Chapter 201 Substituting One Thing for Another

The Crown Prince first led seven or eight people to the Imperial Study.

Then the Empress followed from behind with about ten people.

Finally, Xiao Ling, accompanied by the old eunuch and the remaining Imperial Guards, also went.

Before leaving, Xiao Ling glanced deeply into the room, but said nothing.

A thousand words can be condensed in this one glance.

But Xie Yunyu was looking down at the emperor and didn't notice at all.

When Xiao Ling arrived, the Crown Prince and Empress had already gone into the Imperial Study.

The people they brought were all dressed as eunuchs, with their heads bowed and eyes lowered, waiting quietly outside the imperial study.

When Xiao Ling entered, he ordered the doors to the Imperial Study to be opened.

The emperor was exchanging pleasantries with the crown prince and empress when he suddenly saw the palace doors open. His expression darkened, and he was about to speak.

Suddenly, Xiao Ling's voice came:

"Uncle, it's not good to keep the doors and windows closed for a long time. Let's open them up for some ventilation."

Her voice was relaxed and casual, as if she were pouting and saying, "Uncle, I'm hungry."

After saying that, he walked in and stood next to the eldest princess, saying:

"mother."

The eldest princess kept her eyes fixed on the emperor, not even glancing at Xiao Ling, and simply murmured an "Mmm".

The emperor looked at the four people in front of him and suddenly felt a little uneasy, but he couldn't tell it from his face.

"How come you all seem to be on the same wavelength today, coming to see me at this very hour?"

The Crown Prince sighed and said, "My third brother is capable and has taken on a lot of the burden. I only came to see Father after I finished my work."

Xiao Ling smiled and said, "Do I need to set a time to come see my uncle? I'll come whenever I want to."

The empress smiled but did not speak.

The emperor said politely, "It's almost noon, so please stay and have lunch with us."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

All four spoke at the same time.

The feast was quickly served.

However, instead of sitting down, everyone stood to the side.

The Empress looked at the dishes before her and said:

"Summer is the perfect time to drink lotus seed soup, as it helps to clear heat and reduce internal fire."

Xiao Ling then smiled and said, "Yu'er has a maid who is extremely skillful. Her lotus leaf chicken is even better than the ones in the palace."

The emperor replied, "Oh, really? Then I'll definitely try it another day."

The prince frowned and said, "Lotus cake, why not hibiscus cake?"

Upon hearing the crown prince's words, the emperor's expression changed slightly, and his sense of foreboding suddenly intensified.

She took two steps back without making a sound.

The crown prince looked up and stared intently at him.

The eldest princess, however, took over the conversation with a half-smile, saying:

"This meal suits your taste, Prince Rui."

The fake emperor now realized that these people probably already knew the truth and had come specifically to expose him.

But she still feigned composure: "Why do you say that, Your Majesty?"

The crown prince didn't want to waste words with him and waved his hand behind him:

"Fang Qing has been captured."

A group of eunuchs rushed into the gate, and the emperor then saw that the person in the lead was the commander of the Imperial Guards.

Realizing he had been exposed, he immediately turned and ran toward the screen behind him, shouting as he ran:

"Guards! The Crown Prince is plotting a rebellion! Rescue the Emperor at once!"

The Imperial Guards on duty outside the door rushed in instantly, and the Grand Princess turned around and showed the Qionghua Token in her hand.

"The Qionghua Decree is here. Anyone who sees this decree is as if seeing His Majesty. All stop here."

Upon seeing this, the Imperial Guards outside the door stopped in their tracks, while Fang Qing and his men quickly turned around to confront them.

When the Imperial Guards saw that they were facing off against their former comrades, they were momentarily stunned.

The leader was Yuan Che, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards. Looking at Princess Jinyang, he drew his sword and strode forward steadily.

"Please forgive me, Your Highness. I am Your Majesty's subject and only obey Your Majesty's orders."

With the sword about to be held to the princess's neck, Fang Qing, while rushing after the fake emperor, took a moment to shout:

"This emperor is an imposter."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Che looked up in surprise and glanced at the fleeing emperor's retreating figure.

The Empress then spoke up, "This Emperor is Prince Rui in disguise. The real Emperor is recuperating in the inner palace. General Fang just rescued him."

The Crown Prince had no time to argue with Yuan Che and, together with Xiao Ling, started chasing after them.

