Chapter 11 Little Fisherman Unwittingly Exposes the Poisonous Scheme, Mu Fang Deeply Trapped in the Vortex of Imperial Power!

Mu Fang's tall figure froze on the spot.

He looked at the small oil paper package his daughter held high, and at her clear, amber eyes that seemed to be yearning for praise. His heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand, aching and sore.

Powdered sugar? That must be powdered Gelsemium elegans.

His little Yu'er, his precious darling, treated his mother's deadly poison as a sweet treat to make her father happy.

"Daddy, eat quickly!" Seeing that her father wasn't moving, Mu Yu anxiously tiptoed and tried to bring the paper packet to his mouth. "Eat something sweet, and you won't be sad anymore!"

Mu Fang slowly squatted down to be at eye level with his daughter. He didn't take the paper package, but instead reached out his large, calloused hand and gently stroked his daughter's face.

His voice was terribly hoarse: "Little Yu'er, tell Daddy, who... gave you this?"

"It wasn't given to me, I found it myself!" Mu Yu puffed out her little chest, looking very proud. "I asked Little Grey to help me find it. It was under the floor tiles in the corner! Auntie hid it really well!"

Little Grey?

Mu Fang's gaze swept across the corner of the wall, which was empty. He didn't understand what his daughter was talking about, but he knew what was in that paper package.

He took the small paper package, carefully opened a corner, and brought it to his nose. A very faint, bitter scent, mixed with earth and herbs, entered his nostrils.

It's Gelsemium elegans.

The borderlands are harsh; the soldiers have seen all kinds of wounds and poisons. He would recognize this kind of poison, which can cause the intestines to rupture and die in excruciating pain, even if it were reduced to ashes.

That vicious woman, Zhou, not only killed my mother, but also hid this deadly thing in the house. What if the innocent little Yu'er accidentally ate it...?

Mu Fang dared not think any further; his back was instantly soaked with cold sweat.

He clutched the paper package tightly in his hand and stood up again.

"Someone come here!"

Two bodyguards reappeared at the door.

"Bring those two beasts from the woodshed here!"

Upon receiving the order, Mu Fang scooped up his daughter in his arms, wrapped her small body in his cloak, leaving only her head exposed.

"Little Yu'er, Daddy will take you to see how those two bad guys cry."

Mu Yu nodded as if she understood, wrapped her little arms around her father's neck, and nestled obediently on his shoulder. She felt that her father's scent seemed colder than before.

In the front hall, Mu Cheng and Zhou Shi, who had been dragged back, were kneeling on the ground.

Zhou's hair was disheveled, and her face was covered in snot and tears. As soon as she saw Mu Fang, she kowtowed frantically, "Second brother! I was wrong! I was really wrong! Please forgive me! I will never dare to do it again!"

Mu Cheng lay slumped to the side, his face ashen, too weak even to beg for mercy.

Mu Fang walked to the head seat and sat down, placing Mu Yu, whom he was holding, on his lap. He didn't look at the couple who were behaving so disgracefully, but instead threw the oil paper package on the ground in front of Zhou Shi.

"What is this, sister-in-law? Do you recognize it?"

When Zhou saw the paper package, her pupils contracted sharply, and her blood seemed to freeze instantly.

"I...I don't know..." Her voice trembled uncontrollably.

"Don't know?" Mu Fang sneered. "You traded the gold hairpin your mother gave you for the Heartbreak Grass, and you don't know?"

He paused, his voice growing even colder: "What are you planning to do with this thing, hiding it in your room all this time? Are you waiting for us, father and daughter, to get in your way someday, so you can have a backup plan for yourself?"

Zhou's psychological defenses completely collapsed, and she screamed, "It wasn't me! It was Mu Cheng! He forced me to do this! He said you would settle accounts with us sooner or later, he said you couldn't tolerate us! He's the one who told me to keep us alive!"

"You're spouting nonsense!" Mu Cheng, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, leaped up from the ground and rushed over to slap Zhou Shi across the face. "You vicious woman! It's your insatiable greed that's what ruined Mother! It's you!"

The couple started fighting again, their curses and cries were unbearable to hear.

"Daddy, they're so noisy." Mu Yu wrinkled her little nose and snuggled into Mu Fang's arms.

"Hmm, you're disturbing my little Yu'er." Mu Fang patted his daughter's back, the last trace of tenderness in his eyes vanishing completely.

He ordered the guards outside the door: "Gag them, tie them up, and send them to the Jingzhao Prefecture. Tell the prefect that the Duke of Huguo's mansion has discovered a traitor within its ranks who murdered an elder, and the evidence is conclusive. Ask him... to punish them severely according to the laws of the Great Chu."

"yes!"

The guards stepped forward and subdued the two men in a few swift movements, gagged them with rags, and dragged them away like two dead dogs.

The world is finally peaceful.

