Murong Ling's return to the palace immediately caused a huge uproar among the palace staff.
Upon returning to the palace, he immediately summoned the Prince of Jin to the palace.
When Prince Murong Ting of Jin heard that the emperor had returned, he was still somewhat skeptical. But when he entered the palace and indeed saw his elder brother there, he was shocked.
Why did his elder brother suddenly return?
Prince Jin bowed, a delighted smile on his face. "Brother, why have you returned so suddenly? Has your headache been cured?"
"Not yet." Murong Ling sat at the head of the table, pressing his forehead with his hand that was supporting his head. "But it has improved somewhat. You've had a tough year."
Prince Jin's heart skipped a beat. Did the emperor mean he wasn't planning to leave?
Prince Jin's smile froze, and his beautiful idea of succeeding to the throne shattered instantly. Murong Ling hadn't told him explicitly, but he knew that his elder brother had been suffering from a serious headache and had been recuperating at Baohua Temple. Recently, he had even considered becoming a monk.
His elder brother had no children or other siblings, so he had been mentally preparing himself for the past few months, thinking that he would become the next emperor. He even began to cultivate his own people.
They were just waiting for Murong Ling to become a monk and abdicate in his favor.
The surprise came quickly and went just as fast. Prince Jin stammered, "Then, will Your Majesty return to the palace to recuperate? There are so many trivial matters in the palace; it might not be conducive to rest and recuperation..."
Murong Ling did not respond. He propped his head up and stared at Prince Jin with a faint gaze, as if he could see right through Prince Jin's thoughts.
The Prince of Jin shuddered and quickly lowered his head. How could he forget that his elder brother was so shrewd and could see through what others were thinking at a glance?
Murong Ling could offer him the throne willingly, but he absolutely could not even consider it.
Fortunately, Murong Ling did not dwell on this topic, but asked about recent events in the court, to which the Prince of Jin answered one by one.
"How's the investigation into Han Lianjing's treason case going?" Murong Ling asked casually at the end.
The Prince of Jin said, "Han Lianjing's crime of colluding with the enemy is a foregone conclusion. Apart from the letters found earlier, no evidence has been found to prove that he is innocent."
Murong Ling nodded. "What do you plan to do about it?"
"This matter is of great importance, and I believe it should be severely punished to serve as a warning to others. Han Lianjing is an only son, but there are many close collateral branches of the Han family. It would be better to confiscate their property as well, exile the male members to the frontier, and send the female members to the brothels. What does Your Majesty think?"
Murong Ling disagreed. If this happened, Luo Chaoxi would be reduced to working in a brothel, and he would never allow that to happen.
"Han Lianjing is a capable young man of our Southern Qi who can lead troops. I do not believe that he would commit treason. I will personally send people to investigate this matter. You do not need to worry about it."
The Prince of Jin replied, "Yes."
After the Prince of Jin left, Murong Ling summoned Ying San and said, "From now on, you will be responsible for protecting Luo Chaoxi's safety. Remember, don't let her discover your existence for the time being."
Shadow Three is best at stealth and is also the Shadow Guard he trusts the most, so Murong Ling feels more at ease sending him.
Ying San responded, "Your subordinate obeys."
Afterwards, Murong Ling went to the Dali Temple prison.
He wanted to see what kind of man Luo Chaoxi was so determined to save.
In a cell deep within the Dali Temple prison, a man dressed in prison clothes, with disheveled hair and covered in dirt and blood, sat dejectedly in a corner, his beard unkempt, a far cry from his former charisma.
When Murong Ling arrived, this was the scene she saw. She couldn't help but scoff inwardly. Was this the kind of man she was talking about all day long?
What's so good about him? Not only is he big and burly, but he's also as dark as charcoal.
Could it be that she likes being tanned like this?
In fact, Han Lianjing was at most muscular, not burly. He had handsome features and his skin was tanned from being exposed to the sun at the border. He was quite a good-looking man.
But someone felt incredibly jealous, like a vat of vinegar had been spilled, and couldn't stand the thought that Han Lianjing was unworthy of Luo Chaoxi. He stared at Han Lianjing, who was sitting sideways to him, with a sinister look in his eyes.
That gaze was so intense it sent chills down one's spine. It was impossible for Han Lianjing not to feel it. He turned around and saw the emperor standing outside the prison cell. He quickly turned back and knelt down.
"Your Majesty! I have not colluded with the enemy or betrayed the country. I have been wronged..." Before he could finish the word "wronged," the emperor had already turned and left without saying a word.
Han Lianjing, "?"
So the emperor came just to see him?
...
As night falls, every household is brightly lit.
Inside the Han residence, Luo Chaoxi received a tonic soup sent by someone from the Wei family.
"Madam, the old lady said you've lost a lot of weight while you've been on the mountain, so she specially instructed the servants to prepare an extra bowl of nourishing soup for you." The soup was delivered by a maid from Madam Wei's courtyard.
Luo Chaoxi opened the lid and smelled it. "Go back and thank your mother for me."
"Host, there's a sleeping potion in this soup!"
Luo Chaoxi had already guessed it. "Isn't Wei's eagerness to bring me back for some other purpose? What if she sends me to the Prince of Jin's residence, only to find me missing, or something happens to the Prince of Jin? I wonder how she'll handle that?"
"Bunny, give me an antidote pill to pop into my mouth."
"Okay!"
The antidote pill melted in her mouth. Luo Chaoxi took the antidote pill and then drank the soup clean in front of the maid.
Judging that the drug was about to take effect, Luo Chaoxi pretended to faint.
Before long, Granny Wang arrived at Luo Chaoxi's place with a large entourage. She tied up Huaping, changed Luo Chaoxi's clothes, packed her up, and put her in a sedan chair.
The sedan chair departed from the side gate, swaying and rocking its way towards the Prince of Jin's residence.
Hidden in a tree not far from the courtyard, Shadow Three witnessed everything and thought to himself, "This is bad."
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