Chapter 60
When the little maid returned, she whispered something into the Empress’s ear.
The Empress frowned and said in a low voice, “Keep searching! It’s his wedding day—he wouldn’t just wander off. He must still be somewhere in the residence.”
The Grand Princess’s expression darkened as well. Unable to sit still any longer, she rose to her feet and approached the Empress, demanding, “Sister-in-law, what on earth is going on? Where is the Crown Prince?”
She had witnessed everything earlier—the Crown Prince knew full well that the Emperor despised the sorcery of the Western Regions. So why had he performed such a prayer dance?
The Empress was equally bewildered. After some thought, she said, “There must be some misunderstanding. We should find the Crown Prince first and sort this out later.”
The furious Emperor finally turned his wrath toward the Empress. “Where is the Crown Prince? With all this commotion going on, is he blind or deaf? Does he not think he owes me an explanation for what’s happening?”
The Empress knew that at this point, there was no stalling for time.
Just then, Prince An, Yuwen Min, spoke up, “Earlier, I saw the Crown Prince heading toward the rear courtyard. Could it be that he’s already gone to the bridal chamber?”
The little maid beside the Empress shook her head—clearly, she had already checked the bridal chamber.
Meanwhile, Lu Hanzhi had been carried into a side chamber for the imperial physician to examine.
From outside, the Emperor’s furious voice rang out: “Search for him! I refuse to believe it—on his wedding day, could he have hidden in a dog hole?”
A chaotic flurry of movement followed, and at last, a young attendant arrived to report that the Crown Prince had been found.
However, the attendant’s expression was strangely difficult to read.
The Emperor personally led a group of people and kicked open the doors to the small inner courtyard.
What lay inside was an absolute mess—utterly disgraceful.
The sight before him made the Emperor so furious that he nearly drew his sword on the spot.
Had he been holding a sword at that moment, he might have truly committed the crime of killing his own son.
Those who followed him in all wore expressions of shock, each more complicated than the last.
Especially the Grand Princess—she erupted on the spot.
Pointing at the Crown Prince and the woman in his arms, she trembled with rage, struggling to form coherent words. “You… you… both of you! My Yun’er regarded you as a sister, yet you—a mere servant—shamelessly engaged in such indecency with her newly wedded husband on her wedding day!”
Then she turned to the Empress, jabbing a finger at her face as she cursed, “What a fine son you’ve raised!”
With that, she stormed out, unwilling to remain in the Crown Prince’s residence a moment longer.
Yet she could not simply abandon Zhaoyun. Nor could she take her back to the Princess’s estate.
This situation left her with nowhere to vent her fury—she could only swallow it down in frustration.
Was this Crown Prince an utter fool?
On his grand wedding day, the Emperor had shown him every honor imaginable. Yet he had taken a winning hand and played it to ruin!
As the Emperor stormed out of the room, his anger was so overwhelming it seemed as though he might bring the entire roof down.
Still, he did not forget to inquire about Lu Hanzhi, who had fainted. “How is that child? Why did he suddenly lose consciousness?”
The imperial physicians were at a loss. They could only shake their heads.
The Emperor frowned. “What? Even you all can’t determine what’s wrong?”
Chief Imperial Physician Lin stepped forward and reported, “Third Young Master Lu’s internal breath is in disorder, showing signs of fetal distress… However, Third Young Master is not actually pregnant. We… simply cannot understand the cause.”
At these words, the Emperor’s expression changed instantly. His voice turned sharp with anger: “Fetal distress? Explain!”
Physician Lin replied, “If the patient were pregnant, the mildest consequence would be miscarriage and infertility. In severe cases, both mother and child could die. If the patient were close to giving birth, it would certainly result in a difficult labor.”
The Emperor felt his vision go dark. Instinctively, he staggered back a step, and the Empress rushed to support him.
But he shoved her away, glaring at her as if she were his worst enemy. His voice was low and cold as he spoke. “Empress, what exactly did you do all those years ago?”
The Empress fell to her knees with a heavy thud. Meanwhile, the Crown Prince, hastily dressed yet still looking disheveled, hurried over and knelt beside her.
Bowing his head to the floor, he pleaded, “Father, if anyone is to blame, it is me! Please, do not hold Mother responsible!”
The Emperor looked at him and let out a cold laugh. “Your fault? Ha! What kind of ability do you think you have? You hadn’t even been born, yet you caused the death of your own uncle?”
