Two guards rushed in and bowed to Prince Ling.
“Your Highness, forgive us.”
With that, they stepped forward to restrain Prince Ling.
Prince Ling froze for a moment, then instinctively looked toward the Emperor on the bed.
“Father, I’ve been wronged!”
When Consort Li saw the guards preparing to take the Crown Prince away, she threw herself in front of Prince Ling without a second thought.
“Your Majesty, the Crown Prince couldn’t possibly have done this!”
“He is the Crown Prince now. Why would he want to harm you?”
“Someone must be trying to frame him and turn father and son against each other!”
“Your Majesty, you must see the truth!”
Consort Li was desperate to rouse the Emperor.
Consort Shu suddenly wore an expression of realization.
“So it was you and your son who harmed His Majesty!”
“He must have felt unsatisfied even after becoming Crown Prince and wanted to kill His Majesty so he could ascend the throne sooner!”
“Fortunately, His Majesty was blessed with great fortune. Otherwise, he would have fallen victim to your scheme!”
Consort Shu’s face was filled with lingering fear.
When Consort Li saw her expression, she immediately pointed at her.
“Speak! Was all of this your doing?”
Only the three of them had been together today.
Since she and her son had not done it, the only person who could be under suspicion was Consort Shu.
Consort Shu covered her mouth in feigned astonishment.
“Sister, you can eat whatever you like, but you mustn’t say whatever you like!”
“The poison was found on the Crown Prince’s sleeve by the Imperial Physician!”
“There’s no poison on me!”
“Don’t try to clear your son’s name by making wild accusations against others!”
“Is your son’s life the only one that matters? Are other people’s lives worthless?”
As she spoke, Consort Li looked at the Emperor with deep anguish.
“Fortunately, His Majesty has the protection of our ancestors. Otherwise…”
Prince Ling knelt before the Emperor and knocked his head against the floor.
“Father, I don’t know where the powder on my clothes came from.”
“However, I remember very clearly that I had just bathed and changed before coming here.”
“So the powder definitely wasn’t on me beforehand.”
“As for how it got there, Father can summon the hidden guards and ask them. Won’t the truth become clear then?”
Prince Ling knew that there was more than one hidden guard in the Emperor’s chambers.
There were even some in the side hall where they had just been.
He had quickly gone over everything in his mind.
If he wanted to find out where the powder on his sleeve had come from, the only possibilities were the side hall and the stretch of road between there and the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
He had to find a way to prove his innocence and dispel his father’s suspicions.
When Consort Shu saw the Emperor deep in thought, she said, “Your Majesty, since the Crown Prince put it that way, why not summon the hidden guards and ask them?”
Consort Li had never expected Consort Shu to help them.
For some reason, an ominous feeling rose in her heart.
The Emperor scrutinized them for a while before quietly saying, “Come down.”
The moment his voice fell, everyone’s vision blurred.
A hidden guard, as elusive as a shadow, appeared out of nowhere and knelt on the floor.
“You,” Eunuch Li ordered. “Tell us where the powder on the Crown Prince came from.”
The hidden guard lowered his head. “This subordinate did not see clearly.”
“However, the Crown Prince was clean when he entered the hall.”
“It was only after Consort Li and Consort Shu had a minor altercation inside that the Crown Prince went to pull Consort Li away. The powder then appeared on his sleeve.”
The Emperor waved his hand, and in the blink of an eye, the hidden guard vanished.
When Consort Li heard that the hidden guard had cleared Prince Ling of suspicion, she secretly rejoiced.
Then she heard the last sentence.
Consort Li was instantly stunned.
Prince Ling was stunned as well.
Consort Shu covered her mouth in disbelief.
“Sister, after poisoning His Majesty, you framed the Crown Prince for it!”
“They say even a tiger won’t eat its cubs, but you’re truly ruthless!”
Consort Li was consumed by fury.
“Shut up! What nonsense are you spouting?”
“Why would I harm the Crown Prince? Stop making baseless accusations!”
After shouting at Consort Shu, Consort Li saw the Emperor looking at her with a dark, unreadable gaze.
She reacted swiftly. Covering her eyes with a handkerchief, she began to weep.
“Your Majesty, I’ve been wronged!”
“Ever since Your Majesty fell ill, I haven’t been able to eat or sleep!”
“Every day, I pray before Buddha, begging for Your Majesty’s speedy recovery!”
“I’ve been praying for Your Majesty to get well. How could I possibly poison you?”
“Your Majesty, you must believe me. I truly had nothing to do with this!”
Prince Ling stood to one side, his expression shifting between light and shadow.
He could see clearly that his mother would not be able to explain herself this time.
He had only wanted to clear his own name. He had never imagined that he would end up dragging his mother into the disaster.
The hidden guards were the only people the Emperor truly trusted. They were practically one with him.
Therefore, the hidden guard would not have lied.
The only possible explanation was that, during the altercation in the side hall, they had inadvertently fallen into Consort Shu’s trap.
To frame him so silently while skillfully avoiding the hidden guard’s notice…
Consort Shu was no simple woman.
For the first time, Prince Ling looked at her with wariness.
At this moment, he could only preserve himself if he wanted any chance of rescuing his mother.
After weighing his options, Prince Ling chose to remain silent.
In the end, Consort Li was taken away by the guards.
The Emperor merely gave Prince Ling a meaningful look before allowing him to leave.
Only after Prince Ling exited the Hall of Supreme Harmony did he realize that his entire back was drenched in sweat.
He had originally thought that he would be implicated by his mother and lose his position as Crown Prince.
He had never expected that his father would say nothing about it.
A vicious gleam filled Prince Ling’s eyes.
Things had reached this point. To secure his position as Crown Prince, he had no choice but to act.
Prince Ling actually felt somewhat regretful. If he had known today’s situation would arise, he would have taken action directly instead.
With the control he currently possessed, he might even have had a chance if he had risked everything.
But then Prince Ling thought of the Emperor and secretly shook his head.
He had always felt that his father’s gaze was strange.
Moreover, he had been observing the Emperor closely.
The Emperor did not look like a man who had been poisoned and vomited blood.
The more Prince Ling thought about it, the more terrified he became.
Prince Ling returned to the Palace of Mental Cultivation. The moment he entered, a eunuch came running in.
“What are you panicking for? Get out!”
Prince Ling was already irritated, so he immediately shouted at him.
The eunuch froze, then hurriedly retreated.
Only after quite some time did he cautiously return.
“Your Highness, the Imperial Guards have searched the entire city, but they still haven’t found the Heir Apparent and the Princess!”
“However, someone saw the Heir Apparent and the Princess visit a pastry shop.”
“In the end, they left in a carriage and disappeared without a trace.”
Prince Ling’s face darkened.
“Which pastry shop?”
“It’s called Fudoduo, a newly opened shop.”
“Whose shop is it?” Prince Ling’s voice was filled with murderous intent.
The eunuch lowered his head even further.
“It belongs to a woman named Lüdou.”
“Lüdou is a maid from the Prince of Pingyang’s residence!”
