Has the Crown Prince Been Deposed Today? - Chapter 14

Chapter 14. Wicked Person

Wei Zhao clearly felt the slight tremor in the skin under his fingers when he touched Mu Jue’s arm.

Although it was faint, how could it escape the detection of Marquis Wei, whose inner force was profound and whose five senses were extremely sharp.

Wei Zhao couldn’t help but think of the soft, gentle touch of the little Crown Prince when he was close to him. He seemed so docile and completely unguarded.

So, not all members of the royal family had the talent for acting. There was only one cunning and adept at disguising little wolf cub.

Mu Jue was a little embarrassed.

As a prince, and the eldest prince who had the support of the people, even if he was afraid in his heart, how could he easily reveal it and let the other party look down on him? Moreover, this was Wei Zhao, the person he and his mother dreamed of winning over.

Because of his heart condition, over the years, he had carefully hidden all his emotions, smiling, humbling himself, and being respectful with all his might, shaping himself into a courteous, virtuous, and exemplary eldest prince.

All the beautiful qualities that a wise ruler of a prosperous age should possess could be found in him. The civil officials, whether they were old ministers of Emperor Wu’s reign or new nobles of the new dynasty, really thought highly of him and wished they could push him onto the throne tomorrow.

If he became the Crown Prince, his mother wouldn’t have to be sad every day and be subjected to the ridicule of other concubines. His Imperial Father would probably truly look up to him, and not just pity him.

However, with the Su family, who represented the military power and supported his second brother Mu Xiao, his wish was destined to be long and hopeless.

The Crown Prince Mu Yun, that blood of Emperor Wu, was destined to be kicked out. The civil officials and the military, one supporting the eldest prince and the other supporting the second prince, maintained a delicate balance in the surging undercurrent of their tug-of-war.

It was Wei Zhao’s appearance that broke this balance.

If he could win over Wei Zhao, who commanded 300,000 troops in the northern frontier, the power in the court would completely tilt towards the Empress’s side, and his dream of becoming the Crown Prince would become clear and visible.

Therefore, when he saw Wei Zhao about to withdraw his hand from his arm, Mu Jue panicked for a moment and almost lost his composure. He grabbed Wei Zhao’s hand and hurriedly stood up.

“T-Thank you, Marquis.”

Mu Jue tried his best to maintain a calm voice so that he wouldn’t look so pathetic.

“The First Prince is too kind.”

Wei Zhao seemed to not have noticed all this. He waved his hand and had someone help the sick First Prince back to bed. He himself sat on a sandalwood chair beside the bed and said gently, “Please tell me more about the Lindan matter.”

Mu Jue nodded and spoke slowly, his tone mixed with guilt and uneasiness. Finally, he ordered the steward to bring the servant.

The servant entered and kowtowed, tremblingly recounting how he accidentally spilled the Lindan powder into the wine, which was exactly what Mu Jue had said.

Wei Zhao ordered the servant to be detained and asked gently, “Does the First Prince know that he also accidentally took an anesthetic that is extremely dangerous for those with heart conditions?”

“Imperial Physician Zhang has already told me. It’s Wenshu orchid, which can disrupt the heart and cause suffocation.”

“What does the First Prince think about this matter?”

“This…” Mu Jue hesitated for a long time, and finally shook his head. “There were many people and hands at the banquet, it’s really hard to say. Moreover, although Wenshu orchid is harmful to those with heart conditions, it doesn’t do much harm to ordinary people, at most causing a brief period of unconsciousness. Perhaps someone was carrying it for some other purpose and accidentally spilled it into the wine.”

Wei Zhao looked at him quietly. “Has the Prince never suspected that someone deliberately put Wenshu orchid in the wine to poison you?”

“That—” Mu Jue smiled and shook his head. “Impossible. Those who came to the birthday banquet were all my brothers and the court officials. Who would poison Yurun? The Marquis must be joking. Could it be… Has the Marquis found Wenshu orchid on anyone else?”

“Yes, the Crown Prince also had some.”

