When Zhao Zhiyan arrived, the manor was engulfed in flames, so hot that it was impossible to get close.
He sat inside the carriage, his face beyond just looking ugly.
Until the fire is extinguished
Only after Zhuangzi was burned to ashes did he send people in to search for his remains.
“Your Highness, this is an empty house; there’s no one here,” the guard said.
Zhao Zhiyan frowned; it was impossible for Li Dazhu to be unattended.
"Continue to search the area around here and see if there are any suspicious people."
"yes."
Finally, we found a long row of footprints in the direction of the back door. Although they were very shallow, they still left their mark, one inside the other.
He's late!
hateful.
"Your Highness, there's news about the Princess Consort," a guard reported.
Zhao Zhiyan quickly pressed, "Where is he?"
"The princess was in a hurry to go to Qinzhou, but her carriage broke down halfway there. Her maid ran away with the money, so she had to go to Qinzhou alone. She happened to meet Princess Liang Ying, who was also going to Qinzhou, on the way. It was the princess who sent someone to reply quickly, saying that she had urgent business to attend to in Qinzhou."
Once he was sure everyone was alright, Zhao Zhiyan breathed a sigh of relief.
"Continue the search for Li Dazhu!"
"yes."
It was already past midnight when he returned to the Eighth Prince's residence. The Dowager Consort Rou was still awake and waiting in the room. When she saw him return, she quickly went to greet him: "Yan'er, why are you back so late?"
Upon seeing Consort Rou, Zhao Zhiyan felt uncomfortable, and his expression turned cold: "Li Dazhu has run away."
"He ran away?" Consort Rou frowned. "He does know some martial arts, but he's no match for a guard who knows martial arts. How could he have escaped? What kind of people are these?"
Seeing her complain, Zhao Zhiyan became even more irritated: "I have already sent people to search for her in secret. These days, Mother should stay at home and not show her face."
Consort Rou, knowing she felt guilty, dared not say anything more and could only nod in agreement. She then told Zhao Zhiyan to rest well before leaving.
A man sat alone in a chair, his eyes gloomy, as he closed them and sorted out the events of the past few days. A face flashed into his mind, beautiful and alluring, capable of captivating a nation.
She can be obedient at times, and ruthless at others.
Those stubborn eyes made the person's heart flutter with unease.
"Someone come here!"
The guard leaned against the window: "Your Highness."
"Let's spread the word." Zhao Zhiyan sighed, closing his eyes as if all his strength had been drained away.
He didn't want it to come to this.
But there were no other options left.
The dignified Eighth Prince is not a coward who will be bullied; he has already been tolerant enough of her.
Patience exhausted, from this day forward there will be no more grudges between the two.
The next day before dawn
A story circulated in Kyoto about a woman of humble origin who entered the palace as a personal maid to a noble lady. However, she was quite beautiful and quickly caught the emperor's eye. After being favored by the emperor, she was promoted to a noble lady and enjoyed immense favor and prestige.
The young concubine, though young, lived a comfortable life thanks to the emperor's favor. However, her good fortune didn't last long. She was framed and targeted by other concubines in the palace, and soon fell out of favor.
But the young concubine was quite capable; she actually became pregnant with the dragon's son while in the cold palace, and after giving birth, she successfully regained favor.
A few years later, the emperor's health deteriorated, and after several years he passed away. Before his death, the emperor ordered that the concubine be sent to guard the imperial mausoleum.
This vigil lasted for seven years.
The noblewoman was inherently restless, and she began an affair with a lover while in the imperial tomb.
It turns out that the noble lady originally came from a remote mountain village. When she fell out of favor in the palace, she betrayed the emperor with her lover, and the child she conceived was also her lover's.
One of the princes in the current royal family is not of legitimate blood at all.
Once the story spread, it instantly became known throughout the streets and alleys, and everyone knew about it. Even storytellers began to tell it vividly in teahouses.
At this moment, Song Yue in the teahouse was listening with great interest.
Then they watched helplessly as someone rushed in and smashed up the teahouse.
"Hey! How could you just smash things like that?"
The newcomer didn't speak, but instead gave the storyteller a warning.
He turned to leave but was spotted by the Prefect of the Capital.
The teahouse owner immediately filed a complaint, and with numerous customers as witnesses, how could the Prefect of the Capital not arrest the person? He ordered his men to subdue the troublemaker and, in doing so, searched the man's waist and found a token engraved with the number eight.
"They're from the Eighth Prince's residence!"
Some people with sharp eyes recognized it immediately.
Everyone was stunned: "So the noble lady is the Dowager Consort, and that prince is the Eighth Prince."
"You bet that's why it sounds so familiar."
"The Dowager Consort was restless and climbed into the Emperor's bed. She was also entangled with her lover at the Imperial Mausoleum. She even conspired with an assassin to kill the Emperor, but fortunately, the Princess stopped her. The Dowager Consort herself admitted that she had not saved the Emperor's life. The Emperor did not pursue the matter because of the Eighth Prince. I did not expect her to still have such wicked intentions. Such a person should be torn to pieces!"
"No wonder the Emperor suddenly changed his mind and made Prince Guangjia the Crown Prince. It turns out that the Eighth Prince was not the heir to the throne at all."
Rumors and gossip continue to swirl
Song Yue was very satisfied with the result. She had been holding onto Li Dazhu for some time now. She had learned about him by chance when she went to investigate the assassin. She then revealed Li Dazhu's information to Empress Dowager Xu, causing Empress Dowager Xu to become entangled with the Eighth Prince.
However, she overestimated Empress Dowager Xu's methods and was counter-threatened by Zhao Zhiyan.
She didn't want to expose this matter so quickly, but last night the people from the Eighth Prince's Mansion tried to target her mother's past.
Then don't blame her for being heartless and ruthless.
It is a fact that Consort Rou had an affair. Once this label is attached to her, why can't it be extended further to smear the Eighth Prince?
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