Chu Mo sat in his position, obediently keeping his head down as he ate.

With a slight turn of his head, he saw Chu Yi and Yun Chu beside him talking, looking very harmonious as husband and wife.

He couldn’t help but let out a low, cold laugh. Once he returned to the Ministry of Revenue, the first thing he would do was go to the Court of Judicial Review to expose Prince Pingxi’s manor for secretly harboring voodoo dolls.

After destroying Chu Yi, the next one would be the Crown Prince’s turn.

Since he was eight years old, he had wanted to sit in that position and had been working toward it ever since.

He had always received praise from the Imperial Academy teachers. He was more outstanding than the Crown Prince.

Just because the Crown Prince was a few years older than him, just because the Crown Prince was born of the Empress, did that mean the Crown Prince had to be the Crown Prince?

Why establish based on age rather than merit?

The Great Jin Dynasty’s system needed to change.

Just as various thoughts surged through his mind.

The National Preceptor sitting below suddenly stood up: “Your Majesty, I just casually performed a divination and actually calculated that someone has used voodoo sorcery against Your Majesty!”

“What?”

The Emperor suddenly snapped out of the father-son sentiment Chu Mo had created and shot to his feet.

“National Preceptor, explain in detail!”

Chu Mo’s lips curved into a smile.

He had originally planned to wait until he was stable before delivering a heavy blow to Third Brother.

He hadn’t expected the National Preceptor to calculate it in advance. It seemed the National Preceptor wasn’t Third Brother’s man.

With the National Preceptor coming forward, this matter’s credibility was even higher. No matter what, this fire couldn’t burn him.

Chu Mo took a sip of wine and sat properly to watch the show.

Ding Yiyuan pulled three copper coins from his sleeve, calculated for a while before saying: “To the east, black energy soars to the sky. The voodoo comes from there. Please have Your Majesty quickly arrange for people to investigate! If it’s too late, Your Majesty’s dragon body may be invaded!”

The Emperor didn’t dare joke with his own health and immediately arranged for the National Preceptor to lead the Imperial Guards at the fastest speed.

Today was his birthday banquet, yet such a thing had happened. His expression was extremely displeased, and those seated below were all on edge, wondering which family would suffer disaster.

Chu Mo turned to look at Chu Yi and spoke: “What does Third Brother think?”

Chu Yi’s expression was serious: “I don’t know who would dare curse Father Emperor. They absolutely cannot be lightly forgiven!”

Chu Mo said with interest: “Then what does Third Brother think the punishment should be?”

“Naturally execution, with the entire clan exiled!” the Crown Prince sitting beside them said coldly. “Father Emperor is in his prime years, yet someone dares use voodoo sorcery. How is this different from treason?”

A trace of tension flashed across the Empress’s face.

She didn’t know why such a thing would happen today either.

That was fine—she’d first see what the situation was.

She quietly gave Nanny Yin behind her a look.

Everyone waited anxiously. Those delicious delicacies no longer held anyone’s interest.

More than half an hour passed.

Finally, Ding Yiyuan returned with his men.

Everyone saw him holding in both hands a yellow cloth covered with talismanic writing, upon which rested a black little doll covered entirely with silver needles.

A piece of paper was pasted on the doll’s back with birth date and time written on it.

“Your Majesty, what’s written on this paper is Your Majesty’s birth date and time!” Ding Yiyuan’s voice was stern. “This is voodoo sorcery from an ancient village among the common folk. Writing a person’s birth date and time, then piercing the doll with silver needles soaked in corpse water—one or two days won’t reveal any problems, but as time goes on, Your Majesty’s body will slowly be devoured completely, leaving only an empty shell…”

The Emperor’s eyes blazed like fire: “Where was this thing found!”

Chu Mo smiled.

Wasn’t this the very thing Xie Shi’an had arranged to have made before…

He quietly glanced at Chu Yi.

Third Brother’s death date had arrived. Cursing Father Emperor was even more serious than the imperial examination fraud. Even if he didn’t die, he would be demoted to commoner status.

