“Really?” Li Yuan lifted her chin and said, “You know I detest lies the most.”

His words made Consort Yin’s face stiffen. Though her smile remained, she looked even more uncomfortable than before. “Your servant… is not lying. I’m truly just a bit tired.”

Li Yuan’s expression turned cold as he pushed her away from his side, saying indifferently, “Since you’re unwilling to speak, so be it. There’s nothing for you here. You may withdraw.”

Consort Yin panicked and, heedless of her nakedness, knelt down on the bed, “Your Majesty, please calm your anger. It’s not that your servant is unwilling to speak, but that I… dare not speak!”

Li Yuan pulled the silk coverlet from beside him and covered her body, “Dare not speak? What exactly has happened?”

Faced with Li Yuan’s inquiry, Consort Yin kept her head lowered in silence. Li Yuan stared at her for a moment, then said, “I pardon you from any offense. Just speak freely.”

Consort Yin nodded, then looked at him carefully and said, “Your Majesty, did you take the three princes to hunt in the suburbs today?”

“That’s correct. I told you about this yesterday.”

Consort Yin bit her lip and said softly, “Then… does Your Majesty know what the Second Prince said after he fell from his horse?”

“Fell from his horse?” Li Yuan looked completely puzzled, “Did Shimin fall from his horse today? No one mentioned this to me.” After a pause, he asked again, “What did Shimin say?”

“That horse was lent to the Prince of Qin by the Crown Prince for competing with the Prince of Qi. After the Prince of Qin unfortunately fell from the horse, he said the Crown Prince deliberately lent him that horse to harm him, but fortunately he had the Mandate of Heaven, so the Crown Prince didn’t succeed.” Speaking thus, Consort Yin quickly added, “All of this, your servant only heard from others’ words and doesn’t know if it’s true or false.”

Li Yuan’s face darkened as he said, “From whom did you hear this?”

“It was… it was Little Ji. He was also among those who accompanied Your Sacred Presence to the suburbs today.” Before Consort Yin finished speaking, Li Yuan had already shouted toward the palace door, “Gao Yang, summon Little Ji immediately!”

“Yes.” Gao Yang, who was guarding outside the palace, responded. Before long, a short eunuch entered with his head lowered, respectfully saying, “This servant greets Your Majesty, greets Noble Consort De.”

Li Yuan said coldly, “What did the Prince of Qin say when he fell from his horse today?”

Little Ji seemed startled by his words and immediately knelt down, saying tremblingly, “This servant doesn’t know, this servant knows nothing!”

Li Yuan said sinisterly, “It seems you no longer want this life of yours. Very well, I’ll grant your wish!”

“Please no!” Little Ji kowtowed repeatedly, “Your Majesty, spare my life! This servant only accidentally overheard the Prince of Qin’s words with General Duan. This servant didn’t mean to!”

“What exactly was said? Speak!” Under Li Yuan’s rebuke, Little Ji answered tremblingly, his account identical to what Consort Yin had just said.

After dismissing Little Ji, Li Yuan grabbed the gilt incense burner from the small table beside the bed and hurled it violently to the ground, gritting his teeth, “Mandate of Heaven – what a fine Mandate of Heaven!”

Consort Yin said in alarm, “Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Don’t let it harm your dragon body!”

Li Yuan said hatefully, “All these years, considering the military achievements he’s earned through his eastern and western campaigns, I’ve overlooked his previous mistakes. But how does he repay me? Prince of Qin, Grand General of Heavenly Strategy – even this isn’t enough to satisfy his appetite. He actually has his eyes set on my realm! He truly has audacity!”

Consort Yin said quietly, “Perhaps… the Prince of Qin just spoke carelessly and didn’t mean it as Your Majesty thinks.”

“Spoke carelessly?” Li Yuan sneered, “Then why don’t we see others saying such things? I always thought he would learn from his experiences and grow wiser, but it seems my expectations of him were too high. And that horse – it was clearly his own choice to ride it, yet after falling, he claims the Crown Prince used the horse to harm him. Tell me, isn’t that ridiculous?”

“The Prince of Qin’s words are indeed somewhat baseless. The Crown Prince has a pure and kind nature, values emotion and righteousness. Your servant believes he would absolutely never do such a thing.”

“Even you understand this principle, yet he doesn’t.” After a pause, Li Yuan said grimly, “Or perhaps, in his heart, there’s simply no brotherly affection at all.”

Consort Yin’s eyes flickered slightly as she said gently, “Though the Prince of Qin isn’t as gentle and kind as the Crown Prince, he’s not a heartless person either. Actually, this matter has already passed. Your Majesty needn’t dwell on it further. It’s all your servant’s fault – if I hadn’t spoken, nothing would have happened.”

Li Yuan snorted coldly, “I’m grateful you spoke, otherwise I would still be kept in the dark by him!” As he spoke, he suddenly remembered the words Xia Houduan had said during the Daye years when he and Li Shimin went to Luoyang. At that time, he had said that both he and Li Shimin possessed the aura of emperors. Now that he had ascended to the throne and become the sovereign of a dynasty, according to Xia Houduan’s words, Li Shimin would be the second emperor after himself.

However, he had never intended to pass the throne to Li Shimin, which meant… the latter would very likely use abnormal means to seize the throne that didn’t belong to him!

At this thought, Li Yuan immediately broke out in a cold sweat. He had thought that over these years, he had been watching Li Shimin closely at every turn, but unexpectedly, he had still underestimated him. Perhaps… Li Shimin was already secretly planning how to seize the throne.

The next moment, he urgently called for Gao Yang to enter, saying desperately, “Summon Xia Houduan to the palace to see me immediately.”

Gao Yang looked in bewilderment at the deep darkness outside the window and reminded, “Your Majesty, it’s now the third watch of the night. The palace gates have long been locked.”

Li Yuan said without allowing argument, “Convey my imperial decree – unlock them immediately. I must see Xia Houduan at once!”

Seeing Li Yuan’s resolute attitude, Gao Yang had no choice but to follow his orders and convey the decree. After he left, Consort Yin probed, “Why does Your Majesty suddenly want to see Lord Xia Hou?”

From what she knew, Xia Houduan was merely a third-rank official, hardly a key minister. Why would Li Yuan, upon learning that Li Shimin claimed to have the “Mandate of Heaven,” immediately think of summoning him first? By her original reasoning, it should have been Pei Ji and others. How strange indeed.

“It’s nothing. I have a few questions to ask him.” After a long pause, he added, “There’s nothing for you here. I’ll have someone escort you back.”

“Yes.” Though Consort Yin was very curious about Li Yuan’s conversation with Xia Houduan, she was someone who understood how to read situations. Since Li Yuan was now asking her to leave, he clearly didn’t want her to listen. If she spoke up at this moment, not only would it change nothing, but it would also invite Li Yuan’s displeasure or even suspicion.

Regardless, this incident would be enough to make Li Shimin suffer greatly. Hmph!

When the sound of the fourth watch came from outside, Xia Houduan appeared in Ganlu Hall, cupping his hands, “Your servant Xia Houduan greets Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty, long live, long live!”

“Rise.” After indicating for Xia Houduan to stand, Li Yuan glanced at Gao Yang, who understood and closed the palace doors and the half-open windows one by one.

Xia Houduan calmly observed all of this, slightly raising his head, “I wonder what instructions Your Majesty has for summoning this servant to the palace in the deep of night?”