Mu Jue showed extreme surprise. At the same time, his face became visibly paler. He said, “No… it’s impossible. Although His Highness likes to play jokes on Yurun, he would never poison…”

“That’s right.” Wei Zhao said promptly, “The Crown Prince also said that he doesn’t know what Wenshu orchid is.”

Mu Jue’s face flushed instantly.

“Yes…” His tone was a little unnatural. “It’s probably a clumsy servant who served the wine mixed with Wenshu orchid to His Highness.”

As a virtuous eldest prince, he had to interpret the world with love and kindness. How could he have such dirty and vile thoughts? Even if there was evidence pointing to the Crown Prince, the first thing he should do was to doubt the authenticity of the evidence.

Wei Zhao comforted Mu Jue a few more words, then stood up to leave. As he was about to exit the rear hall, he suddenly heard Mu Jue say from behind, “I heard from Imperial Physician Zhang that the antidote’s ingredient is extremely difficult to find. I wonder… how did the Marquis find it?”

Wei Zhao’s lips curled slightly. He turned his head, his expression still as cold as usual. “A military doctor under my command happened to have it.”

“I-I see.”

Watching that tall figure disappear behind the curtain, Mu Jue tightly gripped the blanket.

***

“Does Your Highness know that you accidentally took a medicine that is extremely dangerous for those with excessive internal heat?”

In the Marquis of Dingbei’s residence, Wei Zhao sat in the same position by the bed, looking down at the little Crown Prince who had just “woken up.”

The youth still looked a little weak. He propped himself up and said weakly, “I heard it’s Lindan powder. It can cause blood to rush upwards and blood vessels to burst.”

“Yes.” Wei Zhao asked routinely, “What does Your Highness think about this matter?”

“This…”

The youth hesitated for a moment, clenched his fist, and said firmly, “It must be some wicked person who wants to harm this Prince!”

Wei Zhao: “…..”

Wei Zhao: “According to the First Prince…”

“I know.”

The youth’s eyes were bright, and he shook his head calmly. “Eldest Brother has a heart condition. His heart doesn’t pump blood efficiently, so he often needs to take Lindan powder to supplement his blood. But Lindan powder is very expensive. Apart from occasional tributes from small foreign countries, the Imperial Hospital has to spend a fortune to buy it from the Hu people. For this reason, the Empress specially sent a female official from the palace to Eldest Brother’s residence to guard the stuff. No unauthorized person is allowed to touch it, and Eldest Brother is served by a dedicated person when he takes his medicine.”

“Therefore, it’s impossible for a servant to have taken the Lindan powder on his own and accidentally spilled it into the wine. It’s simply not possible.”

“Therefore, although Eldest Brother has Lindan powder, he must be innocent.”

Wei Zhao’s eye twitched.

“Oh? Then who does Your Highness think the culprit is?”

Mu Yun said, “I’ve thought about it. It must be some wicked person who can’t stand to see the brotherly affection between me and Eldest Brother, so they used such despicable tricks to sow discord between us. Hmph, such a sinister and hateful person.”

“…..”

Wei Zhao’s mouth twitched as well. “Then what about the Wenshu orchid? How does Your Highness explain that?”

“How would I know?”

The Crown Prince was particularly righteous and confident. “I don’t take Wenshu orchid. The dragon blood wood bathtub that Imperial Father gave me is enough to help me sleep. It must be the work of that wicked person.”

***

During the morning court, the Second Prince Mu Xiao’s right eyelid twitched fiercely twice.

“Is Your Highness alright?”

The Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, He Wenzhang, looked at his dear Second Prince’s darkened forehead with some concern.

Mu Xiao gave him a twisted look.

Alright? Alright, my ass!

These past two days, he had almost been driven crazy!

Why was it that ever since his Eldest Brother and that little bastard Mu Yun were poisoned, everyone looked at him differently! Even his maternal grandfather, Su Gui, suddenly dragged him into the study for no reason and lectured him for an entire hour on “a little impatience will spoil great plans.”

Who was being a little impatient? Who was spoiling great plans!