The Crown Prince froze, as if unable to comprehend what he had just heard.
Then the Emperor declared, “The Empress is unworthy of her position. From this day forth, she is stripped of her Phoenix Seal, which will be temporarily placed in the care of Imperial Concubine Rong. As for the Crown Prince—he has failed to uphold proper conduct, disgracing his title. From this moment on, he is confined to the Crown Prince’s residence. Without permission, he is not to leave.”
With these words, the Emperor stormed out of the Crown Prince’s residence.
The assembled officials quickly scattered like frightened birds and beasts.
Several ministers murmured among themselves as they left.
“Tsk tsk, how quickly the tides have turned. Just moments ago, this residence was basking in supreme glory, and now it’s fallen into disgrace.”
“That’s how it is—the Emperor’s favor and wrath are but a single thought apart. He can raise you to the highest heights, or he can take it all away in an instant.”
“What exactly did the Crown Prince do to provoke such thunderous fury from His Majesty?”
“I heard even the Grand Princess left in anger. This must be no small matter.”
“In the current political climate, even if the Crown Prince made a mistake, the Emperor would normally just scold him a little. But judging from His Majesty’s reaction today, I fear this has touched upon his greatest taboo.”
“The Emperor has always been known for his even temper. What could possibly be his greatest taboo?”
“Lord Qi, have you forgotten… that incident which must not be mentioned?”
Lord Qi suddenly realized the implication. He stood still for a long moment before nodding. “It seems… the truth behind Young Master Ping’s death is finally coming to light.”
After the emperor left, Yuwen Min stepped forward and nodded at the court physician Lin. He nodded back in acknowledgment.
Yuwen Jue, however, smiled and approached the court physician, saying, “Doctor Lin, when you have time, I must ask you to visit my residence.”
Physician Lin nodded. “A small matter. How about tomorrow?”
Yuwen Jue nodded and watched as the physician left.
Meanwhile, lying in the side chamber, Lu Hanzhi tapped the bedboard and thought to himself, This is suffering!
He had been used as a prop for no apparent reason, and what’s worse, he had been used so smoothly, as if he was made for the role.
But what was that sudden dizziness earlier?
Now, however, he felt nothing at all, as if the earlier spell of vertigo had been just an illusion.
As he let his thoughts run wild, the sound of approaching footsteps came from outside.
Lu Hanzhi immediately pretended to be asleep, but a low voice reached his ears. “Stop pretending.”
Lu Hanzhi opened his eyes, then suddenly frowned and clutched his stomach. “Ah… it hurts… What did you make me eat just now? Don’t tell me… you’re trying to harm our child?”
Yuwen Min was speechless. “It was just a bit of Xuanmu Powder, enough to make you faint for a while. A little rest, and you’ll be fine.”
Lu Hanzhi slowly sat up but then leaned lazily against the bedframe again. “Did His Highness Prince An accomplish what he set out to do?”
Yuwen Min replied, “It was a trivial matter. It needs to be handled step by step.”
Lu Hanzhi finally dropped the act. As he lifted the blanket and got out of bed, he muttered, “Are you kidding me? All that acting for nothing?”
Yuwen Min glanced at Lu Hanzhi and said, “Not entirely. The empress has lost her phoenix seal, and the crown prince has been placed under house arrest.”
Lu Hanzhi’s face lit up with excitement as he pressed on. “Was she deposed?”
Yuwen Min replied, “Not exactly. But since His Majesty is already suspicious, he will definitely investigate further. The death of Young Master Ping happened too long ago. The fact that we managed to use this matter to get this far is already commendable.”
Lu Hanzhi leaned weakly against Yuwen Min’s shoulder and said, “Then I’ll trouble Your Highness to help me back. After all, the frail and delicate Wang Fei has just suffered from witchcraft and is terribly weak.”
As expected, this opportunistic Wang Fei always had to tease him.
Yuwen Min didn’t know what amusement he found in doing this every time. Not only did he never restrain himself, but he also seemed to enjoy it more and more.
So over time, Yuwen Min’s own face grew thicker. The moment he heard those words, he scooped Lu Hanzhi up without hesitation.
Seeing the startled panic in Lu Hanzhi’s eyes, Yuwen Min smiled in satisfaction. “How could I let my Wang Fei exhaust himself?”
