Chang Fu continued, speaking on behalf of the old emperor to Gu Yifeng with a smile.
"Hehe, doesn't Chief Steward Chang already know? Then I'll say it again. That day, Consort Xian asked me to go to her palace in the name of the Emperor to discuss the Empress Dowager's birthday. When I arrived, I couldn't find a single person, but I could smell a bewitching fragrance that captivated my soul."
"When I regained consciousness, it was that day. Consort Xian was in my arms when Commander Yan and his men tied me up and threw me into the prison. Consort Xian committed suicide on the spot, but Commander Yan's men did not stop her; they all tried to stop me."
Gu Yifeng chuckled twice and recounted his past experiences without embellishment.
"No, no! That day, Her Majesty did not summon His Highness the Crown Prince at all. It was His Highness who suddenly came and drove all the servants out. He also sealed off the Imperial Concubine's palace, which remained closed all night."
"I was afraid that something might happen to His Highness the Crown Prince and the Imperial Concubine, so I went to call Commander Yan, and that's how the palace gates were opened. Moreover, on that day, His Highness the Crown Prince used his spiritual power in the Imperial Concubine's palace and damaged her bed."
Before Changfu could speak, the palace maid knelt down on the ground, prostrating herself, and almost cried as she poured out her heart.
Upon hearing this, Chang Fu gave a signal, and immediately the Imperial Guards carried in a jade bed, which was a special gift from the old emperor and could not be broken by anyone below the Dingyuan Realm.
There was a palm print clearly visible at the head of the bed. Chang Fu immediately stepped down from the high hall, took Gu Yifeng's hand, and pressed it against the print, making it fit perfectly.
"Your Majesty, now that the witnesses and evidence are all there, Your Highness, please make your decision on this case."
Chang Fu turned back to the old emperor and spoke slowly.
"Your Majesty, this is a frame-up! It's a frame-up!"
Before the old emperor could speak, some of the cabinet elders had already knelt down excitedly and said to the emperor.
"Framed? Grand Secretary Yang, you should rest. How could a person who is unconscious damage this hard jade bed?"
Among the officials who spoke out, the Grand Censor sneered and said.
This was undoubtedly kicking someone when they were down, showing no mercy whatsoever to the crown prince.
Gu Yifeng stood to the side, expressionless, watching coldly. All he had to do was remember the true colors of these people, and he would settle accounts with them one by one in the future.
Once the Censorate took the lead, others naturally wouldn't let such an opportunity pass, and they all spoke up. In short, they all had the same goal: to ensure that this Crown Prince had no chance of turning things around.
"Enough, I am tired. Court is adjourned."
The old emperor suddenly spoke, and without even waiting for Changfu, he got up and left the Hall of State Affairs to return to the Hall of Supreme Harmony to rest.
Seeing this, the officials dared not say anything more and had no choice but to retreat. As for Gu Yifeng, he was naturally taken back to the imperial prison by the imperial guards.
Once most of the ministers had left, the cabinet elders immediately gathered together and began to whisper among themselves.
"I don't care. If it weren't for His Highness the Crown Prince, my whole family would have died in Luzhou back then. I must go to the Hall of Supreme Harmony now to plead for His Highness."
Grand Secretary Yang spoke first. This man was from Luzhou and was originally a subordinate of the rebel king of the previous dynasty. If it weren't for the benevolence of the former crown prince, this Grand Secretary would probably have died as a member of the rebel party.
Upon hearing this, the other Grand Secretaries, though reluctant, could only sigh and agree. The reason was simple: the Crown Prince had done them a great favor, and naturally they had to plead for him.
After the discussion, the three Grand Secretaries went to the Hall of Supreme Harmony to plead for Gu Yifeng.
...
Inside the prison, Gu Yifeng lay on a pile of weeds, occasionally picking up the dark soul-summoning stone and playing with it. Unlike before when it was still, now a faint blue light flickered within the stone.
It was Consort Xian, Su Qingwan. Before she could testify for the Crown Prince, she could only live in the stone. Fortunately, the stone was magical and could nourish the soul, so it wasn't all bad.
"Your Highness, just now... why didn't you let me come out to prove my innocence?"
Looking at Gu Yifeng's calm expression, Su Qingwan couldn't help but ask.
"Hehe, I say, you've been a Noble Consort for so long, are you really stupid or just pretending? The less I struggle, the more panicked some people become, fearing the fatal blow I will deliver."
"Therefore, they will definitely not sit still and will absolutely not let me live until Father Emperor personally orders my execution. They might even take action tonight. In short, they will use coercion and bribery to pin this crime on me."
Gu Yifeng sneered. He had long suspected the Second Prince's methods. Su Qingwan didn't say much after hearing this. As a dead soul, these things were no longer of much concern to her.
If it weren't for the sake of her family, she wouldn't have wanted to get involved in this matter.
Sure enough, at midnight, a masked figure quietly slipped into the prison. As the sleeping potion spread, the serious criminals and the prison guards immediately collapsed.
"Your Highness, I advise you to honestly tell me the whereabouts of the Dragon Pearl. If you do, I might spare your life and leave you with a whole corpse. Otherwise, you might not see the sun rise tomorrow."
Dressed in black, the masked man approached Gu Yifeng and said in a cold voice.
"Threatening me?"
Gu Yifeng raised an eyebrow, pointed a finger, and gathered spiritual energy within his body, which then transformed into a misty fog that immediately filled the entire Heavenly Prison.
"An assassin has launched a night raid on the prison!"
Before the man in black could react, he shouted out.
The next moment, the group of people who had been sleeping in the prison woke up, and a group of imperial guards immediately rushed out and surrounded the man in black.
In such a tightly controlled prison, he was eventually captured without any surprise and forced to commit suicide by poison.
About an incense stick later, the sound of drums came from outside. Gu Yifeng's expression changed, and he immediately sat up cross-legged with joy. This was the midnight drum, and its sound meant that a new day had begun.
He naturally wanted to activate the system to sign in.
"Ding! Sign-in successful. Congratulations, host, you have obtained the Devouring Heaven Cultivation Manual!"
As the system's cold voice rang out, a mysterious piece of information appeared in his mind the next moment, which contained the cultivation method of this technique.
It is also extremely simple to cultivate. As long as you circulate your spiritual power and activate the major acupoints in the human body in a certain order, you can instantly unleash an amazing devouring power.
Spiritual power, medicinal power, souls—anything with a thought can be devoured.
However, the prerequisite for cultivating this technique is to break through to the middle three realms. Otherwise, cultivating it in advance will only lead to a backlash from the technique, which will devour the physical body and cause one to suffer the consequences.
Although he couldn't start cultivating in advance, Gu Yifeng could nurture these acupoints with spiritual energy beforehand to ensure that he could master the technique immediately upon breaking through.
By the time the sun was high in the sky, he had been nourishing these acupoints with his own spiritual power all night. Just as he was about to lie down comfortably to catch up on his sleep, Changfu led a group of eunuchs in.
"Imperial decree has arrived! Crown Prince Gu Yifeng, receive the decree!"
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Crown Prince Gu Yifeng has committed moral transgressions, defiled the inner palace, violated human ethics, rebelled against moral principles, and deviated from the norms. Now that the evidence is conclusive, I shall personally punish him. At noon today, I shall lead all civil and military officials to Xuanwu Gate to execute him and display his head to the public!"
"So be it! Your Highness, receive the decree."
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