Who says the prince is weak and can't take care of himself?

Chapter 229 An Old Friend Visits

"Your Majesty." Chi Yue calmed himself down. Now was not the time for him to be anxious.

"Hmm." His Majesty grunted in a deep voice, like a lion that could get angry at any moment. The voice was a warning that it was still in time to save his life if he rolled away, but Chi Yue could not leave.

His Majesty was still gripping the "Nothing to Do" card, his knuckles turning white from the exertion. Chi Yue knelt on the ground and waited for a long time before hearing His Majesty's words: "How's the investigation going?"

"Your Majesty, we have verified that the mastermind behind this conspiracy is Song Wei, the commander of the Imperial Guard Infantry Division. His daughter married the Qin family, and died in prison due to Qin's case. Song Wei harbored a grudge against the Crown Prince, and thus committed this heinous crime of treason."

His Majesty looked down at Chi Yue from a high position, and after a long moment, he said in a cold voice, "The Qin family? Twenty-five assassins disguised as the Office of the Occupational Secretary, and now the Qin family is involved? Ha! Chi Yue, is it the Tiance Camp that is useless, or are you useless?!"

The Gongsun family has deep roots in the court, and Concubine Zhao is no fool. Since they dared to plot to assassinate Crown Prince Qi Xiao, they would naturally not let His Majesty trace it back to them easily. What's more, the Sixth Prince was involved in the military pay case and could not prove his innocence.

His Majesty knew all of this clearly. He also knew that Chi Yue's words just now were to give him and the court an explanation. As long as His Majesty nodded, the matter would end there. If Gongsun was really implicated, would His Majesty announce the ugly incident of the royal family killing each other to the world and then sentence Concubine Zhao to death?

Moreover, externally, there was Princess Xihe of Zhou coming to propose marriage; internally, the Gongsun family had great power in the army and the Ministry of War. If they were forced into a corner, they might really dare to rebel. Although they would definitely not succeed, war was definitely not a good thing for Dachen.

Concubine Zhao, knowing the situation clearly, dared to plot this assassination, gambling that His Majesty would not investigate the matter to the end, but would instead cover up for her. Ever since His Majesty appointed Qi Xiao as Crown Prince, Concubine Zhao has harbored no affection for His Majesty. Even if he were to vent his anger on her, or even sentence her to death, it wouldn't matter. The only princes His Majesty knew were the Sixth and Seventh brothers. The one marrying Princess Xihe must be her son, so killing Qi Xiao was inevitable.

Chi Yue bowed his head and said, "It is Chi Yue who is useless. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

His Majesty was trembling with rage, his fury growing stronger and stronger, and he wished he could burn down Chengming Palace. Since he ascended the throne, no one had ever dared to provoke or challenge him so fearlessly, and this time, Concubine Zhao and Qi Xiao actually dared?! One plotted to assassinate the Crown Prince, and the other took the opportunity to escape! How dare they toy with him like this?!

"Chiyue!"

"The minister is here."

"Go do two things for me..." Neither of these two people can expect to get what they want! Neither of them can withstand the emperor's thundering wrath!

"...obey the order."

The first thing is easy to handle. His Majesty wants Concubine Zhao to die. Although Chi Yue never thought that he would have to deal with such "family affairs" for His Majesty one day, it is difficult to disobey the imperial order and he has to do it.

Less than an hour after Chi Yue left Chengming Hall, word suddenly spread that someone in Concubine Zhao's bedroom had contracted an epidemic. The Imperial Guards and the Imperial Hospital immediately sealed off the palace. The epidemic was so severe, the Imperial Hospital was helpless. Within ten days, no one in Concubine Zhao's bedroom was alive. While others were infected elsewhere in the palace, no one died, a truly bizarre occurrence.

During the short few days between Concubine Zhao's illness and her death, a major event also broke out in the court. The military pay case from several years ago was brought up and implicated the Sixth Prince. His Majesty was furious and ordered the Sixth Prince to be imprisoned. He asked Pei Hao, the Minister of the Supreme Court, to conduct a thorough investigation and confined all those in the Ministry of War who might be involved in the case to their own residences, to be interrogated by Pei Hao at any time, including the Minister of War Guan Botang.

This case involves the emperor's sons and court officials, and has a wide range of implications. Everyone knows that it is a catastrophic disaster, but no one expected that His Majesty would presume guilt and imprison them all for retrial. This is no different from spanking Gongsun in public, and judging by the situation, even if Gongsun is not beaten to death, she will be crippled.

Concubine Zhao was seriously ill and the Sixth Prince was imprisoned, which made the Seventh Prince anxious like an ant on the hot pan. He entered the palace to ask to see the emperor and knelt in front of Chengming Hall, but was dragged out of the palace by the imperial guards.

In less than half an hour, word spread throughout Yuanjing. All the court officials who had considered proposing a marriage between Chen and Zhou shut up. No one dared to speak a word. It was now absolutely impossible for either of them in Yuanjing. His Majesty's other sons had all been dispatched to their fiefdoms long ago. They had no influence at court, no achievements, no merits. How could they possibly inherit the throne? Even if His Majesty wanted to summon them back, would Zhou agree to let Princess Xihe marry any of them?

