NOVPUB
Chapter 121: Chapter 121: The Gamble!
After the eunuch delivered the message, Vermilion Bird and Eunuch Li went inside the hall together.
Emperor Xuanwu, seeing that both of their hands were empty, breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed that the Xingtian Department handled cases efficiently and investigated meticulously. If there was no evidence found, then he could rest assured.
Eunuch Li hurried over to Emperor Xuanwu and whispered, "Your Majesty, just as Young Master Si Jun said, a letter was indeed found in Prince Yu’s mansion."
Emperor Xuanwu felt as though he had been struck by lightning when he saw Vermilion Bird pulling a letter from his robe.
"Your Majesty, this was found inside a secret door in Prince Yu’s study, please have a look," Vermilion Bird presented the letter with both hands.
Emperor Xuanwu looked disheartened and saw the panicked expression on Prince Yu.
"No, Father Emperor, I am innocent! I have been wronged!" Prince Yu moved a few steps closer to Emperor Xuanwu on his knees.
Emperor Xuanwu opened the letter, which had already been opened before.
With Eunuch Li present, the Xingtian Department personnel wouldn’t have opened this letter, meaning Prince Yu had already opened it before.
Emperor Xuanwu only saw four words, "Consider it settled."
Below it was the seal of Tuoba Hong.
Emperor Xuanwu’s heart chilled; he hadn’t expected Prince Yu to really collude with Western Rong.
He quickly picked up a previous letter from Tuoba Hong and compared it; the seals were identical.
"Prince Yu, what more do you have to say!" Emperor Xuanwu felt his blood rush to his head, trembling all over.
"This letter found in your mansion has the same handwriting and seal as from Western Rong!"
Zhan Lan, listening outside the door, furrowed his brows. What a tactic by Si Jun, only his communication with Tuoba Hong was real.
There must be his people inside Prince Yu’s mansion, he had long prepared to frame Prince Yu once the truth came to light.
What a sinister man!
Their game had begun; she had tried so hard to expose Si Jun in front of everyone, only to see him framing someone else.
Now it all depends on Emperor Xuanwu’s decision.
Even if Si Jun tries to shift the blame elsewhere, he admitted being forced into involvement; how would Emperor Xuanwu deal with him!
Zhan Lan looked at two birds on the tree, both injured, flew away individually.
Inside the hall, Prince Yu shouted, "Father Emperor, I am wronged! Si Jun deliberately got close to me, took the opportunity to frame me, Zhan Feng isn’t my man, he belongs to Si Jun!"
"Your Majesty, I was led astray by Si Jun, I have nothing to do with Prince Yu!" Zhan Feng knew behind Prince Yu stood the Empress and her family’s power.
And surely, Si Jun’s mother isn’t some Noble Lady Lan, Zhan Feng here aimed to protect Prince Yu at crucial moments, also because he hated Si Jun deeply and wanted him dead.
Grand Scholar Lu Zhong closed his eyes, Zhan Feng’s act of defending Prince Yu made it seem even more like he was loyal to Prince Yu.
Indeed, due to Zhan Feng’s "protective" act, Emperor Xuanwu became even more certain of Prince Yu’s rebel intentions.
"Prince Yu, you claim innocence, yet why build a secret chamber in your study, what were you planning!" Emperor Xuanwu roared in anger.
Prince Yu was at a loss for words, his conscience was clear, but it was merely for hiding some silver.
His father emperor was obsessed with alchemy, leaving the state coffers empty, he didn’t want his hundreds of thousands of taels of silver to be discovered by his father.
After all, some of it came from officials or those seeking to curry his favor.
If his father knew, he likely would charge him with partisanship and nepotism.
Prince Yu stammered, "The princess is extravagant, I feared she would spend all the savings, so I built the secret chamber to store silver."
Emperor Xuanwu looked coldly at Prince Yu, a henpecked husband daring to plot against his own nation, yet he didn’t believe Si Jun’s words either.
Ultimately he would have to wait until Wang Xian awoke, to confront him face to face.
"You’ve greatly disappointed me!" Emperor Xuanwu’s gaze fell on both Prince Yu and Si Jun.
Numerous Imperial Physicians were sent to see why Wang Xian still hadn’t awoken; eventually, he was roused by acupuncture and carried to the Taiji Palace by the Imperial Army.
Wang Xian’s face pale, looking around at those beside him, upon seeing Emperor Xuanwu, he hastily knelt down saying, "Your Majesty!"
Emperor Xuanwu urgently asked, "Tell me, did Si Jun order someone to tell you anything these past few days?"
Wang Xian’s pupils dilated, suddenly seeing Prince Yu’s gaze staring straight at him, he immediately lowered his head and said, "No..."
"Do you wish to commit the crime of deceiving your emperor, risking your head?" Emperor Xuanwu lost the last bit of his patience.
Wang Xian then fearfully said, "Replying to Your Majesty, that day I was out of the palace on duty purchasing, a servant from Young Master Si Jun’s mansion notified me that Prince Yu intended to harm Your Majesty, I hurried to the palace, but before I could report, I was pushed into the water..."
"Father Emperor, I truly am wronged..." Prince Yu was desperate with tears and snot, now all the evidence was pointing towards him.
Even if he argued justly, it was not as well-prepared as Si Jun’s.
Only blame his oversight of Si Jun on normal days, and neither his father nor mother ever mentioned Si Jun being a prince.
Otherwise, how could he have ended up in such a passive situation.
Emperor Xuanwu’s gaze turned to Si Jun, who still appeared calm; in this moment, he was a bit at a loss, unsure which son was lying.
He quickly thought of a way to deliver justice that seemed fair and also subtly undermine the Zhan Family.
Finally, he said, "Today’s event, many evidences pointed to Prince Yu, but I’ve watched Prince Yu grow up and understand him well, he wouldn’t commit patricide even if he was confused momentarily, this matter still needs further investigation, let Prince Yu be confined to Prince Yu’s Mansion and stripped of his titles, to observe the outcomes."
Prince Yu’s terrified heart relaxed somewhat, because Emperor Xuanwu hadn’t killed him.
However, he was truly wronged, so his face streamed with tears of injustice.
Grand Scholar Lu Zhong breathed a sigh of relief, as long as Prince Yu was not killed, it meant there was still room for maneuver in Prince Yu’s affairs.
Si Jun remained indifferent, but hearing Emperor Xuanwu’s words, the hatred and resentment in his heart ignited into a roaring blaze!
Why, with such plotting, had his father still not executed Prince Yu, including the Empress and her maternal family?
Is it truly because his father had watched Prince Yu grow up from childhood?
Then how would his father deal with him?
