Chapter 121: Turncoats Never Meet A Good End!
Eunuch An noticed something wrong first. He wanted to shout a warning, but his body suddenly lost all strength. He wanted to alert the Crown Prince, but even though he opened his mouth wide, he couldn’t make any sound. He could only slump into darkness helplessly.
The Crown Prince saw Eunuch An collapse and snorted coldly in his heart. Then he put on a panicked expression on his face, called out “Eunuch An,” and then slowly softened his body just like him, struggling a bit before unwillingly sprawling on the table.
The people outside probably feared the drug wouldn’t take effect quickly enough, so they waited a moment before quietly pushing open the room door, bypassing Eunuch An who had fallen by the door, and quickly walking up to the Crown Prince.
“Crown Prince, Crown Prince?” That person nervously pushed the Crown Prince’s arm and heaved a heavy sigh of relief upon discovering he had no reaction. He removed the hood of the cloak on his head, revealing a delicate face as beautiful as a lotus emerging from clear water—it was actually a young woman.
She sat down beside the Crown Prince, poured herself a cup of tea and drank it all, then turned her head to look at the Crown Prince’s face. After watching for a while, she said softly, “Crown Prince, I had no choice but to do this. Who made you block the Third Prince’s path, and I happen to have a weakness in the Third Prince’s hands! I hope you won’t blame me afterward.”
After speaking, she clasped her hands together and bowed to the Crown Prince before tremblingly reaching toward his collar.
Before her hand could touch the Crown Prince, she suddenly felt a pain in the back of her neck and immediately lost consciousness.
“Your Highness, are you alright?” Mo Ziyuan asked in a lowered voice after knocking out the woman.
The Crown Prince, who had just been unconscious, now opened his eyes. After sitting up straight, he said, “I am fine. How did things go on your end?”
Seeing that the Crown Prince truly seemed fine, Mo Ziyuan relaxed and bowed as he replied, “It has been handled. The person is now right outside the main hall.”
“Go, proceed according to plan.”
“Yes.” Mo Ziyuan wrapped the woman from head to toe in the cloak, tied a knot at her waist, grabbed the knot, and headed to the side hall.
After his figure disappeared, the Crown Prince looked back at the still sleeping Emperor, then at Eunuch An slumped by the door. He put the left collar in his mouth, and soon lost consciousness, collapsing on the table.
Outside, night had fallen, and darkness was the cover for many sins.
When dawn broke, a clamor suddenly arose outside the main hall, with Imperial Consort Feng’s somewhat shrill voice the clearest.
“Mo Ziyuan, you, a mere Imperial Guard, dare to block this palace—quite bold!” Imperial Consort Feng narrowed her eyes at Mo Ziyuan, who stood tall and straight in front of her.
“Forgive me, Imperial Consort. Last night the Crown Prince was attending to the Emperor, and he still hasn’t come out. It probably isn’t appropriate for Your Ladyship to enter at this time,” Mo Ziyuan said neither humbly nor arrogantly.
“Outrageous! Attending to the sick and still not out by now—I suspect the Emperor has already been murdered by him. You, as the Emperor’s Imperial Guard, are obstructing me from entering. Can I assume you and the Crown Prince are accomplices who murdered the Emperor together!” Imperial Consort Feng immediately pinned a grave charge on the Crown Prince without another word.
Mo Ziyuan immediately dropped to one knee on the ground. “Your humble subject dares not!”
“Since you dare not, get out of the way! If anything happens to the Emperor, this palace will have you executed by a thousand cuts! Hmph!” With that, Imperial Consort Feng kicked Mo Ziyuan in the shoulder, sending him tumbling to the ground. She snorted and strode toward the main hall, followed by several Imperial Clan Members and their madams.
Just as Imperial Consort Feng led the group near the main hall door, a strange noise suddenly came from the side hall—first a woman’s voice that sounded both pained and pleasured, then mixed with a man’s low roars of release.
Imperial Consort Feng’s eyebrow twitched, and a pleased arc lifted at her mouth. Then her expression instantly turned tense. She halted abruptly, tilted her ear, and said in a voice neither too loud nor too soft, “I seem to have heard some noise. Everyone, listen and see where it’s coming from?”
The noise just now wasn’t small. Who following her wasn’t shrewd? They immediately understood what she had gathered everyone for this morning, and a bitter feeling surged in their hearts—they would inevitably be tied to the Third Prince with the same rope after today, no matter what.
At that moment, as if responding to Imperial Consort Feng’s words, the noise came again, much clearer this time.
Everyone present had experience with such matters and naturally knew what the people inside were doing.
“Outrageous! Who is so bold as to commit such a treasonous act in Lu Quan Palace! Men, drag them out for this palace.” Imperial Consort Feng shouted loudly, and the previously arranged guards immediately surged forward, surrounding the palace gates of Lu Quan Palace.
“What do you want to do? This is Father Emperor’s sleeping palace—are you rebelling?” The main hall door suddenly opened from inside, and the Crown Prince appeared before everyone with a deathly pale face, followed by Eunuch An whose face was full of water.
The guards were stunned to see it was the Crown Prince opening the door—this wasn’t what they had agreed on!
Imperial Consort Feng was also startled. She carefully examined the Crown Prince’s complexion and saw not only pallor but also unmistakable exhaustion. Looking at his clothes, with the collar slightly open and the rest wrinkled, she immediately knew what was up.
But the Imperial Clan Members who came with her weren’t so sure!
Especially one whose kung fu wasn’t bad—even as the Crown Prince opened the door for them, he could still hear faint noises from the side hall. What did that mean?
It meant either the Crown Prince was extremely lucky to escape the plot, or he had foreseen Imperial Consort Feng’s “scheme” in advance and turned the tables on her. He thought the latter was more likely, though he didn’t know who the unlucky one in the side hall was.
Thinking of this, he felt some regret. Back when Grand Tutor Feng was still alive, the Crown Prince had been suppressed breathless—not only did the Crown Princess perish, but even the little Imperial Grandson was forced to leave the capital overnight, destination unknown. For his family’s future, he had no choice but to board Grand Tutor Feng’s ship.
But after Grand Tutor Feng was killed, his faction was leaderless. Everyone wanted to take the lead, but none had Grand Tutor Feng’s ability. The things they did grew worse and worse, allowing the Crown Prince to pave a smooth path.
Seeing Imperial Consort Feng and the Third Prince so confident today, he thought it was foolproof, but it turned out to be another case of fetching water with a bamboo basket—empty.
He felt that if he continued tied to the Third Prince’s ship, he would eventually sink with it.
But he hadn’t enjoyed enough of his good life! He didn’t want to die so early or be demoted to commoner status and live humbly for the rest of his life.
“It seems it’s time to make a decision. Turncoats never meet a good end!” The young Imperial Clan Member thought to himself.