***

The news quickly reached the Zhou Kingdom, leaving Tang Yan tugging at his beard. He didn't even need to send the Xingluo Guards to investigate; he could already guess what had happened. As soon as Qi Xiao fell into the water, the Gongsun clan was doomed. Could it be more obvious?

His Majesty the State of Chen had four princes by his side before, and later Qi Xiao was added. Now everything has run into trouble, and Princess Xihe's marriage is hanging in the balance. Some people in the court began to suggest bringing Princess Xihe back first, while others said the wedding date could not be postponed. Each of them acted as if they could make the decision, and the quarrels gave the emperor a headache.

However, what made Tang He even more worried was that the news of Qi Xiao's disappearance could not be concealed from Tang Ling.

Tang Ling only went back to the Marquis' Mansion. Naturally, everyone in the mansion obeyed Marquis Xun'an and dared not utter a word. But before Tang Ling's carriage arrived at the gate of Marquis Xun'an's Mansion, she heard people on the street talking about the untimely death of the Crown Prince of Chen and the possibility that Princess Xihe's marriage might not be possible.

"Turn around and go back."

Tang Ling didn't know how he got back to the courtyard. His mind was blank, as if he was still sick and had a fever. He just hoped that he was sick and had a nightmare in his sleep. He didn't go out, didn't go to the street, didn't hear the discussions, and Qi Xiao was fine too.

Tang Ling stood in front of the flower bed. After a night of wind and rain, the roots of the Epiphyllums were mostly destroyed. Although the gardeners tried their best to save them, the results were minimal. Those flowers that were replanted had gradually wilted and decayed, and none of them could survive.

"Ye Huai."

"Son."

"Do you also know about Qi Xiao's situation?"

Not only Ye Huai knew about it, but Qinglan knew too. When she first found out, she was so scared that she paced around the house for a long time, fearing that Tang Ling would get seriously ill again if she found out about it.

"...Sir, the current situation is unclear. The Marquis has sent people to investigate carefully, and they have indeed fallen into the water and disappeared, not..."

"I understand." Tang Ling lowered her head and turned back to the house. "I'm fine. Go and rest. Leave me alone for a while."

Ye Huai followed Tang Ling back to the house, where they were then locked outside. He was worried; Tang Ling's reaction was too calm. Although Tang Ling was always calm and composed, she was completely different when it came to Qi Xiao. She would throw herself into the mud just for those Epiphyllums, especially since Qi Xiao was the one in trouble.

Ye Huai frowned deeply and didn't dare to leave the warm room.

Tang Ling sat by the window again. This time the window frame was closed and he no longer had the courage to open it.

Falling into the water and missing... Tang Ling didn't believe that anything had really happened to Qi Xiao. Anything could happen to anyone, except Qi Xiao. Qi Xiao had always been the one scheming against others, so how could anyone else scheme against him?!

But Qi Xiao was seasick, and he couldn't swim. In the dead of night, with strong winds and rough seas, if he really fell into the water, how would he save himself? Would he rely on Zong Sheng? But Zong Sheng was also missing!

Tang Ling's heart seemed to be pierced by a red-hot iron rod, and the blood in his heart was boiled before it could flow out. It was more than just pain, but he could feel nothing else.

He slowly got used to keeping Qi Xiao hidden away. Even if he could only miss him in this life and never see him again, he was willing to wait and endure silently. But why couldn't he do this?!

Concubine Lin had only met him once, with one request: that Qi Xiao be safe and happy. Tang Ling hadn't agreed, and he hadn't let Qi Xiao go, let him return to Fuzhou, to Yongcheng, to be a leisurely prince. He'd been wrong from that moment on. He wasn't Qi Xiao's joy, nor had he been able to keep him safe. It was all because of him, all his fault!

Tang Ling held Qi Nian in her hand. The silver hairpin extended two inches, the sharp tip pressed against his heart. If it pierced, he wouldn't feel any pain. Was it too late for him to give his life to Qi Xiao now? He owed it to Qi Xiao, so why hadn't Qi Xiao come to ask for it back?

He held Qi Nian tightly. Qi Xiao said that the hairpin was a token of love... The silver hairpin was still there, he was still there, the love was still there, but where was Qi Xiao?!

"Young Master, dinner is ready. Shall we bring it in for you?" Qinglan's voice was heard outside the door, but there was no response from inside the room.

Qing Lan glanced at Ye Huai and asked softly, "Sir, are you okay?"

Ye Huai shook his head: "I don't know."

Qing Lan glared at Ye Huai fiercely and slowly opened the door: "Master, I'm coming in."

When Qinglan entered, Tang Ling was sitting by the window, head bowed, as if she had been crying. As he approached, he saw that Tang Ling was holding a silver hairpin in one hand, while her other hand had been lacerated by it at some point. Several long, thin gashes marked the fingertips of her palm, and the wounds were still bleeding, yet Tang Ling seemed unaware.

