Even though he knew it, he still felt that Daoping was wronged. Daoping was such a detached person from worldly affairs, he really couldn't have done such a thing.
After all, he had been taking the pills all along, and nothing had happened before.
Furthermore, he felt much more comfortable after taking the pill, so Daoping must have been wronged!
So, if Daoping didn't poison it, could it have been the third brother?
Just like Lao Liu said, Lao San has always been assertive when dealing with these matters, so it's not impossible that he might be scared like this.
Yes! That must be it!
"Smack!"
He slammed his hand on the bed and said through gritted teeth, "You all go and investigate! You must give me the truth! Also, bring the third prince to the palace to see me!"
The group left as if they had been injected with adrenaline. In their eyes, the matter was already a done deal, and it was just a play directed and acted by Prince Chen.
They were pressed for time; they only had one day, so they had to hurry!
When Prince Chen received the summons from the old emperor, he was having dinner with the princess. Thanks to He Jiu Niang, the couple's relationship had been like that of newlyweds for the past few days. Whenever he wasn't dealing with state affairs, Prince Chen would spend time with the princess.
"Why is His Majesty in such a hurry to see you? Is there something important that comes of it?"
The princess was somewhat worried about him, after all, her husband and the old emperor had always been at odds, and sometimes she didn't even know when he would die.
"Never mind, let's eat first."
Prince Chen remained calm, as this was an expected outcome. Moreover, given the old emperor's temperament, he might be punished if he went, so he would have to eat his fill before going.
He admitted that ever since Lu Baichuan came to his side to offer advice and strategies, he had become somewhat arrogant.
No matter how much trouble those guys cause, Lu Baichuan has a way to deal with them; he just needs to lie low.
Thinking of this, he said happily, "This is the advantage of having capable people around me; it saves me a lot of trouble!"
As he spoke, he swiftly downed two large bowls.
Firstly, I was in a good mood, and secondly, Lu Baichuan's pickled vegetables were really refreshing and went well with rice!
The princess was pleased to see this and grew to like Lu Baichuan's family even more.
The old emperor was getting impatient waiting in the palace, but Consort Liu tried to calm him down: "Your Majesty, please calm down. I heard that Prince Chen stayed up all night at the Taoist temple to get the Taoist priests to confess. He didn't sleep at all, and then personally led people to parade through the streets early this morning. He must be exhausted. He probably just went to sleep, and it will take him some time to get up!"
These words displeased the old emperor, who asked, "Are you saying that I'm being harsh?"
Consort Liu sighed softly and said in a coquettish voice, "Your Majesty, I dare not. I only know that after Your Majesty's accident, only Prince Chen was anxious to find out the truth and stayed at the Taoist temple all night to investigate the case. But Your Majesty would rather believe a sorcerer who wants to harm you than believe your own son! Your Majesty, I don't understand those grand principles. I only want Your Majesty to be healthy. That sorcerer himself hasn't lived for many days, yet he feeds Your Majesty random things every day. When I think of how Your Majesty vomited blood before, my heart trembles!"
If any other concubine had said such words, the old emperor would have been angry, but it was different when these words came from Consort Liu.
Consort Liu never participated in court affairs, nor did she ever inquire about her sons' affairs. However, today she was clearly somewhat angry and spoke up for Prince Chen, obviously feeling that Daoping was indeed problematic.
Consort Liu took care of him personally, and he could see her heartache and sadness, and he knew that she was speaking from the heart.
The old emperor remained silent. He did not deny Consort Liu's statement. He was willing to believe that Daoping was innocent, but he was also unwilling to believe that what his third son had found out was the truth. He and this son had never gotten along.
He had no interest in politics, but his son cared a lot about it. They often disagreed and he frequently argued with him, as if he wanted to get rid of him from his position.
How could anyone like someone like that?
Just as they were in silence, a young eunuch came to report that Prince Chen had arrived.
He waved his hand, signaling for the person to come in.
Prince Chen entered, bowed respectfully, but then remained silent.
The old emperor remained silent, creating an awkward atmosphere.
After a long while, Prince Chen asked, "Father, didn't you want to see me about something?"
It means, "I'm here, why aren't you saying anything?"
The old emperor was in a real dilemma, unsure of what to say.
She found Prince Chen increasingly displeasing.
After thinking for a moment, he cleared his throat and asked, "What exactly happened with Daoping?"
"It's just as I said in the memorial I submitted to you this morning: Daoping didn't actually live that many years; he was merely impersonating someone. As for the reasons behind this, I already explained them very clearly a few days ago."
Prince Chen spoke calmly, seemingly unafraid of the old emperor or the princes investigating.
The more composed he became, the more uneasy the old emperor felt, unsure of what was really going on.
Fortunately, Prince Chen gave him face and said, "If Father doesn't believe me, then wait and see what happens to Sixth Prince and the others tonight. I'll give them a day to prove it."
"Only one day..."
The old emperor was about to retort when Prince Chen interrupted him, saying, "Father, a day is not a short time. If each of the three of them takes a day, it's equivalent to three days. They are all your sons. I was able to find out in one night, so why can't they?"
The old emperor's face darkened further; he had no way to respond to those words.
"Father, if there's nothing else, I'll head back now."
Prince Chen waited for a while, and seeing that the old emperor did not speak, he took his leave. The old emperor waved his hand, but ultimately did not say anything.
After Prince Chen left, Consort Liu patted his chest to help him catch his breath and said sweetly, "Your Majesty, there's no use being anxious now. We'll know the truth tonight, and the Crown Prince and the others will surely give you a satisfactory explanation."
The old emperor agreed with Consort Liu's words and nodded, saying, "My beloved consort is so thoughtful!"
Thinking about the way the third brother had treated him just now, he was furious. He felt that the third brother was increasingly disregarding him.
But we can't just sit idly by and do nothing about what's going on in Dongting. It's so frustrating!
Lu Baichuan took advantage of this time to go back and get a good night's sleep. He slept for quite a long time, until the sun went down. When he woke up, he was still a little dazed and thought he was still in Jingzhou. He was about to call for his wife, but after waiting for a long time without any response, he remembered that he was now in the capital.
In the blink of an eye, I've been in Beijing for almost half a month, and I still don't know what my wife is doing.
Before leaving, he specifically gave her this address, hoping she would write to him, but so much time has passed and there has been no response.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com