The Empress looked at the Crown Princess.
The Crown Princess’s face was completely drained of color. The calmness in her eyes wasn’t genuine tranquility, but rather the final struggle before collapse.
Using a figurine to curse the Emperor – no one could bear such consequences.
The Empress’s thoughts raced before she quickly made a decision: “Come with me to see His Majesty!”
At this moment, Emperor Jingming was still awake.
The day’s ordeals had left him exhausted, yet the sudden pains in his chest kept him from sleep.
Emperor Jingming placed his hand over his heart, his mood heavy.
If those worthless Imperial Physicians remained helpless and his condition didn’t improve, he would have to forcefully depose the Crown Prince and consider regency arrangements.
However, deposing the Crown Prince while seriously ill would be problematic – the civil and military officials wouldn’t tolerate a vacant position of heir apparent. Selecting a new Crown Prince would be imperative.
Yet after having already deposed and reinstated one Crown Prince, only to depose him again, he couldn’t immediately decide on a suitable candidate.
Each of his sons had their shortcomings, and he didn’t want to hastily appoint another Crown Prince only to regret it later.
At this moment, Emperor Jingming felt the bitter truth that time waits for no one.
The Crown Prince, that fool, had truly broken his heart. What a shame about his virtuous and dignified Crown Princess and clever young Chun…
At this thought, Emperor Jingming suddenly had an idea.
What if he deposed the Crown Prince and appointed the Crown Prince’s son instead?
Young Chun was indeed a good child, surely he wouldn’t grow to be as foolish and outrageous as his father. However, Chun was still young, and his uncles were in their prime. Choosing a grandson over a son could lead to future troubles.
As Emperor Jingming pondered these matters, his head felt overwhelmed.
Pan Hai hurried in: “Your Majesty, the Empress and Crown Princess request an audience.”
Emperor Jingming’s eye twitched as he said gravely, “Show them in.”
The Empress and Crown Princess seeking an audience at this hour couldn’t bring good news – it was almost certainly that fool of a Crown Prince causing trouble again.
The Empress quickly entered with the Crown Princess.
“What brings you here, Empress?” Emperor Jingming asked, his peripheral vision observing the Crown Princess.
The Empress hesitated before saying, “Just now, a palace maid from the Eastern Palace reported something to the Crown Princess…”
The Crown Princess cast a grateful look at the Empress.
Regardless of what Father Emperor might do later, at least the Empress’s words attempted to distance her from the situation.
Of course, when the nest falls, no eggs remain intact. She would inevitably be implicated, but now she could only hope to protect young Chun.
After hearing everything, Emperor Jingming’s face turned ashen.
A palace maid from the Eastern Palace possibly using a figurine to harm him?
It sounded absurd, but his sudden chest pains were undeniable. Rather than sudden illness, he was more inclined to believe someone had used dark methods against him.
Every incident leaves traces. If not for Matron Duo’s previous case, Emperor Jingming might not have thought this way, but now he had no choice but to consider it.
“Where is the palace maid who carved things from paulownia wood?”
The Crown Princess lowered her gaze: “Earlier today, we received word that she died suddenly from acute illness. Her body has already been removed from the palace…”
Emperor Jingming gritted his teeth and called out: “Pan Hai—”
“Your servant is here.”
“Investigate the cause of that palace maid’s death immediately!”
In the palace, when ordinary palace maids died, their families couldn’t claim their bodies for burial. Instead, they were immediately taken out of the palace to a place called the Hall of Peaceful Joy in the suburbs for cremation.
The Hall of Peaceful Joy wasn’t a building but rather two deep wells. After cremation, the ashes of palace maids were scattered into these wells, marking the end of their lives.
That palace maid had only been taken there earlier today – perhaps she hadn’t been cremated yet.
Pan Hai immediately dispatched people to handle the matter.
Emperor Jingming’s mood darkened further as he asked: “What about the palace maid who exposed this matter?”
Soon after, Hong Yu was kneeling before Emperor Jingming.
“Since you know about harming people with figurines, do you know where such figurines are typically buried?” Emperor Jingming asked.
He was equally suspicious of this informant’s maid.
It was too convenient – one palace maid carving something from paulownia wood just happened to be discovered by another maid from the same hometown.
If he believed this palace maid was innocent, he would have wasted his decades of experience as emperor.
However, now wasn’t the time to pursue that matter – finding the figurine was the urgent priority.
“It’s said to be buried near the perpetrator’s dwelling, but your servant doesn’t know the exact location. Though this practice exists in your servant’s hometown, it’s mostly hearsay – ordinary people don’t know the details…”
Emperor Jingming’s face darkened as he turned to Pan Hai: “Search immediately. Dig three feet deep if you must, but search every inch of the Eastern Palace!”
Pan Hai responded solemnly and headed out.
As Commander of the Eastern Depot, he had to personally oversee the search of the Eastern Palace.
Just as he reached the doorway, he heard Emperor Jingming ask from behind: “Crown Princess, where were these two palace maids assigned to serve?”
After a moment of silence, the Crown Princess replied: “They both served the Crown Prince…”
Pan Hai’s steps faltered before he hurried away.
Outside, heavy clouds blocked both stars and the moon, creating a suffocating atmosphere.
Pan Hai looked up at the sky and exhaled heavily.
The weather was truly changing – a storm was brewing over the imperial city.
His expression hardened as he strode through the darkness toward the Eastern Palace.
As the Emperor’s most trusted eunuch, when His Majesty was being plotted against, everyone had to step aside – even the Crown Prince was no exception.
This time, he would turn the Eastern Palace upside down to find the figurine that was harming the Emperor!
In the darkness, the Eastern Palace was silently surrounded.
Pan Hai led a team inside, starting their search at the two palace maids’ quarters.
Despite the commotion, the Crown Prince showed no reaction.
After discovering the figurine had worked and strangling the palace maid during the day, fear and excitement overwhelmed him. He’d drunk a pot of wine to calm down and fall into a drunken sleep.
“Your Highness, Your Highness—” A pale-faced eunuch stood beside the bed, calling to the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince mumbled something and rolled over, continuing to sleep.
The eunuch grew desperate and pulled hard at the Crown Prince: “Your Highness, please wake up, something’s happened!”
The Crown Prince cursed groggily with closed eyes and kicked out.
The eunuch clutched his stomach and stepped back, dumbfounded.
“What should we do? We can’t wake His Highness.”
Another eunuch steeled himself, grabbed the Crown Prince’s shoulders, and shook him vigorously: “Your Highness, wake up, there’s a fire!”
The Crown Prince jumped up suddenly, looking around wildly: “Where’s the fire?”
He ran out barefooted, crashing into a folding screen. The impact cleared away much of his drunkenness and drowsiness, finally bringing him to his senses.
Once alert, the Crown Prince rushed to the door. Seeing no signs of fire outside, he kicked the eunuch in the chest, shouting angrily: “You dare trick me!”
How dare they – he was the Crown Prince, and might soon be Emperor.
The kicked eunuch clutched his chest in pain, unable to speak, while the other one hurriedly said: “Crown Prince, something terrible has happened!”
“What is it?”
“Commander Pan has brought men to search the Eastern Palace!”
The Crown Prince was stunned, stammering: “S-search? Search for what?”
“We don’t know what they’re searching for!” The eunuch was nearly crying.
Commander Pan personally leading a search – this couldn’t be good.
“Where’s the Crown Princess?” the Crown Prince asked urgently.