"The Pri Minister has been assassinated!"
The Emperor, who was visiting Zhaoren Hall, rushed back to the court upon hearing the news.
The assassination of the Pri Minister at his doorstep was a grave humiliation for both the court and the Emperor.
At this ti, the morning assembly at Taiji Palace had dispersed, but the royal family mbers and ministers were kept in the Inner Court, continuing to investigate the case of the true and false Crown Prince.
Li Mu was naturally also present.
"The assassination of the Pri Minister at this juncture, could it be related to this matter?" soone asked with suspicion.
Zheng Shidao glanced at Li Mu.
Everyone in the hall wore red and purple, all of them of noble status.
Only this young man was dressed in white, yet standing there, his presence was no weaker than anyone else’s.
Although he hadn’t t the Crown Prince many tis, he was almost certain that this was indeed the Crown Prince.
Moreover, he believed that the Emperor, standing silently before the throne, hiding his emotions, had also reached a conclusion.
Recalling the previous favors and delegation of power, Zheng Shidao secretly sighed.
After nurturing him for so many years, he had indeed raised a tiger that would beco a threat.
"But could it be that the assassin feared the Pri Minister would recognize the Crown Prince, or recognize the false one?" Zheng Shidao slowly asked.
Li Shu coldly laughed, "If the Pri Minister could recognize the Crown Prince, why didn’t he recognize him before leaving the palace?"
The mask only covered part of the face; those who should be recognized would be recognized.
For instance, Prince Su, looking at this young man claiming to be the Crown Prince, found him more and more similar to the Young Crown Prince he had seen years ago, even sowhat resembling Emperor Hui Zhao.
If he could see it, how could the Emperor not?
Prince Su dared not speak lightly, only saying, "Perhaps we should wait a couple of days, wait for the return from Ren Zhi Palace, and then confront them?"
As soon as he finished speaking, another ssage arrived:
"The Crown Prince left Ren Zhi Palace and disappeared after entering the boundaries of the Capital City!"
With that, Li Shu’s expression abruptly changed, "Traitor! Where have you hidden the Crown Prince!"
His furious gaze landed on Li Mu.
Li Mu remained calm, looking at the Emperor who hadn’t said a word, "I have a secret report—"
...
Outside the chaotic Pri Minister’s Mansion, a carriage quietly left.
"I didn’t expect Wang Maozhao to die this way..." Qin Rong sighed, suddenly glancing at the girl opposite, "Did you persuade Wang Maozhao?"
The Crown Prince wanted Wang Maozhao dead; how could Wang Maozhao admit to the Crown Prince’s identity?
Yet this little girl persuaded him? How did she do it?
Tang Xiaobai didn’t answer, murmuring to herself, "The Empress Dowager fell ill, the Pri Minister was assassinated... what about the Crown Prince?" She suddenly looked up.
"Isn’t the Crown Prince in the Palace?"
"I an the one from Ren Zhi Palace?" Tang Xiaobai said.
Li Xingyuan had petitioned for the Crown Prince of Ren Zhi Palace to return to the capital, and permission had been granted to send soone to escort him, but he hadn’t returned yet.
In theory, the identification of the Crown Prince should be a step-by-step process; first recognized by the Crown Prince Mansion and court ministers, and if they agreed, then by the Pri Minister and the Empress Dowager.
No one could claim to be the Crown Prince and directly summon the current Crown Prince for confrontation.
Since Li Mu was already in the palace, they skipped the people from the Crown Prince Mansion and went directly to Wang Maozhao for recognition.
But neither Wang Maozhao nor the Empress Dowager could identify, so they had to wait for the one from Ren Zhi Palace to return.
The false Crown Prince was arranged by the true Crown Prince, and as long as he arrived, wouldn’t it easily prove the true Crown Prince’s identity?
This path would definitely be blocked, wouldn’t it?
Just as she thought this, Qin Rong smiled, "The one from Ren Zhi Palace is already in Li Shu’s hands."
Tang Xiaobai realized, "Your... brother?"
Qin Rong nodded.
