When the palace servants went to the emperor to report on the matter of Prince Liang, the emperor was in the middle of the water, with Xie Tingzhou, Lei Ce, and two princes protecting him.
They had been in the water for half an hour, and the emperor had not noticed anything wrong with Xie Tingzhou.
On the contrary, he is getting old, and his body is not as strong as it used to be after years of hard work. Soaking in the water for too long is taking its toll.
He then said to the group, "You shall have a match with me. The winner will be rewarded. How about it?"
None of them dared to object.
The emperor then looked at Xie Tingzhou and said, "To be fair, Tingzhou, you should take off your mask. External objects can affect your performance."
Without hesitation, Xie Tingzhou removed his mask and threw it to Xing Ze on the shore.
Seeing that it was still the same face with crisscrossing scars, and that there was no sign of disguise, the emperor was somewhat disappointed and also felt a little sad.
It's not Zhao'er!
Because of this outcome, he was somewhat downcast when he met the Empress.
The Empress was also distressed, but she still held onto a sliver of hope, thinking, "Could it be that he had anticipated our test and had made preparations in advance?"
"But what kind of disguise or mask could allow someone to remain submerged in water for so long without being detected?"
There used to be such a thing; the head of the Xuan Yin Pavilion was skilled at making incredibly realistic human skin masks.
However, not long after the old master passed away, his daughter also died. His son, who inherited the Xuan Yin Pavilion, did not inherit the true skills. Someone offered him an exorbitant price, but he still couldn't complete the task.
The Empress longed to see her son, but seeing the Emperor's state, she comforted him, "Although Tingzhou is not him, we have all confirmed that the Crown Prince is still alive, which is excellent news."
His reluctance to appear now stems from a misunderstanding. Once we apprehend the person who harmed him, he will understand the truth of what happened back then.
He's a good boy, he'll definitely come back, he definitely will.
The Empress spoke with certainty, but lacked conviction. Could she truly forgive someone after years of hurt and misunderstanding?
She was afraid that her son would not forgive her, and that she would never see him again in this life, which is why she kept testing Xie Tingzhou.
Right now, she felt a growing sense of loss, but she didn't want to wallow in self-pity. She told the emperor about the Prince of Liang.
The palace servants, unable to wait for the emperor to come ashore, reported to the empress, "It was Ye Zhen and Yin Jiu Niang who did it."
The two did not deliberately hide anything, so it was not difficult to find out.
The emperor snorted coldly, "Good job, but we still have to maintain appearances. Let someone investigate."
To avoid arousing suspicion from the King of Liang, he added, "It's better if the Crown Prince doesn't return at this time."
The King of Liang harbors wolfish ambitions; if the Crown Prince were to appear, wouldn't he become another thorn in his side?
But before he could finish speaking, Chen Banjun stumbled in, his face filled with a mixture of joy and surprise, tears streaming down his face. "Your Majesty...Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the...Crown Prince has returned..."
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