Fang Qing had been told before he came that there was a secret passage under the Imperial Study, and someone was waiting for him there.

He then sped off to catch up with the fake emperor.

Seeing that Yuan Che was confused and fearing that he might harm Princess Jinyang, the old eunuch Cui took the sword from Yuan Che's hand.

Upon seeing the old eunuch, Yuan Che's attitude immediately softened considerably.

"Lord Cui is also here; presumably he represents the Empress Dowager?"

The old eunuch glared at him: "You should think about His Majesty's recent strange behavior, lest you hurt the Princess."

After saying that, he moved like a gust of wind, suddenly drifting away behind the screen.

Although Yuan Che had his sword removed, he still did not order his men to retreat.

Princess Jinyang gave him a brief explanation, and without waiting for his opinion, hurriedly walked to the back.

Yuan Che found the princess's words unbelievable; they were simply a fantasy.

But then, considering the emperor's recent strange behavior, he was torn between believing and not believing.

In the end, he had no choice but to pick up his sword and follow the princess and empress to the back.

Upon reaching the screen, the Crown Prince and his entourage were nowhere to be seen.

The eldest princess continued walking towards her bedchamber without stopping.

When she arrived, she saw that the bed had been haphazardly overturned, and a series of messy footprints led directly to the bed.

"Yu'er was right after all, the entrance is indeed here."

When Yuan Che led his men in and saw the situation before him, he finally began to believe that what Princess Jinyang had said was true.

He stepped forward, examined it, and asked, "Your Highness, how do we open this mechanism?"

The eldest princess suddenly spoke up: "Take your men and go to Chunhua Palace immediately. Move His Majesty out of Chunhua Palace and send him to Taiji Palace."

Then, looking at the Imperial Guards behind him, he said:

“These people are stationed at this exit. If they see the emperor or a stranger come out, they will seize them immediately.”

Yuan Che immediately bowed in acknowledgment, turned around, and strode away.

Now, let's talk about Xiao Ling and the Crown Prince.

Fang Qing followed along and saw the fake emperor lifting the blankets on the bed and pulling the ring on the headboard.

Soon a hole appeared in the bed, and the fake emperor, agile as ever, quickly entered the hole.

Fang Qingfei stepped forward, but was still a step too late and failed to tackle the person.

He then flipped over and followed them into the cave.

When the Crown Prince and Xiao Ling entered, they only saw a glimpse of Fang Qing's clothes before she disappeared into the cave.

The two followed them into the cave.

When the old eunuch arrived, the hole in the bed was slowly closing. The old eunuch stepped forward and, with his extraordinary strength, managed to stop the hole from closing.

Then they followed.

The cave was pitch black, so Xiao Ling had to take out a tinderbox from his person and light it to illuminate the way.

A steep flight of steps descended slowly, and the two walked cautiously.

Suddenly, he saw several people lying on the ground ahead. As he got closer, he realized they were the skilled eunuchs sent by the Crown Prince.

Xiao Ling stepped forward and touched her: "She's still alive. She must have been drugged."

Xiao Ling checked the area but did not find Fang Qing.

"Without Fang Qing, they must have caught up with him."

A voice suddenly came from behind: "Your Highness the Crown Prince."

The prince turned around and saw a slightly hunched figure walking out of the darkness:

"Is it Eunuch Cui?"

"It is the old servant."

As he answered, the old eunuch Cui approached.

"Go after that person first, don't worry about me for now," the Crown Prince said anxiously.

The old eunuch shook his head: "Since he's fake, he's like meat on a chopping board, he can't escape."

Now that His Majesty is in a coma, the fate of the nation rests entirely on the Crown Prince.

Therefore, your personal safety is the most important thing right now.

Xiao Ling nodded and said, "What Master Cui said is correct. You should stop being willful and let's go."

After speaking, he helped the prince down the steps and the three of them continued walking into the darkness ahead.

As Xiao Ling walked, his pace suddenly quickened:

"This is a one-way tunnel with no forks in the road, so it leads to Chunhua Palace."

Uncle and Yu'er are still there.

Upon hearing this, the crown prince suddenly realized the same thing, and the two of them took off running.

By the time they arrived, it was too late.

Xie Yunyu had already fallen to the ground, and the man held a knife to the neck of the unconscious emperor, confronting Fang Qing.