Chapter 448 The Emperor's Wrath (Second Update)

Many things, if you don't see them, you might never guess them until you die.

The emperor's expectations for Prince Ning were matched by his disappointment at this moment.

He slapped Prince Ning with almost all his might, filled with endless shame and anger, until blood flowed from the corner of his mouth!

Gu Jiao felt that even the emperor hadn't used this much force when he was fleeing for his life.

Prince Ning panicked the moment the Dragon Shadow Guards appeared, but he calmed down after being slapped.

He casually wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, glanced at Gu Jiao with a cold smile, then looked at the furious emperor, and said sarcastically, "Father didn't even ask what happened before assuming it was my fault. Is Father disciplining his own son, or is he upholding his imperial dignity in front of outsiders?"

The emperor wasn't that vain.

He admitted that being caught by the little doctor was indeed embarrassing, but if the little doctor hadn't caught him, wouldn't he have been embarrassed?

This eldest son actually thought he was only trying to uphold his imperial dignity?

His eldest son committed the crime of murdering his own brother; what dignity does he have left?

After slapping the emperor, his strength was completely drained. Then, after being rebuked by his rebellious son, he almost collapsed on the spot.

He struggled to steady himself, looking at him with disappointment and anger: "I will ask you about the truth of the matter, but whatever your reasons are, they are not a reason for you to draw your sword against your brother!"

Prince Ning clenched his fist.

He glanced at Gu Jiao, who was watching the drama unfold with a mocking smile: "Are you satisfied with this situation now?"

The emperor naturally heard this as well, and he frowned.

Gu Jiao looked frankly at Prince Ning, whose face was bruised and swollen, and said, "It's alright, it would have been even better if you had fallen a little harder."

Prince Ning and the Crown Prince were taken back to the palace.

Because the Crown Prince's injuries were serious, the Emperor allowed Gu Jiao to accompany him to treat the Crown Prince.

The Crown Princess was also taken back.

When the emperor arrived at the scene, he only witnessed Prince Ning attacking the crown prince and was unaware of the entanglement between the three. However, he would soon find out.

Gu Jiao will treat the Crown Prince with great care.

The Prince of Ning was imprisoned in Huaqing Palace by the emperor. The emperor did not interrogate him for the time being, not because he was unwilling to interrogate him, but because the emperor collapsed as soon as he returned to the palace.

He didn't completely faint, but after the dramatic change, he suddenly became exhausted and could no longer support his body.

With a pained expression, Eunuch Wei helped the emperor to the dragon bed, saying, "Your Majesty, please don't be sad, don't upset yourself."

These are just words of comfort. How could he, as the emperor, not be sad and angry when his two sons have quarreled like this?

Even though I knew long ago that the imperial family has no brothers and that brothers are not affectionate... I still hoped that there could be some brotherly affection between them, like that of ordinary people. Was I just being wishful?

The emperor closed his eyes in pain.

In just half a day, he seemed to have aged decades, his whole being shrouded in the vicissitudes of old age.

Eunuch Wei sighed: "Your Majesty..."

The brothers of the imperial family are never just brothers; His Majesty himself ascended the throne by eliminating a group of his brothers.

However, with the help of Empress Dowager Zhuang, she used the methods he was supposed to use and committed the evil deeds he was supposed to do.

Your Majesty ascended the throne almost effortlessly, yet even so, many of Your Majesty's brothers have either died or been demoted. Your Majesty is well aware of how few of them are truly wealthy and idle princes.

In the heavenly realm, the last thing one can hope for is affection—the affection between husband and wife, the affection between siblings… even the affection between father and son.

Eunuch Wei swallowed his useless words and said directly, "Your Majesty, it's always better to discover it sooner than later."

The emperor is in his prime, and if there is any discord between his brothers, he can find a way to resolve it. But if he passes away, and one son ascends the throne while the other forces the emperor to revolt, then there will truly be no way to reverse the situation!

The previous dynasty perished because Prince Su was dissatisfied with the crown prince's ascension to the throne and raised an army in rebellion. As a result, the crown prince was indeed killed by Prince Su, and Prince Su himself was also severely weakened. In the end, the founding emperor of this dynasty took advantage of the situation and reaped the benefits.

"You're right, the country cannot be lost in my hands. We've discovered there's still room for maneuver."

As for what leeway there was, the emperor didn't say, and he himself didn't know either.

"As for the Empress Dowager..."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Don't say anything yet. I'll tell the Empress Dowager myself after I've investigated thoroughly." He sighed, "Summon Prince Ning."

...

In the Eastern Palace, Gu Jiao finished treating the Crown Prince's injuries. The Crown Prince woke up once during the treatment, but his emotions were too volatile, so Gu Jiao gave him a sedative injection. He is still on an IV drip at this moment.

