As the crown prince questioned his own sanity, that voice appeared again.

[Huh? What’s with the glass heart? Tell me more!]

[Ah, the crown prince’s story is quite tragic. And yes, it involves the emperor.

Truly, the emperor is the ultimate source of drama-his life and death are tied to so many twists.】

The crown prince: !!!

He stared incredulously at his father. You’re asking me to stay calm while someone’s cursing you death?!

The emperor’s face briefly flickered with embarrassment. He cleared his throat and motioned for the crown prince to remain composed.

(Alright, alright, system, get to the point.]

**[Based on the storyline I’ve seen, the emperor was supposed to be assassinated seven days ago. After his death, General Wu Yi would have been falsely accused of treason, swiftly imprisoned, and sentenced to death.

The crown prince, with his deeply compassionate nature, believed Wu Yi was innocent. He insisted that the Ministry of Justice present irrefutable evidence before proceeding with the execution.]**

【Mm-hmm, and then?】

【The mastermind behind the plot was enraged and forged letters suggesting the crown prince and Wu Yi were conspiring together. This news was intentionally leaked to storytellers in the capital. Three days later, rumors swept through the city, accusing the crown prince of colluding with Wu Yi to assassinate the emperor for an early ascension to the throne. The crown prince was thrust into a storm of public outrage.】

**[At that moment, the second prince stepped forward, encouraged by the mastermind. In front of the entire court, the second prince swore by the heavens that he could prove the crown prince was the emperor’s assassin.

But the second prince didn’t stop there -he played his trump card. To demonstrate his impartiality, he vowed never to ascend the throne and even promised to support the crown prince’s son’s future ascension.]**

[Oh my! That’s such a brutal move. It’s persuasive to the court too! Was the second prince blackmailed? Or does he harbor deep hatred for the crown prince?!]

Yuan Ruan was clearly intrigued, but the eavesdropping trio was visibly shaken.

Wu Yi’s eyes widened. By now, he had resigned himself to the constant stream of shocking secrets. He figured if the emperor ever decided to hold him accountable for all the gossip he’d
heard, his head wouldn’t last long. His sole concern now was: Why would the second prince do this?!

The crown prince’s expression turned grim.

By this point, the crown prince realized the mysterious voice wasn’t a hallucination but a supernatural ability to reveal past and future truths.

Accepting this, he fell into an eerie silence.

The second prince had always been cordial with him, even visiting the prince’s palace for casual chats. When had he offended his brother?

The emperor’s expression mirrored the crown prince’s.

What father would want to see his children turn against each other? More importantly, what kind of leverage could force the second prince to so brazenly smear the crown prince?

After Yuan Ruan’s dramatic revelations about her lineage, the emperor’s thoughts veered in a new direction:

Could the second prince… not be my son?

[The second prince doesn’t hate the crown prince.】

The crown prince exhaled in relief, though his confusion deepened.

[Then why? Wait… could it be that the second prince isn’t the emperor’s son?】

[That’s not it.]

The emperor’s expression softened momentarily, only to freeze at the next revelation.

[But it’s even messier than that. The crown prince’s son isn’t his.】

Wu Yi: !!!

Crown Prince: !!!

Emperor: !!!

The crown prince couldn’t sit still anymore.

He had only one son, whom he had painstakingly raised and loved. Now, to hear that this son wasn’t biologically his? How could he accept this?

“Father, I… I…” The crown prince stammered, wanting to rush back and investigate but knowing he was burdened with the western expedition.

The words caught in his throat.

The emperor patted his shoulder, his voice cold. “Wait. Even if there is blame to assign, we must first uncover the truth.”

The crown prince froze. True. If that voice knows the child isn’t mine, it must also know whose child it is.

As expected, the soft voice spoke again:

[Oh my! Then whose child is it?]

**[The second prince’s, of course. He and the crown prince’s concubine had once pledged their love to each other. But when the emperor arranged a marriage for him, the second prince chose to marry a general’s daughter instead, abandoning the concubine.

However, the general refused to ally with the royal family, leaving the second prince’s plans in ruins. With lingering feelings for the concubine, he rekindled their relationship during a visit to the crown prince’s residence. One thing led to another, and… they had a child.]**

Everyone: !!!

Wu Yi struggled to contain his shock.

The crown prince’s face was blank, clearly overwhelmed.

The emperor, surprisingly, looked the calmest, as if he had anticipated such a possibility.

No wonder the second prince didn’t vie for the throne and even promised to help the crown prince’s son ascend-it was his own son all along.

[The crown prince is so pitiful! That’s such a huge betrayal. Shouldn’t someone tell him? Let him hurry back and deal with those adulterers!]

[Uh… Given the crown prince’s excessively kind nature, he might not do anything. He might even bless their union as star-crossed lovers.]

Everyone: !!!

The emperor and Wu Yi stared at the crown prince in disbelief. You’d be that much of a pushover?

The crown prince’s face turned an alarming shade of green as he frantically waved his hands, denying the accusation.

【System, what nonsense are you spouting?! He would never tolerate this!】

**[You don’t understand the crown prince as I do! Do you know why he’s called the most fragile-hearted prince?

When he was accused and pushed to the brink, desperate to save Wu Yi from execution and clear his own name, the crown prince did the unthinkable.

In court, before the entire assembly, he cut open his chest to prove his innocence.]**

Everyone: !!!

What?! He cut his chest open?!

[Yes! The crown prince declared, ‘Ancient texts state that a patricide’s heart, liver, spleen, and lungs turn black. Today, I’ll cut open my chest to prove I didn’t kill my father.’ He then sliced open his chest, held up his heart, and bled to death in court.】

The emperor glared at the crown prince, his anger palpable.

Wu Yi looked at the crown prince with concern, moved but deeply disapproving.

The crown prince opened his mouth to protest but, imagining the scenario, found it disturbingly plausible.

[That’s just… reckless. It only brings pain to those who care about him.]

【Exactly. Even if he executed his entire clan, his heart and organs would still be red. That’s why I think the crown prince, being so absurdly compassionate, might just accept the second prince and the concubine’s love story.】

At this, the emperor finally muttered under his breath, “Crown Prince…”

“I swear to handle this fairly!” the crown prince snapped, his face dark with fury.

“There will be no leniency…”

**[By the way, the emperor and the crown prince really are father and son. The Emperor, after hearing a maid’s suggestion and driven by fears of being cuckolded, was manipulated by the mastermind into suspecting, that one of his twins had been swapped. This led the Emperor to embark on a western tour, he searched for blue-eyed babies all the way. Which ultimately resulted in the rebels orchestrating an assassination attempt against him.

The crown prince, on the other hand, was actually cuckolded and genuinely had a fake son. If that’s not outdoing the emperor, I don’t know what is.]**

Everyone: !!!

The crown prince’s mouth twitched. What do you mean by outdoing the emperor?!

【System, you’re too harsh. That’s not outdoing anyone.】

[Alright, alright, let’s wrap up this drama.)

[Who is the mastermind behind all this?]

The emperor, Wu Yi, and the crown prince all perked up their ears.

Yes!

Quickly reveal the culprit behind all this chaos!