His words disrupted the tense atmosphere in the hall.
Lin Zhenshan glanced at him, his face expressionless, but he pressed his palm against his sword.
He still dares to be sarcastic at a time like this.
Is Qingdai really pregnant?
The emperor was speechless, his anger hadn't subsided, and he even felt a bit like kicking someone's butt.
" Gu Moran! What nonsense are you spouting?"
Gu Moran immediately kowtowed. "Your subject deserves to die. Your subject was just afraid, so afraid that he stumbled over his words."
The emperor looked at him coldly. "Are you afraid?"
"Afraid."
Gu Moran spoke very quickly.
"Remnants of the previous dynasty, a fire broke out in the imperial prison, the Eastern Palace's waist token, and Lady Liu is still in my residence."
"If he escapes tonight, I'm afraid I won't even dare to open the door tomorrow morning."
Xiao Jinghan stared at him, then suddenly spoke, " Your Prince Yi is truly interesting."
Gu Moran looked back. "Stop praising me. It gives me the creeps."
The emperor's face darkened further as he watched the two men go back and forth.
That's enough.
Gu Moran immediately shut up.
After the Eastern Palace was confined to his residence, the Hall of Proper Beauty was locked with double locks every night.
Without the emperor's written order, neither the eunuchs could enter nor the crown prince could leave.
The staff member was still kneeling in the study, waiting for a reply from the prison.
The water on the tea stove boiled twice, but no one dared to add more tea.
The Crown Prince, holding his teacup, asked, "Has Xiao Jinghan left the city?"
Before the staff could answer, hurried footsteps could be heard outside.
"Your Highness, the palace urgently summons you."
The teacup in the prince's hand stopped in mid-air.
Who sent it?
"The people around Eunuch Chen."
The prince put down his teacup, spilling a little tea that burned the back of his hand.
He didn't wipe it, but looked at his staff.
The aide turned pale. "Perhaps the fire in the imperial prison alerted His Majesty, prompting him to summon Your Highness for questioning."
The crown prince stared at him. "Where is Xiao Jinghan?"
The staff couldn't answer.
This silence is more frightening than bad news.
The chains outside rattled.
The Jinwu Guard opened the gate with the imperial decree.
The sound traveled from the palace gate all the way into the study, like iron scraping against bone.
The imperial eunuch was summoned to the courtyard, and even the formalities were performed hastily.
"Your Highness, His Majesty summons you urgently. Enter the palace immediately."
The Crown Prince suppressed the turmoil in his heart. "Allow me to change my clothes."
The eunuch bowed his head. "His Majesty says, no need."
The crown prince's expression finally changed.
No need to change clothes.
This is not a summons, it's an arrest.
He stood up and swept the teacup away with his sleeve.
Tea was spilled on the file, leaving a dark stain on the paper.
The staff member stood up as well, but was stopped by the Jinwu Guard.
"His Majesty has decreed that the study be sealed off."
The crown prince turned and glanced at his advisors.
That glance contained both warning and panic.
The staff member lowered his head, not daring to speak.
In the long corridor of the Eastern Palace, the wind blew through the red pillars, causing the lamplight to flicker.
The crown prince walked out step by step.
Xiao Jinghan must not fall into the hands of his father, the Emperor.
But the palace gates were right in front of him, and the imperial eunuch delivering the decree was beside him.
Any pause will turn into a sign of guilt.
When the Crown Prince entered the Hall of Supreme Ultimate, the sky was just beginning to lighten.
As he stepped into the palace, the first thing he saw was Xiao Jinghan kneeling before the emperor.
That ashes.
Those wrists, still stained with blood.
Alive.
The prince paused for a moment.
Further to the left is Lin Zhenshan.
The people from the Grand Commandant's Residence stood outside the hall, their armor plates dimming in the morning light.
Further to the right, Gu Moran stood by the side of the hall with her eyes lowered.
When the prince saw that face, the sweat on his palms clung to his sleeves.
Xiao Jinghan knelt here.
The Grand Commandant is standing here.
Gu Moran was also standing here.
He knelt down. "Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."
The emperor did not allow him to rise.
The hall was as cold as the dead of winter.
Xiao Jinghan looked up at the Crown Prince, a slight smile appearing on his lips.