She didn't let anyone come in to disturb her, and only packed up and left after finishing the IV drip for the Crown Prince.

The Crown Princess also suffered some injuries, but they were all minor.

She waited outside the door.

Chunying has disappeared.

After betraying her a second time.

In fact, she should have guessed long ago that if Chunying could be bribed by Prince Ning, it wouldn't be difficult for her to be bribed by others.

"It's you, isn't it?" the Crown Princess asked, looking at Gu Jiao who came out carrying a small medicine box.

Gu Jiao looked at her strangely: "What do you mean by 'me'?"

The Crown Princess said coldly, "It's all your fault. You knocked me unconscious, and you also bribed Chunying to lure the Crown Prince over there."

She disappeared near the teahouse. Even if Chunying really wanted to inform the Prince of Ning, she would go to him, since she had a secret relationship with him. It cannot be ruled out that she was taken away by the Prince of Ning.

Chunying went directly to the Crown Prince, wasn't that clearly giving the Crown Prince an opportunity to catch her and Prince Ning in the act?

"If that's what you think, then so be it." Gu Jiao didn't care about any of that.

She knocked out the Crown Princess, but Chunying wasn't bribed by her; it was Yuan Tang who did it. Yuan Tang also dealt with the Prince of Ning's subordinates.

Prince Ning caused Liu Yisheng to have one of his fingers chopped off, and Yuantang is determined to avenge this wrong no matter what.

The Crown Princess gritted her teeth and whispered, "Don't talk like you didn't do it. What drug did you give me? Why did I say those things?"

Gu Jiao was a little curious about what she had said.

She also injected the Crown Princess with hallucinogens, which to some extent would indeed make her bolder and more shameless than usual, since people have reason and a sense of shame when they are sober.

However, this medicine cannot be created out of thin air.

In other words, no matter how explicit Wen Linlang's words were, they were indeed thoughts she had in her heart.

Gu Jiao ignored her and walked down the steps.

The Crown Princess fidgeted with her fingers: "Doctor Gu! What have I done to offend you that you're targeting me like this!"

"Me, targeting, you?" Gu Jiao was almost dumbfounded by the question.

She never deliberately targeted Wen Linlang. Even now, if it weren't for bringing down Prince Ning, she wouldn't care who Wen Linlang was having an affair with.

The Crown Princess hesitated for a moment, looked into Gu Jiao's eyes, and said, "It seems you've never really liked me from the beginning."

This person is utterly inexplicable.

Gu Jiao asked, "Why do I have to like you? If I don't like you, it's like I'm targeting you. Where did you get this bad habit?"

The Crown Princess was speechless.

No one had ever said such a thing to her before.

When she was a child, she received a chestnut cake that only her older and younger brothers could eat because she was sweet-talking. From then on, she knew that it was important to win the favor of others.

And she seems to have a talent for this; as long as she's willing, there's no one she can't please.

But this young lady from a noble family, who grew up in the countryside, always felt that she was being unreasonable and disrespectful to herself.

She was overthinking it. Gu Jiao wasn't like that to her; Gu Jiao was like that to everyone.

However, Gu Jiao didn't care whether others liked her or not.

The Crown Princess said, "Are you jealous that I was once engaged to Aheng? Aheng used to be very good to me."

Gu Jiao: "Oh."

She doesn't care, she doesn't care at all!

The Crown Princess looked at her in disbelief, not understanding how she could be so indifferent.

Surely she doesn't yet know Xiao Liulang's true identity—

Gu Jiao turned to look at her, her expression solemn: "I care about him, and I also care about the people he cares about, but you are not among the people he cares about."

The Crown Princess felt as if she had been stabbed in the heart!

Gu Jiao took a few steps, then stopped: "Oh, and also, don't call me Aheng anymore, you don't deserve it."

The Crown Princess stood frozen in place.

...

The Emperor's interrogation of Prince Ning did not go smoothly. Prince Ning could directly shift the blame to the Crown Princess, saying that she seduced him, or bluntly say that she mistook him for Xiao Heng.

But Prince Ning did not do so.

As a man, he can be ruthless and unscrupulous, but he wouldn't push a woman out to take the blame for him.

Prince Ning knelt on the ground, remaining silent throughout.

The emperor roared, "Do you think I won't find out if you don't say anything? Once the crown prince wakes up, I'll find out with a simple question!"

Prince Ning, feeling utterly hopeless, said, "Then Father, go and ask. In any case, Father will no longer believe your son."

The emperor was furious with his son. Before this incident, his son was as obedient as could be. Now that the truth has come out, he's even too lazy to put on a show.

The emperor looked at him with exasperation and said, "If you won't tell me, how can I believe you?"

Are there any monthly passes left?

(End of this chapter)