Chapter 57 Being Used
Liu Xiao stood alone in the study of the East Palace, with the door closed.
The brief but thrilling contact just now was like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, which caused huge waves in his heart.
The wrist seemed to still retain the scorching heat and unquestionable strength of the second prince's palm.
The complex emotions that surged in those deep eyes, emotions he had never seen before—relief, affection, pain, struggle...
And that panicked escape at the end—it replayed in his mind over and over again.
"Axiao..."
That hoarse, trembling call contained too many things that he could not interpret but made his heart palpitate inexplicably.
What happened to the second prince?
That extraordinary care, the life-swearing protection, and the "I'm in charge of everything" in the middle of the night.
And the words that were almost out of control and unfinished just now...
Liu Xiao is not an ignorant child.
He read widely and also read poems and stories about love.
In the past, he just never associated those emotions with himself and his second brother.
But now, with all the anomalies connected together, an absurd yet seemingly only reasonable answer is about to emerge.
This realization made his heart beat irregularly and his cheeks flush.
An unfamiliar, panicky yet not completely irresistible heat flowed through every part of his body.
He subconsciously touched the wrist that had been held just now, which seemed to still be imprinted with the other person's warmth.
"No... Impossible..." He muttered to himself, trying to deny this astonishing idea.
That was his second brother, a brother whose blood was thicker than water!
But...how can I explain the clear throbbing and confusion in my heart?
He slumped down in his chair, his heart in turmoil.
On the one hand, he was worried about the safety of the Marquis' Mansion and his second uncle, and on the other hand, he was disturbed by the sudden abnormality of his second brother.
He found that he could not concentrate on any government affairs, and all he could think of was Liu Cong's last hurried escape.
The second prince Liu Cong almost fled back to his own palace.
He kicked open the study door and bolted it shut. He leaned his back against the cold door, breathing heavily, his forehead covered in cold sweat.
Panic and regret were like a cold tide that instantly drowned him.
What did he do?!
He actually...actually lost control!
He grabbed Ah Xiao's hand! He almost… confessed that forbidden, all-destructive feeling!
What would Xiao think?
He is so smart, he must have noticed something unusual!
Would he feel disgusted? Or horrified? Would he think he was a filthy monster who coveted his brother?
The thought that Liu Xiao might look at him with disgust and fear.
Liu Cong felt as if his heart was being tightly grasped by an invisible hand, and the pain was so severe that he could hardly breathe.
He would rather face thousands of troops than endure a trace of disgust from Ah Xiao.
"It's over... it's over..."
He slid down to the ground, ran his hands through his hair, and growled in pain.
The boundaries he had been carefully guarding, the emotions he had been trying so hard to suppress, were shattered at that moment!
No! He can't lose Xiao!
Even if I can only stay by his side as his brother, he must not lose him!
After the intense fear, there is a determination to burn the boats.
He raised his head sharply, a cold and paranoid glint in his eyes.
It must be made up! Everything must be put back on track!
Guard more closely and eliminate all threats more efficiently!
Only by completely calming down this storm can Xiao no longer worry about these trivial matters.
Maybe... maybe time can dilute the awkwardness of that moment?
Perhaps Xiao would attribute it to his brother's loss of composure due to excessive worry?
Yes! That's it!
He forced down all his panic and pain once again, transforming them into a more powerful force for action.
He immediately stood up, washed his face with cold water, and forced himself to calm down.
Then he began to process the follow-up interrogation report on the kidnappers sent by Han Feng.
Han Feng's method is effective.
Those kidnappers were not stubborn men. Under torture and psychological pressure, some of them soon broke down and confessed.
They admitted that they were hired by a middleman, and they only knew that the other party offered a very high price to kidnap the second master of Weiyuan Marquis Mansion.
Force him to tell about an incident involving a eunuch fifteen years ago, and if necessary, create an accident to silence him.
As for who their employer is, they have no idea.
However, the leader who tried to silence the witness revealed an even more vicious message when he was dying.
He grinned and said, "You... can't find the master... The master has long... long expected that you would save people... Hehe... The real killer move... is in the East Palace... by the side of that little prince..."
Before he could finish his words, his head tilted and he died.
"Eastern Palace? Beside the prince?" Han Feng was shocked and immediately reported the news to Liu Cong.
When Liu Cong received the news, his heart, which had just calmed down, instantly rose to his throat again!
The other party actually has a backup plan? Targeting Ah Xiao?!
He immediately ordered, "A thorough investigation! Re-screen every member of the Eastern Palace, including guards, palace maids, eunuchs, and even anyone who has come into contact with the Crown Prince's food or utensils in the past three months! Especially newcomers, or anyone who has behaved unusually recently! Not a single clue can be left unchecked!"
