Hearing Li Zhu's self-praise, the Second Prince felt nauseous and wanted to vomit...
However, after being taught a lesson so many times, he had learned his lesson. In front of Li Zhu, he absolutely dared not show any dissatisfaction, otherwise another serious accusation would be slapped on his head, which would be too uncomfortable...
"His Highness the Crown Prince truly lives up to his reputation as an exceptional individual; such magnanimity is rarely seen in this world..."
Eunuch Tang quickly offered a compliment, after all, the Crown Prince had given him face. Even though he felt disgusted inside, with his years of experience as a servant, he still had that much discernment…
"Thank you for the compliment, Uncle Tang. I am unworthy of it..."
Li Zhu quickly responded politely. The two exchanged a glance and smiled slightly, both understanding what the other meant, but neither said it aloud. This tacit understanding made the people around them even more disgusted...
I couldn't help but think to myself: one dares to praise, and the other dares to admit it—it's unbelievable...
"Your Majesty, I have something I'd like to ask you..."
At this moment, the Second Prince seized the opportunity to speak!
Li Zhu was in high spirits; it was a rare moment for his character to be recognized, especially since his reputation had never been particularly good. This made him especially concerned about his reputation, so he didn't think much of it and replied with a wave of his hand.
"Speak..."
Upon receiving Li Zhu's reply, the Second Prince quickly asked...
"Your Majesty, didn't you instruct me to take Consort Ming back with me? I wonder where my consort, Consort Ming, is? I wish to take her with me..."
After calming down, the Second Prince realized that Li Zhu had prejudged him, leaving him feeling suppressed for a while. Since Consort Ming's clothes were here, it meant that Li Zhu and Consort Ming must have been in contact. As for whether anything had happened, he needed to find Consort Ming to confirm it…
What puzzled the Second Prince was why Li Zhu had entered from outside. Someone had reported to him that the Crown Prince had returned to the Eastern Palace, which was why he had begged his father to come along. But instead, he found no one there, and the Crown Prince had inexplicably returned from outside...
Does Li Zhu have the ability to create clones?
The Second Prince thought this guess was impossible, which meant that there was likely a passage leading outside the East Palace, and Consort Ming was probably somewhere outside the East Palace. He now had to find out Consort Ming's whereabouts...
"Second brother, are you mistaken? Why don't you go to your own residence to look for your concubines, but instead come to my Eastern Palace to demand them? Isn't that a bit unreasonable?"
Where can Li Zhu find Mingfei now? The underground palace is a secret and cannot be exposed. Besides, if he brings Mingfei out, given her attire, wouldn't that be tantamount to telling everyone that he and Mingfei have an affair...?
"Your Majesty, you yourself told me when court adjourned that I should take Consort Ming away. She's been a guest here long enough; it's time for her to go back..."
The second prince gritted his teeth and said that although there was a risk of being beaten again, he would not feel at ease if he could not see Mingfei. So even if it meant risking his reputation as a cuckold, he would take Mingfei away!
Li Zhu's face darkened. Even if it were convenient now, he would never allow the Second Prince to take Mingfei away. Both the Second Prince and Mingfei's family were planning to sacrifice Mingfei. This time, Mingfei did not do as they asked. Once she returned to the Second Prince's residence, she would suffer all kinds of abuse, or even be killed...
"Li Ke, do you know what you're saying? How dare you slander me like this? How could your concubine possibly be a guest here? You'd be better off going back to your own residence to see if your concubine is even here; that would be far more useful than slandering me here..."
Li Zhu retorted, turning the tables on the Second Prince, who was stunned and inwardly cursed, "This guy is so fake! He wasn't like this when he asked me for dancers and concubines!"
"Brother, if Consort Ming isn't here with you, then how come her clothes are in your palace?"
The second prince gritted his teeth and asked, his eyes fixed on Li Zhu with a look that seemed to want to kill him…
"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? I think you're trying to frame me with your own concubine's personal clothing, aren't you? And even if I were to take off my clothes, I would go to the envoy Nazha from Xiliang or General Wang Yanzhang from my own household. Who in Luoyang doesn't know about my unusual fetish? Don't you find it ridiculous that you're using such clumsy methods to frame me?"
Li Zhu curled his lips and said that even he himself did not believe what he said, but that was not important. What was important was that he would never admit the existence of Consort Ming!
Hearing this, Wang Yanzhang felt a chill run down his spine and hurriedly returned to his courtyard to practice his shooting...
"Since Consort Ming is not here, this old servant will return to report..."
Eunuch Tang had figured it out: Consort Ming must be with Li Zhu, otherwise she wouldn't have acted so inconsistently. However, since he was the Crown Prince, without clear evidence, he couldn't be tortured. As long as Li Zhu stubbornly denied it, there was nothing that could be done. Staying here would only be a waste of time…
"Eunuch Tang, can't you see that Li Zhu is lying?"
Seeing that Eunuch Tang was about to leave, the Second Prince immediately panicked. He dared not cause trouble here; besides the Marquis, there were also experts like Wang Yanzhang present. He could be killed in a matter of minutes…
"Your Highness, this old servant is merely His Majesty's servant. His Majesty only instructed me to wait for the Crown Prince to return. Now that the Crown Prince has returned, this old servant's mission is complete, and naturally I must return to report. As for other matters, this old servant knows nothing and will not inquire about them..."
Tang Gonggong said somewhat angrily. Although his tone was polite, he was also telling the Second Prince that he was the Emperor's servant. Even when beating a dog, one should consider its owner. He shouldn't think that just because he was the Second Prince, he could give orders to him!
"Your Highness, this old servant will return to the palace to report immediately. I apologize for any inconvenience caused today. His Majesty has instructed you not to forget tonight's banquet and to attend on time..."
After speaking, Eunuch Tang left, ignoring the Second Prince's grim expression. He even deliberately walked past the Second Prince, making the Second Prince's face even more unpleasant…
Anger welled up inside him, and he cursed, "You blind lackey, I'll kill you one day..."
After venting his frustrations, the second prince could only leave in a huff; he certainly wouldn't dare cause trouble there alone...
Only after the group left did Li Zhu breathe a sigh of relief and wipe away non-existent sweat…
The banquet is fast approaching, and he must set off as soon as possible. But before he leaves, he must rescue Consort Ming…
Moreover, he also needed to make some preparations. He remembered Zhu Fei and Shi Le's words very clearly: they wanted to use this banquet to kill him. He needed to be fully prepared...
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