"Father, Mother, help! Your son is about to be beaten to death..."

Inside the Phoenix Palace, the Emperor and Empress were fast asleep, holding hands.

The wailing woke the two from their sleep. The Empress immediately got up to get out of bed, saying, "It's the third prince crying."

"Slow down, you'll get dizzy if you get up too fast. He's yelling so loudly, what serious thing could he be doing?"

The emperor muttered to himself, but quickly helped the empress put on her robe.

As the emperor and empress rose, the lights in the hall came on, illuminating the room instantly.

Prince Ning staggered in and knelt before the Empress, saying, "Mother, the Crown Prince hit me. You must do justice for your son."

Looking at Prince Ning's swollen face, the Empress felt both heartache and barely suppressed joy. "What happened?"

Has the Crown Prince returned?

"My son was sleeping soundly at night when suddenly two people stood by his bed. Before he could even shout, their fists came crashing down on him."

My son saw it clearly: the one who hit me was the Crown Prince, and Meng He was his accomplice.

The Empress pressed on, "You're not mistaken?"

Prince Ning winced in pain, "He wasn't covering his face, and he was so close, my son could see him clearly."

He whined, "Father, Mother, the Crown Prince is going too far! I didn't provoke him, I didn't offend him, yet he beat me up for no reason."

You ordered his arrest. The son wants to confront him and ask why he hit him. If there's no reason, the son will hit him back…

They're complaining about their troubles.

The King of Clouds also arrived with a face so conspicuous it was hard to tell he was his own mother.

Seeing the two faces with identical injuries, the emperor's face darkened. "Were you also injured by the crown prince?"

King Yun nodded awkwardly.

The emperor carefully compared the two pig-head faces. Both had a bruised right eye, a swollen left cheek, a red chin, and even the two bulging horns on their heads were the same.

Clearly, the other party didn't intend to kill the two boys; they were simply venting their anger.

Do you know where he went?

Prince Ning said, "They appear and disappear like ghosts; the guards couldn't find them."

The Prince of Yun was beaten on the bed in the middle of the night. His son felt ashamed and did not call for help.

The emperor put his hands on his hips, looked at this person and then at that person, and laughed in anger, "Indeed shameful. They were beaten up, but they couldn't catch the culprit, and they don't even know where the culprit went. They still have the nerve to come to the palace to complain."

The two of them lowered their heads in dismay after being scolded.

The emperor was even angrier when he saw this.

How did he end up with two such children?

The Empress, anxious about the Crown Prince's whereabouts, asked her two sons, "What have you been doing lately?"

The crown prince wouldn't hit someone without reason.

Upon hearing her question, Prince Ning recalled his recent actions and exclaimed in surprise, "He is indeed hiding in the Marquis's residence!"

Before the Empress could ask any further questions, he rattled off about how he and Prince Yun had been keeping an eye on Xie Tingzhou.

"Father, Mother, he must have hit us on purpose because he didn't want us to keep bothering Xie Tingzhou."

Yun Wang then said, "Could it be that Xie Tingzhou is the Crown Prince, and he didn't want us to follow him during the day, so he deliberately challenged us to a contest..."

Before he could finish speaking, Prince Ning's eyes lit up. "Yes, it must be him. Father and Mother, send men to the Marquis's residence to arrest him right now. Once we take off his mask, let's see what he has to say."

But the Empress had already seen Xie Tingzhou's face behind the mask.

If he were the one who assaulted someone tonight, he would have made preparations well in advance and wouldn't have given them any ammunition so easily.

The emperor finally understood the key point and pointed at the two princes, saying, "They were born of the same mother, so how come there are two idiots in the end?"

Is this how they monitor people?

He has none of the Crown Prince's intelligence.

Prince Ning came to the palace to complain and seek comfort, but he didn't expect to be disliked by his father. He couldn't help but mutter, "Father is different."

King Yun nodded in agreement.

The emperor was so angry he nearly fell over, and immediately ordered the man to leave, saying, "Get out, get out! From now on, unless it's a matter of death, no one is allowed to enter the palace at midnight."

After the two left, he was still angry and muttered to the Empress, "They were born without brains, yet they blame me."

They are clearly from the same parents; their stupidity is their own problem, what does it have to do with him?

After comforting him for a while, the Empress said, "It's been unbearably hot lately. Would Your Majesty like to take your ministers to the Summer Palace?"

The emperor hesitated before asking, "Do you still believe that Xie Tingzhou is the crown prince?"

The Empress shook her head. "I'm not sure, but I'd like to give it a try. His Majesty loved swimming when he was young, but he hasn't swum in many years."

"Once we arrive at the Summer Palace, Your Majesty may enjoy yourself to the fullest, but for safety reasons, you will need to be accompanied by a skilled young man."

"Okay, let's do it that way."

The emperor slammed his fist into his palm. "I won't reveal it beforehand; I'll catch him off guard."

That way, he won't have to be on guard beforehand. He's not sure he can't catch this bastard.

Outside the palace.

Xie Tingzhou, dressed as a eunuch, stood with his head bowed to the side with Ye Zhen.

Prince Ning walked past, cursing and swearing, "That bastard Xie Tingzhou, if I find out he's the one behind this, I'll beat him to a pulp."

And that Meng He dared to tie me up and even stuff rags into my mouth; I'll remember that."

After scolding him, he blamed Yun Wang, "Second Brother, why didn't you call the guards? Maybe they would have caught him."

"If he gets accidentally injured, it will be difficult for the Empress Dowager."

Prince Ning put his hands on his hips and said, "Then why did you go to the palace to complain?"

Prince Yun's eyes flickered slightly. "My mother has always wanted to find his whereabouts. I came to the palace to let her know that he is in the capital."

"The Empress Dowager is biased, and so is the Emperor."

Prince Ning was very dissatisfied, "No, I still have to keep an eye on him tomorrow. I refuse to believe I won't find any flaws..."

"Aren't you afraid he'll hit you again..."

The two brothers walked further and further away. Ye Zhen looked at Xie Tingzhou, his eyes seeming to say, "They suspect you."

Xie Tingzhou smiled, "I'm not afraid."

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