Chapter 76

After hearing about Princess Rui’s plan, Shen Ruojin was speechless for a long time.

“You’re right; it would be great if it could work. But Luo Taosheng is usually proud and stubborn. If the emperor finds out about this and implicates you and His Highness, it could be worse,” he said.

After all, the Emperor and the King of Chu protected Tao Sheng. If this matter became public, the other side would have their support, and even someone as noble as Prince Rui wouldn’t benefit.

“I’ve considered this,” Princess Rui said. “If she agrees to compromise, that’s fine. If not, she’ll never return to the capital.”

Is Princess Rui planning to kill her?

Seeing the icy look in Princess Rui’s eyes, Shen Ruojin thought of a plan.

Using Princess Rui to get rid of Tao Sheng would be beneficial.

“You’re right,” Shen Ruojin smiled. “Her words matter to the emperor, and she is loyal to the King of Chu. Removing her would be good for you and Prince Rui.”

Just then, a maid hurriedly came to report something had happened to Prince Rui. He had been attacked, with his head bleeding and wounds on his body. Most importantly, he still hadn’t woken up.

“What? How could this happen?” Princess Rui exclaimed, raising her voice. “Take me to see him quickly.”

Even though Prince Rui had a bad temper and had done outrageous things lately, they had been married for years. He was her hope for a better future. Seeing him in this state shocked and frightened her. She feared that if anything happened to him, the prince born to the previous princess would inherit the title, leaving her and her children without a future.

“Who would want to harm His Highness? Find out! Who did he meet just now?”

Under Princess Rui’s leadership, the entire team was mobilized.

The attack on Prince Rui was serious, and no one wanted to be sneaky about it. Princess Rui’s investigation progressed quickly, and she found out that the last person Prince Rui saw was Tao Sheng.

Princess Rui sent someone to find Tao Sheng, but she was missing from the entire camp.

She disappeared mysteriously.

The doctors accompanying the emperor were all imperial doctors, but the best ones had been taken away. The remaining doctor was not skilled in treating injuries, leaving no one to examine Prince Rui’s wounds at that moment.

With no other choice, Princess Rui asked local county doctors and runners to check. These were professionals who dealt with cases regularly.

Princess Rui believed that Tao Sheng must be involved, but after the coroner from the county examined the wound and the murder weapon, he stated that it was impossible for a young girl, especially a pampered civil servant in the capital, to have enough strength to use such thin porcelain. The murderer had to be a man, likely a martial artist.

Princess Rui reluctantly said, “Then he must be an accomplice.”

The emperor had brought important figures with him, and they would not let Princess Rui act freely. Among them, Prince Qi, the emperor’s younger brother and Princess Rui’s uncle, couldn’t tolerate her domineering behavior. He immediately said, “Everything should be based on evidence. The sixth wife shouldn’t randomly accuse court officials.”

Prince Qi had heard Tao Sheng play the zither in Xuanzheng Hall with the Emperor and had always liked her. He believed that while her zither skills might not be as mysterious as rumored, she was definitely a noble and upright person, unlike Princess Rui’s petty nature.

Princess Rui insisted, “If you weren’t involved, just say so. Why are you running away?”

Prince Qi replied, “There must be bad people at work, and it’s your fault for not watching him. Lord Luo was also kidnapped.” He had more influence over the clan ministers than Princess Rui and spoke firmly, “I still say everything must be based on evidence. Let’s report this to my brother first, and then continue investigating.”

_ 

While chaos reigned with Prince Rui, trouble started brewing with King Chu.

The emperor had personally sent out the distribution list. Even King Chu, as the leader, only received the list for his team.

King Chu had been watching Tao Sheng closely. When he noticed she wasn’t on his list, he assumed his father favored her and kept her nearby, so he didn’t intervene.

Their team had just set out north for half an hour when Gao Zhen came to deliver an imperial decree, instructing King Chu to return to the capital immediately.

“Going back to Beijing now?” This meant missing the Mountain Resort. King Chu was confused. “What happened?”

Gao Zhen said, “Lord Jiang has been ill for years. The emperor wants you to bring him back for treatment at the Imperial Hospital. Don’t delay.”

“Hasn’t Lord Jiang always been unwell?” King Chu found this request odd. “When I saw him a few days ago, he looked healthy. What could have happened?”

His father had taken most officials to Chengde to escape the summer heat. If Lord Jiang were truly sick, they could just send a few people back. How could a lord be more valuable than the emperor?

“Your Majesty respects the elderly and values the virtuous. Elder Jiang has greatly contributed to the court and country, so he is treated differently,” Gao Zhen said with a stern look. “This is what your Majesty said. Just do it without questioning.”

King Chu knew that Gao Zhen had been loyal over the years, providing critical information that helped him stay safe. 

Since Gao Zhen said so, and there was an imperial edict, King Chu decided not to ask further questions and ordered the troops to return to the capital.

Gao Zhen returned to Lord Jiang’s carriage. Lord Jiang looked energetic and healthy, not at all sick. Sitting next to him was the emperor, who claimed to have arrived at the Mountain Resort.

When Gao Zhen returned, the emperor slowly opened his eyes and asked, “What did the boss say?”

Gao Zhen replied, “His Highness ordered us to return to the capital.”

The emperor muttered a faint “hmm.”

Regardless of any issues at the Mountain Resort or whether the prince had set an ambush there, he no longer trusted this son.