Yujin smiled, “It’s not impossible. Otherwise, why would he feel guilty? But if he’s involved, I’m quite curious how he managed it.”
“The Crown Prince shouldn’t have had many opportunities to harm Father.”
“Perhaps I’m overthinking it. Let’s wait and see for now. After Fourth Brother’s provocation, the Crown Prince must be feeling desperate,” Yujin said with a smile.
It wasn’t just Fourth Brother’s provocation, but also his intimidation. If the Crown Prince had done something wrong, he was likely panicking now.
After all, stupid people have less ability to bear pressure, unlike him who could remain calm.
Just as Yujin predicted, the Crown Prince became increasingly anxious as he pondered the situation after returning to the Eastern Palace.
The method of cursing with a puppet that the little palace maid had taught him had worked. This was incredibly fortunate – once his father died, he could rightfully ascend the throne.
But had Seventh Brother noticed something?
From that trip to Qianhe County, he realized that Seventh Brother was very cunning, not to mention he had a dog with supernatural abilities.
The Crown Prince was deeply worried and unconsciously walked to the little palace maid’s quarters.
The little palace maid hurried to greet him: “Your Highness—”
The Crown Prince stared intently at the little palace maid, causing her voice to falter.
“It worked.”
“What?”
The Crown Prince placed both hands on the little palace maid’s shoulders, his tone excited: “Using the puppet to kill someone without anyone knowing – it worked!”
The little palace maid curved her lips: “That’s good…”
The Crown Prince’s gaze towards the little palace maid suddenly turned cold.
He had used a puppet to harm his father. If this was exposed, he would surely die a terrible death.
Now, apart from heaven and earth, only he and the little palace maid knew about this…
The Crown Prince’s hands moved from the little palace maid’s shoulders to her neck, suddenly gripping her throat.
“Your Highness… mmph…” The little palace maid’s eyes widened as she tried to pry the Crown Prince’s hands away.
At this moment, the difference in strength between a man and a woman became evident.
The Crown Prince’s hands tightened more and more. After what seemed like an eternity, the little palace maid gradually stopped moving.
The Crown Prince released his grip and stumbled back several steps, collapsing into a chair.
The chair in the little palace maid’s room was unlike those in the Crown Prince’s chambers – bare and without soft cushions. The Crown Prince found it hard and cold.
He stared at the little palace maid lying on the ground with her eyes wide open, gasping for breath.
He had killed the little palace maid he had been sleeping with for several years!
The Crown Prince raised his hands and stared at them for a moment, then suddenly laughed.
It was good that he killed her. Now he wouldn’t have to worry about this secret being revealed.
The Crown Prince breathed a sigh of relief and got up to leave.
The late autumn sunlight wasn’t as intense, falling lukewarm on his body, unable to penetrate the Crown Prince’s gloomy heart.
In the vast imperial palace, countless servants died silently every year. As the Crown Prince, it wasn’t difficult to cover up the death of a little palace maid.
The Crown Prince quickly instructed his attendant to handle the aftermath.
The Crown Prince Consort returned with Prince Chun after visiting Emperor Jingming but didn’t see the Crown Prince. She rubbed her temples.
Father Emperor had been willing to see the Crown Prince today, but she didn’t know if this was good or bad news.
As darkness fell imperceptibly, the Crown Prince Consort dined with Prince Chun, then had him escorted back to his quarters, leaving her alone in the room.
A lit candle sputtered.
A palace maid approached and said softly, “Crown Prince Consort, Hong Yu requests an audience.”
The Crown Prince Consort frowned, then after a moment’s thought said, “Let her in.”
If she remembered correctly, Hong Yu was one of the little palace maids favored by the Crown Prince.
Soon, a rather beautiful palace maid in green was brought in. Upon seeing the Crown Prince Consort, she knelt: “This servant pays respects to the Crown Prince Consort.”
“Rise. What brings you here?”
Hong Yu stood up, glancing at the palace maids beside the Crown Prince Consort.
