Chapter 19 Yun Kui dared not move.

Yun Kui's neck was slightly cut by Qin Ge's sword, but it wasn't serious and didn't require bandaging. Therefore, after Liang Jin prescribed medicine for her abdominal pain, he also left some topical wound medicine.

She raised her fingertip and slowly brought it to her nose, smelling a faint medicinal fragrance.

She changed the prince's medicine, and it smelled very similar to that one.

After a long pause, I finally remembered that after I fainted, I felt a bite on my neck, like I had been bitten by an insect. So that's what happened, I was injured.

Fortunately, it didn't hurt much. The scratching felt like it broke the skin, but there was no blood under her fingernails, so she stopped thinking about it and lay quietly.

She had just fallen into a deep sleep after losing consciousness, and now she was wide awake. But this was the Crown Prince's bedchamber, not her side room's wooden bed where she could turn over however she pleased.

Yun Kui dared not move. The Crown Prince's presence behind her was too strong. His breath, though barely perceptible, landed on the back of her neck. For some reason, it felt as if it would ignite at the slightest touch, and her entire back felt hot.

The prince stared at the wound on her neck, and the image of the two faint teeth marks left on her neck on the night he was given the aphrodisiac appeared before his eyes, causing his mind to wander.

A faint scent of grass lingered around his nose, and the prince closed his eyes, letting the inexplicable restlessness slowly subside.

...

In early November, the Eastern Palace welcomed the Crown Prince's first major purge since his return to the palace.

Hundreds of palace servants were taken into the torture chamber one by one for questioning. Cao Yuanlu personally interrogated them. All those with ill intentions were either beaten to death on the spot, subjected to severe torture to extract confessions, or expelled from the palace. For a time, the Eastern Palace was like a purgatory, and everyone was in danger.

The charge of "harboring treacherous intentions" is too abstract. What exactly constitutes "harboring treacherous intentions," and how is it determined? Most palace servants never had the opportunity to get close to the Crown Prince, let alone commit any treacherous acts. As for the spies planted by various parties, most of them were still observing and had not yet made any rash moves.

In just a few days, more than ten people were beaten to death, and one of them was even an unknown maidservant from the outer courtyard who was dragged away.

Outside the torture chamber, a biting wind blew, chilling the air, and dozens of people stood shivering in line, waiting for their interrogation.

The guards at the gate called out names from the list, five people at a time. Not far away was the scene of the caning, where people were dragged out and beaten to death with sticks every now and then. The wailing and howling of the victims rose and fell, the screams of the tortured were heart-wrenching, and the listeners were all terrified, fearing that they would be the next to suffer a great disaster.

The torture chamber was also filled with the overwhelming stench of blood. Various instruments of torture hung on the walls, and large and small cleavers, pliers, and needles were neatly arranged on a long table in the center. The branding iron in the charcoal stove sizzled.

Cao Yuanlu sat in a sandalwood armchair, with Qin Ge, Deshun and others standing beside him, questioning the palace maids and eunuchs who entered one by one.

In such an environment, many people can't help but vomit or feel dizzy as soon as they enter. Extreme fear also makes it easier to reveal their inner thoughts.

Unbeknownst to anyone, behind an inconspicuous lattice door in the torture chamber sat the person who truly held the power of life and death over them.

In the past, the Crown Prince was often plagued by chronic illness and had no interest in dealing with such matters. He would usually wait for others to become impatient and come closer so that he could make an example of them. This led to those outside who coveted the throne becoming increasingly rampant and unscrupulous.

If you really investigate, none of these people can escape his eyes.

Moreover, now that he has the ability to read minds, even the deepest cunning is like a blank sheet of paper in front of him, and a single spark can burn it to ashes.

So when these palace servants with guilty consciences were interrogated, even though their answers were flawless and they believed that their words and actions since entering the Eastern Palace had been without any flaws, they were still easily seen through.

