When Liu Tan saw these two words, he felt his heart beating faster and he became nervous. He didn't know if it was his illusion, but the two words on the paper looked crooked and revealed something very ominous.

If it weren't for Liu Ju's seal and the prince's seal on it, he would probably have thought it was an imposter!

Liu Tan turned the letter over and over, looking somewhat bewildered, and said, "What's wrong with His Royal Highness? Has he encountered any difficulties? Why are you being so unclear? Where's the messenger? Call him over."

"Your Highness, the messenger has fainted, probably from the long journey."

Liu Tan was stunned for a moment: "This... Could it be that he has been running here all night long? What on earth happened in Chang'an?"

Liu Tan stood up and said uneasily, "According to the laws of the Han Dynasty, I cannot leave the Northern Border without the Emperor's order, let alone go to Chang'an. But His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will not harm me, not to mention that the Emperor is not in Chang'an right now..."

Lu Xuan held his hand and found that Liu Tan's hand had become cold and slippery in such a short time. He instantly felt Liu Tan's nervousness and worry.

He wiped Liu Tan's hands carefully with a cloth and said, "Don't worry, the Prime Minister and other ministers are still in Chang'an. It shouldn't be a big deal."

"No, the Prime Minister is plotting something evil, so he may not be truly safe."

Lu Xuan asked, "So... you want to go to the capital?"

Liu Tan paced back and forth a few times and said, "I can't move rashly. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would never do such a rash thing. If someone sets me up, I'll be in a passive position. Have Miao Rui return to Chang'an and bring some things with him, claiming it's a gift to the Queen Mother."

He originally wanted to send Wei Buyi or Li Ling back, but although these two people had some status, they were nothing special in Chang'an. They didn't have much access to information and had few sources. It would take a lot of time to find out. Miao Rui was much easier. First of all, he was a eunuch and had no power. Even if he sneaked into the capital, no one would notice.

Secondly, he was able to enter the palace. The place with the least information in the world is the palace, and the place with the most information is also the palace. Since something happened to the prince, there must be clues in the palace. At least Chen Ajiao must know it.

Apart from anything else, Liu Tan was still very confident in Chen Ajiao. Although Liu Che controlled the entire palace, Chen Ajiao's control over the harem was also undeniable.

After Liu Tan turned around and told Miao Rui, Miao Rui immediately responded, "Don't worry, Your Highness. I will definitely get to the bottom of this matter!"

He wanted to see who was trying to harm their prince!

As a result, Miao Rui had just packed his bags and had not yet left the palace when another letter arrived from Chang'an. This time it was sent by Chen Ajiao.

What Chen Ajiao sent was not just a letter, but also an imperial decree summoning him back to Beijing.

When Liu Tan saw the decree, his face changed. The Queen's decree would not be used easily except in major events. Especially since Chen Ajiao wanted Liu Tan to do something, she could just give the order directly, and there was no need for any decree at all.

Now Chen Ajiao is calling him back to the capital, and Liu Ju is also calling him back to the capital. Adding these two together, something big must have happened in Chang'an!

He hurriedly began to tear up the letter Aqiao had given him, but his hands were shaking so badly that he couldn't even do such a simple task.

Lu Xuan hugged him and whispered, "Ah Tan, calm down. Even Wu Shilu couldn't do anything to you, so what can Chang'an do?"

As he spoke, he helped Liu Tan open the letter.

Liu Tan looked down and his expression changed instantly.

After Chen Ajiao's letter to Emperor Wu of Chu and his entourage arrived in Qi, she was instigated by the King of Qi to go out to sea in search of immortals, but she never heard from them again after she left.

After learning about the matter, Crown Prince Liu Ju decisively suppressed the news. However, this kind of news could be concealed from the outside world, but it could not be concealed from the inside.

But he did not trust Liu Qumao, so he directly called the Grand Marshal, the Minister of Agriculture Sang Hongyang, and the Chief Censor, and threw the Prime Minister aside.

After hearing the news, Sang Hongyang immediately asked nervously, "Are you sure, Your Highness?"

Liu Ju's face was solemn. "It's almost certain. I've already sent people to look for him, and the Prime Minister of Qi has also sent more people. However, there's still no news. It's been over half a month. If we can't find him, I'm afraid we can't keep this secret anymore."

Sang Hongyang had been through a lot, so he calmed himself down and said, "Your Highness, this matter should not be leaked. The news must be kept secret."

Liu Ju nodded and said, "I have suppressed the news, but there are some matters that require the decision of the emperor..."

Sang Hongyang said decisively: "Your Highness, please make a decision as soon as possible on matters that cannot be delayed. We don't know when His Majesty will be able to return, so we can't wait."

Liu Ju sighed, and just as he was halfway through, he heard Sang Hongyang say quietly, "Your Highness had better make preparations first."

Liu Ju subconsciously wanted to ask what the preparations were, but when he looked up and saw Sang Hongyang's gloomy face, he immediately thought of something not so good, and couldn't help but frown: "Father, you are a lucky man, and nothing will happen to you!"

Sang Hongyang said, "I, your Majesty, hope that nothing will happen to you. However... Your Highness, I will not acknowledge these words once they reach your ears. If something unexpected happens, and you encounter stormy seas, you are in great danger of death. You must... remain calm."

