The moment Fan Xian left, the Crown Prince's expression darkened.
Just then, the Second Prince came over with a smile, a hint of gloating in his voice.
"You treated a worthy man with courtesy, stooping from your exalted station, but perhaps your affection was one-sided." He shook his head, clicking his tongue. "Fan Xian may be at odds with me, but he doesn't seem particularly close to Your Highness either. He went to see our third brother as soon as he returned. Heh, it seems we both underestimated him. Perhaps our third brother won Fan Xian over long ago without anyone noticing."
The Crown Prince glanced at the Second Prince without speaking.
He knew Li Chengze was provoking him, but he still couldn't suppress the anger rising in his heart.
Fan Xian was simply too important to him. If Fan Xian sided with Zhou Cheng, he would be finished.
People blindly followed the crowd, even officials in high positions. If Zhou Cheng gained overwhelming momentum at court, he could imagine what the future would look like.
The Crown Prince clenched his fists tightly inside his sleeves. Without a word, he abruptly turned and swept away, his sleeves flying.
The Second Prince stood where he was, watching the Crown Prince's retreating figure, and chuckled.
Then he turned as well and climbed into his carriage.
"To Guangxin Palace," he ordered.
Fan Xian already knew about the smuggling with Northern Qi. He could not escape involvement in this, and neither could Li Yunrui.
A squad of Tiger Guards had protected Fan Xian on his journey back to the Capital, leaving him no opening to strike. Now that Fan Xian was back in the Capital, he still didn't know how to deal with him.
But he knew one thing: he absolutely could not stand