This was truly somewhat awkward, but awkward or not, embarrassing or not, at this moment, preserving their lives was what mattered most.

Outside, Huang Yiqing had instructed Chen Dezhong to have people watch Han Cheng closely, and they too had come in. This was truly no small matter—not only was it not small, it was a major affair that could determine their very lives and futures. They could no longer care about what was secret or not. What needed to be heard still had to be heard.

When the Prince of Dongping saw them enter, he sat up straight with an expressionless face, unable to articulate what he was feeling in his heart. He lowered his eyes: “The entire letter indeed doesn’t contain a single word stating I’m not Father’s biological son, but now people have come to our doorstep.”

Speaking of this, the Prince of Dongping finally understood why Han Zhengqing had sent him poisoned ginseng and had him present the ginseng to the Crown Prince. But he couldn’t feel the slightest bit moved by Han Zhengqing’s infatuation with Fan Liangdi. He only felt disgusted.

Yes, a man who dared covet his father’s consort disgusted him immensely.

The Crown Prince had treated him extremely well. He still remembered countless nights when the Crown Prince, in poor health, would return from court deliberations in the front hall and still come to his sleeping chamber to tuck him in. Even when he departed for Hubei, the Crown Prince had used all his strength to assign Chen Dezhong to accompany him, and had helped him cover up the poisoned ginseng affair seamlessly.

With the Crown Prince as his father for comparison, no matter how much Han Zhengqing poured out his heart, the Prince of Dongping would only find his heart rank and foul. Moreover, when Han Zhengqing gave him the poisoned ginseng, had he thought about the consequences if he were discovered?!

Yes, Han Zhengqing’s words had sounded extremely nice, saying something about having a backup plan, that when the time came he would pin the crime on the Grand Prince. But ultimately he had used him, ultimately he had made him bear the risk!

Now he wanted to use the same set of lies to deceive him again, planning to have him follow Han Cheng to Jinzhong.

Go to Jinzhong to do what?! He was perfectly fine—why would he not be an imperial prince, why would he abandon his legitimate status to follow a rebellious traitor and change his name? Utterly laughable!

Chen Dezhong’s thoughts were even more terrifying than Qian Ying’s and Huang Yiqing’s: “This isn’t, this isn’t the Grand Prince and them—” He automatically shut his mouth again. Han Cheng was Han Zhengqing’s own younger brother, one of Han Zhengqing’s dogs. Besides Han Zhengqing, who else could order him around?

But if it wasn’t Zhou Weizhao, wasn’t Cui Yingshu, the matter became even more frightening. Anyway, everyone who needed to know now knew, so there was nothing to avoid. He took the letter Qian Ying handed him and opened it to look. His mind was actually clearer than Qian Ying’s and Huang Yiqing’s. Without changing expression, he looked at the Prince of Dongping: “Baseless and groundless—why should Your Highness believe it? Even if the handwriting is the same, so what? There are countless people in this world who can imitate others’ handwriting. How can we prove this was written by Liangdi? Liangdi has already departed this world. Speaking disrespectfully, the dead cannot speak, and anyone can throw dirty water on them. But Your Highness must not harbor such thoughts himself. Not to mention the Crown Prince’s daily activity records are available for review—imperial bloodline is no joking matter. Don’t believe him.”

The Prince of Dongping’s chest, which had been tight and painfully constricted, immediately felt much lighter. He imperceptibly moved his hand away from his chest, changed to gripping the chair’s armrests with both hands, and glanced at the three people present: “I don’t know what Han Zhengqing intends.”

That Han Zhengqing was a madman was now their unanimous assessment. Madmen were terrifying, especially madmen like Han Zhengqing—even if the Prince of Dongping truly was his son, his making such a fuss didn’t seem like he wanted what was good for the Prince of Dongping. This clearly looked more like sending the Prince of Dongping to a dead end. Of course, there was one exception—if this realm changed rulers, changed to someone surnamed Han, or someone familiar with him.

Chen Dezhong laughed derisively, then didn’t know what he thought of, and his smile froze on his face.

Qian Ying was quick-witted. Detecting Chen Dezhong’s abnormality, he hurriedly asked: “What’s wrong with Lord Chen?”

Chen Dezhong had already stood up and rushed out to the outer room. Despite being over fifty years old, he grabbed Han Cheng by the collar and hauled him into the inner chamber.

Qian Ying and Huang Yiqing also stood up. The Prince of Dongping’s brow twitched.

“Why did Han Zhengqing have you come to fetch the prince?” Chen Dezhong controlled his facial expression reasonably well—at least his features hadn’t all twisted together. But Huang Yiqing’s sharp eyes caught his fingers trembling.

Indeed, perfectly fine—if Han Zhengqing truly believed the words in this letter, why would he come to take the Prince of Dongping away? Didn’t he know that if the Prince of Dongping truly left, his prospects would be completely destroyed? This didn’t make sense.

Han Cheng sensed the Prince of Dongping’s irritability and murderous intent. Afraid the Prince of Dongping might truly kill him in a fit of rage, he looked somewhat helplessly at the Prince of Dongping: “Your Highness the Prince, you’ve read this letter. You don’t believe what others say, you don’t believe what the Marquis has me tell you, but surely you should believe Liangdi’s words? Could it be that the Marquis would actually harm his own son?”

Qian Ying touched his nose. Whether Han Zhengqing would harm his own son, he didn’t know, but he had seen very clearly Han Zhengqing’s indifference to his biological son’s life or death.

Chen Dezhong could see the Prince of Dongping’s weariness and fury. He looked at the Prince of Dongping with a reassuring gaze, then turned to look at Han Cheng and said gently: “Whether this letter is believed or not, the key is that it doesn’t make sense. Our prince is doing perfectly well as a prince. Suddenly asking him to go to Jinzhong for what? He’s a prince. If he leaves like this, do you know how great the implications are? How widespread the complications?”

Han Cheng’s hands were bound behind his back. Hearing Chen Dezhong say this, he laughed mockingly: “What implications?! This court is about to descend into great chaos. When that time comes, who will still care about the prince? It’s precisely for Your Highness the Prince’s safety—to preserve you, and for your future glory and wealth—that our Marquis wants to fetch you away!”

There it was! Qian Ying, Huang Yiqing, Chen Dezhong, and even the Prince of Dongping all felt their hearts jump in alarm—their heartbeats almost rivaling thunder.

Chen Dezhong was very surprised, so this cunning weasel truly widened his eyes and opened his mouth, raising his voice incredulously: “What do you mean the court will descend into great chaos? Are you joking with our prince? The court is perfectly fine—how could it possibly fall into chaos?!”

Indeed, when things are abnormal there must be evil afoot. For Han Zhengqing to send people at this time, it absolutely couldn’t be on a whim.

Han Cheng shifted his hands and moved his bottom to sit more comfortably, then raised his head to look at them: “Why would I deceive you gentlemen?! This is for the prince’s safety. As soon as the prince reaches Jinzhong, the court will certainly descend into chaos!”