Several men with solemn expressions walked past the old woman towards the side gate.
Prince Qi sensed something was amiss and motioned for his steward to go forward and address them.
As the steward approached, the lead man flashed an official badge. The words “Jinlin Guard” on the badge made the steward dizzy. He said “One moment” and hurried to report to Prince Qi.
“Your Highness, it’s the Jinlin Guard—”
Prince Qi’s face turned slightly pale, but he composed himself and pushed past the steward to greet them: “So it’s our brothers from the Jinlin Guard. Please, come inside—”
The Jinlin Guard were Emperor Jingming’s eyes and ears. Even as an imperial prince, Prince Qi didn’t dare to slight them.
The lead man bowed to Prince Qi: “We’ve been ordered to patrol this area recently. We just saw a crowd gathering and came to inquire about the situation from Your Highness.”
Prince Qi laughed awkwardly: “The maids and servants didn’t take good care of my wife. She had an episode and ran out to the street. How embarrassing for you to witness this…”
At this moment, the servants who had been dragging the Princess Consort didn’t dare to act rashly due to the sudden appearance of the Jinlin Guard. They stopped at a distance, waiting for Prince Qi’s instructions.
The Princess Consort was surrounded by servants, blocking the Jinlin Guard’s view. With her mouth gagged, she could only make faint muffled sounds.
“Quickly take the Princess Consort back inside,” Prince Qi ordered with furrowed brows. He then smiled at the Jinlin Guard, “You brothers have worked hard. Come in for some tea.”
The lead man bowed respectfully: “We wouldn’t dare to trouble Your Highness. We just wanted to inform you that we must report today’s incident to our superiors.”
The Princess Consort suddenly stopped struggling, relief flooding her eyes.
She had won the gamble! She had won!
The Jinlin Guard knew, which meant the Emperor would know. No matter how the Emperor decided, her life should be safe now.
Being able to live was enough. As long as she was alive, her Yuan’er would still have a mother… Thinking of this, tears streamed down the Princess Consort’s face.
Prince Qi’s heart sank upon hearing the Jinlin Guard’s words, but he forced a smile: “Surely such a small matter needn’t trouble Father Emperor?”
The lead man said: “To be frank with Your Highness, after Prince Xiang’s incident, we increased patrols in this area. We were ordered to report any unusual occurrences…”
“If that’s the case, then I’ll trouble you. I’ll go to the palace shortly,” Prince Qi said, maintaining his composure despite his extreme frustration.
Seeing Prince Qi’s cooperation, the lead man secretly sighed in relief and bowed: “We’ll take our leave then.”
He glanced at the Princess Consort surrounded by servants before departing with his men.
Prince Qi ordered the servants to take the Princess Consort back to her quarters and rushed to the palace without delay.
How his father would perceive today’s events would surely differ depending on whether he heard it from the Jinlin Guard or Prince Qi himself. He couldn’t allow others to dictate the narrative.
Prince Qi was still a step too late. By now, Han Ran, the Commander of the Jinlin Guard, was already standing in the imperial study.
Emperor Jingming’s face darkened as he listened to Han Ran’s report.
How could another problem arise so soon?
The white jade paperweight on the dragon desk had been replaced. The previous one had been smashed by Emperor Jingming after issuing the decree to demote Prince Xiang when no one else was present.
He hadn’t wanted to, but he needed to vent his anger somehow, and the white jade paperweight bore the brunt of his fury.
Han Ran stole glances at the Emperor’s blackening face, trembling as he gave his report.
After hearing his subordinate’s report, he had no choice but to rush to the palace.
With frequent incidents in recent years and the Jinlin Guard proving ineffective, the Emperor was already displeased. After Prince Xiang’s incident, he assigned men to watch all the princely households, not daring to be lax anymore.
“Summon Prince Qi to the palace,” Emperor Jingming ordered Pan Hai after listening to the report.
Pan Hai had just acknowledged the order when an attendant rushed in to report that Prince Qi had arrived.
“Let him enter.”
Soon after, Prince Qi hurried into the imperial study. Seeing Han Ran, the Jinlin Guard Commander standing to the side, his heart sank.
How had Han Ran been so quick?
Han Ran kept his gaze lowered, avoiding Prince Qi’s eyes.
His subordinates had already appeared to warn Prince Qi. If Prince Qi was slow to respond, it wasn’t Han Ran’s fault.
Knowing the situation was unfavorable, Prince Qi knelt, lifting his robe: “Son has come to beg for Father Emperor’s punishment.”
“Punishment?” Emperor Jingming raised an eyebrow, his gaze profound. “What wrong have you committed that requires punishment?”
Prince Qi faltered, then said sheepishly: “It’s all because of my poor management. The servants didn’t take proper care of the Princess Consort, allowing her to run outside and cause a scene, affecting the imperial family’s reputation—”
“I heard that Lady Li was shouting in the street that you wanted to kill her?” Emperor Jingming asked, his face black.
The imperial family’s face had been completely lost. None of these wretches gave him peace of mind!
Prince Qi looked aghast and said aggrievedly: “Father Emperor, that was Lady Li’s mad ravings. How could I ever harbor such thoughts—”
Emperor Jingming stroked the white jade paperweight, saying meaningfully: “Fourth Son, you know whether Lady Li is truly mad or not.”
Prince Qi broke out in a cold sweat.
The claim that Lady Li had gone mad was initially made to cover up her attempt to harm Princess Yan. In reality, Lady Li was certainly not insane.
He knew this, and so did the Father Emperor and the Empress.
If a truly mad Lady Li had shouted that he wanted to kill his wife, Father Emperor might have dismissed it. But for a sane Lady Li to shout such things… no wonder Father Emperor was questioning him like this.
Prince Qi pressed his forehead to the ground, his tone both fearful and earnest: “Father Emperor, I truly harbor no such thoughts. Lady Li is my first wife, she has been with me for over a decade. Although she committed a grave error, stripping her of her rights and freedom as Princess Consort is already a severe punishment. I have no need, nor the heart, to take her life…”
“You don’t wish to marry another noble lady?” Emperor Jingming asked bluntly, his patience worn thin by his sons’ frequent troubles.
Prince Qi’s body trembled, and his heart filled with sorrow.
Father Emperor treated him differently from his other brothers.
Among all his brothers, only he was treated with such harshness and coldness.
He had endured for so many years, smiling even at a mere guard. Why did the Father Emperor treat him this way?
Prince Qi’s voice choked: “Heaven and Earth bear witness, I have no such thoughts.”
“So you’re saying Lady Li had a fit of madness?”
Prince Qi lowered his head: “Perhaps Lady Li harbors resentment, which led to this outburst—”
Emperor Jingming closed his eyes briefly, then said: “Pan Hai, take some men to Prince Qi’s residence and escort the Princess Consort to the family temple.”
Behind the imperial family temple was a nunnery specifically for housing concubines who had served the previous emperor or female members of the imperial clan who had taken refuge there for various reasons.
Prince Qi listened to Emperor Jingming’s arrangements with his head bowed, his heart plummeting.
Once Lady Li entered the imperial family temple, he would have no more say in her affairs.
As long as Lady Li lived, he couldn’t remarry, and the vast Prince Qi’s residence would fall into chaos.
What if Lady Li outlived him? Would the prince’s residence remain without a mistress indefinitely?
Thinking of these possibilities, Prince Qi felt the urge to bang his head against the wall.
Emperor Jingming glanced impatiently at Prince Qi and said coldly: “You may withdraw. Mind your actions in the future.”
Prince Qi’s heart turned completely cold.
Had Father Emperor grown weary of him?