Emperor Changping had not yet arrived. Two officials from the Ministry of Rites were excitedly discussing whether it was better to eat fried dough sticks or drink soy milk for breakfast. An official from the Ministry of Revenue interjected, “Why choose one? Eat fried dough sticks while drinking soy milk, letting the two delicious flavors collide on your tongue. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

This idea was really… too wonderful.

The three of them laughed heartily. As they were laughing, they suddenly heard a cold voice beside them, “Who are you laughing at?”

“…..”

“Who. Are. You. Laughing. At?”

Mu Xiao repeated, his face dark, enunciating each word.

“W-W-We…”

Facing the Second Prince’s ghostly figure and devilish voice, the three cried in their hearts, we really weren’t!

After the court session, Mu Xiao hurried to Qingjia Palace, hoping to find solace from his dear mother.

Wasn’t it said that a mother was a child’s haven? No matter how much grievance and hardship one suffered outside, there was always a warm embrace waiting for you at your mother’s.

The “safe haven” Noble Consort Su was listlessly reclining on the imperial concubine’s couch, being fed grapes by a eunuch. There were dark circles under her eyes, and she looked like she hadn’t slept for two days and two nights.

“Mother!”

Mu Xiao rushed into the hall, sat on a chair, waiting for his mother to come over and comfort him, waiting for his mother to order the palace servants to bring out his favorite pastries.

But his mother did not.

His mother, jolted from her near-death state, glanced at him, dismissed all the palace maids and eunuchs, closed the door, and asked him with a pained expression, “Son, tell your mother the truth, the poisoning of the Crown Prince and the First Prince…”

Noble Consort Su choked back a sob and couldn’t continue. “Tell me, why are you so impulsive? You are my only child. If something happens to you, how will your mother live the rest of her life?”

Mu Xiao: “…..”

He was really going to lose it.

***

“Your Lordship, our men have locked onto the Taoist priest’s trail. He’s near Zixia Temple on the outskirts of the city. Should we apprehend him immediately?”

But Wei Zhao shook his head. “Wait a little longer.”

The personal guard was puzzled. They were so close to getting to the bottom of things, why was the Marquis suddenly not in a hurry? Just as he was wondering, another personal guard rushed in and reported, “Your Lordship, Chief Eunuch Wang is here.”

Wei Zhao’s eyebrows lifted. “Quickly invite him in.”

Wang Fulai was wearing a black cloak, completely covered, obviously coming out of the palace in secret. After entering the hall, he dismissed everyone except for two trusted eunuchs who stood guard outside. He then got straight to the point. “His Majesty is aware of the situation and has sent this old servant to tell Marquis Wei that the case can be closed.”

Wei Zhao had been waiting for this decree, but he showed no outward reaction. “Forgive You’an’s dullness, but the mastermind behind the poisoning has not yet been caught. How can the case be closed?”

Wang Fulai smiled. “Marquis, you are really being obtuse. What poisoning? This whole incident was caused by the negligence of the First Prince and the Crown Prince in managing their subordinates. His Majesty is very angry and has already issued a punishment. After the Crown Prince and the First Prince recover, they are to kneel before Chengqing Hall for three days to reflect on their management.”

Just as he expected.

He had already sensed that if the investigation continued, it would uncover a royal scandal that would greatly damage the reputation of the imperial family. Emperor Changping’s actions were understandable.

But…

The First Prince Mu Jue was one thing, he himself admitted that his servant had mistakenly spilled the Lindan powder.

But Emperor Changping’s meaning was that regardless of whether the little Crown Prince admitted it or not, he had to accept the blame for the Wenshu orchid?

With that little Crown Prince’s act of playing hard to get and repeatedly insisting on catching the wicked person, would he do it?

In Chengqing Hall, Emperor Changping was also very tired. If he didn’t make them take the blame for each other, should he announce to the world that his two sons, in order to frame each other, were willing to play with their lives and poison themselves?

Yun’er was one thing, but when did Yurun become so unscrupulous!

Even the most obedient Yurun had become like this, one could only imagine what the other sons were like.

In a fit of rage, Emperor Changping waved his hand and directly ordered all the princes to go to Chengqing Hall to kneel in penance.