Commander of the Imperial Guards Zhao Jun hurriedly led his subordinates in separating the two. The moment he saw the knife on the ground, his scalp prickled and cold sweat broke out.
In the imperial palace, no one apart from the Palace Guards was allowed to conceal weapons. For serious offenses, the charge was treason.
No matter how this knife had appeared here, if the Imperial Guards failed to uncover it, they were derelict in their duty.
He immediately fell to his knees and pleaded guilty to Emperor Yongchang. "This humble subject failed to inspect properly, allowing a lethal weapon to be hidden in the palace and frightening Your Majesty. I deserve ten thousand deaths. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."
Zhao Jun was utterly exhausted. First, a fire had broken out at the Ancestral Hall. He had rushed to put it out with his men, then hurried to patrol the palace grounds and calm everyone's nerves.
He had never expected to turn around and find the two Crown Princes, one genuine and one fake, brazenly brawling in the imperial bedchamber—and even using weapons. His heart had nearly gone cold.
Emperor Yongchang ignored him completely. Instead, he pointed at Xiao Qianyu and barked, "You rebellious son! Why are you carrying a blade? Were you planning to assassinate the Emperor?"
The first thing any emperor cared about was his own life.
"And when did you learn martial arts?" He had even managed to trade blows with Xiao Qianyì.
Xiao Qianyu was not the least bit intimidated. Instead, he replied coldly, "Father Emperor, there's no need to rush to pin a crime on me. It's true that I brought this knife in, but do you know where it came from?"
Emperor Yongchang was furious. "I don't care where it came from! What matters is why you were hiding a weapon!"
He couldn't even bear to imagine it: if Xiao Qianyu had turned on him just now, would he still be alive?
Xiao Qianyu shook his head, looking at Emperor Yongchang with disappointment. "Father Emperor, this isn't a murder weapon. It's a 'Divine Artifact' bestowed upon me by Heaven."
"A Divine Artifact?" Emperor Yongchang's brow twitched.
He gave Xiao Qianyu a cold sidelong glance, waiting to see how he would talk his way out of this.
Xiao Qianyu opened his mouth and solemnly spouted nonsense. "That's right. When I returned from the Execution Grounds, I had nothing on me but the change of clothes prepared by the palace. My hands were empty. This Divine Artifact suddenly appeared on me. It was bestowed by Heaven and can ward off calamities. Otherwise, where do you think this knife came from? With everyone watching, who could have passed it to me, and how could I have brought it into the palace?"
Emperor Yongchang furrowed his brow. Could it really be true?
Xiao Qianyì couldn't take it anymore. He jumped out and pointed at Xiao Qianyu. "Don't think you can deceive Father Emperor with your silver tongue! What 'Divine Artifact'? You clearly harbored evil intentions and meant to commit murder. Perhaps an accomplice secretly slipped it to you so you could assassinate Father Emperor. Father Emperor, don't believe him. Have him thrown into prison at once, and investigate whether any accomplices approached him along the way."
Xiao Qianyu might not have been able to kill him, but he had hurt him. Several wounds now seeped blood across his upper body, and even his clothes were torn.
Xiao Qianyì had never been so disheveled. Now he looked at Xiao Qianyu as if he were a venomous snake, wishing he could put him to death.
Xiao Qianyu scoffed. "If things are really as you say, I had a chance to attack Father Emperor from the start. Why didn't I? Why did I attack you instead?"
Of course, it was because Xiao Qianyì was the protagonist. But after his first strike failed, Xiao Qianyu couldn't be bothered to try again.
Emperor Yongchang came to his senses. Indeed, Xiao Qianyu had been sitting so close to him just now, and he had been completely off guard. If Xiao Qianyu had truly wanted to assassinate him, wouldn't he have attacked him instead?
He demanded, "If it's a Divine Artifact, why did it attack Prince Qi?" Was there some explanation for that?
Xiao Qianyu said with grave sincerity, "Because the Divine Artifact sensed an Evil Spirit."
Emperor Yongchang sucked in a sharp breath. "An Evil Spirit?"
Xiao Qianyu nodded. "That's right. This man twists right and wrong, covets the Position of Crown Prince, and seeks to take my place. He is an Evil Spirit."
Everyone stared at Xiao Qianyì in alarm. They all shrank back, leaving a huge empty space around him.
Xiao Qianyì was furious. "I'm no Evil Spirit! You're the Evil Spirit, if anything! First June Snow, then swearing an oath and calling down a curse—you're clearly putting on a supernatural act to fool everyone. Father Emperor, you mustn't believe him!"
Xiao Qianyu's face darkened, his voice as sharp as a blade. "Heaven sent down thunder, snow fell in the sixth month, and our ancestors revealed themselves. If that's all a supernatural act, then go on—show me how you can do it."
He turned to the Emperor without a trace of shame. "Father Emperor has already issued an edict clearing my name. All under Heaven know that I am as spotless as white jade, protected by our ancestors. I have nothing left to fear. Since I am the true Crown Prince, Prince Qi must be the fake. Father Emperor will deal with him sooner or later and restore justice to me. Why should I care? Father Emperor, think about it: if the Divine Artifact hadn't warned me that he was an Evil Spirit who would bring calamity upon you and the court, why would I risk breaking the rules by drawing a blade in your presence just to cut him down? I'm not a fool."
The more Emperor Yongchang listened, the more sense it made. Could Xiao Qianyì really be an Evil Spirit? He couldn't help looking at him with suspicion and disgust.
This man's arrival had been strange. Out of nowhere, a couple had turned themselves in, beaten the Petition Drum, and claimed that the child they had raised was the true Crown Prince. Then they had presented a pile of evidence, and the Three Judicial Offices had held a joint trial with the Six Ministries observing, smoothly concluding that the old couple were telling the truth.
Next, Xiao Qianyu had been stripped of the Position of Crown Prince and thrown into prison, while Xiao Qianyì had done nothing at all before being welcomed back into the imperial palace as the Empress's legitimate son.
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