Lu Hanzhi: ???!!!
Are you looking for a fight?
Against his cheek, he could hear the deep vibrations of Yuwen Min’s chest, and above his head came the light chuckle of the future tyrant.
And so, under the watchful eyes of many, Lu Hanzhi was carried onto the carriage.
What was worse—he couldn’t even struggle. Right now, he was supposed to be a man weakened by witchcraft. How could he just jump down and walk on his own?
He had no choice but to let himself be carried. And from beside him, he heard voices of admiration.
“Who would’ve thought? Prince An, who always seems so cold and indifferent, is actually a devoted husband!”
“For His Highness to personally carry his Wang Fei like this, their relationship must be truly deep.”
“This is really unexpected. Who knew that Prince An was such a considerate and loving husband?”
…
The so-called considerate and loving husband placed Lu Hanzhi inside the carriage and said, “Next time you have any plans, just tell me directly. I will do my best to fulfill them.”
Lu Hanzhi: …I’ll fulfill you with a hammer.
This Yuwen Min had actually learned to be shameless.
Lu Hanzhi gave him a resentful look and said, “You’ve changed. You weren’t like this before.”
Yuwen Min twitched the corner of his mouth and replied, “I suppose being around you for too long has twisted my personality as well.”
Ha, this petty man.
With this incident, the crown prince would probably settle down for a while.
As for Su Wan’ning, who had schemed so meticulously, she probably never expected that the moment she offered herself, the crown prince would suffer a devastating blow.
She herself had been utterly humiliated. Even within the crown prince’s residence, she couldn’t lift her head.
After all, what woman wouldn’t feel mortified after being seen naked by the emperor and a crowd of people?
Right now, she was practically sick to her stomach with shame, but she had nowhere to vent it.
The crown prince had suffered a severe setback and was now sulking in his study, drowning himself in alcohol.
Meanwhile, Princess Zhaoyun, having just married into the household, naturally had no time to bother with her.
Besides, after hearing what had happened during the day, Princess Zhaoyun was even more disappointed in Su Wan’ning.
From the time Su Wan’ning tried to convince her to elope, to what she had done on the day of her wedding, Princess Zhaoyun finally saw her true colors.
She had always claimed to be her dear sister. But what kind of dear sister would do such a thing with her husband on her wedding day?
Even if she and the crown prince had long harbored feelings for each other, couldn’t they have at least waited? If she had sneaked around the next day, no one would have said anything.
But to do something so disgusting right in front of her—don’t blame me for returning the favor.
Princess Zhaoyun turned to the servant beside her and said, “If Su Wan’ning comes to see me again, tell her to get lost. I don’t want to see her!”
The servant responded with a quick acknowledgment and closed the door. Then, she hesitated before asking, “Your Highness, it’s your wedding night. Do you want me to summon the crown prince?”
Princess Zhaoyun thought for a moment before saying, “He’s already miserable enough as it is. How would he be in the mood for a wedding night? Just let him be!”
Meanwhile, Su Wan’ning, covered in bruises, couldn’t bring herself to act as nonchalantly as Princess Zhaoyun. She had staked everything on the crown prince. She had no choice but to continue pushing forward.
One wrong move wasn’t enough to lose the whole game.
But now, the crown prince had been caught in an affair with her in this very courtyard, abandoning his newlywed princess for all to see. He wouldn’t be able to live this down, and as a result, his feelings toward her had turned to disgust.
Thinking of this, she violently smashed her teacup and picked up a shard.
To achieve success, one must be willing to sacrifice.
The next second, she pressed the sharp edge against her arm and dragged it across her skin. Blood began to trickle down.
At night, Lu Hanzhi returned to the Lu residence under the escort of His Highness, Prince An. Madam Lu and Lu Siwei had been on edge all day because of what had happened earlier.
They were deeply worried that the Emperor, in a fit of anger, might depose the Crown Prince. After all, the political situation was so delicate that a single misstep could set off a chain reaction. If the Emperor was not absolutely certain, this move would be an extremely risky gamble.
Lu Hanzhi had been busy the entire day, and only upon reaching home did he remember to ask, “By the way, Mother, where’s Ah Chan? I missed him so much!”
Madam Lu looked utterly confused and replied, “Ah Chan? Did he come back? I haven’t seen him at all!”
Your favorite BL chaos wouldn’t be possible without coffee… lots of coffee….
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