Nanny Fang couldn’t help but return in a panic to report that the Crown Prince had ordered the people thrown into the Bureau of Careful Punishment. She looked at Fan Liangdi with unstoppable worry: “Perhaps you should still go and ask? Otherwise, if His Highness blames you later…”

Fan Liangdi had no mind to disturb the Crown Prince now. She raised her willow-leaf eyebrows irritably: “I already said it’s not necessary, not necessary. Has Nanny become senile and can’t understand what people say anymore?” She paused, looking at Nanny Fang’s surprised expression, took a deep breath, and suppressed her inner irritation: “You’re not unaware of His Highness’s physical condition. After being troubled all day, if we don’t let him rest properly, then he’ll truly be angry. I have everything under control, Nanny can rest assured.”

Nanny Fang wanted to be reassured, but only if she could actually feel at ease. This wasn’t a small matter. What if the Crown Prince truly listened to the Crown Princess’s words and believed their side was behind the assassination attempt on the Imperial Grand Grandson? What if he sent people to investigate?

Fan Liangdi had no mind to care about these things. She understood the Crown Prince’s thoughts best. As long as the Crown Prince didn’t suspect she had moved against the Imperial Grand Grandson—even if he detected that she had moved against the Imperial Grand Grandson, as long as the Imperial Grand Grandson truly died and couldn’t be saved, he wouldn’t make a fuss about it. She understood too well what kind of person he was. No one was more important than himself.

If this matter came to light, the Eastern Palace would be in discord, and the Crown Prince’s favoritism of his concubine while destroying his wife would be exposed before everyone. The Crown Prince wouldn’t be so stupid, and he wouldn’t be willing to give up the Fan family as such a useful blade. Therefore, she was somewhat fearless.

It was already late. Chamberlain Wang’s family was in Tongzhou. Usually, for the convenience of passing messages without attracting attention, Nanny Qi also lived at Chamberlain Wang’s old residence in Tongzhou. Such a long journey—she probably wouldn’t come today. Fan Liangdi couldn’t help feeling somewhat irritable—the urgent reports from Yangquan had already been sent to the capital. There was no reason why Huangjue Temple and the Fan family wouldn’t send news after succeeding.

She was just thinking this when, speak of the devil, someone outside reported that Nanny Qi had arrived. She immediately smiled, the irritation between her brows sweeping away completely, and promptly ordered them to invite her in.

However, Nanny Qi’s complexion didn’t look very good. Through Fan Liangdi’s eyes, she saw her own deathly pale face. She closed her eyes to calm herself before daring to tell Fan Liangdi: “My lady, something went wrong.”

Nanny Fang’s brow twitched again. Recently her eyelids had been jumping especially violently and especially unsettling. She reached out and dabbed some saliva on her eyelid, standing to the side watching her eyes, nose, and heart.

Lady Fan’s eyes also twitched, flames flickering cluster by cluster within them. She asked in a hoarse voice: “How did it go? Was it successful?”

She naturally knew something had gone wrong. If nothing had gone wrong, today the Crown Prince and Crown Princess wouldn’t have been summoned for the entire day, and the Eastern Palace wouldn’t be so tense. The question was, to what extent had things gone, and how exactly was Zhou Weizhao?

Fan Liangdi seemed not to understand her meaning. Nanny Qi quickly raised her eyes to glance at Fan Liangdi, then knelt on the ground with a thud, trying to moderate her voice as she told Fan Liangdi: “His Highness the Imperial Grand Grandson was injured. He had long known there was a traitor in the Chamberlain’s Office and deliberately used the traitor to pass false information.”

Fan Liangdi’s complexion abruptly darkened. Her heart already sensed something was wrong. She remained silent for a moment, then raised her chin to signal her to continue.

“There were three roads in total, and all three roads had ambushes of Imperial Guards and Commander Zhou’s personal troops.” Nanny Qi’s voice began to tremble: “But His Highness the Imperial Grand Grandson himself interrogated and discovered the hiding place of our people, and led men to surround it.”

This scourge was far more cunning than his mother. Fan Liangdi’s teeth ground together audibly, wishing she could flay Zhou Weizhao alive and pull out his bones. She fell silent for a moment, but her face still showed no expression as she asked: “And then?”

“Too many people went from our Xingyang side. They couldn’t be captured. Once captured, even if they were old family servants, they probably couldn’t endure under the Imperial Guards’ hands and would reveal things they shouldn’t reveal. Moreover, even if they didn’t reveal anything, the Xingyang accent couldn’t be changed.” Nanny Qi prostrated herself on the ground, already beginning to tremble: “So the master at Huangjue Temple made the decision to burn them all in one fire.”

Fan Liangdi naturally understood the reasoning. Under those circumstances, this was indeed the best method. She exhaled, feeling somewhat stifled and uncomfortable in her heart: “Injured? How serious is the injury?”

No matter what, paying these costs was worthwhile. That fool who was forced to reveal the information could at most only divulge Huangjue Temple’s people. He wouldn’t have the audacity to implicate her. He still had family after all—he knew what to do. As long as Zhou Weizhao died, as long as he died, all these costs would be completely worthwhile.

Nanny Qi’s head pressed even lower. She thought to herself that her Liangdi had still not completely understood the situation. She didn’t dare beat around the bush anymore and honestly told her: “Nothing major happened. Commander Lai and the Prince Consort rescued him in time. He just suffered some injuries, with Minister Hu personally attending to him.” She looked at Fan Liangdi’s suddenly darkening expression and mustered the courage to continue: “After resting one night at the relay station, he returned to Jinzhong. He’s recuperating at the Cui residence in Jinzhong. I heard they even invited Master Taibai, who is known among the common people as the reincarnation of Hua Tuo.”

He didn’t die even under these circumstances. Fan Liangdi’s complexion was extremely ugly. She closed her eyes to moderate the fury gushing forth in her heart, and asked with extreme coldness: “Since there’s nothing wrong, why didn’t you come report the news earlier?”

If she had told her earlier, she could have prepared earlier and wouldn’t have been confused, thinking things had succeeded.

Nanny Qi told her with some grief in her words: “My lady, Second Master didn’t come back.”

Didn’t come back? Nanny Fang stared in shock, instinctively looking toward Fan Liangdi. These three words “didn’t come back” were truly meaningful. Her heart unknowingly hung suspended in midair, pounding violently.

“Second Master, he, he died on that mountain.” Nanny Qi’s voice gradually became so low it was almost inaudible: “It was the master from Huangjue Temple who acted. There was truly no other way. Second Master’s face was also slashed to pieces, fearing the Imperial Guards and Prince Consort would investigate something. The family was in chaos for a while, so sending the message was somewhat delayed.”

He actually truly died? Zhou Weizhao was fine, Huangjue Temple and Second Brother had failed. Not only had they filled in so many people, even Second Brother had died?! Fan Liangdi sat upright on the couch, unable to react for a long time.