Zhen Shicheng remained in the hall, feeling that something was amiss.
The Emperor had summoned Imperial Consort Yang to face punishment, so why did Pan Hai return in such a state of distress? And why did the Emperor leave immediately after hearing Pan Hai’s whispered message, taking the Commander of the Jinlin Guard and the Chief of the Jinwu Guard with him?
Han Ran, Commander of the Jinlin Guard; Wang Hai, Chief of the Jinwu Guard; and Pan Hai, Superintendent of the Eastern Depot – these three were key figures in the Emperor’s control over affairs inside and outside the palace.
Something more extreme must have happened, even more extreme than a consort having an affair with a guard.
Zhen Shicheng’s astute mind began to work rapidly.
Pan Hai went to summon Imperial Consort Yang – what could be more extreme than that?
Suddenly, Zhen Shicheng remembered something: the Crown Prince had left the banquet halfway through, claiming to be unwell…
This thought sent a shiver down his spine, leading to a terrifying suspicion.
While Zhen Shicheng was rationally analyzing and deducing, Han Ran and Wang Hai were already dumbfounded.
Emperor Jingming glanced at them and said in a deep voice, “Go to the front first. Pan Hai, deal with Imperial Consort Yang’s situation for now.”
Soon, Zhen Shicheng saw Emperor Jingming return.
“Your Majesty—” Zhen Shicheng calmly stepped forward to pay his respects.
Emperor Jingming sat down with an ashen face. Han Ran, Commander of the Jinlin Guard, immediately offered a cup of tea.
Usually, this was Pan Hai’s job, but with Pan Hai absent, Han Ran had to step up reluctantly.
Emperor Jingming took the teacup and suddenly hurled it to the ground.
The valuable teacup shattered instantly, with the steaming tea spreading across the cold floor tiles.
Han Ran and Wang Hai immediately fell silent, like cicadas in winter.
Zhen Shicheng feigned surprise: “Your Majesty?”
Emperor Jingming looked deeply at Zhen Shicheng and said, “The Crown Prince has had an affair with Imperial Consort Yang—”
On the way back, Emperor Jingming had pondered whether to let Zhen Shicheng know the truth but finally decided to reveal it.
His face might be important, but how to resolve this matter was even more crucial.
Zhen Shicheng knowing about it would just mean one more person aware of the situation. If this matter wasn’t handled properly and spread, he would become the laughingstock of the world, and the Crown Prince would be nailed to the pillar of shame in history.
He couldn’t bear such consequences.
Hearing Emperor Jingming’s words, Zhen Shicheng bowed deeply: “Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Your health is of utmost importance.”
Han Ran and Wang Hai immediately admired Zhen Shicheng’s composure.
They were almost scared out of their wits upon hearing about the Crown Prince’s affair with Imperial Consort Yang, yet Lord Zhen could still advise the Emperor not to be angry. His calmness was unparalleled.
The room was very spacious, with only Emperor Jingming, Zhen Shicheng, Han Ran, and Wang Hai present.
Emperor Jingming, recovering from his rage, swept his gloomy gaze slowly across everyone’s face and said word by word: “I want to depose the Crown Prince!”
Zhen Shicheng and the other two immediately knelt, but words of persuasion wouldn’t come out.
How could they persuade him? If it were their son who dared to sleep with the Emperor’s consort, they would have killed him with a kitchen knife already. There was nothing to say.
Of course, they couldn’t agree with Emperor Jingming’s words either.
If they hastily agreed now, what if the Emperor changed his mind later?
For a moment, the room fell into silence.
Emperor Jingming hadn’t intended to seek their opinions when he spoke.
He was well aware that Han Ran and Wang Hai, in charge of the two most important guards in the imperial army, must execute his orders without question. That was their purpose, not to bargain with him like the civil and military officials.
As for Zhen Shicheng, he was a straightforward and clever man, much more likable than those officials who only knew how to criticize recklessly.
Seeing that the three remained silent, Emperor Jingming continued: “But I don’t want anyone to know that the Crown Prince’s deposition is related to Imperial Consort Yang.”
This made things difficult.
The Crown Prince was the heir apparent, the foundation of the country, not to be easily shaken. Even for the Emperor, to depose the Crown Prince, he must provide a convincing reason. Otherwise, he would face a long tug-of-war with the civil and military officials.
Thinking of the Crown Prince, Emperor Jingming felt as if a fire was burning in his heart, unable to tolerate such a tug-of-war at all.
In his current state, Emperor Jingming wanted to depose the Crown Prince, and anyone who dared to object, he wanted to kill.
“Do you have any suggestions?” Emperor Jingming’s gaze swept toward Zhen Shicheng, who lowered his eyes pretending not to hear.
He was a loyal official, interested only in solving cases. He didn’t want to meddle in other affairs.
Getting involved in deposing the Crown Prince would mean kneeling on an abacus if his fierce wife at home found out.
Emperor Jingming wasn’t surprised by Zhen Shicheng’s reaction and moved his gaze to Han Ran and Wang Hai.
Under immense pressure, Han Ran spoke up: “Your Majesty, I have an idea.”
Some ideas the Emperor could think of but couldn’t voice himself, and at times like this, others had to speak up.
As the Emperor’s eyes and claws, the feared Commander of the Jinlin Guard, he had to play that role. Even if it meant being held accountable later and leaving a notorious legacy, he couldn’t escape it.
“Speak,” Emperor Jingming uttered a single word.
“If the person who instigated the Jinwu Guard to kill Prince An was the Crown Prince—”
Emperor Jingming looked at Han Ran and fell silent.
This was undoubtedly a good solution.
The case of Prince An was currently under investigation, and the civil and military officials were still waiting in the front hall for the results. It was impossible to pass without any explanation.
But the truth was that Imperial Consort Yang had colluded with a guard, which then led to the discovery of her affair with the Crown Prince.
If either of these truths were to spread, he would lose all face.
Pinning Prince An’s death on the Crown Prince would provide sufficient reason to depose him, while also covering up Imperial Consort Yang’s affair.
This could be considered a win-win situation.
Emperor Jingming silently thought about this point and inwardly cursed himself.
What win-win situation? There had never been a more pitiful emperor than him.
The only son left to him by Empress Yuan, the Crown Prince on whom he had placed such high hopes, had committed such an act against moral principles.
The Crown Prince must be deposed.
Emperor Jingming sighed deeply and said to Zhen Shicheng, “Lord Zhen, you were in charge of Prince An’s case, so I’ll leave it to you.”
This meant asking Zhen Shicheng to help cover up the lie.
“Please rest assured, Your Majesty. I know what to do,” Zhen Shicheng was a man of discretion. Although he was passionate about solving cases, he was engrossed in the process of unraveling clues to find the culprit, not in risking the Emperor’s wrath by insisting on revealing the truth to the world.
As for the Crown Prince, that good-for-nothing, the Emperor had finally decided to depose him…
Emperor Jingming stood up, his interest waning: “Let’s leave it at that. We’ll return to the palace when the snowstorm stops. Han Ran, Wang Hai, I entrust the stability during this period to you.”
Han Ran and Wang Hai immediately cupped their fists: “Please rest assured, Your Majesty.”
Zhen Shicheng held back, then held back again, but still couldn’t resist saying: “Your Majesty, there’s one thing I still can’t understand.”
Emperor Jingming looked at him with deep eyes: “What is it that Lord Zhen can’t understand?”
“Imperial Consort Yang instigated Zhang Hu of the Jinwu Guard to assassinate Prince An, but how did they know that a sudden snowstorm would occur today, plunging the great hall into darkness?”