Li Jin rushed in and carried Lüdou out.
Duoduo broke free from Xiao Yi’s arms.
“Master, put her down. I’ll use acupuncture on her!”
Li Jin placed Lüdou on the ground, and Duoduo pulled a cloth pouch from her bosom and opened it.
She took out the silver needles and began inserting them into Lüdou.
Strands of golden light flowed along the needles and entered Lüdou’s body.
“Mm… What happened to me?” Lüdou soon regained consciousness.
She saw Duoduo carefully removing the needles.
“You had a fever and fainted.” Duoduo put away the needles and stored the pouch.
“I just gave you acupuncture. Don’t bathe for now after you return.”
“Eat something, then sleep for a while before washing up.”
“Once you wake up, you’ll be fine!”
After saying this, Duoduo held out her hand to Lüdou.
Lüdou froze for a moment before taking Duoduo’s hand and sitting up.
Only then did she notice Xiao Yi and Li Jin looking at her with concern.
Lüdou’s face flushed. She hurriedly knelt on the ground and saluted the two men.
“This servant greets Your Highness and Master Li!”
Xiao Yi nodded.
“Mm. You protected the Princess, so you may go and rest.”
Duoduo took Lüdou’s hand. “Father, I’ll go back and rest for a while too.”
“Yes. Sleep without worry. As long as your father is here, the Prince Ling Residence will not fall!”
Xiao Yi made Duoduo this solemn promise.
Duoduo beamed brightly.
“Mm!”
Duoduo took Lüdou to the rear courtyard.
Only then did Xiao Yi turn to Li Jin. “How did Duoduo end up at the shop?”
Li Jin organized his thoughts and told Xiao Yi everything Duoduo had told him, without leaving out a single detail.
“Your Highness, judging from what happened today, the Crown Prince intends to use this as an excuse to eliminate his political enemies.”
“Can we take advantage of the chaos?”
Xiao Yi nodded slowly.
“Ling Yu and Lingfeng are already doing so.”
“We only need to sit back and watch the outcome!”
After saying this, Xiao Yi looked up at the sky beyond the residence.
From the garden, the sharp cries coming from outside could be heard faintly.
The next day, the area outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony was filled with kneeling officials.
“Your Majesty, yesterday the Imperial Guards harassed the common people under the pretext of searching for the heir, leaving the people to suffer terribly.”
“Your Majesty, the Crown Prince ordered someone to burn down my residence! I beg Your Majesty to seek justice for me!”
“Your Majesty…”
Outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the officials wept as though their hearts were breaking.
Inside the Palace of Mental Cultivation, Prince Ling looked at the officials who had been reduced by more than half and rubbed his brow.
He had not returned to his residence the previous day, instead reading memorials in the palace until dawn.
After attending court early that morning, Prince Ling felt his temples throbbing incessantly.
“Your Highness, His Majesty requests your presence in the Hall of Supreme Harmony to discuss state affairs.”
Eunuch Li entered and gave a very courteous bow.
Prince Ling rose and strode toward the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Before he even reached the hall, he saw the officials kneeling outside.
The officials had been lamenting Prince Ling’s wrongdoing, each speaking over the others.
But when they saw Prince Ling, they all fell silent.
Prince Ling was the Crown Prince and might become the future emperor.
They would have to serve under him in the future. Who would dare offend him?
“His Majesty told you to speak. Why have you fallen silent?”
“Could it be that you intend to disobey the imperial order?” Eunuch Li said expressionlessly.
The officials lowered their heads one after another.
They had never expected the emperor to summon the Crown Prince.
Now they were caught in an impossible situation.
In the end, the official whose residence had been burned was the first to speak.
“Your Majesty, yesterday the Imperial Guards burned down my residence.”
“Not only were the people in my household injured, but some even died!” After saying this, the official could not help crying again.
Once one person began, a second followed with his own complaint.
“People in my residence were taken away by the Imperial Guards…”
One after another, they all began voicing their grievances, afraid of being left behind.
Prince Ling’s temples began throbbing again.
Only after the officials had finally finished did Prince Ling salute the emperor.
“Father, yesterday An’er and Ning’er were pursued by a group of masked men.”
“Their coachman and the maidservants attending them were killed on the spot.”
“Their whereabouts are unknown, and their lives hang in the balance!”
“Your son was frantic with worry, so I sent the Imperial Guards out to search for them.”
“I never imagined that the Imperial Guards would be so brazen as to set fires and seize people!”
“Father, this is all due to my failure to manage them properly. I will certainly discipline them when I return!”
The emperor seemed to be taken aback.
“An’er and Ning’er have gone missing?”
A look of grief appeared on Prince Ling’s face.
“Father, An’er and Ning’er are members of the imperial family.”
“If someone dares abduct them today, then tomorrow someone may dare to move against you!”
“Father, I acted in haste and ordered a thorough investigation. We absolutely cannot allow any suspicious person to escape!”
“Father, you are a parent too. An’er and Ning’er are also your grandchildren.”
“Can you really bear to watch them be harmed?”
By the time Prince Ling finished speaking, a tear had rolled from the corner of his eye.
The officials outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony did not dare make a sound.
Someone had actually dared target members of the imperial family!
This was an earth-shattering crime!
Compared with that, their own losses suddenly seemed far less important.
“Second Brother! Your children are important, but are our lives worth nothing?”
At that moment, a voice suddenly shattered the silence.
Prince Ling’s heart jolted, and he raised his head.
“Fourth, Sixth, Seventh—what happened to you?”
Prince Ling pretended to be surprised as he questioned his younger brothers, who had just entered.
“Father! I nearly didn’t live to see you again!”
The Sixth Prince flung himself to his knees and burst into loud sobs.
The Seventh Prince followed close behind and began to cry as well.
Several bandages were wrapped around the Sixth Prince’s body, and blood had seeped through them.
The Seventh Prince limped, with his left arm secured in a sling around his neck.
By comparison, Prince Rui was in much better condition.
He had only one bandage wrapped around his left arm.
When the emperor saw the state his sons were in, he sat up in shock.
“What happened to you…?”
The emperor was utterly astonished.
Prince Rui knelt and struck his forehead heavily against the floor.
“Father, yesterday Second Brother attacked us under the pretext of searching for his children!”
“We were lucky to escape with our lives. We do not even know whether our other brothers are still alive!”
“Father! I’m afraid I won’t live long enough to wish you a happy birthday!”
“Father, please forgive your unfilial son. I request permission to return to my fief!”
After saying this, Prince Rui struck his head against the floor again with a resounding thud.
“Crown Prince, how do you explain this?”