Qin Ge stood beside the lattice door, observing his master's gestures. Tapping the table with the index finger meant immediate execution by caning; tapping with the middle finger meant severe interrogation; and tapping with the little finger meant expulsion from the Eastern Palace. If there was no indication of anything, the person was innocent and could be spared.

To be honest, Qin Ge had been by the Crown Prince's side for ten years and had never seen such a thorough purge. He and Cao Yuanlu were both experts in interrogation, but many times they couldn't glean any clues from the palace servants. Some people had only uttered a single sentence before their prince made the decision of whether to keep or kill them.

Qin Ge hesitated for a moment, but trusted the Crown Prince's judgment more, so the interrogation room was extremely efficient, able to interrogate nearly a hundred people a day.

Among these people, assassins, spies, and informants from various parties accounted for one or two out of ten. Those who were in Cao Cao's camp but had their hearts in Han, those with families who were easily manipulated, those who were easily tempted by money and silver, and those who were so frightened by the sight of torture instruments that they would wet themselves and faint, also made up six or seven out of ten. These people were all handed over to the Imperial Household Department for reassignment. The remaining one or two out of ten were relatively honest and law-abiding, and not too cowardly or incompetent, so they were left to observe for the time being.

Over the course of several days, the number of people in the Eastern Palace dwindled, and several corpses were even brought before the mastermind. Even the Empress's Kunning Palace received the body of a young eunuch, which terrified the Empress so much that she fainted on the spot.

The commotion was so great that it directly alarmed Emperor Chunming.

Out of concern for his nephew, Emperor Chunming also wanted to come and see him.

When the Crown Prince emerged from the interrogation room, everyone's faces were filled with undisguised terror. No one had expected that the Crown Prince had been in the interrogation room the whole time.

In other words, their lives and deaths were actually in the hands of the Crown Prince.

When Emperor Chunming and others saw the fresh bloodstains on the Crown Prince, their faces paled.

In the eyes of his subjects, Emperor Chunming was a wise and benevolent ruler who combined kindness with severity.

In front of the Crown Prince, Emperor Chunming was a kind and even somewhat humble uncle.

The crown prince was tall and imposing, with a commanding presence. Every gesture he made exuded both the noble dignity of a crown prince and the fierce, ruthless aura of someone who had fought on the battlefield. His eyes, which looked down upon all living beings, seemed to be born to command submission.

Emperor Chunming was already half a head shorter than him, and with his posture lowered, his imposing manner weakened even further. "Crown Prince, I've heard that the Eastern Palace has discovered an inside agent. Have you been able to definitively identify the mastermind behind those corpses you sent out?"

Since there was no way to verify the truth since the dead were dead, Emperor Chunming simply pretended to be ignorant.

The crown prince remained silent, his expression cold and aloof.

Emperor Chunming sighed: "The Empress has always cared for you, how could she possibly plant someone by your side? There must be some misunderstanding. She was so frightened this time that she couldn't sleep for several nights and fell ill."

"Is that so?" The Crown Prince smiled, casually wiping the bloodstains from the back of his hand. "It doesn't matter if you dare to do it but not admit it. One by one, I will kill them, until there is no one left by the Empress's side. What does Your Majesty think?"

Emperor Chunming met those sharp, dark eyes and felt a chill run down his spine.

The Crown Prince's eyes are strikingly similar to those of Empress Huigong, but the innate sharp and majestic aura of a superior in his eyes is exactly the same as that of the late Emperor.

The late emperor was more heroic and brave, while the crown prince always had a sinister and violent aura between his brows, like a cold and desolate pool under a snow mountain, or a blood-soaked sword in the hand of a general whose bones have been shattered, violent and crazy.

Especially when he said the phrase "kill until there is no one left," Emperor Chunming clearly saw the ruthless intent in his eyes that swept away all obstacles.

Even if he were about to kill the emperor right now, Emperor Chunming would not be surprised at all by that look in his eyes.