Tang Xiaobai’s heart suddenly sank.
Qin Rong’s brother was the real Qin Xiao, wasn’t he?
In the end, Qin Xiao still fell into Li Shu’s hands.
Could this be the plot’s natural course correction?
She suddenly beca anxious.
If the real Qin Xiao was in Li Shu’s hands, wouldn’t it lead to the original plot’s conclusion?
Since the first day she arrived here, she had wanted to protect Qin Xiao.
Yet, after everything, would she still have to watch him die?
As Tang Xiaobai thought this, she felt unbearably sad.
Unintentionally looking up, she saw Qin Rong’s calm expression and was puzzled, "You don’t—"
"Xiao Bai? Is it Xiao Bai?" soone suddenly called from outside the carriage.
The voice was sowhat familiar, sounding very anxious but trying hard to stay low.
"Who is it?" Tang Xiaobai stopped the carriage and lifted the curtain to look.
The carriage had reached the entrance of Duke Yan Mansion, and there was soone blocking the way.
It was a woman.
Her clothes were tattered, her face deliberately sared with dirt, disheveled to the point that her real appearance couldn’t be discerned.
"You are..." Tang Xiaobai carefully identified.
Tears welled up in the woman’s eyes, "Xiao Bai, it’s , Pingyang..."
"Princess?" Tang Xiaobai was so startled she nearly fell off the carriage, "How co—"
"Quick, save the Crown Prince!"
...
The news of the disappearance of the Ren Zhi Palace’s Crown Prince had reached the Capital City two days earlier.
Qin Rong, Mo Huan, and others had long been inford.
According to the ssages, Pingyang Princess Li Yao had disappeared together with the false Crown Prince.
No one expected Li Yao to have escaped.
"They were afraid I would reveal their whereabouts, so they took with them, but their guard on wasn’t as tight as on the Crown Prince, so I escaped..." Li Yao said while shaking uncontrollably, fear filling her eyes, "I don’t know whose orders these were, and I don’t know who to speak to—" She suddenly had an idea, her eyes brightened, and she grabbed Tang Xiaobai, "Where’s Brother Ziqian? Where’s your brother? Should we go find him?"
She, being taken from the entrance of Duke Yan Mansion after eting Tang Xiaobai, didn’t know where they were heading.
Where else to find authority if not Tang Ziqian?
"No!" Tang Xiaobai replied, "You lead the way, we’re going to rescue the Crown Prince!"
Not to ntion everyone still in the palace, even if they got out, they would be too conspicuous.
Better for them to go.
"But where will we get the people?" Li Yao asked.
Tang Xiaobai looked at Qin Rong.
As far as she knew, Qin Rong had a considerable number of people at her disposal, with those watching Li Xingyuan and assisting the young ancestors in the palace having all placed their manpower at Qin Rong’s command. Now, to save her own brother, she’d surely go all out.
However, Qin Rong showed a look of difficulty, "There aren’t many people I can mobilize either..."
Tang Xiaobai’s expression changed, "Is there going to be so turmoil in the palace?"
...
"...Palace guards, city gate keepers, capital patrollers... Li Xingyuan left the capital at the ti of the mao hour today—"
With every word Li Mu spoke, the color drained further from the Emperor’s face.
"If Your Majesty doesn’t believe , you can try."
The Emperor didn’t try.
He knew he was Li Mu, Emperor Hui Zhao’s legitimate son, his nephew.
If Li Mu was lying, the Qian Niu Guards, who were supposed to protect him closely, would have intervened already.
But these guards, who should have been at his side, didn’t make a move, not a single sound.
The young man he had once admired greatly, for whom he paved the way, gave authority, and supported to achieve rits at the border.
In the end, it all was wrong.
"This ti, I won’t return to the Crown Prince Mansion at Yongfu Village—" The young man’s eyes were dark and cold, the mole at the corner of his eye hauntingly unsettling, with a posture that seed defiant as he looked up.
"If I cannot claim my rightful position in the Eastern Palace today, directly taking over Taiji Palace is not out of the question."
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