperor.
“Imperial Father! Your subject is truly wronged!” Prince Rui saw that his Imperial Father’s expression was unreadable as He scrutinized him.
The Emperor waved his hand. Eunuch Li quickly stepped forward and took the paper from Prince Rui.
He unfolded it and glanced at it, his expression showing surprise.
“Your Majesty, it’s blank—there’s nothing written on it!”
Eunuch Li respectfully presented the paper for the Emperor’s view.
Prince Rui couldn’t believe his ears.
He snatched the paper and examined it back and forth.
“Impossible! There was definitely writing on it!”
“How could it have disappeared?”
“Could I have picked up the wrong one?” Prince Rui fell into self-doubt.
He began to search his sleeves frantically.
But search as he might, he couldn’t find what he was looking for.
Prince Rui collapsed weakly to the floor.
At that moment, he understood all too well: he had been set up!
The Emperor’s eyes flickered with an unreadable expression.
“Xiao Lizi, imprison this conspiring Prince Rui.”
“Lock him and those men in the dungeon.”
“Guard them closely—no one is allowed to visit.”
Hearing this, Prince Rui immediately began to shout.
“Imperial Father! Your subject is innocent!”
“Your subject truly never intended to harm Imperial Father!”
Eunuch Li gestured, and several eunuchs entered and dragged Prince Rui out.
“Imperial Father! Injustice! Imperial Father!…”
Prince Rui’s voice echoed through the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Prince Ling wore a pained expression, “Imperial Father, rest assured and recover from Your illness. Your subject will handle everything.”
The Emperor stared fixedly at Prince Ling for a long moment, then nodded faintly.
“I am tired.”
Prince Ling immediately bowed, “Your subject takes his leave!”
Supported by his guard, Prince Ling walked out.
The Emperor turned his head to look at Eunuch Li.
“Xiao Lizi, what do you make of what just happened?”
Eunuch Li lowered his head in fear.
“To answer Your Majesty, this servant is dull-witted. This servant sees nothing.”
The Emperor looked at the bowl of medicine on the table. No more steam was rising from it.
He gazed at it fixedly, as if lost in thought.
