Su Gan snapped his eyes open.
He neither smashed anything nor shouted, but the icy killing intent in his eyes was more intense than ever!
He picked up the vermilion brush and quickly wrote several lines on the imperial edict on the Dragon Desk.
Then he raised his head, his voice frighteningly calm.
"Guards."
The old eunuch waiting outside the hall hurried in and knelt on the floor.
"This old servant is here."
Su Gan tossed the imperial edict in front of him.
"Transmit My decree."
"Order the Royal Forest Guard commander to lead his men and surround the Eastern Palace immediately. Do not let a single person escape."
"Bring the Crown Prince here to see Me. At once."
His voice was not loud, but every word seemed dipped in ice.
The old eunuch picked up the imperial edict, trembling all over.
He had served in the palace for most of his life, but he had never seen His Majesty wear such an expression.
It was a stillness as lifeless as death, ten times more terrifying than fury!
"This old servant obeys!"
The old eunuch held the imperial edict in both hands and hurried out of the Imperial Study.
The moment he left the hall, he broke into a run, his legs moving nimbly despite his age.
Chen Zhan, commander of the Royal Forest Guard, was patrolling the palace.
The old eunuch came panting up to him and shoved the imperial edict into his hands.
"Commander Chen, His Majesty has issued a decree: lead your men and surround the Eastern Palace at once. Apprehend the Crown Prince!"
Chen Zhan took the imperial edict and opened it. His pupils contracted sharply.
But he did not ask why. He simply clasped his hands in a forceful salute.
"This general obeys!"
He turned to the deputy behind him and barked an order.
"Pass down the order: the entire Royal Forest Guard is to assemble and surround the Eastern Palace immediately!"
"Seal every exit. Don't let a single fly get out!"
"Everyone inside the Eastern Palace, regardless of rank, is to be detained on the spot. Don't let a single person escape!"
"Anyone who defies the order is to be killed without mercy!"
The deputy's expression changed, but he too asked no questions.
"This general obeys!"
A moment later.
Hundreds of fully armed Royal Forest Guard soldiers surged toward the Eastern Palace like a tide.
Swords were drawn, bows strung.
Their synchronized footsteps echoed through the palace corridors, sending the surrounding palace maids and eunuchs scurrying out of the way.
Meanwhile.
Deep within the Eastern Palace.
Crown Prince Su Mingyuan was reclining on a soft couch, an attractive palace maid nestled in his arms.
The low table before him was laden with fine wine and delicacies, along with several plates of exquisite pastries.
He held a wine cup, a leisurely smile on his face.
He had no idea what was happening outside.
"Your Highness, have another cup."
The palace maid giggled and poured Su Mingyuan another cup of wine.
Su Mingyuan took the cup and drained it in one go.
He had been in a good mood these past few days.
Although Father Emperor's order for a Nationwide Purge of the Demon Cult had made him anxious for a while, he soon thought it through.
He had already sent people to warn the Branch Sect hideouts that might have evidence against him.
The documents that needed destroying had been destroyed, and the people who needed silencing had been silenced.
No matter how thoroughly the Demon Suppressing Division and Prince Wu'an investigated, they would never trace anything back to him.
Evidence only mattered if he left any behind. If he didn't, who could convict him?
Besides, he was the current Crown Prince, the heir to the throne.
Even if someone suspected him, who would dare lay a hand on him without solid evidence?
At the thought of this.
Su Mingyuan's mood improved even further.
He reached out and pinched the palace maid's chin, about to have another cup.
Just then.
A flurry of hurried footsteps came from outside the hall.
A eunuch stumbled inside, his face full of terror.
"Y-Your Highness! This is bad! Something terrible has happened!"
Su Mingyuan frowned and set down his wine cup in annoyance.
"What's the panic? Even if the sky falls, I'll hold it up. Speak slowly."
The eunuch dropped to his knees with a thump, his voice trembling.
"Outside! There are so many Royal Forest Guard soldiers outside! They've surrounded the entire Eastern Palace!"
The smile on Su Mingyuan's face froze for an instant.
The Royal Forest Guard? Surrounding the Eastern Palace?
Then he returned to his usual unconcerned expression.
"Royal Forest Guard? Who's so bold as to surround My Eastern Palace?"
He snorted and sat up on the soft couch.