"Young Master?!" Qing Lan was startled and quickly covered Tang Ling's hand with a handkerchief. "Ye Huai! Bring me my medicine box! Hurry!"

"Qinglan, I'm fine. It doesn't hurt."

Qinglan quickly checked Tang Ling's wounds, and they were indeed not deep, as if they were just a few accidental scratches.

"Qinglan, I'm fine, it doesn't hurt." Tang Ling repeated again, he was fine, it didn't hurt.

"...Young Master..." Qinglan looked at Tang Ling's red and swollen eyes and tear-stained face. He was about to cry. How could she look like nothing was wrong?

Qinglan bandaged Tang Ling's wound and coaxed him to drink a bowl of hot soup before leaving the warm room.

Ye Huai was waiting outside and asked quietly, "How is the young master?"

Qinglan made a gesture to keep quiet, put his ear to the door and listened for a while, then pushed the door open and went into the room.

"what are you doing?"

"I put some medicine in your soup. Let him sleep for a while." Qing Lan saw Tang Ling curled up on the bed, probably asleep, and said to Ye Huai, "I'll stay in the room to watch over you. That silver hairpin is too dangerous, but you definitely won't let me keep it. And you're unreliable."

"...I...Hey, can you keep me company tonight? What about later?"

"I will guard you day and night!" Qinglan said and locked Ye Huai outside the door.

***

Qi Xiao and Zong Sheng arrived in Shaoyang three days ago. Their journey was relatively smooth. While everyone was still busy trying to rescue them from the Qin River, they had already changed to a fast horse and headed straight for the Linjiang Wharf. They then took a boat across the Taihua River using the pass prepared for them by Lu Fang.

Arriving in Shaoyang, Qi Xiao encountered a problem: he couldn't see Tang Ling. Xun'an Marquis's mansion wasn't open to just anyone. Qi Xiao and Zong Sheng spent a whole day squatting outside the mansion, asking around before discovering that Tang Ling wasn't there at all. They'd said she'd been sent to a separate courtyard to recuperate, but no one knew where it was, and no one in the mansion would reveal it.

Qi Xiao could only continue to wait. Tang Ling wasn't at the Marquis' residence, but Xun Anhou was there, so he would definitely go see his son. But for two consecutive days, Tang Yan went out to attend court, handle official business at the government office, and returned home before nightfall, without going anywhere else.

It wasn't until today, after Tang He returned, that he learned that Tang Ling had heard rumors about Qi Xiao. Without even changing out of his official uniform, Tang He headed straight for the bamboo forest courtyard, where Qi Xiao finally found his place.

Tang Ling's courtyard was neither small nor unsightly from the outside, but it was heavily guarded inside. Qi Xiao and Zong Sheng walked around the periphery and returned to the door.

"Master, this yard has only one side entrance. The guards are very alert, so it's not easy to get in."

"When it's completely dark, I'll go in and take a look."

"Master, the young master may not be here. It's too risky to barge in rashly."

"He must be here. Who else but him could have made Xun Anhou rush here without even having time to change into his court attire? When Xun Anhou arrived just now, the guards at the door were extremely respectful, and their attitude was not at all welcoming. He must be here."

The guards of Xun Anhou's mansion are probably no worse than the imperial guards, so it is really not easy to enter without alerting anyone.

Qi Xiao clutched a seal in his hand. If he couldn't get in, he would have to ask Tang Ling to come out and see him. But Xun Anhou came running in in a hurry. Something must have happened. He couldn't help but worry. He didn't want to wait any longer. Not knowing where Tang Ling was, waiting outside Xun Anhou's mansion was helpless. But knowing that he was here, Qi Xiao couldn't wait any longer. He had already waited too long.

"Zongsheng, go ahead. You don't have to accompany me."

"Master..."

Qi Xiao patted Zong Sheng on the shoulder and said, "Didn't we agree long ago that I'll go find the person I like, and you go find the person you like."

Qi Xiao straightened his clothes a little, walked to the gate of the courtyard and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" There had never been a visitor to the courtyard, and the guards at the door looked at Qi Xiao in surprise.

"Please inform your master that an old friend is here to visit." Qi Xiao stretched out his hand and handed the seal to the guard.

The guard looked Qi Xiao up and down several times, and finally took the seal and uttered, "Wait a moment."

Zong Sheng stood far away in the bamboo forest. When he saw Qi Xiao turn around and glance at him, he smiled at him. Zong Sheng couldn't help but sigh. Xun An Hou Tang Yan was still in the courtyard. Qi Xiao went straight to his door at this time. He was really afraid that he would be beaten out.

The seal was handed to Tang He, who frowned at the sight. "What kind of person is he?"

"A young man, about twenty years old. I have never seen him before."

Never seen him before? This isn't the son of a noble family in Shaoyang City. Who else could it be?

A name flashed through Tang He's mind, and his forehead suddenly ached.

"Come alone?"

"Yes."

"Go call Ye Huai over."