Having sat on the dragon throne for twenty years, he quickly regained his composure and continued to put on his kind and benevolent demeanor, saying, "The improper arrangements by the Imperial Household Department are also my oversight. The entire Eastern Palace should be thoroughly cleaned up. However, you are still recovering from your serious injuries, and this matter has exhausted your energy. It would be better to hand it over to the Embroidered Uniform Guard for investigation..."

"No, thank you." Before she could finish speaking, the Crown Prince interrupted her with a smile.

He was the first person in the world to openly refuse the emperor.

"The affairs of the Eastern Palace need not trouble His Majesty's personal guards," the Crown Prince said with a faint smile. "Who knows if there aren't treacherous individuals within the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

Emperor Chunming's expression changed several times, and then he heard the Crown Prince laugh and say, "Or is it that Your Majesty doesn't trust me and thinks that I can't even control a small Eastern Palace?"

Emperor Chunming sighed: "Of course not."

Crown Prince: "So you think I'm about to die, and all this fuss is in vain?"

Emperor Chunming quickly waved his hand, "Your Highness, what are you saying? I'm just worried about your health and afraid that you'll overwork yourself. Right now, it's most important to recover from your injuries. You can leave the matter of the Eastern Palace purge to me or the Empress."

The Crown Prince laughed and said, "Your Majesty would be better off spending more time in the inner palace. I heard that seventy-two new women were added to the inner palace last year, and they are all waiting for Your Majesty's favor."

A hint of embarrassment finally surfaced on Emperor Chunming's usually impassive face.

While it's understandable for an emperor to have a large harem to ensure the continuation of the royal line, and the number of concubines is not a measure of an emperor's character, in the eyes of the people, Emperor Chunming was ultimately just a regent emperor. He didn't need to rely on procreation to secure the stability of his empire, and after his death, he still had to return the throne to the crown prince.

Unfortunately, the crown prince was not the benevolent ruler that the people envisioned, and he could not win their trust.

On the contrary, Emperor Chunming reigned for more than 20 years. Although he could not be described as having both civil and military achievements, he did his best to be diligent in governing and caring for the people, and promoted benevolence. He was praised by the court and the people.

If he is capable of being a good emperor, why should he hand over the power in his hands to his tyrannical, tyrannical, and infamous nephew? Even if he is willing, the people of the world would not agree.

Over the years, he has built up a large harem so that he can have a successor and not follow in the footsteps of the late emperor.

The late emperor had only one son, who was born with a tyrannical and cruel nature. However, he had nine sons, all of whom were outstanding. Compared to the late emperor, his lineage was the one most deserving of the mandate of heaven to inherit the imperial lineage.

His thoughts were heard by the Crown Prince without missing a beat.

Of course, even without mind-reading abilities, the Crown Prince was always well aware of how ambitious his uncle was.

However, he has been suffering from a chronic illness for many years, and then he went on to fight in various places, defending and expanding the territory. He has no time to take care of many things. Now that he has returned, perhaps his time is coming to an end, or perhaps there is still a possibility of recovery. But what needs to be reorganized must be reorganized, and what needs to be avenged must be avenged.

The Crown Prince said, "If the Embroidered Uniform Guards are truly idle, they might as well help me investigate someone."

Emperor Chunming immediately asked, "Who is it?"

The Crown Prince seemed to smile slightly, but his dark eyes held a faint scrutinizing gaze. "During the Battle of Wolf Mountain, a lieutenant general under the late Emperor was surrounded along with the army and his body was never recovered. This is the person I want to investigate."

His expedition to the northern frontier was not only to pacify the region and reclaim the land that the Northern Wei had seized from Dazhao, but also, more importantly, to investigate the truth of what happened back then.

He needed to know why his invincible father had been seriously injured and died in his prime, ultimately having to relinquish the throne to someone else.

This trip indeed led him to uncover the key figures in the battle from back then.

