The guard hesitated, stammering, "Moreover, we suspect that His Highness the Crown Prince left on his own."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Cheng'an slumped back into his seat, feeling a wave of dizziness. After a long while, he weakly asked, "You mean, the Crown Prince left on his own?"

Upon seeing his expression, the guard dared not utter another word and immediately knelt on the ground, saying, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger."

Emperor Cheng'an, rubbing his forehead, swayed precariously. After a long, expressionless stare, he finally spoke: "Suppress the news. Send the Imperial Guards to search for the Crown Prince's whereabouts throughout the land. No matter what, he must be brought back to me!"

Upon hearing this, the guard quickly replied "Yes," and seeing that he had no further instructions, he hurriedly withdrew.

After everyone left, Chen Andi could no longer contain his anger and smashed the cup in his hand to pieces: "You damned bastard!"

Hearing the commotion, Qi Zhong rushed over, but dared not get too close. He cautiously advised, "Your Majesty has been neglecting the Crown Prince these days. Perhaps the Crown Prince is feeling melancholy and has temporarily left to clear his mind. Maybe he will return on his own in a few days. Your Majesty, please don't be angry. It would be a loss if you ruin your health."

Emperor Cheng'an naturally hoped that the Crown Prince had only acted impulsively and that's why he ran away from home. But for some reason, a sense of unease suddenly arose in his heart.

He always felt that the Crown Prince was really gone and would never come back.

But this fact frightened him, filled him with dread. He now only had this one son, and if even the crown prince abandoned him, who would he pass the throne to, even if he held onto it?

Could it be that we really intend to pass it on to that bastard child in the Empress's womb?

The mere thought of this possibility sent a jolt of heart attack through Emperor Cheng'an.

He stood up anxiously and paced back and forth in the room, saying, "No, absolutely not."

The illegitimate child in the Empress's womb was merely a bargaining chip he used to control the Crown Prince. He never intended to keep either the Empress or the illegitimate child alive.

Once the Crown Prince behaves himself, he will get rid of the Empress and the bastard child in her womb.

But now reality has given him a resounding slap in the face. The older his son gets, the more distant he becomes. Now, after only ignoring him for a while, his son has become incredibly audacious and has run away from home, even taking the memorial tablets of his wife and children with him, showing no intention of ever returning.

"This wretched child, this wretched child!"

Emperor Cheng'an muttered curses under his breath, feeling a surge of blood rush to his head, making him dizzy and disoriented. Before he could react, he collapsed to the ground.

Qi Zhong was horrified at the sight and cried out in a shrill voice, "Summon the imperial physician! Summon the imperial physician quickly!"

*

News quickly spread that the crown prince had disappeared and the emperor had fainted and suffered a stroke from anger.

Xue Shen naturally received the news as well. He was quite surprised that Xue Heng would leave so suddenly, and asked with some disbelief, "Has something happened at the Eastern Palace these past few days?"

The scout shook his head and said, "Nothing has happened. Everything is the same as before. The Crown Prince spends most of his time chanting sutras and praying for blessings in the mourning hall."

"That's impossible. If he wanted to leave, he would have left long ago. He wouldn't have waited until now to leave suddenly. Something must have happened to make him make up his mind."

Xue Shen was not surprised by Xue Heng's departure. Xue Heng's personality meant that he could not stand on the same side as his biological father, but he was still his biological father, and the bond between father and son was blood.

He couldn't bear to watch himself drive Emperor Cheng'an to his doom, so his only option was to leave.

Xue Shen just thought that Xue Heng would leave later.

Xue Heng was a very decisive person; once he made a decision, he would not look back. However, he was exceptionally indecisive when it came to the matter of Emperor Cheng'an. He confined himself to the Eastern Palace, refusing to see any visitors, and had not yet made a final decision.

What made Xue Heng suddenly make a decision?

Xue Shen couldn't figure out the reason no matter how hard he thought about it, so he could only ask his spies to continue to keep an eye on the movements of the Eastern Palace: "Check if anyone has been to the Eastern Palace recently."

*

When Emperor Cheng'an awoke again, he found that half of his arm was immobile. He struggled to lift his head and called out, "Someone come here."

Hearing the commotion, Qi Zhong, who was standing guard nearby, rushed forward with delight: "Your Majesty has finally woken up!"

Emperor Chen An struggled to move his arm, but was unable to lift it. He asked with difficulty, "Why can't I move my arm?"

Qi Zhong paused for a moment, then cautiously began, "The imperial physician said that His Majesty's anger triggered a stroke. His blood rushed to his head, exacerbating his stroke and causing weakness in his arm. He will need time to recover."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Cheng'an's face darkened, and he gritted his teeth, asking, "Has the news gotten out yet?"

Qi Zhong quickly shook his head: "No."

Emperor Cheng'an was finally relieved. He lay back down heavily and, thinking of the missing Crown Prince, asked, "How long have I been unconscious? Is there any news about the Crown Prince?"

Qi Zhong shook his head again. He carefully took out a letter from his sleeve and presented it to Emperor Chen An with both hands: "However, the guards found a letter left in His Highness the Crown Prince's study. Would Your Majesty like to read it now?"

Emperor Cheng'an was dizzy and lacked energy, so he couldn't muster the spirit to read the letter: "Read it to me."

Qi Zhong responded with a "Yes," and was about to unfold the letter and read it to him, but Emperor Chen An stopped him again: "Never mind, I'll read it myself."

Emperor Cheng'an used his barely functional right hand to support his body as he tried to sit up, and Qi Zhong quickly came to help him.

After placing a soft pillow behind Emperor Cheng'an's back and helping him sit properly, Qi Zhong carefully handed him the letter.

Emperor Cheng'an unfolded the letter and saw that it contained only a few words.

"Heng knows that he is guilty of grave sins and is unworthy to be the crown prince. He has no face to face the spirits of his ancestors. He will now leave to travel the world, accumulate virtue and do good deeds to atone for his sins. Do not seek him out."

Emperor Cheng'an read through those few words one by one.

When he saw the phrase "accumulate virtue and do good deeds to atone for one's sins," he suddenly coughed violently, his face contorted in a terrifying grimace.

Xue Heng's letter was filled with accusations of guilt and shame at facing the spirits of his ancestors. But what guilt did he have? The guilty one was himself.

However, as a son, he could not blame his father, so he could only bear the sins on his own and resign from his position as crown prince to atone for them.

Emperor Cheng'an looked at the letter and actually laughed.

He looked at Qi Zhong and asked, "How can this Crown Prince be my son? He doesn't look like me at all."

Qi Zhong was quite frightened by his expression and naturally dared not respond. He could only cautiously reply, "The Crown Prince is both learned and skilled in military affairs. How could he not resemble His Majesty?"