They each left, and the room fell silent once more.

Gu Jiangli gently took the emperor's hand, wanting to comfort him.

She simply couldn't ignore the emperor's angry yet sorrowful face.

He trusted Prince An so much, but the evidence before him made his trust seem like a joke.

From any perspective, his anger and sadness were equal.

"Your Majesty, let's look on the bright side. At least we know how they poisoned you, don't we? We can be more careful in the future. Don't be sad, Your Majesty, everything will be alright."

She knew these words of comfort would be of no use to the emperor, but she still had to say them.

However, she did not mention Prince An in her words, because the emperor himself had to bring it up.

“It really is him…” His voice was low and hoarse, making everyone’s heart jump.

"Your Majesty still can't believe it's Prince An?"

The emperor narrowed his eyes slightly, concealing the anger within, and slowly shook his head, saying:

"The clothes were prepared by Prince An himself. He said he had been supervising the work for days, watching the embroiderers embroider the dragon patterns on the clothes. He is a meticulous and cautious person, and he would not fail to notice if someone secretly framed him."

"So this poison could only have been ordered by him personally... or applied by him personally."

Gu Jiangli breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as the emperor is willing to believe it.

Once he's willing to believe that Prince An is plotting something, things become much simpler.

“Your Majesty, it’s not just this dragon robe, but even the clothes you’re wearing today are problematic. This suggests that your previous clothing may also have been contaminated with poison. Your Majesty’s clothes were made by the Imperial Wardrobe, which means that Prince An’s people are also in the Imperial Wardrobe. Qi Jin has already secretly investigated, and we should be able to find out who poisoned you soon.”

"It doesn't matter if we can't find it. Just replace everyone in the Imperial Wardrobe from top to bottom, and the problem will be solved, won't it?"

Gu Jiangli didn't ask carefully whether the emperor meant to "replace" or to kill them all.

But she had to admit that it was a simple and effortless method.

At worst, we can just reorganize the Imperial Clothing Bureau.

"Tianyuan Kingdom is full of talented people. It wouldn't be difficult to find some more embroiderers who can make clothes for His Majesty. This is a good idea."

"Hmm, I just can't understand..." The emperor's voice turned low again, his brow trembling, filled with endless confusion and anger, "Why him? Why did he do this? It's not that I didn't consider giving him the throne, but he didn't want it; he refused on his own!"

Gu Jiangli gripped the emperor's hand tightly and spoke his mind:

"Perhaps Prince An's goal is not the throne, or rather, it's not just about the throne?"

As the emperor had said before, if Prince An wanted to ascend the throne, he could accept the emperor's suggestion to make him the crown prince.

After all, the emperor had no sons at the time, and Prince An was of Qi clan blood, having grown up with the emperor since childhood. If he became the crown prince, there wouldn't be much opposition from the court officials.

But Prince An refused.

He used a vicious method to murder the emperor, so Gu Jiangli could only conclude that his purpose was not solely for the throne.

"Perhaps, what he values ​​most is causing His Majesty pain, or ruining your reputation."

As if the emperor had also thought of something, Gu Jiangli could clearly feel that the hand she was holding had become much stiffer.

He stared blankly at a certain spot, remaining silent for a long time.

"You mean, he hates me?"

Gu Jiangli stared straight at him, not answering the question directly, but instead asking, "Has Your Majesty had any misunderstanding with Prince An? Is it because Prince An misunderstood you for something that caused him to harbor resentment?"

"I have always treated him as my own son. We have never had any arguments. So why would I harbor any resentment?"

Gu Jiangli remained silent.

It seems that this resentment arose without the emperor's knowledge.

However, the specific reason can be investigated later.

The most important thing right now is to cure the emperor's madness and, without alerting the enemy, stop Prince An's next move.

"Your Majesty, since we can't think of anything, let's not think about it for now. We need to prepare for Prince An's matter as soon as possible."

"I know that you had the Empress Dowager trap Prince An in order to stop his subsequent actions. I understand."

"Then... what does Your Majesty intend to do with him?"

Gu Jiangli asked cautiously.

The emperor still harbored deep feelings for Prince An, and it was very likely that the emperor would be reluctant to deal with him severely.

So Gu Jiangli wanted to know his opinion.

“The fact that Prince An can extend his reach into the inner palace proves that he has considerable power in the court and enjoys high prestige among the people. If we kill him directly without a reason, it will only cause dissatisfaction among the officials.”

Gu Jiangli felt much more at ease.

Judging from the emperor's words, he had no intention of letting Prince An go.

However, the emperor's concerns were also a source of difficulty for Gu Jiangli.

Although she and the emperor both knew Prince An's intentions, a mere piece of clothing could not serve as evidence that he had plotted to harm the emperor. Even if Qi Jin could capture someone from the Imperial Wardrobe to testify, Prince An could simply insist that he was innocent, and the testimony of a mere palace servant would hardly be enough to sway him.

The emperor had no way to kill him openly and legitimately.

"How about... we send the secret guards?"

"It won't be easy for the secret guards to kill Prince An. He has many guards, making it difficult to strike. Moreover, I want to know the specific reason. I have never mistreated him, so why does he resent me so much?"

The two fell silent again.

Looking at the emperor's angry yet confused face, Gu Jiangli hatched a plan.

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