Chapter 85 The Prodigal Brother (Twenty-Five): A Merchant's Son's Counterattack Against a King of a Different Surname...
After Song Ce finished applying the medicine to the Crown Prince, he picked up his medicine box and left. As he walked through the corridor of the East Palace, he saw Meng Liang and a guard he had never seen before quickly enter the Crown Prince's bedroom.
Seeing this, Song Ce's lips curled up slightly. Now that a storm was brewing in the court, he would just add fuel to the fire and see how the situation would develop.
Time flies, and more than half a month has passed in the blink of an eye. Seeing that the Crown Prince's leg injury was recovering well, Song Ce simply drew a rough outline of a wheelchair and handed it to Gao Yu, asking him to ask a craftsman to make the wheelchair as soon as possible. In this way, the Crown Prince could be pushed out by the palace servants to get some fresh air, so that His Highness wouldn't feel stifled in his palace.
Gao Yu's eyes lit up as soon as he received the sketch of the wheelchair, and he quickly presented it to the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince was deeply moved upon seeing this and secretly thought that when he ascended the throne in the future, he would definitely bestow upon this Physician Song the highest honor.
Meanwhile, to avoid worrying Lu Wuniang and Song Yu at home, Song Ce truthfully explained the situation to the Crown Prince. Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince waved his hand and personally selected two close attendants for him. He also ordered Gao Yu to prepare various tonics for him and had the attendants accompany Song Ce back to his home on Xingtang Street.
Lu Wuniang and Song Yu were overjoyed to see Song Ce return. Lu Wuniang's eyes reddened slightly as she took Song Ce's hand and said with heartache, "Ce'er, you've been away from home for so long, and I was so worried about you. Are you doing well in the palace?"
Seeing this, Song Ce smiled and comforted her, "Mother, I am doing well. His Highness has been very kind to me, so you don't need to worry about me."
Song Yu, who was standing to the side, clung tightly to her brother's leg. Song Ce quickly squatted down and pulled her into his arms.
"Brother, what's the palace like? Is it really grand?" Song Yu asked curiously, putting her arms around Song Ce's neck.
Upon hearing this, Song Ce reached out and patted Song Yu's head, explaining with a smile, "The palace is naturally magnificent, because it houses the most noble and honorable people in the world."
"Ce'er, Mother will go and make you some of your favorite dishes. It's been a long time since our family has had a proper meal together. Yu'er has been talking about you every day at home!" Lu Wu Niang said with a smile.
“Mother, you don’t need to prepare too much.” Song Ce quickly advised, “I have to go back to the palace today. His Highness’s leg injury is currently in a critical recovery stage. Only when His Highness is fully recovered can I go home with peace of mind and spend more time with you and Yu’er.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Wuniang finally let her tears, which she had been holding back for so long, fall. She quickly turned around, took out a handkerchief, and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
“There’s nothing we can do about it… after all, His Highness’s leg injury is serious.” Lu Wu Niang sighed softly and said, “Ce’er, rest first, I’ll go and make you some food.”
"Thank you, Mother."
...
At this moment, in the Eastern Palace.
As the Crown Prince listened to Meng Liang's report, word by word, kneeling below him, the last glimmer of hope in his heart was completely replaced by despondency and disappointment. He suppressed his anger and rage, forcing a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, and coldly asked, "Has it been investigated thoroughly? Is it truly true?"
"Yes, Your Highness. I have sent men to keep a close watch on Prince Ji, Prince Ding, and Prince Kui day and night. Only the servants in Prince Ding's residence ordered this item from Fujitang. This servant originally served in the courtyard of the eldest son, Gu Tingxuan, but later, due to staff changes in the residence, he was transferred to the stables to raise horses." As he spoke, Meng Liang took out a thin brass cylinder, as thin as a pen holder, from his bosom and presented it to the Crown Prince with both hands.
"What is this?" the prince asked, frowning.
"This object resembles a sleeve dart launcher. As per your instructions, I searched all the ironware shops in the capital and surrounding areas, and finally found some clues in an iron shop called Fujitang. According to the shopkeeper of Fujitang, three months ago, a customer came to his shop—the horse breeder from the Prince Ding's mansion. The horse breeder asked him to make this object according to the blueprints. Then, in front of him, the man put thirty tiny needles, no bigger than cow hair, into it, tried it out, and was very satisfied. He immediately rewarded the shopkeeper with one hundred taels of silver. Later, we learned that this was precisely what the Second Young Master Gu Tingxun ordered the horse breeder to do."
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince slowly stopped in his tracks, his previously furious expression gradually calming down. He looked down at the dark patterns on his sleeve, sighed deeply, and said, "If it weren't for Physician Song's medical skills, this leg of mine would probably be crippled. If a crown prince is lame, will he still be qualified to rule the world?"
Meng Liang lowered his head slightly, not daring to reply.
“Three days ago at the court assembly, several ministers jointly submitted a memorial demanding a thorough investigation into my injury, and their words were quite vehement. However, they were all dismissed by the Emperor, who said that my leg injury was caused by an accident, so there was no need for a thorough investigation… In that case, Meng Liang.”
"Your subordinate is here."
The crown prince looked at him and said in a deep voice, "Come closer and listen to me."
...
Five days later, the Prince Ding's residence was bustling with activity as they prepared a birthday banquet for His Highness.
Emperor Hongjing in the palace smiled and summoned Yang Yan, instructing him to personally lead several eunuchs to Prince Ding's residence to bestow gifts on behalf of the Emperor. However, he had only taken some health-preserving pills and spent an hour frolicking with a newly arrived beauty when he heard a eunuch rushing to the palace gates, shrilly, "Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened!"
