Concubine Ying smiled stiffly. This news was no longer useful to her. Because once she said it, her brother's life or death would be in jeopardy.
"My son, I am very sorry for you and regret not listening to you..." Concubine Ying lowered her head, feeling very ashamed.
"What?" The Second Prince shuddered. "Mother, you went to kill Wu Xueyan?"
Concubine Ying nodded in despair. "We sent four, but there's been no news as of this morning. I'm afraid you're right. We were ambushed."
The second prince was so angry that he fell backwards. This was the consequence of his mother being too strong. It was true that she could help him clear many obstacles, but it also brought him a lot of trouble.
"Who's going?"
"They are all assassins. Don't worry, their identities will never be exposed!"
The Second Prince let out a breath of foul air. Actually, the situation wasn't too bad. It wasn't too late to stop now. So, he very unconventionally grasped Concubine Ying's shoulders, exerting force with both hands, trying to convey this sense of stability to his mother.
He knew that his mother couldn't be anxious, as the more anxious she was, the more likely she would make mistakes.
"It's nothing serious. My son was too hasty yesterday and irritated you. So, mother, please don't make any moves. Those assassins are dead, so let them be. We won't pursue the matter. It's okay."
"But, but, I heard that Wu Xueyan is really still alive, and has already gone to Jingzhao Prefecture to appeal for justice. Now she is in prison. I'm afraid someone will come to the palace to look for you soon."
"How could this be?" The Second Prince relaxed his grip and immediately understood the key point. This was still a trap. Assuming Wu Xueyan was still alive, she had returned to the capital for so many days. She waited until her mother took action before filing a complaint, wanting to be caught red-handed.
And, Jingzhao Prefecture? Was she out of her mind? Jingzhao Prefecture had no right to try the royal family, so why would she go there? So he concluded that this must be a trick, a deliberate rumor to lure him to Jingzhao Prefecture to kill and silence him, leaving behind evidence.
It is very likely that Wu Xueyan is fake, so she dare not show herself in public, so she hurriedly went to jail and did not contact outsiders.
Haha, Seventh Brother is still the same as before, liking to do these things of killing someone with a borrowed knife, hiding himself well, and using the hatred of the Xu family to drag himself into the water.
"Pooh!" Thinking of this, the second prince spat fiercely, which scared Concubine Ying.
"My dear, you are..."
"Mother, it's okay. I've figured it out. As long as you make sure the people you sent out yesterday won't be recognized, I can guarantee that we'll be safe and that my uncle will return safely."
Concubine Ying was frightened and nodded mechanically. If she didn't listen to her son now, she was afraid that she would be in great trouble.
"Okay, then, mother, you can rest assured in the palace. I will go to the study first. We can discuss the rest of the matter when I come back in the evening."
The Second Prince was just as he said. He spent the entire day in the study discussing court affairs without making a single wrong move. Even when his confidants repeatedly hinted that something had happened outside, he ignored them and made no move at all.
It was not until he was called away by the eunuch beside his father and looked at the complaint with a bright red handprint on it that he woke up from his dream and showed an expression of shock that could not be more real.
"Father, didn't Miss Wu say she left home to travel? Why is she back now? And the things she mentioned above are completely fictitious. Lord Shen, what exactly do you mean by this?"
Chen Yue now had a face full of bitterness and hatred. When he heard the court drum and saw the complaint at noon, he almost wanted to dig out his eyeballs and eat them.
"Second Prince, Wu Xueyan sounded the drum to report her crimes at noon today and filed a complaint accusing you of abusing your authority by instructing her to hand over the city defense command plaque to Second Miss Xu with the intent to frame her and to hunt her down and assassinate her. I have taken her into custody and have her imprisoned in the Jingzhao Prefecture jail, awaiting Your Majesty's orders."
Chen Yue finished speaking in one breath, then stood aside with his hands hanging down, listening to what the emperor said.
Before His Majesty could say anything, the Second Prince knelt on the ground with a thud:
"Your Majesty, the complaint does not contain any such information. I do have some acquaintance with Miss Wu San, but that was many years ago. I have not seen her since that brief glimpse at my uncle's residence. Please be fair, Father!"
The emperor was sitting too high up, and neither of them could see his expression clearly. Only the eunuch standing next to him could see clearly that his majesty was very angry, not just ordinary angry.
However, when the emperor spoke, his voice was still the same as usual: "Chi Yan, your uncle once said that it was you who arranged for Wu Xueyan to be the center of attention at the banquet in the palace. I think it was because of the young master of the Duke's Mansion, right?"
The Second Prince knew his father would bring this up sooner or later, so he explained it according to the story he had told him at the time: "It is true, but Miss Wu Third only asked me to help arrange the dance, and didn't say anything else. I agreed out of a momentary pang of weakness, and I didn't expect her to cause so much trouble."
The emperor placed his hand on Jin Ruyi beside him and continued, "So, what's going on with the city defense commander's plaque?"
"I don't know. Wasn't this matter handled by Jingzhao Prefecture at the time? You should ask Lord Shen."
Shen Yue's forehead was filled with dark energy. When this matter was mentioned, it was indeed his dereliction of duty. He let the person go without even investigating. It was really wrong.
So he knelt down and explained, "Your Majesty, Young Master Xu said he had picked up the token. During that time, the Wu and Xu families were at loggerheads, and I selfishly thought it was the younger generations of the two families trying to trip each other up. I was indeed careless. As for where this city defense commander's token came from, we really should investigate it now."
"Forget it. It's been so long, how can we investigate? I heard that because of Madam Gu's incident, Master Xu has been hiding in Wansong Academy and hasn't even returned home. Where can we ask him?"
Chen Yue cursed the emperor for being partial in his heart. Wansong Academy is not in the northern border of Lingnan. What's the use of sending someone to ask? It's just because you are partial to your own son and don't want to ask!
The second prince also heard his father's intention to protect him, and he felt relieved and almost cried.
Then the emperor said, "Chi Yan, you always said you should avoid Zhou Zhiming's affairs before. This time, the matter truly involves you. You should avoid suspicion. I will send people to interrogate Wu Xueyan. You must not act rashly."
"Yes! I will remember what the emperor said!" The second prince was extremely grateful. His father was indeed on his side. These words were a comfort, but also a warning, warning him not to do stupid things like last night.
Of course, he did not give his mother away. Even if he said now that he had no idea and that it was all his mother who did it, no one would believe him.
"Lord Shen, please complete the handover with the Heavenly Prison and take Wu Xueyan to the Heavenly Prison as soon as possible. I will personally interrogate her."
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