The Crown Prince had not yet mentioned the person's name, but the slight tremor in Emperor Chunming's pupils spoke volumes.

"What does he know? Why did he suddenly mention this person? Could it be...?"

Emperor Chunming clenched his fists and put them behind his back, his palms already sweating. "This person's body was never found back then, and now more than twenty years have passed. Where can we find any clues?"

The Crown Prince stared intently at him and said, "The Embroidered Uniform Guard is incredibly capable in patrolling and arresting criminals. They should understand the principle of 'seeing the person alive or dead' better than I do."

Emperor Chunming's eyes flickered slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. "Since you insist on investigating, I will instruct Lu Qi to take action."

Lu Qi is now the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The Crown Prince smiled slightly: "Your Majesty, won't you ask what this adjutant's name is?"

Emperor Chunming's face paled slightly, and he stiffly forced a smile: "Who is it?"

"Feng Yu," the Crown Prince said with a light laugh, "Does Your Majesty recall him?"

Although Emperor Chunming was prepared, his lips twitched almost imperceptibly when he heard the name.

"Back then, I was just a wealthy prince living in seclusion in the capital. How would I know which generals were around the late emperor?" Emperor Chunming smiled. "But since you want to investigate this person, I will investigate for you."

He turned around and looked at the palace servants waiting for interrogation outside the torture chamber. He quickly changed the subject: "The Crown Prince's Palace has undergone a major reshuffle. It's fine to get rid of these useless ones. However, you need people to serve you, and the outer palace also needs people to manage it. I will instruct the Imperial Household Department to select some reliable and competent people to come in."

"Then I'll have to trouble Your Majesty."

He said "thank you for your trouble" but showed no respect or gratitude, which shows that he has never regarded himself as the supreme ruler. Over the years, he has never knelt before the emperor of a country and still refers to himself as "I, the solitary one".

Although Emperor Chunming was used to it, it did not mean that he was without resentment. On the contrary, every time he heard the word "I" he felt like he was being pricked by thorns and felt suffocated.

Just as they were about to leave, four beauties appeared at the edge of their field of vision. Their clothes and makeup were different from those of ordinary palace maids, and each of them had a beautiful face and a slender figure.

Emperor Chunming narrowed his eyes and immediately realized that these were probably the four palace maids sent by the Imperial Household Department to serve him in bed. However, facing the fear of torture, all four beauties had turned pale.

Emperor Chunming teased, "I've heard that you've recently been favoring a beauty. Could it be that even she couldn't escape questioning?"

The torture chamber in the Eastern Palace is not a simple interrogation; going in there will leave you with at least a layer of skin to bleed.

The Crown Prince stared at the timid little girl at the end of the line, his smile fading. "Your Majesty has also seen it. I have other matters to attend to, so please excuse me from seeing you off further."

Emperor Chunming suppressed his displeasure and watched as the Crown Prince strolled over. As he passed by the beauties, he said something to them, and they were instantly terrified, their faces turning as white as paper. They shrank back and followed him inside.

Emperor Chunming sighed inwardly, for the Crown Prince was different from both him and the late emperor.

The late emperor favored one person above all others, a rare and devoted lover, while he would do anything for the sake of offspring.

But the crown prince was indifferent to women, cold-hearted and ungrateful, and it seemed that no one could shake his heart.

Inside the torture chamber, four beauties knelt in a row.

The crown prince sat in a grand chair to the side, sipping his tea casually.

Cao Yuanlu glanced at him, his gaze swept over the four of them, and finally lingered for a moment on Yun Kui, whose face was full of trepidation, before beginning his first question: "You are all beauties carefully selected by the Imperial Household Department to serve His Highness. Forgive my rudeness, but may I ask you all, what is it about His Highness that attracts you the most?"

After he finished speaking, everyone was filled with apprehension, hanging their heads and deep in thought. Only Yun Kui cautiously raised her eyes and looked in the direction of the Crown Prince.