Inside the palace, the magnificent, golden palaces soared into the clouds, sunlight streaming through their glazed tiles, reflecting a dazzling light. A solemn and awe-inspiring atmosphere permeated the palace, inspiring reverence in all who beheld them. The old emperor sat on his dragon throne, his eyes deep and dignified, his face, weathered by time, etched with deep wrinkles like ravines.
At this moment, a eunuch hurried into the hall, his footsteps creating a slight rustling sound. He knelt and reported, "Your Majesty, a major event has occurred in the capital. The Prime Minister's daughter, Lin Qian, was assassinated while out, but fortunately, Miss Lin Qian was unharmed and even subdued all the assassins."
Upon hearing this, the old emperor's expression remained largely unchanged, seemingly unconcerned about Lin Qian's safety. However, when he learned that the assassin was a henchman of Prince Ning, a chilling glint flashed in his eyes, a chill that seemed to freeze the surrounding air.
The old emperor stroked the carvings on the dragon throne, which were exquisitely beautiful, but he had no interest in appreciating them at the moment. His tone was unreadable, "Oh? It seems that Prince Ning is increasingly disregarding me."
The eunuch lowered his head even further, his body trembling slightly, not daring to breathe, for fear of angering the capricious emperor.
"What did the Prime Minister say?" the old emperor asked calmly, his voice as flat as water, as if he were only asking about the weather today, but everyone present could feel the pressure contained within it.
"Your Majesty, when the Prime Minister heard about this, he did not show much emotion. He simply said 'I know,' and then told Miss Lin to return to her residence." The eunuch answered cautiously, his voice trembling slightly as he secretly observed the old emperor's expression.
The old emperor lightly tapped the armrest of his dragon throne, his knuckles striking the golden nanmu wood with a dull thud. The sound echoed in the empty palace, carrying an invisible pressure; the ministers held their breath, daring not to utter a sound. The sound seemed to strike at the heart of every one of them, revealing the old emperor's displeasure.
"Prince Ning? He actually has assassins among his men?" The old emperor's voice was low and suppressed, containing barely concealed anger. His fingers trembled slightly, each tap carrying a heavy pressure that made it hard to breathe.
"How dare Prince Ning! He dares to send someone to assassinate the daughter of a high-ranking official right under the Emperor's nose! This is utterly lawless!" The old Emperor's face grew increasingly gloomy, like a dark cloud gathering. "Does he even respect me as the Emperor?"
The eunuchs beside him sensed the emperor's anger and turned pale with fright, not daring to breathe. The atmosphere in the entire palace became extremely tense, as if a storm was about to break.
The old emperor rose to his feet, his steps heavy and rapid, each one seemingly carrying the burning rage within him. He paced back and forth in the hall, the carpet sinking slightly under his weight. "I absolutely cannot tolerate this! Prince Ning is challenging my authority!" he roared, his voice echoing through the empty palace, seemingly causing the air to tremble and the curtains to sway gently.
He stopped, his gaze fixed resolutely on the distance, a look that seemed to burn with a flame, intent on incinerating anyone who dared challenge his authority. "Guards!" the old emperor roared, his voice booming like a bell, echoing throughout the palace.
A moment later, a dark figure appeared before the old emperor like a ghost, kneeling on one knee. This was the old emperor's personal guard; their movements were concealed, like phantoms in the darkness. The guards' auras were well-controlled; without careful observation, their presence was almost impossible to detect.
"I order you to thoroughly investigate the matter of Prince Ning," the old emperor's voice was cold and authoritative, like a winter wind. "I need to know where his assassins came from and what his conspiracy is. This matter concerns my imperial power and the stability of the court, and there can be no negligence whatsoever!"
The guard respectfully replied, "As you command!" Then, just as he had come, he quickly disappeared into the darkness, as if he had never been there at all.
The old emperor's eyes gleamed. "Issue my decree: Summon Prince Ning to the palace. I want to ask him what he's up to!"
The eunuchs trembled and immediately knelt to receive the decree. Their bodies shook slightly with fear, and they all wished they could sprout wings and escape from the suffocating hall.
When the news reached the Prince of Ning's residence, the Prince was sitting in his study. The study was elegantly furnished, with bookshelves filled with books and antiques. The Prince was toying with a jade thumb ring in his hand; the jade was smooth and lustrous, clearly a priceless object. Upon hearing the old emperor's summons to the palace, a cold smile curled at the corner of his lips. "Heh, that old codger, he finally couldn't sit still."
"Your Highness, this..." The trusted guard was somewhat worried. His brows were furrowed and his eyes revealed unease. "The Emperor's decree is suspicious and we must be on guard."
"What's there to be afraid of?" Prince Ning casually said, putting the jade thumb ring on his thumb. He stood up, his posture upright. "He can't possibly eat me, can he? Prepare the sedan chair!"
The Imperial Palace, Hall of Mental Cultivation.
The old emperor sat upright on his dragon throne, holding a string of Buddhist prayer beads in his hand. The beads were smooth and round, each emitting a faint sandalwood fragrance. However, the old emperor did not move the beads one by one; his face was so gloomy that it seemed as if water could drip from it, and his tense jaw showed that he was in a very bad mood.
Inside the hall, the atmosphere was so oppressive it seemed to freeze. The ministers all bowed their heads, their eyes darting around, not daring to even breathe loudly, for fear of inadvertently angering the emperor.
"Your Majesty, Prince Ning has arrived!" The sharp voice of the eunuch broke the silence in the hall, echoing in the empty space and making everyone's heart tighten.
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