Prince An’s voice echoed endlessly throughout the Golden Hall.

The Emperor’s expression, which had already softened somewhat, tightened and darkened once more. His gaze swept across Prince Yan’s face.

At this point, no matter how much more Prince Yan said, it would be of no use.

Prince An’s account was so vivid and detailed that no one could disbelieve it.

The Emperor finally gave his command. Imperial Guards received their orders and immediately departed for Noble Consort Li’s chambers. In no more than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, those guards returned, carrying a stack of letters.

The Emperor once again examined the letters, his expression dark and heavy, like a storm about to break.

Those letters — they were indeed all written in Prince An’s own hand. Every reply’s contents matched perfectly with what had come before.

There was absolutely no way Prince An could have forged all of this alone.

“Imperial Father, every word your son has spoken is the truth.”

Prince An’s weeping cries rang out again: “Your son’s sins run deep, and I had no face to come before Your Majesty. Yet your son truly could not bear to take the blame for Prince Yan. All of this was clearly his doing, directing me from the shadows. In the end, the assassination failed, and it cost my mother consort her life.”

“These past six months, there has not been a single night your son could sleep soundly. The moment I close my eyes, I see my mother consort lying on the ground, drenched in blood, unable to die in peace!”

“I beg Your Majesty to spare your son’s life. Even house arrest for the rest of my days, never to leave the estate by a single step — your son would have not the slightest complaint. I only beg Your Majesty to spare me!”

As he spoke, he wept and kowtowed, pleading for mercy.

Prince Yan’s heart turned cold as an ice cellar. In an instant, everything became clear to him.

This was a trap set long in advance by Crown Grandson.

He and Prince An had never exchanged written correspondence — all their plotting had been conveyed through secret guards passing verbal messages. Now Prince An was insisting the two had corresponded in writing, and not only was there his supposed “incoming letters,” but now “reply letters” had appeared as well.

This bucket of filth, long premeditated, was thrown over him with such force that he had almost no means of deflection.

When all was said and done, the contents of these letters were not entirely an injustice to him. They were nothing more than all the conspiracies he and Prince An had hatched, written out plainly on paper.

The civil and military officials who had been silent for so long exchanged glances with one another. Finally, someone stepped forward to speak.

“Your Majesty, this matter is tangled and complex. The true truth of what happened must be carefully investigated before any judgment is rendered.” The official who spoke appeared to be neutral, but was in fact speaking on Prince Yan’s behalf.

The Minister of Justice also stepped forward: “This official believes that before the truth can be ascertained, neither Prince An nor Prince Yan should be permitted to return to their residences. Both should be detained in the Court of the Imperial Clan first.”

The Minister of Justice was of the Crown Prince’s faction. To speak up so righteously and boldly at this moment was truly masterful.

So long as Prince Yan was locked inside the Court of the Imperial Clan, he would lose all freedom. He would have no way to interfere in outside affairs.

Empress Xu had already been reduced to a废person of no power, and Princess Changping was confined in the Ciyun Nunnery, unable to leave. Among those who could truly run errands and act on Prince Yan’s behalf, only a scant few remained — none of whom would be difficult to handle.

It was easy to go in. Getting back out again, however, would be a different matter entirely.

Prince Yan’s expression shifted. He was just about to speak when he heard the Emperor say coldly: “Your Excellency’s suggestion accords perfectly with Our wishes. Someone — escort Prince An and Prince Yan to the Court of the Imperial Clan at once, and conduct a thorough search of Prince Yan’s estate.”

Prince Yan was given no chance to offer a defense, and was quickly taken away.

The Crown Prince, seeing the Emperor’s sour expression, offered quiet words of comfort: “The truth of the matter has yet to come to light, so it would be improper to draw conclusions now. Please, Imperial Father, calm your anger and take care of your health.”

The truth has yet to come to light?

The Emperor gave a self-deprecating tug at the corner of his lips.

They were all his sons. No matter who was the mastermind and who was the accomplice, in the end they all wanted the position of heir apparent — even willing to bear the vile name of patricide.

