“We are father and son, no need for formalities, please sit down,” Shu Zhongjing said.
Shu Chengfeng wasn't faking it; even sitting down was extremely difficult for him.
Shu Zhongjing couldn't see clearly, but he could hear it and roughly knew what was going on.
"I have ordered a thorough investigation and will give you an explanation."
"Your Majesty, I am truly terrified today. This is the capital. If I could be assassinated today, will Father Emperor be safe in the future? I am terrified just thinking about it." Shu Chengfeng gritted his teeth: "My guards are all highly skilled, yet we never expected to encounter such an ambush. Six of them died. They were all illegitimate sons or collateral relatives of noble families in the capital. They were not nameless or unknown people."
"I understand. I will reward them well and take good care of their families. They are all good ministers who protect their lord," Shu Zhongjing sighed.
“This matter cannot be left unresolved. The Prince of Nan’an is eyeing us covetously, and this situation is likely related to him. He intends to overthrow Father’s throne. Even those baseless rumors outside must be the old scoundrel’s treacherous scheme,” Shu Chengfeng said.
"Very well, now that you're injured, what about matters of state..."
"Father! This is a critical moment, and the battle at the front is intense. I have been ambushed again. If neither of us can attend court now, things will surely descend into chaos. Although I am seriously injured, I am fortunate that my bones and internal organs have not been damaged. I can still hold on. Father, you will recover soon. Once you are recovered, I can rest."
Shu Zhongjing remained silent.
He looked over with unfocused eyes, and after a long while said, "Okay."
Shu Chengfeng worked for a while longer before getting up.
Without saying goodbye to the Empress, he simply sent someone to inform her that he was returning to his residence.
As for the princes, send word to them to return home.
The Empress was also distressed by his health, but since he was gone, there was nothing she could do.
"Tell me, who did it?" Shu Zhongjing asked.
She said to the eunuch, "This servant does not know, but... what Yu Qi and the others investigated was mostly about the Second Prince."
"You found out?" Shu Zhongjing knew it must be one of the princes, so it wasn't surprising.
"Yes, those arrows all belong to the infantry battalion. Recently, only the Second Prince has requested a batch under the pretext of hunting." Xiang Hong thought to himself that the Second Prince must be thinking that as long as the Crown Prince dies, this matter will not be investigated.
Because no one will investigate this immediately. After all, His Majesty... is unlikely to seek justice for the Crown Prince.
Unexpectedly, the crown prince was still alive despite the ambush.
This exposed everything.
"Idiot! Idiot!" Shu Zhongjing smashed the teacup, still not satisfied, and swept everything off the table.
He was so angry that he slumped over the table, panting.
I was seeing stars.
"Your Majesty, please calm down! Your health is of utmost importance! You must not get angry now," Xiang Hong hurriedly advised.
"You, you go! Go and stop them, don't let them investigate yet," Shu Zhongjing said.
“Your Majesty, I’m afraid this won’t work. This morning, His Highness brought this matter up in front of all the civil and military officials, and now the whole court probably knows about it. There’s no way to stop it now,” Xiang Hong said.
Xiang Hong also suffered. That morning, His Highness was seriously injured but still wanted to be examined. How many eyes were watching at that time?
How could one possibly keep what happened afterward a secret?
The assassins were all detained at the Ministry of Justice. Now, everyone in the Ministry of Justice, as well as the Provincial Judicial Commissioner's Office, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, are waiting at the Ministry of Justice.
How can it be kept secret?
"You insolent fool! I am the emperor, can't I even make my own decisions? Go and issue the decree!" Shu Zhongjing struggled to his feet.
"Your Majesty! You mustn't! The entire court knows that if we insist on protecting the Second Prince now... it will damage your reputation and prestige. The Prince of Nan'an outside is already... you can't protect him now." Xiang Hong knelt down and said.
Shu Zhongjing took several deep breaths, but still collapsed to the ground headfirst.
Xiang Hong was shocked and quickly helped the person in and called for others to come in.
The Empress arrived in less than half an hour.
The Empress watched the imperial physician take her pulse, and looked at the person on the dragon bed, feeling an indescribable sense of bewilderment.
Is this the husband she once loved so deeply?
He's not that old, so why does he look so weathered now?
It's been less than half a year, how could it have turned out like this?
Meanwhile, Shu Chengfeng went straight to the Ministry of Justice after leaving the palace.
As soon as he arrived, the case began to be heard.
At the same time, he directly ordered Shangguan Ba to surround the residences of the Second Prince, the Third Prince, and the Seventh Prince.
Upon returning to his residence, the Second Prince Shu Lingfeng flew into a rage: "I am the Prince of Qian, personally appointed by His Majesty! I am a prince, and even the Crown Prince cannot imprison me! You have truly rebelled."
The entrance was filled with people from the city patrol office and the imperial guards.
The Imperial Guards should belong solely to the Emperor, but given the magnitude of this event, Shangguan Ba has no choice but to obey the Crown Prince's orders.
After all, the Imperial Guards' responsibility was to protect the palace; strictly speaking, they were the protectors of the royal family.
His Majesty must be obeyed; the Crown Prince is the heir apparent, how could he not listen?
But the princes and nobles cannot be commanded.
So the junior officer at the gate only said it was his duty and refused to say anything more.
Enraged, the second prince kicked the man hard, but still couldn't get out.
In contrast, the Third Prince and the Seventh Prince were much more well-behaved, since they didn't do anything this time.
However, outward composure does not necessarily mean inner composure.
The Third Prince felt very guilty. After all, he still had a relationship with the Prince of Nan'an, but now even his father wouldn't see him.
On the contrary, although the Seventh Prince had always had ideas in his heart and had done some things, he hadn't had time to go any deeper, so he was able to keep things stable.
The Ministry of Justice held a trial that lasted all night.
Shu Chengfeng pretended to doze off in the chair, after all, he was injured all over and had a fever, and he couldn't hold on any longer.
In the early hours of the morning, the assassins confessed.
Naturally, he was unable to implicate the second prince.
The Second Prince wouldn't be foolish enough to meet them directly, but the people who came out were his own guards.
Shu Chengfeng could no longer hold on and stood up: "I am truly unwell and will likely need a day. Father Emperor will also be unable to attend the morning court session today, so let's skip it. Send word to the Ministry of Personnel that matters should be handled according to the rules. The war at the front cannot be delayed, and whatever is needed must be delivered first. If there is anything unreasonable, come and ask me."
Everyone readily agreed and saw him out of the Ministry of Justice.
The carriage was waiting there, but Wei Xiao couldn't go back yet; he had to follow them the whole way to catch the person.
Last night, Eunuch Liu had also been resting against a pillar in the back. Now, the carriage was personally brought to pick him up by Meng Zongying, the chief secretary of the mansion.
Meng Zongying was the Empress's man, but he was clever and knew that His Highness didn't like the Empress interfering in everything. So he kept the position but distanced himself from her.
But if a person is smart and capable, Shu Chengfeng wouldn't refuse to use him.
On the surface, they became distant, seemingly unable to keep up with his affairs, and so over time, the Empress eventually gave up on him.
But secretly, he did many things for the Crown Prince, and was clearly a confidant.
"Your Highness, please get in the carriage. I have laid out thick cushions inside." Meng Zongying helped him up.
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