Chapter 135: Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" / Are You the One

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 Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" / Are You the One

 

 Chapter 135: 

 

Prince Huaiyang looked at the finally arrived Prince Sui with a cold smile and said, "Since His Majesty is merely in a coma, why not wait for him to wake up before conducting the interrogation?"

Prince Sui's eyes gleamed with malice as he slowly replied, "Prince Huaiyang, I advise you to honestly confess the truth. Even if His Majesty can wait, your beloved wife cannot. She is currently suffering from complications during childbirth and is in critical condition. If you do not hurry back, you might miss seeing her for the last time."

Prince Sui said this deliberately, certain that Prince Huaiyang would be thrown into disarray upon hearing it. 

That Liu Mian Tang was indeed an enchanting beauty, no wonder Prince Huaiyang continued to shower her with affection even after discovering her true identity, despite the uproar it had caused. 

Now, due to the Empress Dowager's orders, all the physicians in the manor had been taken away. If Liu Mian Tang were to pass away, Prince Huaiyang would surely be consumed by rage, losing all sense of decorum. This would allow the officials to bear witness and publicly deal with the mad dog, Cui Xingzhou.

Upon hearing these words, Cui Xingzhou's eyes gradually widened, and the veins on his temples seemed ready to burst. He gritted his teeth and said, "You're talking nonsense!"

Prince Sui smiled even more warmly. "This is the truth; they are bringing out basin after basin of blood from the delivery room. Even if a miraculous doctor were to arrive, it would be futile. Look at the time; your princess can no longer hold on. I wonder if the child inside has been born… Others have said that Prince Huaiyang's wife, who is not favored, might bleed to death, and who would have thought it would turn out to be prophetic? It's truly a pity!"

At this moment, Prince Huaiyang had already stood up, striding toward Prince Sui as if he was about to tear him apart limb by limb. 

Just then, a group of bodyguards rushed forward, raising swords and spears, blocking Prince Huaiyang's neck, preventing him from coming any closer. The officials nearby, hearing Prince Sui's words, changed their expressions and murmured among themselves, "How ruthless, to even turn against his own lawful wife!"

"This is the kind of disloyal and unjust person who dares to assassinate his sovereign and can even murder his son!" In an instant, the atmosphere in the grand hall became chaotic, with everyone acting as if they were seasoned strategists, eager to seize the opportunity to arrest someone as treacherous as Cui Xingzhou.

However, at that moment, Prince Huaiyang’s iron-gray face gradually calmed down. He turned to examine his bodyguards and said, "These do not appear to be the palace's Imperial Guards but rather the palace soldiers who should be stationed in Sanjin. Why have the local defense troops entered the palace? Prince Sui, are you sure you want to accuse me, Cui Xingzhou, of treason?"

Prince Sui was momentarily taken aback; he hadn't expected Cui Xingzhou, who should have been enraged and losing control, to notice such discrepancies. 

Now, these soldiers from Sanjin were all wearing the uniforms of the Imperial Guards. How could Cui Xingzhou immediately identify that they were supposed to be stationed in Sanjin?

But Prince Sui did not panic too much. He coldly replied, "The evidence of Prince Huaiyang poisoning His Majesty is conclusive. Bring him down and execute him immediately!"

At that moment, someone spoke from above the high throne, saying, "Stop everything!"

Prince Sui turned around in shock, his expression changing drastically.

To everyone's astonishment, the Emperor Liu Yu, who was supposed to be unconscious in the palace, was slowly making his way up the steps of the hall with the assistance of Empress Shi. What were the guards stationed at the palace doing, allowing His Majesty to come out?

Prince Huaiyang applied a bit of force, flicking his hand expertly, causing the soldiers who had swords against his neck to feel a jolt in their wrists and stagger back a few steps. Just then, another group of soldiers surged in, all clad in the uniforms of the military, unmistakably the troops under Cui Xingzhou’s command.

The soldiers of the Cui family, all experienced fighters from the battlefield, rushed in and quickly subdued the more than ten palace guards, disarming them and dragging them away.

At this point, Prince Sui finally began to panic, exchanging a quick glance with the Empress Dowager sitting high above.

The Empress Dowager pinched her palm with her long, well-groomed nails, then asked Liu Yu with a concerned expression, "Your Majesty, why have you gotten up? Prince Sui has already identified the person who poisoned you. I will leave it to him to handle it."

Liu Yu looked at the Empress Dowager and coldly replied, "I did not consume the tiger whip soup today. Are you sure, Empress Dowager, that it was Prince Huaiyang who poisoned me?"

Upon hearing this, both Prince Sui and the Empress Dowager's expressions changed drastically, especially the Empress Dowager, who, having experienced several palace upheavals, immediately sensed that something was amiss.

If Liu Yu hadn't consumed the tiger whip soup, then why had he suddenly fallen into a deep unconsciousness? Moreover, how had Prince Huaiyang's soldiers managed to infiltrate the palace so quietly?

As the ministers witnessed Liu Yu’s appearance, they all knelt down, but given the current situation, they realized that a major change was likely to occur in the palace that night, and they all fell silent, like frightened mice.

Prince Huaiyang also cupped his fists towards the Emperor, saying, "General Gong Jin of the palace has arbitrarily transferred the Imperial Guards and replaced them with the Sanjin defense troops, disguising them as the Imperial Guards to surround my residence. What’s worse, he deceived the Empress Dowager and conspired with Consort Yun to poison Your Majesty's tiger whip soup, intending to frame me and harm Your Majesty. I hope Your Majesty will investigate this thoroughly!"