At the same time, he stepped up his investigation on the periphery based on the appearance characteristics of the middleman provided by the kidnappers.
Tracking down his whereabouts. This middleman may be the key to finding the mastermind behind the incident.
In the Yangxin Palace, the emperor's expression eased slightly as he listened to Liu Cong's report on the successful rescue of Cui Jun and the capture of the kidnappers.
"Well done." The emperor nodded approvingly. "It seems the other party has reached a breaking point. Pry open the kidnappers' mouths and find the mastermind!"
"Your son obeys your order! The interrogation is being intensified." Liu Cong said respectfully, but his palms were slightly sweaty.
Hiding the news from his father that Madam Zhou might be involved in the case put him under tremendous psychological pressure.
The emperor looked at Liu Cong again, his eyes sharp as a knife: "I heard that you looked hurried when you left the East Palace yesterday. What happened with Xiao'er?"
The emperor's spies were everywhere, and Liu Cong's abnormality obviously did not escape his notice.
Liu Cong was startled and quickly bowed to hide his
"Your Highness, it's nothing serious. It's just that when I told Your Highness yesterday that Cui Jun had been kidnapped, Your Highness was very worried, and I spent a long time trying to comfort him. Then, thinking that the kidnapper might have accomplices, I became anxious, and therefore looked a little strange. Please forgive me, Your Highness."
The emperor looked at him for a moment, and seemed to accept this explanation, but there was still a trace of subtle doubt in his eyes.
"Yes. Xiao'er is young, and it's inevitable that he's worried about what he's going through. Please take care of him. Go down."
"Yes." Liu Cong secretly breathed a sigh of relief and left the Yangxin Palace, but a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back.
Back at the Weiyuan Marquis' Mansion, Cui Yan finally felt relieved when he learned that his brother had been successfully rescued and placed in a safe place provided by the Second Prince.
However, his repeated requests for visits were rejected by Liu Cong on the grounds that "the second master is too frightened and needs to rest. For safety reasons, he should not see guests."
This made him feel even more uneasy. He always felt that his brother's kidnapping was not as simple as it seemed. There must be a bigger secret behind it.
This secret was likely directly related to his brother's previous fear. The Marquis's Mansion was still shrouded in anxiety.
The screening work in the Eastern Palace was carried out secretly and efficiently.
Liu Cong sent his confidants to conduct a new round of strict background checks and behavioral analysis on all personnel in the Eastern Palace.
However, after several days, no obvious abnormalities were found. All the personnel had clean backgrounds and their behavior was normal.
Just when the investigation seemed to have reached a deadlock, a young eunuch who was responsible for cleaning the outside of the prince's study was found to have a small bag of strange powder on him during a routine inspection.
After inspection, it was found to be a mixture of special pollen and herbs, and was non-toxic in itself.
However, if combined with a kind of tribute tea that the prince drinks on a daily basis, long-term trace intake will gradually make people depressed and unresponsive!
The young eunuch was so frightened that he cried and shouted that he had no idea what it was.
I found it in the garden a few days ago. I kept it because I thought it smelled good. I definitely had no intention of harming the prince!
During the interrogation, it was found that the young eunuch did have a simple background, had not been in the palace for long, and did not look like someone who could plan such a sinister scheme.
It's more like... I was used by others and became a tool for others to test the waters!
When Liu Cong learned about this, he felt a chill down his spine.
The other party's methods are so cunning and secretive!
If it is not discovered in time, Xiao’s body and spirit will be worn down over time!
Moreover, this method is extremely difficult to detect, and even if it is discovered, it is difficult to trace the source!
He immediately ordered the replacement of all the prince's tea and food sources, and used this incident as an excuse to carry out a more thorough purge of the Eastern Palace.
He transferred away all the palace servants who were even slightly suspicious and replaced them with absolutely reliable people whom he personally selected.
After this incident, the guarding and surveillance of the Eastern Palace became almost abnormally strict.
Liu Cong's nerves were also tense. He almost regarded the Eastern Palace as his home and stayed there most of the time.
On the surface, she assisted the prince in handling government affairs, but secretly she protected him every step of the way, and the look in her eyes when she looked at Liu Xiao became more complicated.
Liu Xiao also matured quickly after experiencing his second brother's loss of control, the turmoil in the Marquis' Mansion, and the attempted poisoning in the Eastern Palace.
He felt more clearly the dangers surrounding imperial power and... the heavy, almost suffocating emotions of his second brother.
He looked at Liu Cong's increasingly deep eyes and the occasional worry and emotions that he had not been able to conceal.
The confusion and throbbing in my heart gradually settled into a more complex and indescribable emotion.
He still couldn't fully define what it was, but he knew that his second brother was a completely different and irreplaceable existence to him.
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