Chapter 316 Dead?
Li Nanke spent the last two days at home pondering Chen Wang's words countless times.
Prince Chen said that the emperor ordered him to place a blood curse on Shen Cong, and this was the condition for their exchange.
"I thought about it over and over again, and I always felt that there was a loophole in this statement. You were only six years old at that time, and you were raised by His Majesty."
"Your Majesty has already ascended the throne, why would you use Prince Chen to cast a blood curse on you?"
Li Nanke rested her chin on her hand and looked at Shen Cong.
"Has Ninth Brother asked His Majesty?"
After a moment of silence, Shen Cong told Li Nanke what the emperor had said to him.
Li Nanke was both surprised and confused after hearing this.
"You're saying His Majesty was also poisoned by Gu, and that it was also the Prince Chen who cast the Gu?"
Shen Cong nodded.
“I saw it with my own eyes; the Gu worm was on my brother’s arm. No wonder your health has been deteriorating in recent years.”
Li Nanke glanced at his expression and asked softly, "Do you believe what His Majesty said?"
Shen Cong frowned, his voice rising slightly.
“My brother has no reason to lie to me; he raised me.”
"I believe in my brother! Prince Chen is just trying to sow discord between my brother and me."
Li Nanke pinched her ear and rolled her round eyes.
"If you believe it, then believe it. Why are you shouting like that? You're making me look guilty."
Shen Cong's eyes darkened, and his face instantly turned cold.
"Li Nanke!"
Li Nanke revealed two sweet dimples.
"I'm here. What does Ninth Brother want to say?"
Looking at the smile on her face, Shen Cong suddenly felt a wave of relief wash over him and leaned back dejectedly.
He covered his face with his sleeve and remained silent for a long time.
"Ninth Brother?"
Li Nanke had never seen Shen Cong like this before, and for a moment he was at a loss for words.
Chen Cong's voice came from under his sleeve, sounding somewhat muffled.
"You can leave now, I need some peace and quiet."
Li Nanke bit her lip, knowing he was upset, and could only get up and leave.
She stopped again when she reached the door.
He said, "I mentioned to Mr. Guiliu a few days ago that the clues to your blood curse are very likely related to the Empress Dowager's mausoleum."
If possible, send someone to inspect the imperial tombs.
After saying that, she turned and left.
The room was quiet. After a long while, Shen Cong took off the sleeve covering his face and looked outside with a complicated expression.
Li Nanke's words echoed in his ears, "Do you believe what His Majesty said?"
A bitter look flashed in Shen Cong's eyes.
Although Prince Chen's words were full of flaws, his elder brother's words also could not withstand scrutiny.
Could it be that his elder brother really deceived him?
Shen Cong squeezed his eyes shut.
No, impossible!
His elder brother raised him single-handedly and doted on him immensely, how could he possibly...
But if what the elder brother said is true, and Prince Chen really did cast a spell on both of them, then their lives are in Prince Chen's hands.
If that's the case, Prince Chen could have used this to blackmail his elder brother and do whatever he wanted, so why did he have to disguise himself as the head of the Chen family and wander outside for six years?
But if what Prince Chen said is true, and it was his elder brother who cast the blood curse on him, then how do you explain the Gu on his elder brother's body?
In Shen Cong's mind, it was as if two small, menacing figures were fighting.
A little man said, "Don't believe Prince Chen, he's lying to you!"
Another little figure sneered, "The emperor is lying to you; what Prince Chen says is true."
Two little figures were blaming and fighting each other in his mind, giving him a splitting headache and making him almost vomit.
"Your Highness, are you alright?"
Erfeng walked in at some point, knelt down beside him, and looked worried.
Shen Cong closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
After a long silence, he finally spoke.
"Find out where Prince Chen was taken by the Imperial City Guard. I want to meet with him privately."
"Yes, I will go and inquire right away."
Erfeng turned and left.
Shen Cong slowly opened his eyes, a hint of loneliness flashing in them.
As evening fell, Erfeng returned from outside, his expression grave.
"Your Highness, Prince Chen is dead!"
Shen Cong was so startled that he sat up straight immediately.
"Dead? How did he die?"
"It is said that the Imperial City Guard interrogated Prince Chen about the method of curing the curse, but he refused to tell. The Imperial City Guard used torture, but they did not control the intensity and killed him."
Qin Fei, the commander of the Imperial City Guard, entered the palace. He heard that His Majesty was furious and had Qin Fei flogged twenty times.
He also ordered Qin Fei to lead troops out of the city as soon as possible to arrest the remaining followers of Prince Chen.
Although Prince Chen was arrested, he had been operating in Quanzhou for many years and still had a maritime escort team.
All of these people must be arrested and brought back.
Shen Cong frowned and thought for a moment, "Where is Prince Chen's body?"
"His Majesty ordered that Prince Chen's head be cut off and displayed on the city gate for three days. In addition, Bai San Niang, Li Yao, and other traitors who have been captured will all be beheaded and displayed in public three days later."
Erfeng looked worried.
"Your Highness wishes to see Prince Chen, is it to inquire about the Blood Curse? Now that Prince Chen is dead, the trail to the Blood Curse has been severed. What are we to do?"
Shen Cong sat silently for a moment, then stood up.
"Bring me my cloak; I'm going to the palace."
He went to the Daqing Hall.
The emperor's anger had not yet subsided, but he managed to soften his expression when he saw him arrive.
"Ah Cong, you've come at the right time. I just finished punishing Qin Fei. The Imperial City Guard was too careless; they actually killed Prince Chen!"
"I have been too lenient with the Imperial City Guard, which has allowed them to act with such impunity."
The emperor reached out and patted Shen Cong on the shoulder.
"But don't worry, A Cong. I have sent people to Miao territory again to find the best shaman there."
They will definitely be able to remove the curse from our bodies.
Shen Cong smiled slightly.
"I'm not worried, I trust my brother."
The emperor's hand, which was on his shoulder, paused slightly, and then fell back down with a bit more pressure.
The voice was muffled.
"I promised Mother that I would take good care of you, and I will never break my promise, nor will I let anything happen to you."
On the other side.
With the head of Prince Chen displayed at the city gate, Li Nanke learned of Prince Chen's death.
At that time, she was discussing the final matters with Huang Sheng at Zhiguantang before the opening of Yunqiwu.
Upon hearing Zisu say that Prince Chen's head was hung on the city gate, Huang Sheng's account book fell to the ground with a thud.
Li Nanke picked up the ledger and handed it over, but Huang Sheng took it instead.
"Master Huang?"
The next moment, Huang Sheng suddenly jumped up and ran madly into the yard.
"Hahaha, thank God!"
"Madam, children, did you see that? Heaven has opened its eyes!"
Huang Sheng stood in the courtyard, laughing loudly, then knelt down on the ground, crying like a child.
"You've gotten your revenge, but you can never come back, sob sob sob..."
Standing at the door, Li Nanke saw this scene and her eyes welled up with tears.
It turns out that Huang Sheng's enemy was Prince Chen. It is likely that Prince Chen's sea guard disguised himself as a pirate and robbed Huang Sheng's family.
No wonder the Chen family was able to amass such immense wealth in just a few years!
Seeing Huang Sheng's expression, Li Nanke knew that they could no longer discuss matters today, so he quietly left Zhiguan Hall.
As soon as she returned to her courtyard, Nangong Qiang came in from outside.
The legendary healer Gui Liu followed behind him.
Gui Liu eagerly replied, "I've already visited the imperial tombs..."
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