Was it Prince An framing Prince Yan? Or had Prince Yan been deceiving him all along?

Even merely thinking about this question for a moment was enough to make one’s heart shatter with agony.

The Emperor closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again, and instructed Crown Grandson: “Prince An was personally captured by you, and you have already read through all these letters. Everything that follows — I leave it entirely in your hands. You must get to the bottom of this in the shortest possible time.”

Crown Grandson accepted the order with a solemn expression: “Yes! Your grandson will certainly not fail Your Imperial Grandfather’s expectations!”

“Court is dismissed!” The Emperor was already barely holding on. He waved his hand wearily.

The Crown Prince immediately stepped forward to support the Emperor’s arm, while Crown Grandson rose to support him on the other side, calling out with concern: “Imperial Grandfather, are you all right?”

Fortunately, there is still the upright Crown Prince and the capable, astute Crown Grandson.

The Emperor said quietly: “Help me back.”

In the span of half a day, Prince An and Prince Yan were both locked inside the Court of the Imperial Clan.

News from the palace had always traveled fastest of all.

In no more than the space of two hours, this shocking piece of news had spread until it was known by all.

When Ling Jingshu heard, she too was stunned: “Xinyun, what did you say? How could Prince Yan have been locked up in the Court of the Imperial Clan together with Prince An?”

Noble Consort Wei’s face was equally full of shock: “How could there suddenly be such a turn of events? What on earth happened?”

Xinyun smiled bitterly: “This servant had also only just heard it from one of the inner attendants. Today in the court hall, Crown Grandson produced a stack of letters, saying they were letters Prince Yan had written to Prince An. The assassination attempt at the traveling palace — Prince Yan was the true mastermind.”

“Afterward, Prince An was brought to the Golden Hall to confront Prince Yan face to face. I also heard that the Imperial Guards went to the chambers of the late Noble Consort Li, and retrieved a stack of letters from somewhere.”

“Then both Prince An and Prince Yan were sent to the Court of the Imperial Clan to be detained.”

Noble Consort Wei and Ling Jingshu exchanged a glance, and each saw in the other’s eyes a flicker of elated delight.

This truly was wonderful and deeply satisfying news!

They could only hope that Crown Grandson would use this matter to bring Prince Yan down in a single stroke, and eliminate this constant threat to them once and for all.

“With something like this having happened, the Emperor must be furious and grieved right now.” Ling Jingshu offered quietly: “Would it not be well for Milady to make a trip to Zichen Palace to visit the Emperor?”

On one hand, they might be able to gather more useful information.

On the other hand, this was also the moment when the Emperor was at his most vulnerable and sorrowful. Words of heartfelt comfort offered at such a time would be far more effective than those given on an ordinary day.

Noble Consort Wei gave Ling Jingshu an approving look: “That suggestion is perfectly right. You and Xinyun will both accompany me.”

Ling Jingshu and Xinyun had long grown accustomed to accompanying Noble Consort Wei in and out of Zichen Palace, and upon hearing this, they both assented.

Lingbo Palace was some distance from Zichen Palace. Noble Consort Wei walked at a brisk pace and arrived at Zichen Palace quickly.

As for the other consorts in the palace — upon hearing such a startling piece of news, they were so frightened that their limbs went weak. Afraid of getting entangled in trouble, they wished they could stay as far away as possible. Because of this, Zichen Palace was not bustling with activity; instead, it seemed unusually still and silent.

“This servant greets Noble Consort Milady.”

Chief Eunuch Ding came out personally to receive them. As he led Noble Consort Wei’s party inside, he spoke in a low voice, pouring out his troubles: “The Emperor was truly angered quite severely in court today. After returning, the fire in his heart could not be suppressed, and he flew into a towering rage. His physical strength gave out and he nearly fainted. Imperial Physician Wei has already administered acupuncture to provide emergency care. However, the Emperor’s complexion still looks very poor. He has not touched a single drop of water or food at noon, and no matter who tries to persuade him, he refuses to eat.”

“Milady has come at just the right time. With Milady’s comforting words, perhaps the Emperor’s mood will improve somewhat, and he may be willing to take some food.”