"My heart..."
Jiang Xiangyang managed only a single word before he could go no further.
Xing Yuanzheng could not hide the disappointment in his eyes. Could he not even offer him a perfunctory answer?
How laughable that he was still trying to think of a way to warn him while surrounded by the emperor's guards. Now, it seemed there was no need.
"What did you come to ask me this time?"
Unwilling to dwell on something so painful, Xing Yuanzheng asked him directly.
Seeing that he had dropped the subject, Jiang Xiangyang breathed a sigh of relief and steered their conversation back on course.
"I mainly wanted to know why His Majesty suddenly summoned me back to the Capital City."
"The exact reason isn't something I would know. But lately, the Crown Prince has hardly appeared in public, and His Majesty has been troubled by the Fourth Prince's recent efforts to open shops and do business in the Capital City. For a prince to go into trade is rather a neglect of his proper duties.
"As for the Fifth Prince, he committed an offense some time ago and has been confined to his residence. From His Majesty's intentions, it seems he's to remain under house arrest for life."
Xing Yuanzheng gave the answer he had been instructed to give.
Upon hearing this news, Jiang Xiangyang began turning it over in his mind.
He had great confidence in Xing Yuanzheng and believed he could never betray him, so everything he said had to be true.
The Crown Prince's prolonged absence matched the news that he was gravely ill.
Meanwhile, the Fourth Prince was doing business, and the Fifth Prince was finished.
The Second Prince had become obsessed with Daoist cultivation years ago and left to roam the land with a Daoist