“Reporting to Your Majesty, this item was discovered while searching the water pool at Prince Gongxi’s manor!” Ding Yiyuan announced loudly.

Chu Mo froze completely.

Everyone present also collectively breathed a sigh of relief. Honestly, they had truly feared it would be discovered at their own homes. After sighing in relief, discussion followed.

“Heavens, it was actually the Second Prince cursing His Majesty!”

“His Majesty stripped him of his princely title, so he harbored resentment and did this?”

“Earlier when he presented the birthday gift he personally embroidered, I thought… Looks like I was thinking too much…”

“Father Emperor!” Chu Mo crawled and rolled to kneel on the ground. “Please let Father Emperor see clearly—this absolutely wasn’t your son’s doing! Someone is framing me, Father Emperor!”

Xie Shi’an!

It must be Xie Shi’an!

He had actually believed that treacherous villain!

It must be Third Brother who turned Xie Shi’an, having Xie Shi’an frame him!

“It truly wasn’t your son, Father Emperor! Your son could never do such a treasonous thing!” Chu Mo wept bitterly. “Father Emperor, think about it—what benefit would your son gain from this? If Father Emperor dies, your son has no one to protect him and becomes nothing. Your son has no need to dig his own grave, Father Emperor…”

The Empress’s expression was icy: “Then is Mo’er saying this was the Crown Prince’s doing?”

She sneered inwardly.

Third Brother truly had good schemes.

Always acting as if he stayed out of everything.

Behind the scenes, however, he had plotted such a grand performance.

Framing Chu Mo—even if Chu Mo didn’t confess, he could pin the matter on the Eastern Palace.

Each one more calculating than the last.

Only when the Crown Prince ascended to that position and sent these people off to their fiefs could there truly be peace!

“Please have Father Emperor investigate thoroughly and return your son’s innocence!”

Chu Mo knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face, looking as if he’d been wronged to the extreme.

Consort Hui was also frightened senseless and hurriedly knelt as well: “Your Majesty, Mo’er’s filial piety can be witnessed by heaven and earth. He would never do such a treasonous thing…”

Ding Yiyuan stepped forward holding the little doll: “For voodoo sorcery to take effect, the caster’s blood must be infused. Allow me to examine whether this is truly the Second Prince’s blood!”

As he spoke, he picked up a dagger and cut Chu Mo’s finger.

Chu Mo felt slightly reassured. This blood definitely wasn’t his.

However—

“Reporting to Your Majesty!” Ding Yiyuan knelt down. “The Second Prince’s blood is exactly the same as the cursing blood in the doll’s body!”

Chu Mo’s eyes widened sharply.

The National Preceptor… the National Preceptor was Third Brother’s man!

Before he could cry out his innocence again.

He heard the Emperor roar in fury: “Traitorous son! Beast! Someone come!”

The Imperial Guards outside filed in.

“Throw him into the dungeon!” The Emperor panted violently. “First give him thirty heavy strikes with the rod, demote him to commoner status, and imprison him in the dungeon!”

“Yes!”

The Imperial Guards dragged Chu Mo directly out.

Consort Hui’s vision went black and she fainted from fright.

The Gui family members were frightened to trembling legs, kneeling on the ground continuously begging for mercy.

Those present looked at each other in dismay.

A perfectly good birthday banquet had actually turned out like this. Everyone felt uncomfortable.

Yun Chu’s eyes were indifferent.

She wondered how long Chu Mo, having become a commoner, could last in the dungeon…

“Chu’er, you should leave first.” Chu Yi whispered in her ear. “The Empress… is probably about to make her move.”

He had discovered the Empress had mobilized five thousand death warriors. He couldn’t find out exactly what she planned to do, but it would probably be tonight.

If the Empress was assassinating Li Jingshu, he would be happy to see it and naturally stand aside to watch.

But for the Empress to mobilize five thousand death warriors was definitely not as simple as merely assassinating one woman.

However, before Yun Chu could leave, another crisis arose.