“If you have something to say, speak freely,” the Crown Prince Consort said calmly.
She didn’t feel there was much to discuss with a palace maid favored by the Crown Prince.
In terms of status, she was the Crown Prince’s Consort, while the other was merely a servant. She didn’t care how much the Crown Prince favored his palace maids, but if any of them stepped out of line, she wouldn’t hesitate to put them in their place, regardless of the Crown Prince’s feelings.
Hong Yu lowered her head and said softly, “Crown Prince Consort, this matter really shouldn’t be known by too many people…”
The Crown Prince Consort pondered for a moment, then gestured for her attendants to withdraw, leaving only one trusted palace maid.
She wanted to know what this little palace maid had to say, but it wouldn’t be proper to be alone with her.
“Alright, you may speak now.”
Hong Yu knew that the remaining palace maid was the Crown Prince Consort’s confidante and couldn’t be dismissed. She bit her lip and said, “This servant wishes to expose someone…”
“Who?”
“Cui Shan.”
The Crown Prince Consort’s expression changed slightly.
She had just been informed today that Cui Shan had died from a sudden illness…
“What do you want to expose about Cui Shan?”
“This servant accidentally saw Cui Shan carving something from paulownia wood… We come from the same hometown, where a type of witchcraft is popular. They carve figurines from paulownia wood, and if someone’s birth date and time are written on it and buried in a specific place, that person will suffer misfortune—”
“What kind of misfortune?” the Crown Prince Consort asked sharply.
“It depends on where the person performing the ritual sticks the silver needle into the figurine. If they only want the person to suffer from pain, they stick it in the waist, shoulders, hands, or feet—”
“What if they want to take someone’s life?”
Hong Yu pressed her lips together and said, “They stick it in the person’s heart.”
The Crown Prince Consort stood up abruptly.
The heart, the heart… Thinking of Emperor Jingming’s sudden angina, the Crown Prince Consort gripped the armrest of her chair, swaying unsteadily.
“Crown Prince Consort—” Hong Yu seemed surprised by the Crown Prince Consort’s strong reaction and called out in astonishment.
The Crown Prince Consort ignored Hong Yu, her face frighteningly pale, her body shaking uncontrollably.
Could Father Emperor’s heart disease be related to Cui Shan?
Cui Shan was from the Eastern Palace—
“Go summon the Crown Prince—” the Crown Prince Consort ordered, then changed her mind, “Wait, never mind.”
Both Hong Yu and the personal palace maid looked at the Crown Prince Consort.
The usually composed Crown Prince Consort paced back and forth like an ant on a hot pan. Finally stopping, she said expressionlessly, “Come with me to the Kunning Palace!”
The palace lanterns were already lit outside as the Crown Prince Consort hurried towards the Kunning Palace with several palace maids.
“Your Majesty, the Crown Prince Consort requests an audience.”
The Empress was slightly surprised but quickly ordered her to be brought in.
As soon as she entered, the Crown Prince Consort knelt.
The Empress was even more surprised and personally helped her up, saying gently, “Why are you kneeling? If you have something to say, just say it.”
The Crown Prince Consort looked up, her face already streaked with tears.
The Empress’s expression changed: “What’s wrong? Could it be—”
Could it be that the Crown Prince had done something foolish again?
Not being his birth mother, she couldn’t bring herself to ask directly.
The Crown Prince Consort composed herself and recounted the matter of Cui Shan.
By the end, the Empress’s face had turned ashen. She asked in a trembling voice, “Has that palace maid’s quarters been searched?”
The Crown Prince Consort shook her head and said softly, “The matter is too serious. I didn’t dare to investigate rashly, so I came to ask for Mother Empress’s guidance…”
With the incident occurring in the Eastern Palace, even she as the Crown Prince Consort couldn’t be sure of the situation. Investigating behind closed doors would only implicate herself further.
The Empress also realized the serious consequences.
If a puppet cursing the Emperor were found in the Eastern Palace, the entire Eastern Palace might collapse…