The crown prince felt a tightness in his back from being stared at, and he almost couldn't suppress his anger.
The emperor picked up the fragment of the waist token from his desk and tossed it away.
The fragment landed in front of the prince, slid half a foot, and stopped in front of his knees.
On the burnt black corner, half of the word "" was broken.
The crown prince glanced at it only once, his Adam's apple bobbing.
His palms were pressed against his knees, and sweat had soaked into his clothes.
The emperor did not tell him to get up.
I didn't scold them.
This is even more agonizing than being scolded.
The Crown Prince's temple twitched twice, and he spoke first, "Father, the Eastern Palace arrest for many days, and I haven't even been able to leave the Hall of Proper Beauty. I only just heard about the fire in the Imperial Prison from the eunuch delivering the imperial decree."
The emperor rested his hand on the edge of the imperial desk, his fingertips pressing down on the dragon pattern.
Chen Dehai stood beside him, holding a cup of hot tea.
The emperor looked at the crown prince. "I asked about the fire in the imperial prison, and you told me I was under house arrest?"
The Crown Prince stiffened and hurriedly kowtowed, "Your subject is terrified. Your subject simply does not understand why someone from the Eastern Palace would be in the Imperial Prison."
Xiao Jinghan knelt in the hall, his prison clothes covered in soot.
The old wound on his wrist reopened, and drops of blood seeped onto the gold brick, forming dark spots.
He glanced at the crown prince, then lowered his eyes again.
Gu Moran stood to the side of the hall.
If you're truly framed, your first reaction will most likely be anger, and you'll grab the badge and ask who it is.
The Crown Prince brought up "confinement" first because he was afraid that if his father punished him with confinement first, he could then transfer people to his residence.
The emperor suddenly said, " Chen Dehai."
Chen Dehai bowed. "This servant is here."
"Summon the Minister of the Imperial Clan Court, the General of the Jinwu Guard, and the Minister of Ministry of Punishments to the palace."
Chen Dehai's eyelids twitched. "This servant obeys the decree."
The palace doors opened, letting in a cold draft that dimmed the candlelight.
The prince knelt in the wind, his sleeves clinging to his knees, his shoulders and back taut.
He can't afford to act rashly.
The fact that the emperor did not punish him directly indicates that solid evidence is still lacking.
If they cling to the facade of ignorance, the Eastern Palace will still have a glimmer of hope.
The prince pressed his palm against his knee, forcefully suppressing the slight tremor in his fingertips.
Xiao Jinghan suddenly spoke up, "Your Highness doesn't recognize this waist token?"
The crown prince turned to look at him, not expecting this guy to dare to betray him. His jaw muscles tightened. "You, a former criminal, dare to question me?"
Xiao Jinghan chuckled, his voice hoarse from the smoke. "I'm not worthy. The people of Hall of Proper Beauty are."
The Crown Prince's temple throbbed again. " Xiao Jinghan, you secretly possessed an old seal from the previous dynasty, fled in the dead of night, and even dared to implicate the Eastern Palace. Who gave you the audacity?"
Xiao Jinghan raised his wrist, and the iron chain slammed to the ground.
"The one who dared to give me that courage was that person from your Eastern Palace last night, wasn't he?"
"Presumptuous!"
Upon hearing the Crown Prince's words, several eunuchs in the hall lowered their heads even further.
The emperor finally raised his eyes. "What's your hurry? Did I give you permission to speak out of turn?"
The Crown Prince pressed his lips together, his forehead touching the ground. "Your Majesty, I have lost my composure. This man has insulted the Eastern Palace; I cannot tolerate it."
Gu Moran watched the Crown Prince's kneeling back.
My older brother is a good actor.
Xiao Jinghan is no less impressive.
One of them wanted to clean himself up, while the other wanted to drag someone down with him.
The Emperor, sitting on the throne, was most annoyed by people who treated him as blind.
Footsteps approached outside the hall.
The Minister of the Imperial Clan Court arrived first, his sash tied crookedly by half an inch.
The General of the Jinwu Guard then entered the hall, his armor damp with night dew.
The Minister of Ministry of Punishments was ashen-faced, clearly having been dragged out of bed.
The three knelt down to pay their respects.
The emperor raised his hand. "Enough with the nonsense. Look at the thing."