Prince Chen looked at the Crown Prince with a half-smile, wondering what trick he was up to this time.
The Crown Prince sighed sadly and said, "How did things turn out like this? Before leaving the palace, I promised Father that I would clear Daoping's name, but I never expected that Daoping would deceive Father so badly! Father will be very sad if he finds out."
Prince Chen played along, saying, "Yes, if it weren't necessary, I wouldn't have wanted to tell Father Emperor. But I couldn't disobey the Emperor's orders. This morning, as soon as the palace gates opened, I sent someone to deliver it inside. Father Emperor should already know by now."
"What? It's already been sent to the palace?"
Prince Jing, who was standing to the side, also began to get anxious. He had originally wanted to see how things went and try to persuade the old emperor again, and to add fuel to the fire by complaining to Prince Gao Chen. He did not expect that the emperor would act so quickly and that the report had already been sent to the palace.
"Yes, does Sixth Brother have some other insights?"
Prince Chen looked at him with a smile, thinking that his silly younger brother was hopeless, so eager to count money for others.
If it weren't for his brotherly bond and his decision not to make a scene for the time being, and instead to play along with his act, he would have had absolutely no chance with the Emperor.
Of course, his leniency wasn't entirely out of brotherhood; he also wanted to see what kind of person Lin Yiping was so he could capture him all at once.
Prince Jing awkwardly touched his nose: "Third Brother is so decisive, what insights could I possibly have? However, can Third Brother really guarantee that all of this is true? Dao Ping's good health could also be due to him having cultivated an immortal body, which is why he looks so young. Third Brother, you're making a sweeping generalization without distinguishing right from wrong, isn't that a bit too hasty?"
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince thought it made a lot of sense and chimed in, "Yes, yes, that's what I was thinking too. If Dao Ping Zhenren really has that ability, it's not impossible that he might make a wrong diagnosis because the imperial physicians in the palace are inexperienced."
Prince Lin stood aside without reacting, as if he had nothing to do with the matter.
Lu Baichuan took in their reactions one by one, sneered inwardly, but remained outwardly calm and composed.
Prince Chen laughed loudly upon hearing their words: "Your Highness and Sixth Brother are truly amusing. Father is currently bedridden due to poisoning by Dao Ping, yet you two keep speaking up for that sorcerer. What is your intention?"
Both the Crown Prince and Prince Jing were taken aback. The Crown Prince said, "Of course we are not speaking for Daoping, but we are just afraid that Father will be sad! Father is getting old, and we, as his subjects, only hope that he is happy. How could we bear to see him depressed?"
"Your Highness, now it's just the few of us brothers, so there's no need to say any more of this."
The crown prince was the eldest son, and in principle, the other brothers should call him elder brother. However, because he was weak and incompetent, and only knew how to flatter the old emperor since childhood, his brothers did not respect him.
Perhaps he had gotten used to it over the years, so the Crown Prince didn't mind. He even explained with a smile, "As the elder brother, it is only right and proper for me to do these things. Third brother, I have no other intentions. Just look at how much happier Father has been these days. Investigate again thoroughly and don't disappoint him."
He spoke with such sincerity that, normally, Prince Jing would have already criticized him. But this time, he felt that the Crown Prince was right. He believed that Daoping had been framed, and that the real culprit was Prince Chen.
What Prince Jing couldn't understand was why Prince Chen insisted on eliminating Daoping. He was just a Taoist priest, after all.
To put it bluntly, the old emperor was misled by the sorcerer, and the one with the most power was still Prince Chen. He really couldn't understand what Prince Chen was after.
Prince Chen naturally wouldn't tell them about the Eastern Court, since it was still unknown who was cooperating with the Eastern Court. He simply said, "If you think I have wronged Daoping, you can investigate yourselves and produce evidence. I welcome you to overturn my decision at any time."
"By the way, I'm only giving you today, otherwise the decision will be finalized."
After saying that, he turned and left, giving the impression that he didn't care about the matter at all, which left Prince Jing and the Crown Prince completely bewildered.
Prince Chen was also very pleased. If Lu Baichuan hadn't left a backup plan, he really wouldn't have been able to leave so gracefully.
The group gritted their teeth silently. Seeing how little he cared about them, they were all very unhappy. When exactly did Prince Chen's strength become so far superior to theirs?
After Prince Chen left, the group looked at each other and then unanimously decided to go to the palace first to see the old emperor's reaction before making a decision.
Prince Lin was initially uninterested, but seeing that both the Crown Prince and Prince Jing insisted, he went along to see what was going on.
As for those Taoist priests, after Prince Chen left, they were all taken back and imprisoned.
With He Jiuniang's precious medicinal herbs, there's no need to worry about them having suicidal thoughts; we only need to be wary of those people killing them to silence them.
Meanwhile, in the palace, the old emperor already knew about Daoping's affair and looked incredulous.
Consort Liu comforted him deeply, saying, "Your Majesty, Daoping has truly failed Your Majesty's favoritism. Your Majesty must take good care of your health and personally bring that evil Taoist to justice. Otherwise, it will be difficult to quell this hatred in your heart!"
The old emperor remained silent, mainly because he was too heartbroken that someone he trusted so much would treat him this way.
Just as he was feeling sad, the three princes arrived. The old emperor thought they had come to report on the peace, so he let them in.
"There's no need to say anything more. I already know. Just handle it as it should be handled."
The old emperor waved his hand wearily, feeling utterly heartbroken.
The Crown Prince spoke first: "Father, that is indeed the case now, but your subjects believe there is still a chance. It is very possible that Dao Ping Zhenren was framed!"
The crown prince knelt before the bed with a face full of loyalty and filial piety, his back straight.
The old emperor was successfully drawn to these words and hurriedly looked at him, asking, "What do you mean by that?"
Prince Jing said, "Father, your subjects feel that something is amiss in this matter. Everything is too coincidental. Don't you think so, Father?"
"First of all, Daoping is just a Taoist priest. Why would he drug Father Emperor? It's inexplicable! Also, why is Third Brother still fixated on this matter? Such a big case, and Third Brother solved it in just one night. Is interrogating criminals so easy?"
"My third brother has always been domineering. It's not impossible that he tried to persuade Father Emperor to no avail, so he orchestrated this whole thing himself!"
Prince Jing's words were very reasonable, and the old emperor found them to be quite insightful.
However, he knew why the third son was so fixated on Daoping, but his other sons probably didn't, which is why they thought Prince Chen was targeting Daoping for no reason.
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