Translator:Larbre Studio Editor:Larbre Studio
“Good!” The Fifth Prince exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement from showing on his handsome and youthful face.
Yun Biluo laughed along as well and said gently, “There are no secrets that cannot be unearthed in this world after all. A woman’s heart is unfathomable. There is no need for us to stir up trouble behind His Highness’ back anymore. Let’s just wait for Helian Wei Wei to raise a ruckus… “
“Miss Yun is right.” The Fifth Prince sneered and continued, “If it wasn’t for her, my mother wouldn’t be banished to the Cold Palace. She is merely an orphan without the support of an influential family. Yet, she dares to behave like a tyrant in the palace even after committing evil deeds? Haha, this is amusing! No matter how much the Imperial Grandfather pampers her or Baili Jia Jue, the Emperor will still stand on my side…”
However, this was not the only thing that the Fifth Prince held a grudge on.
As long as Baili Jia Jue existed, there would always be a thorn in the Emperor’s heart.
It was because his son had more prestige and fame than him.
To be honest, if it was not for Baili Jia Jue’s keen mind and ruthless measures, the Emperor might have eliminated him long ago.
However, the four influential families were acting as his sturdy shield.
The inner Royal Family was helpless in the face of this contradictory situation.
It was clear as day to everyone that the Emperor was partial to the Fifth Prince.
Otherwise, there was no other explanation for the Emperor to not punish the Fifth Prince after that huge incident. Even if Empress Murong had wanted to overthrow him, as long as the Fifth Prince steered clear of such actions, the Emperor evidently would not harm his beloved prince.
The Fifth Prince knew it too, therefore he fearlessly planted a spy beside the Retired Emperor.
Even if something did happen one day, the Emperor would still protect him as he was on his side.
However, he could have never predicted that the Emperor, who was currently in the alchemy room, now had the intention to eliminate him!
The Emperor threw the letter across the wooden table. Both of his eyes were filled with anger as he listened on about the current situations of the Fifth Prince. He knew every move the Retired Emperor made like the back of his hand, let alone his son… The Fifth Prince had obviously overstepped his boundaries.
As the Emperor listened till the end, the teacups and refreshments in his hands were crushed by his gripping fist.
Baili Jia Jue, who was sitting beside him, remained unnerved and unfazed. He gently twirled the teacup in his hand as if none of these matters bothered him.
The Emperor knew that he owed Baili Jia Jue an explanation. In the past, he would have put on a show while covertly shielding the Fifth Prince whenever such matter arose.
However, the Emperor was not doing it for anyone else now. Rather, it was because he felt that he had raised an ungrateful soul.
Just as the others had reported, the Fifth Prince even dared to record every single word that the Retired Emperor uttered. Needless to say, he would do the same to him too.
Such behavior was simply a threat to his royal throne!
“Bring the Fifth Prince here!”
Every servant in the palace shivered as a teacup was flung from the Emperor’s hand.
Everyone thought silently to themselves, realizing that the palace would undergo a massive transformation this time. Fortunately, they had stood on the correct side. Accompanying a king was indeed as dangerous as accompanying a tiger.
No one could have foretold that the entire Murong clan would crumble at the beginning of spring.
Not only was the Empress banished to the Cold Palace, but it seemed like the Fifth Prince would follow suit…
However, none of these would have happened without the Third Prince’s involvement.
Therefore, a thought materialized in everyone’s mind, whether they were the eunuchs or the ministers who were previously sitting on the fence about which side to take.
The Third Prince would surely be the future Emperor of the War Dragon Empire. Even though he is not in the Retired Emperor’s favor, the future is set in stone!
At the same time, the Fifth Prince was still concocting a scheme in his palace, oblivious to his looming crisis. He was planning to stumble upon Helian Wei Wei and use the letter to create discord between her and Baili Jia Jue.
The Fifth Prince had just finished devising his plan and was preparing to head out when he suddenly received the news that the Emperor had summoned him.
He did not think much about it. Instead, he was feeling rather elated. He even displayed great enthusiasm to the eunuch who delivered the news, saying, “It’s just a summon, yet the Emperor troubled Eunuch Li to personally make a trip here. Servants, reward him!”
“Haha, there is no need for this reward.” Eunuch Li attempted to maintain the smile on his face with much difficulty, saying, “It would be better for the Fifth Prince to quickly tidy up and follow me to meet the Emperor.”
The Fifth Prince only had joyful thoughts in his mind, oblivious to the dark expression on Eunuch Li’s face. He laughed cheerfully and replied, “Fine, I will follow Eunuch Li first. I will give you this reward later.”
His mother had always taught him since he was young to reward the people he could utilize generously.
It was only possible for him to meddle with the Retired Emperor’s side because he had spent an exorbitant amount of money.
Eunuch Li pocketed some of the benefits from him too by divulging some of the Emperor’s affairs to him.
The Fifth Prince assumed that the Emperor had summoned him this time to tell him about certain things as usual.
However, he only noticed that something was not quite right when he entered the Palace of Heavenly Purity.
He was greeted by Baili Jia Jue’s eyes when he raised his head. They were freezing cold, without a trace of warmth.
He felt a sudden chill at the bottom of his heart.
Before he could question why the Third Brother, whom he despised and feared the most, was there, the Emperor had waved his hand to signal Eunuch Li to leave.
The Fifth Prince was in a daze and remained kneeling on the ground after greeting them, unaware that the Emperor had allowed him to stand up.
The entire palace fell into an uneasy silence.
The Emperor took a sip of tea, his eyes masked under unspeakable darkness. He chuckled coldly as he looked at the Fifth Prince, inquiring, “Why do you keep turning your head around to look at Eunuch Li?”
The Fifth Prince knew that this was not an easy question. The higher-ranked people tend to have a strong sense of suspicion, especially his father. He replied, “I merely do not know what happened.”
“You don’t know what happened?” The Emperor sneered as he took out a letter hidden in his long sleeve and tossed it to the Fifth Prince’s face. Then, he roared, “If you don’t know what happened, then how did all these things come along? This is the Xuan paper that is used exclusively by you!”
The Fifth Prince’s expression immediately turned ghastly pale when he saw the letter. He hastily tried to explain himself, “Father, I do have this Xuan paper. However, I am not the only one, the other princes have it too. Father, you can decide for me!”
“Decide for you?” The Emperor laughed coldly and continued, “You dare to be so shameless, asking me to decide for you! This letter was just sent to your Third Brother. The eunuch under you took a stroll around each garden for it. Do you treat me as a fool? You thought that I can’t figure out it’s you if you do it indirectly! Furthermore, you dared to utter the words ‘the other princes’ from your pathetic mouth. Your Fourth Brother has yet to return from beyond the Great Wall, thus only the Little Seventh Prince is left here beside you. He is only four years old! How can you expect a four-year-old child to eavesdrop on the conversation between the Retired Emperor and your Third Brother!”
