The atmosphere in the hall suddenly froze.
Second Prince Lu Xuhua, seated in the place of honor, furrowed his brow and pressed both hands against the armrests.
His low voice broke the silence. "The Wenjing Imperial Guards who escorted His Highness the Crown Prince returned to the palace to report three days ago..."
"Only..." Lu Xuhua paused meaningfully. "It seems three special individuals are missing."
Ninth Prince Lu Xuyang's originally smug expression instantly stiffened.
Standing in the middle of the passageway, he snapped his folding fan shut.
"Special individuals?" Fifth Prince Lu Xuen cried out, nearly overturning the teacup in his hand.
The princes present exchanged shocked looks.
What startled them was not the disappearance of the Imperial Guards, but the fact that Second Brother could obtain such secret intelligence.
After all, the movements of the Wenjing Imperial Guards had always been answerable to the Emperor alone!
"Second Brother's sources truly are well-informed."
Third Prince Lu Xuqiong slowly rose to his feet, his fat body unexpectedly agile as he moved around the table.
A sharp glint flashed in his narrowed little eyes. "It's Lu Yi and those other two... They've vanished."
As soon as those words fell, the shadows on the princes' faces flickered between light and dark, much like their unfathomable thoughts at this moment...
Lu Yi and the other two were the strongest of the Wenjing Imperial Guards, Great Grandmasters of Martial Arts—yet even they had vanished without a trace.
How strange...
"What about the Eastern Palace...?"
Fourth Prince Lu Xuzhen suddenly spoke, his voice low as muffled thunder.
His sharp gaze pierced straight toward Ninth Prince Lu Xuyang.
The question sounded casual, but it made every prince present prick up his ears.
The Eastern Palace had always been an impenetrable whole.
Everyone in the Imperial Family knew