Chapter 202 Delaying Time

When the Crown Prince and Xiao Ling came out, they saw this scene.

Xiao Ling saw Xie Yunyu lying motionless on the ground, her head, chin, and neck covered in blood.

He felt his liver and gallbladder rupture instantly, and his blood seemed to freeze in his body, causing him to lose consciousness in an instant.

"They arrived quite quickly," the fake emperor said, looking at the crown prince.

Seeing that the only option was to stall for time and wait for reinforcements, the Crown Prince spoke up:

"Are you Uncle Rui?"

"you guess."

The fake emperor was surprisingly calm and collected, playing riddles with the crown prince.

The crown prince was trying to stall for time, so of course he went along with what he said.

"Although I know you have a double, I guess you must be Uncle Rui himself."

"Because you can't, and don't trust, that fake person to sit on that throne."

"Hmph, you know quite a lot."

The fake emperor's face was gloomy, and the blackness in his eyes seemed to solidify.

The Crown Prince smiled faintly and said, "I not only know that you have a double, but I also know about the sordid affairs between your double and those women in the capital."

After speaking, the Crown Prince looked Prince Rui up and down again:

"Uncle Rui, my memory of you is becoming increasingly hazy."

I was very young when you went to the North, and I don't remember many things about you.

All I remember about you back then was that you were a handsome and dashing person.

"It's been so many years, can you show your true face?"

Prince Rui sneered: "Hmph, try to distract me? Don't even dream about it."

Despite talking for so long, Xiao Ling's attention remained focused on Xie Yunyu.

I noticed that her body was slightly undulating, and it seemed that blood was flowing down from her forehead.

After careful examination, no other injuries were found, and the numbness throughout the body gradually subsided.

Prince Rui was too busy confronting the Crown Prince to pay any attention to Xiao Ling.

At this moment, Xiao Ling came to his senses, his mind finally starting to clear again, and he looked at Prince Rui and said with difficulty:

"I never expected that my uncle, Prince Rui, would come to the palace alone. He has quite the courage."

Prince Rui glanced at Xiao Ling and said, "I not only came, but I also reigned as emperor for a few days."

After saying that, he used the dagger in his hand to pat the face of the lying emperor, and said with a playful expression:

"We're going to kill him right away."

Xiao Ling asked, "What if I killed His Majesty the moment I saw him?"

How could you possibly think of throwing His Majesty into the tunnel and trying to starve him to death?

This method of murder is quite rare.

Prince Rui's eyes were filled with unspeakable resentment:

"Then we should ask him why he treated my mother that way back then?"

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince said, "Oh, so it's to avenge Consort Ye."

However, as far as I know, Consort Ye died from a hunger strike, which had nothing to do with my father, the Emperor.

Actually, your father originally intended to use her to blackmail you, but she didn't want you to be threatened, so she chose to starve herself to death.

Prince Rui became even angrier upon hearing the Crown Prince's explanation:

"Then he deserves to die even more."

He then raised his hand to cut the emperor's neck.

Xiao Ling suddenly spoke up: "As far as I know, you are not actually the late emperor's child. You are the child of Consort Ye and Wang Zhong of the Langya Wang clan."

"Is what I said correct, Prince Rui?"

The Crown Prince was shocked when he first heard about this.

As expected, Prince Rui's gaze changed, shooting a sharp look at Xiao Ling:

"You're talking nonsense, I am of royal blood."

Xiao Ling glanced at the old eunuch Cui beside him:

"Master Cui, are you saying I'm talking nonsense?"

The old eunuch Cui nodded: "As far as this old servant knows, after the late emperor gave birth to Prince Cheng, no children were born in the palace for many years."

At that time, the imperial physicians had already diagnosed that the late emperor might not be able to have any more children.

But Consort Ye, or rather, Consort Ye at the time, obtained a folk remedy from somewhere, claiming it could cure the ailment.

Six months later, Consort Ye became pregnant and gave birth to you.

But since then, no more children have been born in Your Majesty's palace; you are the youngest son of the late Emperor.

Later, the Empress Dowager summoned the imperial physicians to inquire about your birth, and the physicians said that your birth was a miracle.

So from that time on, the Empress Dowager suspected that you were not the late Emperor's biological son.

