"Master, urgent report!" Gao Wuyong rushed into the study.
Upon hearing this, Fourth Master pressed his eyelids, which had been twitching incessantly lately, and hurriedly replied, "Quickly, let them in."
As soon as the visitor entered, the Fourth Master exempted him from formalities.
The messenger knew his master was eager to know, so he didn't delay. He quickly walked a few steps to the usual reporting spot, stopped, and immediately said, "My lord, at the end of June, the Crown Prince spied on the imperial tent at night. The Emperor was furious, reprimanded the Crown Prince, and ordered him to be imprisoned."
"What!" Fourth Prince exclaimed in shock, then murmured, "How could this be? Crown Prince, how could the Crown Prince do such a thing!"
The messenger, seeing that his master was unwilling to believe it, immediately continued to report, "However, the Emperor's men caught the person who was spying on the imperial tent at night, and that person was the Crown Prince's man."
"This might be a setup." Fourth Prince still refused to believe that his handsome and talented second brother, who had such a good relationship with his father that he envied and was jealous of, would spy on the imperial tent at night for the sake of the throne.
The messenger continued, "At the time, the Thirteenth Prince also thought so, but after the Emperor's men brought that person out, the Thirteenth Prince was speechless on the spot, because that person was a loyal follower of the Crown Prince."
Upon hearing that the person caught red-handed was someone fiercely loyal to the Crown Prince, the Fourth Prince was so shocked he almost lost his footing. Then, he thought of his thirteenth brother speaking up for the Crown Prince in his fury. If his father believed his thirteenth brother was also involved, then…
So, Fourth Master hurriedly asked, "Is Thirteenth Brother alright?"
The man lowered his head and said with a somewhat unpleasant expression, "His Majesty is very angry. It seems that after the Thirteenth Prince left, he went to the Crown Prince's place and then said something to His Majesty upon his return. As a result, His Majesty has also had the Thirteenth Prince placed under guard."
Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince swayed again, muttering angrily, "What an idiot! Everyone else avoids him like the plague, yet he goes looking for the Crown Prince and even runs into him. What a fool!"
The more he talked, the more worried he became about the Thirteenth Prince, his closest brother! How could he not worry?
But no matter how worried I am, he is far away in the capital, and I can't help him!
Moreover, when his mind was unstable, he couldn't think of any solutions. After realizing his emotional instability, the Fourth Master began to control himself.
It took him a while to calm himself down and begin to think about the impact of this matter on the Crown Prince.
Clearly, regardless of whether the Crown Prince actually did it or not, he's done for!
The thought of the Crown Prince, whom he had always supported, falling from grace stirred up his emotions again, and he began to worry about the Crown Prince.
Immediately, he sent Gao Wuyong to invite Wu Sidao over to discuss matters. Then, he instructed the messenger to inform the people at the imperial palace not to act rashly, not to inquire about any more information, and to remain calm.
Otherwise, if the Emperor finds out, even I, who am far away in the capital, might be implicated. At that point, let alone finding a way to save my thirteenth brother who is affected, I might not even be able to protect myself.
As soon as Wu Sidao entered, he asked the Fourth Prince, "Your Highness, do you think the Crown Prince can rise again?"
Even though the Fourth Prince knew that his father, the Emperor, loved the Crown Prince dearly, he felt that the Crown Prince's chances of rising again were very low, unless the incident of spying on the Emperor's tent was a setup by someone else.
The person who was arrested was Tie Zhong, and now even the Fourth Prince was somewhat unsure of the Crown Prince's innocence. After all, for the sake of the throne, the Crown Prince might really have lost his mind and actually done something so foolish.
When Wu Sidao saw that the Fourth Prince was silent, his eyes immediately flashed with excitement, but the Fourth Prince kept his head down and remained silent, so he did not see it.
"Then, Fourth Master, do you still intend to stay on the sinking ship that is the Crown Prince?"
After a long silence, the Fourth Prince sighed, his eyes showing exhaustion, and said, "How can I? After all, the Prince's Mansion doesn't just have me. For their sake, I have to find another way out." He sighed again after saying that.
"Then, Fourth Master, are you planning to pledge allegiance to another prince? Or..." Wu Sidao didn't finish his sentence.
Even without being told, Fourth Master understood what Wu Sidao meant by leaving things unsaid. The thought of that possibility brought back the feelings he had previously suppressed.
At that moment, his heart was pounding. Suddenly, the Fourth Master stood up and looked at Wu Sidao with a firm gaze, saying, "I will not rely on anyone. I will fight for myself."
At the end of July, an imperial edict was issued to the Fourth Prince's residence.
The entire household went together to receive the imperial decree. Then, the Fourth Prince instructed Su Peisheng to pack his luggage, while he himself led his children and the women of the inner palace back to the Duan Courtyard of his wife.
In the main hall, the Fourth Prince instructed his wife to keep a close watch on the mansion, keep the gates closed, and not to enter or leave except for shopping trips.
Then, he instructed the eldest prince, Honghui, to take good care of himself, and then instructed Hongxuan and the third prince, Hongshi, to study when they should study and rest when they should rest, as usual.
During this period, the entire capital was quiet, like the calm before a storm. The reborn primary and secondary primary wives, as well as the time-traveling Li family, all knew that the incident of the deposed crown prince must have occurred!
As for Jiaming, she learned about it from her subordinates. Of course, even if her subordinates hadn't heard the news, with her keen senses, she knew that something extraordinary must have happened.
For example, Hongxuan didn't know exactly what had happened; he only knew it was a big deal, and a big deal at that, in the imperial court.
The Fourth Prince arrived at the imperial palace with a group of princes who had been summoned there. Before the princes could even see the Emperor's face, the court officials arrived one by one.
The Fourth Prince felt a chill run down his spine. It seemed that his father, the Emperor, was serious. His second brother, the Crown Prince, was truly doomed this time.
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