When Shen Chongde and Shen Jingchuan entered the hall, they saw Shen Zhiyi covered in blood and frowned. They breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that she was unharmed, but then the Crown Prince suddenly rushed into the hall.
Lift your foot—
He kicked the assassin to the ground.
"You bastard, why are you looking at me like that? It's not like I ordered you to do this!"
Believe it or not, I'll gouge out your dog eyes!
The assassin knelt down, "Your Highness, it was indeed you who ordered us to assassinate the Regent's Consort."
As the crown prince spoke, he turned around and drew the sword of a guard on duty in the palace.
He drew his sword and stabbed at the assassin!
The assassin was terrified, his courage completely broken by Shen Muzhi's earlier attack. His legs were too weak to move, and he couldn't run away. He could only watch helplessly as the sword came stabbing towards him.
Everything happened so fast that Emperor Xiaoxuan didn't even have time to stop it...
But the next second,
Shen Jingchuan took a few steps forward, raised his foot, and kicked the sword.
Clang—
The sword was knocked from the prince's hand, which greatly angered him: "Shen Jingchuan!"
"Your Highness, do you intend to kill someone to silence them?"
"I didn't! He's the one slandering me!"
"Zhou Yuanbi!" Emperor Xiaoxuan scolded in a low voice. Only then did the Crown Prince kneel down. "Father, it was indeed not my doing. How could I send someone to do such a thing?"
“Indeed, Your Majesty, please don’t be angry,” the Empress advised.
At this moment, the imperial physician entered the palace.
"Your Majesty, I have examined the poison sent by the Regent's Consort. It is the same deadly poison as the one ingested by the assassin who tried to kill you last time. It is a poison that will kill you instantly if ingested!"
"This poison is extremely potent and very difficult to find."
Emperor Xiaoxuan's expression was cold and stern.
Hard to find?
That means it's rare, and there's no way such a coincidence could happen.
The emperor's younger brother is already imprisoned, so he shouldn't be able to send someone to assassinate his own princess under the tight guard of the Dali Temple. If it wasn't him, could it be...?
His gaze fell on his son, his eyes cold and brooding.
The crown prince knew his father well; a single glance from him was enough to chill him to the bone. He knelt on the ground and said, "Father, it was truly not what your son did."
"Does the Crown Prince mean that the Regent sent someone to assassinate his own princess?" Shen Chongde questioned.
"this……"
The Crown Prince's mind was in turmoil, but then a flash of inspiration struck him: "This must be a play put on by the couple to help my uncle get out of trouble."
"Father, this must be a ruse orchestrated by my uncle and the Shen family."
"They just wanted to frame me for the assassination attempt."
Shen Chongde frowned. "Your Highness, be careful what you say!"
He exuded a chilling aura, which was terrifying to behold.
But this was a matter of life and death, and the Crown Prince could not care about the warning in his eyes. He said, "Because of the last campaign in the southern border, Father Emperor handed over his military power to me, and I won the battle. Uncle must be unhappy."
"That must be it!"
"Father, you must avenge me!"
Before Emperor Xiaoxuan could speak, a familiar voice came from outside the hall:
"Zhou Yuanbi, what are you saying about me?"
Following the sound, everyone saw the Regent, dressed in plain blue robes, stride into the hall.
Despite wearing a mask over his face and dressed in white, his lips were bloodless, yet the murderous aura emanating from him was still palpable. His voice was not as deep as usual, perhaps due to illness, and carried a hint of gentleness.
Even a casual glance from him was enough to instill fear in the crown prince.
Crown Prince,
I've been terrified of this royal uncle since I was a child.
He wouldn't dare utter a sound behind people's backs, but to their face, he wouldn't dare say a word.
Shen Zhiyi was surprised. Why was he here?
Accompanying him was the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. After paying his respects to the Emperor, he only mentioned that the Regent had heard that the Princess Consort had been attacked and had sounded the Dengwen Drum, so he had come to see for himself.
"Your Highness, you just said that it was a play that I and the Princess Consort put on to frame you?" Zhou Xuance stared intently at him.
The oppressive feeling inherited in his blood made it hard for the crown prince to breathe.
"Royal...Royal Uncle..."
"Go on, I'm listening."
The crown prince dared not speak further.
Emperor Xiaoxuan then looked at him and asked, "Xuan Ce, how are you feeling?"
"Perhaps the marriage to ward off bad luck has been effective, as my brother's health has been recovering quite well recently."
Shen Chongde gave a soft snort, while Shen Zhiyi simply lowered her head and remained silent.
Zhou Xuance's gaze fell on the assassin. "Was it you who assassinated my queen?"
The assassin was terrified.
It is said that the Regent's methods are a hundred times more powerful than those of the Shen family.
The Shen family's military achievements were accumulated over time. If they weren't extremely capable, how could they have established themselves in the military at such a young age?
"It was the Crown Prince who ordered us to do it!"
"If you don't believe me, you can search the Crown Prince's palace; you'll surely find evidence!"
The assassin blurted out everything he knew.
"You bastard, what nonsense are you spouting!" Zhou Yuanbi was terrified.
He's completely stupid.
because……
I had absolutely no idea!
"Father, it really wasn't me who did it. Someone must have framed me."
"I have no reason to assassinate you or frame the Imperial Uncle."
Shen Chongde suddenly nodded, "Your Majesty, what the Crown Prince said is true; he has no reason."
With the third prince deposed, no one could rival him.
He doesn't need to take such a risk.
“Since the assassin said there are evidence in the Crown Prince’s palace, what’s wrong with searching it?” Zhou Xuance raised an eyebrow.
"Your Highness, this is unacceptable," a minister suddenly advised.
Investigating the Eastern Palace?
This could shake the foundations of the nation.
Especially when the situation is not yet fully clear, it is no joke that the crown prince is being slandered and his residence is being searched.
"So, my residence can be searched and sealed off at will, but the Crown Prince's... cannot be searched?" Zhou Xuance questioned, and the minister hesitated, not daring to speak.
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