Hanging by a thread

The Eleventh Prince immediately protested, "I didn't!"

His voice was exceptionally loud as he desperately tried to insist that he had not taken the cat.

But his eyes betrayed him.

They were filled with panic and fear.

Though he was still young, he knew which of his father's sons frightened him most. Even when he happened to encounter him, he always tried to steer clear.

If he had known this cat belonged to the Crown Prince, he would never have brought it back.

Wasn't this cat Xue Pingyuan's pet? When had it become the Crown Prince's?

Despite the sweltering weather, chills ran down the Eleventh Prince's back.

Consort Xue's expression grew increasingly grim.

"What did I teach you before?"

The Eleventh Prince fell to his knees. "I really didn't!"

His body trembled, making his words utterly unconvincing.

The Crown Prince said, "Whether you did or not, won't a search by me settle the matter?"

There was no way Consort Xue could let him search her palace. She hurriedly said, "Qiaoling, take some people and search the Eleventh Prince's quarters at once. If you find the Crown Prince's cat, bring it out!"

"Yes, Your Highness."

The head palace maid of Wanci Palace hurried toward the side hall with a group of servants. The Eleventh Prince could only pray that his maid had already hidden the kitten.

Time ticked by. During that agonizing wait, each of them harbored their own thoughts.

"Your Highnesses, I found no cat in the Eleventh Prince's quarters."

The Eleventh Prince let out a great sigh of relief.

His maid must have hidden the cat properly. That was close. If he hadn't listened to her suggestion, he would probably be in terrible trouble now.

"You couldn't find it?"

The Crown Prince said coldly, "Your servants aren't particularly capable, Consort Xue. I had better do it myself."

Consort Xue parted her lips, but could think of nothing else to stop him. She signaled the head maid with her eyes to fetch the emperor.

The head maid understood, quickly nodded, and withdrew.

The Crown Prince entered the side hall of Wanci Palace and walked into the Eleventh Prince's quarters.

He first circled the room, then stopped at a spot in the corner, bent down, and picked something up from the floor.

Consort Xue immediately recognized it as white cat fur. Horrified, she shot a fierce glare at the pale-faced Eleventh Prince.

The Crown Prince tucked the tuft of fur into his sleeve, straightened, and surveyed the entire room.

The Eleventh Prince trembled for as long as he looked.

"...I said I didn't, and I didn't."

Still stubbornly denying it, he added, "See? There's nothing here. How can you accuse someone without proof, Brother?"

Though his words were accusatory, his tone lacked any force. Instead, it sounded as though he was deliberately trying to conceal his fear.

The Crown Prince had not said a word throughout. He began walking again, stepping out of the room, but just as he was about to search outside-

[-It hurts.]

He immediately stopped all movement, slowly drew back the foot he had stepped forward with, and turned to look behind the Eleventh Prince.

The Eleventh Prince's face stiffened. Under that pressure, he whispered, "Brother, I really didn't take your cat."

The Crown Prince finally spoke. "Is that so? Then why does the maid behind you smell of blood?"

All color drained from the Eleventh Prince's face. He opened his mouth, but could not utter a word.

The maid standing behind him dropped to her knees with a thud. "I've been falsely accused! The reason I smell of blood is that my hand is injured."

As she spoke, she held out her hand.

Sure enough, there was a crimson scratch across its back.

The Crown Prince walked up to the maid and laid a sword against her neck. His cold voice pronounced each word distinctly. "You... have committed the crime of deceiving the sovereign."

With that, he sliced off her ear.

"Aaaah-!"

The maid clapped a hand over her ear. Her frantic movements and repeated steps backward instantly drew everyone's attention to the large bulge in her sleeve.

Consort Xue and the Eleventh Prince had already frozen in shock at the Crown Prince's brutality. When they saw the bulging sleeve, their horror deepened.

The Crown Prince approached the maid step by step, his expressionless face making him look like a demon that had crawled out of hell.

The maid kept retreating, clutching her ear and trying to evade him, until she finally blurted everything out. "Spare me, Your Highness! Your Highness, all of this was on the Eleventh Prince's orders. I was only doing as I was told!"

Sobbing, she pulled the kitten from her sleeve. "The cat is here! I didn't do anything to him. It was the Eleventh Prince who..."

"How dare you! Wretched servant, don't slander me!"

The Eleventh Prince stepped forward, intending to kick the maid viciously, but before he could, the Crown Prince kicked him flying to the floor!

He grunted several times and lay sprawled on the floor, clutching his stomach, too frightened even to breathe hard.

[-It hurts so much.]

"Meow..."

The kitten's feeble voice was almost inaudible beneath the maid's sobs and the Eleventh Prince's groans.

But there was one person here who could clearly hear every whimper the kitten made.

The Crown Prince bent down and lifted the desperately weak kitten from the maid's hands. His sword swept down, severing the hand that had held the kitten.

"Aaah!!"

The maid screamed. Unable to bear any more, her eyes rolled back and she fainted.

The Crown Prince drew back his bloodstained sword. Holding the weakened kitten in one arm, he shifted his gaze from the maid to the Eleventh Prince.

"Little Eleven, is this what you meant when you said you hadn't?"

The Eleventh Prince was deathly pale, his body swaying. Just as he found himself unable to defend himself and at a complete loss, a loud announcement briefly eased his terror.

"His Majesty has arrived-!"

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

With the kitten in his arms, the Crown Prince did not clasp his hands or bow. He merely offered a casual greeting, then fell silent.

The emperor walked in with his hands behind his back. At the sight of the bloody scene, his eyelids twitched violently. "What is going on here?"

"Father, Brother..."

Before he could finish, Consort Xue interrupted him. "Your Majesty, it was nothing. This wretched maid incited Little Eleven to seize the Crown Prince's cat and bring him back. She even injured the cat all over, which led to..."

The emperor snorted heavily. "Little Eleven, how dare you! Apologize to your brother at once. As for this maid, drag her away and behead her!"

The Eleventh Prince's knees buckled, and he fell to the floor. Trembling, he said to the Crown Prince, "I-I'm sorry, Brother. I'll never dare do it again!"

He had nearly forgotten that, no matter how much his father doted on him, he would never take his side against the Crown Prince.

"Meow..."

The Crown Prince said to someone beside him, "Summon Physician Liu. Tell him to come as quickly as possible."

Then he completely ignored the Eleventh Prince's apology.

He paid no attention even to the emperor.

Consort Xue watched in alarm. She understood the relationship between this father and son less and less.

If the emperor favored him, why had he sent him to Lingnan? If he did not, how could she explain the meticulous care he had shown him over the years?

The unconscious Shen Yangge might also have found it impossible to understand.

But right now, his life hung by a thread as he endured the torment of alternating fire and ice.

(P.S. Everyone, this story will probably get its first promotional showcase in a day or two. If the results aren't good, then probably... So please tap the update reminder, send free little gifts, leave ratings, and so on! (＞﹏＜))