Chi Yan stepped out of the tent and glanced at Huo Xian, whose face was pale: "What happened? Why are you in such a panic?"

Huo Xian pursed his lips and lowered his voice: "I heard there was an accident at the hunting grounds. The Sixth Prince was attacked by prey, and His Highness the Crown Prince was injured while protecting him. His Majesty summoned you to see him now, probably to interrogate you!"

Upon hearing this, Chi Yan's eyes shifted several times, his expression revealing nothing. Huo Xian observed his expression and asked in a slightly urgent tone, "Commander, what should we do?"

"Such a huge blunder has occurred, what were the guards doing?" Chi Yan's face darkened, his tone turning cold. "You ask me what I can do? If His Majesty wants to settle scores, then punish them as appropriate!"

Huo Xian lowered his head and whispered a reminder: "The person in charge of that area is Feng Yong, the commander. Could it be that he's holding a grudge and is deliberately retaliating because you beat him in the previous competition?"

Chi Yan's tone was somewhat gloomy, and he laughed angrily: "Since he doesn't want to stay in the Yi Luan Division so much, I'll grant his wish!"

Outside Emperor Chongde's tent, a large crowd had already gathered. Chi Yan's arrival made the atmosphere even quieter. The crowd subtly sized him up, their eyes filled with either pity or schadenfreude.

Chi Yan glanced at the ground, where two dead wolves lay, covered in wounds, indicating they had been through a fight.

Outside the tent, the sixth prince was wiping away tears with red eyes. He was covered in dirt and had scratches on his face, looking quite disheveled.

The prince's injuries were more serious than his. It was said that he had been bitten by wolves several times, and his arm was covered in blood and was currently being bandaged.

The sixth prince's birth mother did not come, but Consort Li did not mind. She hugged him and comforted him, saying with a sigh, "Heaven have mercy, you must be terrified. Someone, take the sixth prince away to change his clothes."

A palace servant cautiously came and led him away, and the atmosphere became even quieter.

After a while, there was movement inside. Emperor Chongde came out of the tent first, followed by the Crown Prince and his Crown Princess who was supporting him.

Everyone immediately showed respect. As Emperor Chongde took his seat, they dared not breathe and all lowered their heads.

Emperor Chongde looked in the direction of the Crown Prince and said in a slightly gentler tone, "You are seriously injured. Sit down and talk."

"Your subject thanks Your Majesty." Yan Huai's face was somewhat pale, but his expression remained calm and gentle.

A sense of sympathy crept into everyone's eyes. To be honest, ever since His Highness the Crown Prince returned to the capital, his luck hadn't been good!

Emperor Chongde's gaze swept across the crowd and landed squarely on Chi Yan: "Such a ferocious beast has broken into the royal hunting grounds! If the Crown Prince hadn't arrived in time, the Sixth Prince's life would have been in grave danger!"

"Chi Yan, I've entrusted you with the safety of the hunt, is this your answer to me?"

Seeing the emperor's face darken, everyone's knees buckled and they all knelt down, secretly sweating for Chi Yan.

The saying "serving a ruler is like serving a tiger" couldn't be more true!

They can elevate you to great heights, and they can also instantly bring your head to the ground!

Amidst various gazes, Chi Yan bowed his head, took a few steps forward, and knelt on one knee: "Your Majesty, I am indeed guilty of dereliction of duty for failing to send anyone to protect the Sixth Prince."

He readily confessed to his crime; did he just give up entirely?

In the crowd, someone's eyes darkened slightly.

However, his tone quickly changed, and he said indignantly, "But if someone tries to take advantage of the chaos, I have no other choice but to ask Your Majesty to arrest this person and punish him severely!"

A moment of silence fell over the surroundings. Some people suspected that this was just an excuse to shirk responsibility, while others sensed something was wrong and wisely held their breath.

Emperor Chongde frowned and stared at him for a long while, then narrowed his eyes coldly: "Are you saying there's more to this than meets the eye?"

Chi Yan raised his head, his eyes resolute: "Exactly!"

He turned his head, his gaze turning cold. "Bring the things up!"