Upon hearing the guard's reply, Emperor Wenyuan's face instantly turned ashen.
He frowned deeply, his eyes filled with anger.
The atmosphere in the main hall became even more tense, with everyone waiting for Emperor Wenyuan's next move.
The crown prince stood to the side, his face alternating between pale and flushed.
He commanded in a deep voice, "Quickly ascertain the identities and purposes of these men in black. I need to know why they dared to attack Prince An! At the same time, we must strengthen the guards to ensure his safety."
Then, Emperor Wenyuan turned his gaze to the Crown Prince, a flash of anger in his eyes: "Crown Prince, you were in charge of the defenses for this autumn hunt, yet you were completely unaware that enemies had infiltrated the hunting grounds?"
The Crown Prince's heart trembled, knowing that this matter was of great importance. He immediately knelt down and begged for forgiveness: "Father, please calm your anger. Your son did indeed personally inspect the hunting grounds every day and confirm that the guards were properly arranged. But I do not know where these men in black came from, and I am truly to blame."
Upon hearing the Crown Prince's reply, Emperor Wenyuan was even more enraged: "Can you shirk responsibility with a simple 'I don't know'? As the Crown Prince, you should be responsible for the safety of the royal family to the end! You must give me a satisfactory explanation for this incident!"
The atmosphere in the hall grew increasingly tense, and everyone felt Emperor Wenyuan's anger. The Crown Prince knew this matter was unlikely to end well, and could only bow his head and accept his punishment.
On the other side, Consort Li became anxious upon hearing the news that the Crown Prince had been reprimanded by the Emperor. She gripped her handkerchief tightly, her face filled with worry.
"Mother, what should we do?" Consort Li asked anxiously. "Won't His Majesty be angry with the Crown Prince because of this?"
She knew that the Emperor had high expectations for the Crown Prince and had always placed great hopes on him. However, the autumn hunt incident had put the Crown Prince in a difficult situation, and Consort Li couldn't help but worry about his future.
“Your Majesty need not worry too much,” Lady Zhenyuan, standing beside her, comforted her. “With your father and elder brother here, there’s nothing to fear. They will investigate this matter with the Crown Prince.”
Upon hearing this, Consort Li sighed softly, "I hope so."
In the end, the purple-gold crown did not fall into anyone's hands. Although the crown prince won first place in the autumn hunt, this unexpected incident caused him to lose his eligibility to win the prize.
King Liang was quite pleased with this matter. Although he had not won first place, the Crown Prince had been scolded by the Emperor and Prince An had been injured, which was undoubtedly a good thing for him.
He understood that while this incident had cost the Crown Prince his golden crown, more importantly, it had damaged the Crown Prince's image in the Emperor's eyes. Seeing Prince An injured only fueled the Emperor's anger.
This was undoubtedly a rare opportunity for the Prince of Liang. If he could seize this chance given to him by his father and gradually reveal his talents, perhaps he could conquer the world...
After Prince An awoke from his coma, Emperor Wenyuan immediately came to visit him in person.
Prince An was not a highly skilled martial artist, but he was not so weak that he could easily fall off a cliff.
Prince An leaned against the bedside, his face pale and weak. He whispered to Emperor Wenyuan, "Father, after escaping the pursuit, I was attacked by another group of men in black. They outnumbered me, and although I fought with all my might, they used hallucinogenic drugs on me, rendering me disoriented. In the end, I was unfortunately knocked off a cliff. Fortunately, there were many trees at the bottom of the cliff, which slowed my fall and saved my life."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Wenyuan frowned, filled with doubt about the identity and purpose of the man in black. He decided to send more people to investigate the matter.
After such an incident, Emperor Wenyuan lost interest in staying and decided to end the autumn hunt early and return to the palace.
Because Prince An's injuries made long journeys unsuitable, the Empress Dowager arranged for him to recuperate at a villa in the Western Hills.
This turn of events made the situation in the palace even more unpredictable, while King Liang was secretly delighted, feeling that his opportunity had come.
"Your Highness, when do you plan to recover this time? I'd like to adjust the prescription accordingly," Meng Zhelan said speechlessly.
Only the two of them are here now; the Emperor Emeritus and the Empress Dowager have gone out.
Prince An lay on his bed reading a book, pondering for a moment, "This, at least half a month, at most a month."
Upon hearing this, Meng Zhelan frowned. "So long?"
Prince An put down his book and looked at her. "What's wrong? Is something you're busy with?"
Meng Zhelan shook her head. "It's alright, but I wonder if the Empress Dowager will figure something out after a while."
Prince An smiled and said, "My grandparents would never have the time to concern themselves with the affairs of us juniors. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Meng Zhelan nodded, her anxiety easing slightly.
Even if the Empress Dowager and the others felt sorry for Prince An, as the elders of the princes, they would certainly not want to see the princes scheming and fighting among themselves.
"Dr. Meng, why don't you ask me how I fell to the bottom of the cliff?"
She sat at the table, dressed in a light green dress, her expression focused. She didn't hear what Prince An said.
With his left hand, he gently turned the pages of the booklet, while with his right hand, he held a pen and wrote fluently on the paper.
Her pen-holding posture was both elegant and firm. Her fingers, slender yet strong, gently circled the pen, as if caressing a precious work of art. The pen tip danced nimbly under her control, flowing out beautiful characters.
Prince An gazed at her figure, a surge of indescribable emotion welling up within him, as if the entire world had frozen in that instant.
"Your Highness, I plan to refine some pills for you to take, so you won't have to have acupuncture every day. Although your injuries are not serious, they will be inconvenient in the long run." She put down her pen after a while.
"Okay, I'll listen to you," he replied softly.
After saying that, she went out and returned to the courtyard that the Empress Dowager had prepared for her. There was a medicine-making room there, with many bottles and jars piled on the table.
She put the herbs into the stove and, while waiting, thought of Li Xi.
I wonder if Xi'er is still in Yuncheng. She said she would be back in a while.
A faint sense of worry and longing welled up in her heart, and she decided to prepare some new pills for Xi'er after she finished refining the elixir.
Li Xi, who was in Huangshi Town, left the town with Second Master Huang, who said he would take her to see some new and interesting things.
The carriage sped back to Yuncheng. Looking at the familiar streets, Li Xi felt a mix of emotions. They were back in Yuncheng, but this time they went to Central Avenue.
Master Huang led her to an antique shop, where all sorts of treasures were displayed, each exuding the vicissitudes of history. He pointed to a strangely shaped stone and said, "This is the novel thing I want to show you, called a meteorite, which comes from outer space."
Li Xi approached curiously and saw that the meteorite was deep black, its surface covered with pits and craters, as if recording endless secrets of the universe. She reached out and gently touched it, feeling a cool sensation from her fingertips, as if she could touch those distant stars.
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