"Is it that brute Chen Zhan? Has he grown a bear's gall?"
"I'll go out right now and see what gives him the right to swagger in front of Me!"
Just then.
The clashing of weapons and several muffled groans came from outside the hall.
Immediately afterward, heavy footsteps drew closer.
Someone flung open the hall doors from outside.
Chen Zhan, commander of the Royal Forest Guard, strode in.
He wore military uniform and a saber at his waist, with a squad of fully armed Royal Forest Guard soldiers following behind him.
The soldiers wore blank expressions, but the blades in their hands glinted coldly in the lamplight.
Seeing Chen Zhan barge straight into his sleeping quarters, Su Mingyuan felt his anger flare.
He pointed at Chen Zhan and shouted furiously.
"Chen Zhan! Who gave you the nerve to barge into My sleeping quarters?!"
"This is the Eastern Palace, not your Royal Forest Guard barracks!"
"Get out!"
Chen Zhan stood where he was, unmoving.
His expression was so calm that it revealed nothing, like a stagnant pool.
"Your Highness, this general is here under imperial orders."
He took the pale-yellow imperial edict from his robe and slowly unfolded it.
"His Majesty decrees—"
"His Highness the Crown Prince is to accompany this general to the Imperial Study at once to attend an audience with His Majesty."
"Everyone in the Eastern Palace is to be detained on the spot. No one is to move without permission."
He folded the imperial edict, his voice still calm.
"Your Highness, please."
The anger on Su Mingyuan's face froze instantly.
He stared at the imperial edict in Chen Zhan's hand, his pupils contracting slightly.
Father Emperor's decree.
Father Emperor had sent the Royal Forest Guard to seize him and seal off the entire Eastern Palace.
Why?
Why would Father Emperor do this?
Had his collusion with the Holy Demon God Sect been exposed?
The thought surfaced, and a bucket of icy water seemed to pour over him from head to toe.
His whole body stiffened.
But he still forced himself to maintain the Crown Prince's dignity.
No, that couldn't be. He had been so careful. All the evidence had been destroyed.
The Demon Suppressing Division couldn't possibly have found any clues.
It had to be something else.
Someone was slandering him behind his back, or Father Emperor had listened to some malicious gossip!
As long as he saw Father Emperor, he could explain everything.
As long as his collusion with the Demon Cult hadn't been exposed, he could find a way to make amends for any other mistake.
Su Mingyuan drew a deep breath, forcing down his panic.
He straightened his robes and gave Chen Zhan a cold look.
"Since Father Emperor has summoned Me, I will naturally go."
"But Commander Chen, I'll remember your intrusion into the Eastern Palace today."
Chen Zhan said nothing and simply stepped aside to make way.
Two Royal Forest Guard soldiers stepped forward and took their places behind Su Mingyuan, one on either side.
It was called an escort, but in truth, it was an arrest.
Su Mingyuan held his head high as he walked out of his sleeping quarters.
When he stepped beyond the hall doors and saw the densely packed Royal Forest Guard soldiers in the Eastern Palace courtyard.
His steps faltered almost imperceptibly.
Hundreds of Royal Forest Guard soldiers had sealed off the Eastern Palace, leaving no way in or out.
Every exit was blocked. All the Eastern Palace officials, eunuchs, and palace maids had been herded into the courtyard.
Everyone crouched on the ground with their hands over their heads, not daring to breathe too loudly.
The scene was even more tightly controlled than during the Demon Suppressing Division's previous Major Investigation.
Su Mingyuan's heart sank further.
He gritted his teeth and continued toward the Imperial Study.
But the hand hidden beneath his sleeve had clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
What if—just what if—
If his collusion with the Demon Cult really had been exposed... then he was finished!
He knew what Father Emperor was capable of.
Qian Youde had been executed by slicing, and his entire clan had been put to death.
If Father Emperor treated an ordinary official that way, would he show mercy to his own son for colluding with the Demon Cult?
Su Mingyuan didn't dare think any further.
He could only cling to a sliver of hope that this was over something else.
That Father Emperor had merely listened to some malicious gossip, or that there had been some other misunderstanding.
As long as his collusion with the Demon Cult hadn't been exposed, there was still room to turn things around.
He followed Chen Zhan toward the Imperial Study, one step at a time. With every step, the palace road beneath his feet felt like a stairway leading into the abyss.
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