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Many things, if not witnessed, might remain a mystery for a lifetime.
The Emperor had once held high expectations for Ning Wang, but in an instant, he felt a profound disappointment.
He had used almost all his strength in that slap, fueled by an overwhelming sense of shame and anger, causing blood to trickle from the corner of Ning Wang's mouth.
Gu Jiao thought that even when the Emperor was running for his life back then, he hadn't used this much force.
Ning Wang had been panicking since the Dragon Shadow Guard appeared, but after being slapped, he strangely calmed down.
He casually wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at Gu Jiao with a sneer, then turned his gaze toward the furious Emperor, saying mockingly, "Imperial father hasn’t even asked what happened but already decided it's my fault. Are you teaching your son a lesson, or are you upholding your imperial dignity in front of outsiders?"
The Emperor wasn't so vain.
He admitted that having the Little Miracle Physician witness all this was truly embarrassing, but wouldn't he have been equally embarrassed even if she hadn't?
Did his eldest son truly believe that he was only concerned with preserving his imperial dignity?
His eldest son was committing fratricide, what dignity did the Emperor have left?
After that slap, the Emperor was already drained of strength, and being confronted by his rebellious son left him on the verge of collapsing.
He struggled to maintain his composure and looked at Ning Wang with disappointment and anger, saying, "Zhen will ask you about the truth of this matter, but whatever your reasons, it is not a justification for drawing a blade against your own brother!"
After saying that, the Emperor walked away.
Ning Wang clenched his fists.
He glanced at Gu Jiao, who had been watching the commotion without any concern, and raised a mocking smile, "Are you satisfied with the current situation?"
The Emperor, who hadn’t gone far, naturally heard this remark, but simply furrowed his brows.
Gu Jiao looked at the battered and bruised Ning Wang with an unapologetic expression and replied in a whisper, "It's alright. Though it would have been better if you had fallen a little worse.
Ning Wang and the Crown Prince were taken back to the imperial palace.
Due to the severity of the Crown Prince's injuries, the Emperor allowed Gu Jiao to accompany them and provide medical treatment.
The Crown Princess was also brought back.
When the Emperor arrived at the scene, he only saw the moment when Ning Wang attacked the Crown Prince, and was unaware of the complex entanglements among the three. However, he would soon find out.
Gu Jiao diligently treated the Crown Prince.
Ning Wang was locked in the Huaqing Palace by the Emperor, but the Emperor did not interrogate him immediately. It wasn't because he couldn't bear to do so, but rather because the Emperor collapsed as soon as he returned to the palace.
He didn't lose consciousness completely, but after the sudden upheaval, he felt mentally exhausted and could no longer support his dragon body.
Eunuch Wei helped the Emperor onto the dragon bed and said, "Your Majesty, don't be too upset. Don't let anger harm your health."
It was just a comforting phrase. How could the Emperor, as a father, not feel sorrowful? How could he not be angry?
"Even though Zhen knew from the beginning that the imperial family lacks familial feelings... and that siblings are often estranged... Zhen still held out hope in my heart that they would have some ordinary brotherly affection. Did Zhen ask for too much?"
The Emperor closed his eyes in anguish.
In just half a day, he seemed to have aged several decades, enveloped in an aura of world-weariness.
Eunuch Wei sighed, "Your Majesty..."
The relationships among the imperial family members were never simple. The Emperor himself had ascended to the throne by eliminating a group of brothers.
It was just that he had the help of Empress Dowager Zhuang. The actions that needed to be taken and the evils that needed to be done were done by her on his behalf.
The Emperor had practically "won" the throne lying down. Even so, in his heart, he had kept count of the brothers who had died or been demoted, and how few true prosperous and idle princes there were.
In the imperial family, the least to be expected was emotional attachment–– whether it was marital love, brotherly affection, or even the bond between a father and his children.
Eunuch Wei swallowed the words that wouldn't be of any use and bluntly said, "Your Majesty, it's better to discover this sooner than later."
The Emperor was still in his prime, and if there were any conflicts among his sons, he still could find ways to resolve them. However, if he were to pass away, with one son ascending the throne and another son attempting a palace coup, it would indeed be an irreversible situation!
How had the previous dynasty fallen? It was precisely because Su Wang was dissatisfied with the Crown Prince's ascension, rebelled, killed the Crown Prince, and severely injured himself in the process. This allowed the founding Emperor of the current dynasty to take advantage of the situation and seize power.
"The country cannot be allowed to fall into chaos during my reign. You're right; there is still room for maneuver now."
As for what that room for maneuver was, the Emperor didn't say, as he himself wasn't quite sure.
"The Empress Dowager’s side..."
The Emperor fell silent for a moment and then said, "Don't say anything for now. Zhen will personally inform imperial mother once Zhen has investigated the matter thoroughly." He sighed, "Summon Ning Wang."
......
In the East Palace, Gu Jiao had finished treating the Crown Prince's injuries. The Crown Prince had awakened once during the process, and his emotions had fluctuated greatly. Gu Jiao had administered a sedative to calm him down and had him on an intravenous drip.