Mu Fang held his daughter, remaining motionless for a long time. He looked at his mother's memorial tablet, his eyes filled with unbearable sorrow.

After a long while, he lowered his head and kissed his daughter on the forehead.

"Little Yu'er, we have no family left."

Mu Yu blinked, not quite understanding. All she knew was that her fierce aunt and her uncle, who always kept his head down, had been taken away by her father's men.

From now on, will it just be her and her father in this big mansion?

Then Father won't be unhappy anymore, right?

It was late at night, and Mu Yu had already fallen into a deep sleep in her father's warm embrace.

Mu Fang settled her on the bed, covered her with a blanket, and then went to the study alone.

He took out the scroll from the Imperial Clan Court and the sandalwood box from his pocket and placed them on the table. In the candlelight, the face of the Zhou family in the painting looked particularly ferocious.

His gaze finally settled on the small "Zongzheng Temple" seal.

The Ninth Prince, Chu Chongjin.

A child who is only eight or nine years old.

How did he know about the Zhou family's shady dealings? And how did he obtain this irrefutable evidence through the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs?

This "gift" was delivered too precisely, and too heavily.

Mu Fang wasn't stupid. He had spent half his life on the battlefield and had seen all sorts of conspiracies and tricks.

This Ninth Prince is no ordinary person. He may seem young, but he has such a mind.

He was telling himself: I can help you, and I can also help you solve problems that you can't solve yourself.

This favor is too great. So great that even a Duke of the State, he finds it difficult to repay.

Mu Fang's knuckles turned white from the force. The last thing he wanted was to have anything to do with the "dragon throne" again. But his daughter, the little one he wanted to protect with his life, had plunged headlong into it and even decided that the other party was her "Golden Dragon Brother".

Is this a calamity or a blessing?

...

The next day, at dawn.

Before dawn, the entire capital city was still shrouded in silence.

The morning bell tolled softly.

Dressed in his brand-new first-rank Duke of Protectorate court robes, wearing a golden crown and a jade belt, Mu Fang strode into the Golden Palace. Tall and imposing, he exuded a fierce and battle-hardened aura, standing out starkly from the refined and cultured courtiers around him.

In an instant, countless gazes, filled with curiosity, awe, or envy, fell upon him.

Emperor Chu Yuan has not yet attended court, and Prince Lie, Chu Heng, is temporarily acting in his place.

Chu Heng sat upright beside the throne. When Mu Fang entered, he nodded slightly as a greeting.

However, the peace in the court did not last long.

A eunuch announced loudly, "Summon His Highness the Crown Prince—"

The officials were in uproar.

Wasn't Crown Prince Chu Chongyun ordered by His Majesty to be confined to the Eastern Palace and reflect on his actions? How come he's here?

Chu Chongyun was dressed in a plain python robe, his face was haggard, and his beard was unkempt. He was completely different from the spirited crown prince he used to be.

He walked to the center of the hall, knelt down with a thud facing the throne, and burst into tears.

"Your subject is guilty! Your subject misjudged people and mistakenly trusted treacherous officials, almost causing a great disaster. I beg Your Majesty and Your Uncle to punish me!"

As he spoke, he kowtowed repeatedly, his forehead quickly turning red.

Prince Chu Heng looked at him expressionlessly: "His Majesty ordered you to reflect on your mistakes behind closed doors. Who gave you permission to come out?"

"Uncle!" Chu Chongyun raised his head, his face full of "remorse" and "concern for the country and its people". "Although I am reflecting on my mistakes, I am always worried about the affairs of the country! Now, war is raging on the southwestern border, barbarians are causing trouble, and people are displaced. I cannot sleep at night!"

He abruptly changed the subject and raised his voice.

"Your Majesty, I believe that to repel external threats, we must first secure internal stability. Appeasing the people is of paramount importance! We, the sons and daughters of the imperial family, should share the nation's burdens and plead for the people!"

"Our Great Chu has a ninth brother, Chongjin, who is intelligent, kind, and has a good reputation. He is loved and respected by the people. If we can send him to the southwest as a prince to pacify the region, the people of the southwest will surely feel grateful for the emperor's great benevolence, and the rebellion can be quelled without a fight!"

Upon hearing this, the entire Golden Palace fell into an instant silence.

All eyes turned to Prince Chu Heng and the Duke of Protector of the Nation, Mu Fang, who stood at the head of the military generals with a somber expression.

Who doesn't know that the southwest is a barren land overrun by barbarians, rife with bandits and plagues? Let alone appeasement, even sending large armies to conquer it has repeatedly failed.

Sending a nine-year-old child to such a place, under the guise of "comforting," is tantamount to sending him to his death!

The Crown Prince's move was extremely vicious!

He elevated Chu Chongjin to a high position of "serving the country and the people," using national righteousness as a form of blackmail.

If King Lie and His Majesty refuse, it would be considered favoritism and corruption, disregarding the safety of the nation, and would result in a loss of credibility with the world.

If you agree...