Liu Ju's face was pale. Every prince hoped to become emperor as soon as possible, but becoming emperor meant he would lose his father.

If the relationship between father and son is not good and the current emperor suppresses the prince too much, the prince may hope that his father will ascend to heaven soon.

But now the father-son relationship between Liu Che and Liu Ju is strong. Liu Ju has just begun to mature politically, but is much more immature than Liu Che. He has learned a lot from Liu Tan, knows how to restrain himself, and understands what it means to avoid suspicion.

Liu Che did not feel that his son was fighting for power. In addition, he did have a special affection for his eldest son Liu Ju and always doted on him.

How could Liu Ju possibly hope that Liu Che would just die like that?

He gasped and said, "No matter what, I want to see the person alive or the body dead."

Sang Hongyang didn't say anything else. What he had just said was a bit too much. After all, the emperor's life or death was uncertain. What he said was no different from cursing the emperor to death.

He finally added, "Your Highness, we still need to inform the Prime Minister at this time."

When he said this, he was thinking that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister had a good relationship on weekdays. It was said that the Prime Minister often went in and out of the Crown Prince's Palace. How come when such a big thing happened, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince called them first instead of Liu Qumao?

Could it be that... those are all fake?

Whether it was Sang Hongyang or anyone else, they were all confused at this moment, but these thoughts could only be kept in their hearts and could not be spoken out loud.

In any case, it is true that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince does not trust the Prime Minister.

After hearing this, Liu Ju realized that he might have been too obvious about this matter. He forced a smile and said, "The Prime Minister was on good terms with the King of Changyi in his early years, and later he also had a good relationship with the King of Qi. Some of his family members are still in Changyi State. He might know something, but I have overlooked it."

Sang Hongyang and others immediately understood the implication of Liu Ju's words, and they said nothing more.

Although Liu Ju was furious, he also knew he needed to tell the Prime Minister.

After sitting in the Prince's Palace and thinking for a long time, he finally decided to go to the Pepper Palace and then find the Prime Minister.

Chen Ajiao was a little surprised when she heard that the prince wanted to see her. Now her relationship with the prince can't be said to be good or bad, she just maintains a superficial appearance. If it weren't for the good relationship between her son and the prince, she probably wouldn't even want to maintain the superficial effect.

When Liu Ju came in, he saw Chen Ajiao fiddling with an ornament made of broken evil gold. He thought of Liu Tan and suddenly felt a little emotional. He should have kept his brother here earlier.

If Liu Tan were here, he wouldn't be so isolated and helpless.

Seeing Liu Ju's serious expression, Chen Ajiao couldn't help but sit up straight and asked, "What's wrong? What happened to Tan'er?"

Liu Ju shook his head: "No, it's the Emperor."

Liu Ju recounted the whole story. He saw that when Chen Ajiao heard that Liu Ju was missing, she couldn't help but lean forward and looked very nervous.

He used to think that the Queen no longer had any feelings for his father, and that the two of them had been estranged from a very early stage. But now it seems... it is not what he thought.

Chen Ajiao was furious: "They still haven't found it yet? What is the Qi State doing? Where is the King of Qi?"

Liu Ju sighed and said, "The Prince of Qi disappeared along with my father."

Chen Ajiao stood up, took two steps, and asked, "What's the situation in the court now? How many people know about it?"

"I have already started to suppress the news. Everyone except the Prime Minister has already known about it. As for the Prime Minister... I feel uneasy."

Chen Ajiao immediately understood what Liu Ju meant. Liu Qumao was pretending to be nice to the prince, but he wanted to get rid of her son as soon as possible!

This time, even if Chen Ajiao is unwilling, she must help the prince.

She said directly: "You are not young anymore, and you have been regent for several times now, so you don't need your mother to attend the court. In this case, go mobilize the troops first!"

Liu Ju was slightly stunned after hearing this: "Mobilize troops? This... is not the case yet..."

Chen Ajiao looked at him coldly and said, "Why not? How do you know there's really no news about Liu Qumao right now? What if he colluded with people outside the capital? The disappearance of His Majesty and the King of Qi is actually a good thing for Liu Qumao. He is loyal to the King of Changyi!"

Liu Ju immediately broke out in a cold sweat and bowed to the emperor, saying, "Thank you for your advice, madam. However... the defense of the capital may be insufficient. I would like to summon my younger brother to the capital. What do you think, madam?"

"Summon Tan'er to Beijing?" Chen Ajiao looked at him with a half-smile and asked, "Aren't you afraid that Tan'er will become the host if he comes?"

Liu Ju looked at Chen Ajiao calmly and said, "I trust you, my brother. Besides, Chang'an is your home. You are not a guest."

Chen Ajiao thought for a moment and said, "Don't worry. It won't be of much use for him to go to the capital now. You should write him a letter first and ask him to prepare his troops and be ready to go to the capital to defend the king at any time."

Liu Ju actually thought so too. If Liu Tan came to the capital, Liu Qumao would become even more unscrupulous. After all, Liu Qumao had been planning in Chang'an for many years. But if Liu Tan was outside, Liu Qumao would always have to keep an eye on him.

He just directly proposed to let Liu Tan go to Beijing just to see Chen Ajiao's attitude.

Liu Ju bowed and took his leave, preparing to go down and make arrangements, but he didn't expect that he would suddenly fall ill that night!