She hadn't allowed anyone to disturb them, and only left after completing the intravenous drip for the Crown Prince.
The Crown Princess had also suffered some minor injuries, but nothing serious.
She had been waiting outside the room.
Chunying was nowhere to be found.
She betrayed her for a second time now.
In fact, she should have guessed it earlier. If Chunying could be bribed by Ning Wang, it wouldn't be difficult for someone else to bribe her.
"Is it you?" The Crown Princess glared at Gu Jiao who had come out with her little medical chest.
Gu Jiao looked at her strangely, "What do you mean, is it me?"
The Crown Princess said coldly, "It's all you. You're the one who knocked me out, and you're the one who bribed Chunying to lure the Crown Prince over."
She had disappeared near the teahouse. Even if Chunying truly intended to pass on information, she would have gone to find Ning Wang first. After all, she had a secretive relationship with Ning Wang, so it couldn’t be ruled out that she was taken away by him.
Chunying, however, went directly to the Crown Prince, making it obvious that she wanted to give the Crown Prince a chance to catch her and Ning Wang in the act.
"If you want to believe that, it’s up to you." Gu Jiao replied, not particularly concerned about it.
The Crown Princess had indeed been knocked out by her, but Chunying wasn't bribed by her. It was Yuan Tang, and he was also the one who handled Ning Wang's subordinates.
The Crown Princess gritted her teeth and said in a low voice, "Don't act like it wasn't you. What kind of drug did you give me? Why did I say those things?"
Gu Jiao was a bit curious about what she had said.
The substance she injected into the Crown Princess was also a hallucinogen, which, to some extent, would indeed make a person more daring and shameless than usual. After all, people had rationality and a sense of shame in their sober state.
However, this drug couldn't create something out of nothing. In other words, no matter how explicit the things that Wen Linlang had said were, they were all thoughts that she had genuinely had.
Gu Jiao didn't respond to her and continued to walk down the steps.
The Crown Princess clenched her fingers and said, "Physician Gu, just what have I done to offend you? Why are you targeting me like this?"
"Targeting you?" Gu Jiao was almost dumbfounded.
She had never intentionally targeted Wen Linlang from beginning to end. Even now, if it weren't for bringing down Ning Wang, she wouldn't bother with whom Wen Linlang was involved.
The Crown Princess hesitated for a moment before looking into Gu Jiao's eyes and saying, "You don’t seem to like me from the beginning."
This person was really inexplicable. free(w)ebnov(e)l
Gu Jiao asked, "Why do I have to like you? And not liking you means I'm targeting you? Where did you pick up such rotten thinking?"
The Crown Princess was left speechless.
No one had ever spoken to her like this before. contemporary romance
When she was a child, she got a piece of chestnut cake that only her brothers could have because of her sweet talk. From that moment on, she had known that capturing people's favor was essential.
And she seemed to have a natural talent for it too. As long as she was willing, there was no one she couldn’t win over.
However, this Marquis Estate's daughter, who had grown up in the countryside, seemed to have a tendency to look down on her.
She was overthinking. Gu Jiao wasn't treating her differently; Gu Jiao was like this with everyone. The only difference was that Gu Jiao didn't care whether people liked her or not.
The Crown Princess said, "Are you jealous that I was engaged to Ah Heng? That he used to be very kind to me."
Gu Jiao replied, "Oh."
She truly didn't care. She didn't care at all!
The Crown Princess stared at her in disbelief, unable to understand how she could be so indifferent.
It couldn't be that she still didn't know Xiao Liulang's true identity——
Gu Jiao turned to look at her with a serious expression and said, "I care about him and also care about the people he cares about, but you’re not among the people he cares about.”
The Crown Princess felt like a knife had been stabbed into her heart.
Gu Jiao took a few steps and then paused. "Oh, and one more thing, don't call him 'Ah Heng.' You're not worthy."
The Crown Princess stood frozen in place.
……
Meanwhile, the Emperor's interrogation of Ning Wang was not going smoothly. Ning Wang could have easily shifted the blame onto the Crown Princess, claiming that she had seduced him or that she had mistaken him for Xiao Heng.
However, Ning Wang didn't do that.
As a man, he could be ruthless and use any means necessary, but he wouldn't go as far as pushing a woman out to save himself.
Ning Wang remained kneeling on the floor without uttering a word.
The Emperor angrily said, "Do you think that by staying silent, Zhen won't find out the truth? Once the Crown Prince wakes up, he will reveal everything!"
Ning Wang's heart felt like ashes as he replied, "Then imperial father can just ask him. Imperial father no longer believes this son anyway."
The Emperor was furious with his son's lack of cooperation. Before this incident, his eldest son had been extremely obedient. But now, with everything exposed, he couldn't even be bothered to put on an act?
The Emperor looked at him with frustration and said, "If you won't speak up, how can Zhen believe you?"
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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