Emperor Hongjing, his face grim, casually draped a large fur coat over his shoulders and walked barefoot from the inner palace. He coldly swept his gaze over the young eunuch and said in a chilling voice, "What has caused such a loss of composure? What kind of decorum is this, all flustered and disrespectful!"
The young eunuch immediately knelt on the ground with a thud, his voice trembling as he stammered, "Your Majesty, please forgive me, it's Eunuch Yang... Eunuch Yang, he..."
"What happened to Yang Yan?" A sense of foreboding welled up in Emperor Hongjing's heart, and he asked sternly.
"Your Majesty, Eunuch Yang has been murdered! He's in the woods not far from the palace!" The little eunuch kowtowed repeatedly on the ground, crying out in a mournful voice.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Hongjing was struck dumb. His body swayed violently, and the anger that had risen on his face was instantly replaced by panic.
"What did you say? Yang Yan is dead?" Emperor Hongjing slammed his fist on the table, incredulous. "Who is so audacious as to plot against a close attendant of the emperor near the palace? Where are the Imperial Guards? Are they all dead?"
The young eunuch trembled with fear at these words and said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, there is more... I don't know anything else. At this moment, the Commander of the Imperial Guard and the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review are requesting an audience outside the palace."
"Let them get in here!" Emperor Hongjing's eyes instantly filled with bloodshot veins, and he roared like an enraged lion.
"Yes... Your Majesty." The eunuch was overjoyed upon hearing this and hurriedly got up from the ground, staggering as he retreated out of the hall.
Meanwhile, in the Prince Ding's residence.
The guests in the mansion had not yet left. After hearing the news reported by his subordinate, Prince Ding suddenly stood up and immediately summoned his trusted men to his study.
Prince Ding paced back and forth in his study, muttering to himself, "Who is it? Who on earth is so audacious as to commit such a heinous act right under His Majesty's nose?" He suddenly stopped, his expression worried, and said, "Today is my birthday, and His Majesty specially sent Yang Yan to offer his congratulations. But now he has lost his life outside the palace. How will His Majesty view me?"
“Your Highness, please do not be anxious.” A middle-aged advisor dressed in gray stepped forward, bowed and said, “That Eunuch Yang was murdered outside the palace. I believe His Majesty is wise and virtuous and will not hold a grudge against Your Highness for this.”
"Foolish!" Prince Ding slammed his fist on the table. "Yang Yan was offering birthday greetings on behalf of the Emperor, yet the murderer's actions are nothing short of a blatant slap in the face to the Emperor. Tell me, how will His Majesty vent his anger before the real culprit is caught?"
“Your Highness, this matter is indeed too shocking. I imagine His Majesty will summon all the ministers to discuss it. In my opinion, Your Highness might as well go to the palace and take the opportunity to sound out His Majesty’s opinion.” Another advisor pondered for a while before suggesting this.
After a moment of silence, Prince Ding nodded with a somber expression, "This is the only way for now."
Soon, Prince Ding changed into his court robes and hurriedly headed to the palace with his attendants. Along the way, he kept his eyes closed, contemplating how to deal with Emperor Hongjing's anger and questioning.
At this moment, Emperor Hongjing in the hall listened with a gloomy expression to the reports from the Commander of the Imperial Guards and the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. The Commander of the Imperial Guards knelt on the ground, his voice tinged with fear: "Your Majesty, we have carefully examined the crime scene and found no signs of a struggle. Moreover, there are no wounds on the bodies of Eunuch Yang and his entourage. Therefore, we are truly unable to determine what kind of weapon caused the crime." After speaking, he paused slightly, glancing at Emperor Hongjing's increasingly dark face, and continued, "We have thoroughly searched the route from the palace to the Prince Ding's residence, but have also found no suspicious clues."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Hongjing was so angry that he sneered: "Hmph, then tell me, how can a perfectly healthy person lose their life overnight?"
"This... please forgive my incompetence." The commander of the Golden Guard hurriedly kowtowed and begged for forgiveness.
"Incompetent! Incompetent! I think you don't want to live anymore!" Emperor Hongjing suddenly stood up and drew the sword hanging behind the dragon throne. However, he had only taken two steps when his arm began to tremble uncontrollably, and the sword fell to the ground with a "clang".
Emperor Hongjing was furious, but mixed in with this anger was a fear of death that he himself was unwilling to admit. Just thinking that someone could take the life of him, a close attendant of the emperor, silently around the palace, made him wonder if, given time, he, the emperor who ruled the world, would be the one to die a violent death.
"Your Majesty." At this moment, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review stepped forward cautiously and said, "Your Majesty, I have ordered people to examine the bodies of Eunuch Yang and the other eunuchs one by one, but... there are no wounds on any of them. Judging from their symptoms, it seems that they died of heart palpitations."
Emperor Hongjing grew even more enraged upon hearing this. He slammed his hand on the armrest of his dragon throne and roared, "Are you implying that all my close attendants died suddenly of heart disease? And coincidentally, on their way back from the palace after I sent them out? What's more, they all died in the same way?" At this point, Emperor Hongjing smashed the teacup beside him at the feet of the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. "A bunch of useless trash! What use are you to me?"
Just then, a young eunuch waiting outside the hall knelt down with small, quick steps and reported, "Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince, His Highness Prince Ji, His Highness Prince Ding, and His Highness Prince Kui request an audience."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Hongjing curled his lips into a meaningful smile and said coldly, "My sons have arrived quite quickly. Summon them in!"
"Yes, Your Majesty." The young eunuch accepted the order, bowed, and withdrew.
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Author's Note: Almost finished (cuddles) I made some minor revisions to the end of the last chapter, you cuties can take another look~ [starry eyes]
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