When Prince Chen was summoned again, his anxiety had subsided somewhat.
He thought that his father might have already seen through the Crown Prince's scheme and realized that he had been framed.
But once inside the hall, Emperor Cheng'an simply stared at him, twirling two ornamental walnuts in his palm, remaining silent for a long time.
Prince Chen's initial relief was replaced by unease due to the emperor's prolonged silence. He cautiously raised his eyes: "Father?"
Emperor Cheng'an seemed to be startled from his reverie, looking at him with a heavy gaze and letting out a long sigh.
"The Crown Prince was assassinated, and the captured assassin identified you as the mastermind behind it."
Prince Chen looked puzzled, not understanding why his father, who had clearly believed he had been framed, was suddenly bringing up the old matter again. Naturally, he couldn't accept this blame, so he could only weep and prostrate himself, pleading his innocence: "Father, please understand, I have truly been wronged. The assassins sent out must have been death squads; how could they easily confess?"
Emperor Cheng'an sighed: "That's exactly what I was worried about. I didn't want to wrong you, so I summoned you privately instead of directly transferring this case to the Court of Judicial Review."
Just as Prince Chen was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he heard him continue, "But everything requires evidence. Now that the Crown Prince has been assassinated and seriously injured, there needs to be an explanation. The assassin happened to point the finger at you, and you do indeed have a grudge against the Crown Prince..."
Emperor Cheng'an softened his tone and said, "The evidence is conclusive, and I believe you, but the court officials and the Crown Prince may not."
Prince Chen looked at Emperor Cheng'an with indignation and red eyes: "But I am truly innocent! Must I die to prove my innocence?"
Emperor Cheng'an was also somewhat confused about his son, unable to tell whether his grievances and resentment were genuine or just an act.
But the evidence he presented was conclusive, and he needed to give an explanation to the court officials and the crown prince, so it was indeed true.
The Crown Prince is currently unconscious, and the matter has been kept under wraps by him, preventing it from getting out.
But when the Crown Prince wakes up and learns that the assassin was sent by Prince Chen, and that he, as the emperor and his father, is instead biased towards Prince Chen and covering for him, the already strained father-son relationship will likely become even more distant.
Since he already had the intention of having the crown prince succeed him, he could not push the crown prince away and cause the father and son to become completely estranged.
Therefore, if this was done by Prince Chen, then he must punish him to reassure the Crown Prince; if it was not done by Prince Chen, then with both witnesses and motives present, he must still give him a minor punishment as a warning to appease the Crown Prince.
So when he looked at King Chen, a decision gradually formed in his eyes.
However, Prince Chen was also his beloved son. Although there was a consideration in supporting him to counterbalance the crown prince, his love for him was not fake.
Even if there was only a 30% chance that it wasn't Chen Wang who did it, he didn't want to wrong his son too much.
Perhaps he really is getting old, and his heart has softened. With only these two beloved sons by his side, he doesn't want to see either of them get into trouble.
Therefore, he softened his tone and spoke to Prince Chen in a soothing manner: "I understand your grievances, but there needs to be an explanation to the Crown Prince. Both are my flesh and blood, and I don't want to wrong you and cause pain to my loved ones and joy to my enemies. So I will only strip you of your title, and that will be the end of this matter. But your expenses and reliance on others will not be reduced."
Prince Chen stared wide-eyed in disbelief, his voice trembling: "Strip him of his title?"
Emperor Cheng'an reassured him, "This is only a temporary measure. We can add it back at a suitable time in the future. Whether you have the title of Prince of Qin or not, you are still my son."
Prince Chen clenched his teeth, still wanting to argue, but he saw the determination in the emperor's eyes.
He then understood that Emperor Cheng'an had already made a decision.
If he obediently accepts, he might gain some guilt and pity from his father. But if he continues to argue and refuse, he might lose even that.
Actually, there were signs. He had a vague premonition that his father was no longer suppressing or distancing the crown prince as he had before.
On the contrary, it often reveals a hint of appreciation and approval.
Now that his title has been easily stripped, it is true that it can be restored later. But at that time, most of the power he and his mother have worked so hard to build will probably side with the Crown Prince!
The Emperor's actions clearly show favoritism towards the Crown Prince and an attempt to pave the way for him.
Prince Chen lowered his head, his eyes brimming with resentment. His jaw was clenched, and his voice was hoarse as if it had been sanded: "Your subject will obey Your Majesty."
Emperor Cheng'an nodded in satisfaction and said, "I know you're unhappy. Don't restrain yourself these days. Have some fun."
Prince Chen forced out a smile that looked more like a grimace, bowed, and withdrew.
Upon returning to his chambers, his face darkened, and a surge of hatred welled up within him, almost uncontrollable: "Summon Bai Songquan."
Bai Songquan was his advisor and the person who had given him advice and strategies last time.
Bai Songquan arrived quickly and, seeing the prince's stormy expression, asked in confusion, "Your Highness, what's wrong...?"
Prince Chen did not want to say more; all he could think about now was that the Crown Prince had to pay the price.
After this incident, he was completely certain that the Crown Prince had orchestrated the whole thing to force him out of the game.
But Prince Chen would never admit defeat so easily. He narrowed his eyes with a gloomy expression and looked at Bai Songquan with his hands behind his back: "Your suggestion last time was very good, but you were too slow. I can't wait to proceed slowly. Send more people and move faster. After we return to the capital, I will definitely send the Crown Prince a great gift!"
Bai Songquan was startled upon hearing this. Although he didn't know what had happened to make Prince Chen so furious and lose his mind, it was clear that Prince Chen wanted to break ties with the Crown Prince, and now was the perfect opportunity for him to step forward.
Bai Songquan bowed deeply, saying, "Your Highness, rest assured, I will not fail in my mission."
.
When Prince Chen's men secretly rushed back to Tokyo, Xue Shen also received the news.
Wang Deshun whispered back, "Given Prince Chen's temperament, he probably won't be able to hold back this time and will have to break ties with the Crown Prince."
Xue Shen smiled and said, "We'll have a good show when we tear off the mask."
*
Because of the series of incidents, Emperor Cheng'an lost interest in holding another autumn hunt, so he simply provided the hunt for himself. He was just waiting for the Crown Prince to wake up before returning to the palace.
After being delayed twice more at the imperial palace, the crown prince finally survived the most dangerous stage and his injuries stabilized.
When Emperor Cheng'an heard that the Crown Prince had woken up, he immediately set out to see him.
Xue Heng was young and strong. Although his injuries were serious, the imperial physicians used the best medicines to nurse him back to health. When he regained consciousness, although his body was still weak, his spirits were not bad.
Emperor Cheng'an looked him up and down and, seeing that he looked much more energetic than Xue Shen, felt relieved.
Xue Heng had already heard from the servants about the Emperor's concern these past few days. Looking at the worried Emperor Cheng'an, his attitude softened as well: "I'm sorry to have worried Father Emperor these past few days."
Emperor Cheng'an sat down next to him, patted his shoulder as he had when they were children, and sighed, "It's good that you're alright."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