This is also why the late emperor, in his final moments, did not agree to pass the throne to you.

Prince Rui was extremely excited at this moment:

"Nonsense, you're all talking nonsense. I am a legitimate royal descendant."

Don't think that just because my mother has passed away, you can spout nonsense and tarnish her reputation.

As the conversation progressed, it became increasingly clear that Prince Rui's emotions were becoming more and more unstable.

Xiao Ling quickly changed the subject: "Forget it, since you don't believe me, let's not talk about this anymore."

Let's talk about your helpers in the palace.

The group chatted there, and Fang Qing tried several times to go around and ambush Prince Rui from behind, but Prince Rui noticed him each time.

Prince Rui cleverly chose a corner to stand in, with his back against the wall and his left side against the wall as well, which left Fang Qing with nowhere to start.

Xiao Ling and the Crown Prince were waiting for the Eldest Princess to bring reinforcements, so they continued to stall for time.

"I suspect you must have an accomplice in the Imperial Guard. If it's not Fang Qing, then it must be a deputy general of the Imperial Guard."

Who could it be?

Should Yuan withdraw or Ruan advance?

No sooner had Xiao Ling finished speaking than a loud voice came from outside:

"The Prince of Shou'an is indeed intelligent."

Yuan Che, dressed in the armor of the Imperial Guards, with two swords hanging at his waist, fully armed, entered with about a hundred men.

"Under the orders of Princess Jinyang, surround Chunhua Palace completely."

"Here you go."

The Imperial Guards obeyed the order and surrounded Chunhua Palace.

Upon hearing this, Fang Qing shouted loudly from inside the house:

"I am Fang Qing, the Grand General of the Imperial Guard. This Yuan Che has already surrendered to Prince Rui and is a traitorous minister."

You must not listen to only his side of the story.

After Fang Qing shouted, the Imperial Guards did not react.

Xiao Ling said, "Forget it, the only people he can bring now are probably his confidants."

They thought reinforcements had arrived, but it turned out to be Prince Rui's reinforcements, making the situation even more dangerous.

Xiao Ling looked at Yuan Che at the door and asked:

"What? Did my mother send you to kill me?"

Yuan Che laughed and said, "Your Highness is too kind. The Princess sent me to protect His Majesty."

The Crown Prince glared at Yuan Che: "His Majesty has treated you well, why did you commit such a rebellious act?"

"Has His Majesty treated me well?"

Hmph! When I was starving to death by the roadside back then, where was His Majesty?

It was Prince Rui who saved me.

At that moment, I swore that my life belonged to His Highness Prince Rui.

The Crown Prince looked at Prince Rui and said, "Uncle, that's quite a clever tactic."

Through my investigation of you over this period, every move you've made has been completely unexpected.

"Your Highness flatters me. In this situation, who do you think is the butcher and who is the fish on the chopping block?"

Hahahaha…

After laughing, Prince Rui decisively issued an order to Yuan:

“Kill them.”

Yuan Che instantly drew two swords from his waist, sharpening them as he charged forward.

Fang Qing immediately went up to meet the challenge.

The two were locked in fierce combat when suddenly the Empress entered from outside with the Third Prince and Consort Rong, followed by more than a dozen men.

Upon seeing this, the Empress loudly rebuked:

"Stop it, all of you."

When Prince Rui saw the Third Prince and Consort Rong, he waved to Yuan Che.

Yuan Che and Fang Qing both stopped fighting.

Yuan retreated back to Prince Rui's side, watching the Crown Prince and his entourage with predatory eyes.

Fang Qing returned to the Crown Prince's side and stared at Prince Rui.

Xiao Ling and the Crown Prince both craned their necks to look outside, but when they didn't see Princess Jinyang, they knew she was out arranging troop deployments.

They both breathed a sigh of relief.

Alright, we still need to find a way to continue stalling for time.

The Empress stood outside and had someone hold a knife to the necks of Consort Rong and the Third Prince.

“Prince Rui, if you want your lover and son to live, then release His Majesty.”

Prince Rui looked at Consort Rong and the Third Prince with a hint of reluctance in his eyes.

But he still shouted at the Empress, "Hmph, let him go?"

"With him in our hands, we might still have a chance to live; if we let him go, we're truly doomed."