The words of Prince Huaiyang clearly pinned the label of treason on Prince Sui while absolving the true mastermind, the Empress Dowager, from blame.

After all, Liu Yu was her grandson. Even though the Empress Dowager was the real instigator, Liu Yu would find it difficult to punish her. He would have to give her some face, likely confining her to the inner palace afterward, which would leave the old ministers with nothing to say and the common people without cause for complaint.

However, even though Prince Sui was also an elder, he was merely a subject. His audacious actions, witnessed by the court officials, provided the perfect opportunity to justifiably deal with this royal uncle!

At that moment, Consort Yun, with her hair disheveled, was dragged into the hall. As she was pulled along, the decaying skin around her neck was exposed.

When she saw Liu Yu glaring at her with a grim expression, she cried out in desperation, "Your Majesty, I was coerced by Prince Sui! I had no choice! Please see the truth! I’ve already reduced the amount of dangshen in your soup; I never intended for you to die!"

Yet the Empress Dowager was unwilling to allow Liu Yu to punish her favorite son. She coldly replied, "Your Majesty, since you have not been poisoned, you should have informed me sooner. Your unconsciousness led people to suspect that Prince Huaiyang was plotting rebellion. Prince Sui entered the palace at my behest to aid Your Majesty; what wrongdoing has he committed?"

Liu Yu remained silent, but Prince Huaiyang spoke up with a smile, "The personal guards from Sanjin received Prince Sui’s orders ten days ago to relocate to the capital and have been stationed on the outskirts of Qingfeng Town, which is very close to the city. After you 'mistakenly' ingested the tiger whip soup, they immediately entered the palace to take over the defense. If I hadn't been prepared, Prince Sui, your subordinates might have succeeded in suffocating His Majesty with a pillow on the dragon bed!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yu's face turned a shade of iron. He said, "Fortunately, it was the hidden guards sent by Prince Huaiyang who protected me; otherwise, Prince Sui, your personal guards would have achieved their goal..."

At that moment, Prince Sui's face turned ashen. He suddenly reached out and smashed a nearby vase.

This was a secret signal he had set up with his personal guards; the sound of the vase shattering would alert them to come to his aid and surround the entire imperial palace.

Unfortunately, despite breaking three or four vases in succession, the sound echoed in the silence outside, and no one came to his rescue, making the situation extremely awkward.

Prince Sui stared incredulously at Prince Huaiyang. "Impossible! Your Cui family’s army has been relocated, and the city gates have been tightly shut. How could they have entered the city?"

Prince Huaiyang smiled slightly. "In this era of peace, the fine young men under my command have strength but no place to use it. Since entering the capital, I have been acting on the orders of His Majesty, arranging for them to take turns standing guard and digging a tunnel leading to the palace for His Majesty's use. Did you think you were the only one who could secretly place spies in others' residences? Unfortunately, your and Concubine Yun's poison plot was already disclosed to the Empress by her personal maid, Huaping."

Concubine Yun, who had been keeping her head down, raised it in disbelief upon hearing this. Behind her stood a group of her personal maids, yet there was no sign of Huaping.

When she looked again at the Empress Shi, who was supporting Liu Yu, she saw that the Empress's round face still wore an expression that was bland and unremarkable, appearing quite harmless and naive.

PrincevSui was momentarily stunned, looking at Prince Huaiyang as he said, "I underestimated you... But what right does he have to sit on this throne? If it weren't for me, he would just be a bandit on Yangshan, free to be with your wife, Liu Mian Tang, living happily together! Hahaha! Are you sure your wife is carrying your child? It wouldn't be the Emperor's dragon seed being raised in your household, would it?"

With the situation now exposed, Prince Sui knew that all his schemes had failed, so he decided to throw caution to the wind and speak his mind, taking pleasure in irritating Cui Xingzhou.

But Liu Yu felt a tightness in his chest from Prince Sui's words. At times, he truly wished he were still on Yangshan, as if time could be reversed, perhaps he would have made different choices and wouldn't have missed out on the love of his life, leaving the woman he cherished pregnant with another man's child.

At this point, even if Liu Yu issued orders to have Prince Sui and Concubine Yun dragged away, no old ministers would step forward to plead for them. After all, treason could bring disaster upon nine generations—who would dare to intercede?

The Empress Dowager, having experienced many storms, still held her head high despite the failed coup, but her features looked significantly older and dimmer.

When Empress Shi smiled and invited the Empress Dowager to return to the palace to rest, she slowly rose to leave the hall. However, she suddenly collapsed and fainted around the corner.

Prince Huaiyang knew that the Emperor could handle the subsequent matters himself. What he wanted most at that moment was to return to his estate and check on his “hemorrhaging” beloved.

So he left the great hall and, after listening to his subordinates report on the palace's defenses, mounted his horse and rode straight to Prince Huaiyang residence.

However, he did not dismount at the estate but stopped in front of a courtyard a street away. When he knocked on the door, a crisp voice called from inside, "Who is knocking?"

Cui Xingzhou replied in a low voice, "It’s me, the Prince! Bicai, hurry and open the door!"

Bicai quickly opened the door to welcome Prince Huaiyang inside.

As he stepped into the small courtyard, he saw his beloved wife, who was supposed to be in the throes of childbirth, sitting at a small table on the heated kang, savoring fried cakes.

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