Chapter 121

Chapter 121

Seeing Liang Quan, a tall and burly man, sitting on the ground calling out for his mom and big brother like a lost child, the face of the Eleventh Prince, cold as an ice coffin, twitched uncontrollably. Unable to bear looking directly, he turned his head away.

After Liang Quan finished calling out, he sighed heavily: "Eleventh, where do you think they are? When will we finally find them?"

Seeing him so pitiful, the Eleventh Prince stepped forward to console him: "Elder Brother, it's getting late. Why don't we return to the palace today and continue the search tomorrow?"

They had already checked every house in this alley but found no trace of the person.

However, Liang Quan was adamant, insisting that he had seen the person here and that they might return. He dragged the prince along to search the alley several times, throwing the entire alley into a state of panic, causing the residents to be afraid to step outside.

Sometimes Liang Quan would even peek over the walls into people's homes. If it weren't for the prince, in his official uniform, standing by his side, and Liang Quan's imposing and fierce appearance, he might have been swatted off the wall with a broom long ago.

Seeing the usually silent Eleventh Prince persistently urging him, Liang Quan glanced to the left and right of the alley, then stood up: "Alright, we'll come back tomorrow."

The two walked to the end of the alley, mounted their horses, gathered their respective entourages, and returned to the palace.

After they had gone, the door where Liang Quan had been sitting creaked open a crack. A clever-looking girl of about thirteen or fourteen peeked out, glanced around, then pulled her head back in, quickly shut the door tight, bolted it, and ran through the inner gate into the courtyard. She passed through the side room of the main house and arrived at a storage room in the backyard, opening the door and entering.

From the outside, it looked like a storage room, but inside it was spotless and well-kept, fully equipped with beds, tables, chairs, and other daily necessities.

On a simple bed frame with thick bedding, a gray-haired woman dressed in servant's clothes sat sewing. Seeing the girl enter, she quickly put down her needle and thread and asked: "How is it? Have the constables left?"

This servant Chun Ni quickly shut the door tight: "Lady, don't worry, they're all gone."

"That's good. These past few days have been so unsettling." Lady Ling Yuqiu let out a sigh of relief, then asked: "Did Ping'er say when he would return?"

Chun Ni walked over and gently took the needle and thread from Lady Ling Yuqiu's hands: "Lady, your eyesight is poor. You really shouldn't be sewing, or else the eldest young master will scold me when he sees it."

Lady Ling Yuqiu nodded in agreement, and Chun Ni continued: "The eldest young master didn't say when he would return, but he sent a message instructing me to tell you to stay hidden here and not go out until he returns."

"Yesterday, when the constables came to search the house, if I hadn't said you were my mother and that we were looking after the house for the master, it wouldn't have been so easy to fool them."

Lady Ling Yuqiu nodded repeatedly: "Alright, I won't go out."

Then she frowned in confusion and asked: "Chun Ni, tell me the truth. Did Ping'er do something wrong outside? Is that why they came looking for us?"

Chun Ni shook her head: "Lady, don't worry. It shouldn't have anything to do with the eldest young master. They combed through the entire alley, not just our house."

Lady Ling Yuqiu was puzzled: "Then are they looking for some criminal? Why would they question an old woman like me?"

Chun Ni replied: "It didn't seem like it. Just now, while I was hiding in the courtyard, I heard someone outside calling for his mother and elder brother, as if he had lost his family."

Lady Ling Yuqiu sighed: "That's also a pitiful situation."

Chun Ni went back to her sewing: "It's sad to lose family, but those constables were too rude, especially the two leading sirs. One had a face so cold it could freeze someone to death, and the other looked so fierce it seemed like he wanted to eat people. I only dared to take a quick peek and didn't dare look a second time."

"Good child, you've really been through a lot." Lady Ling Yuqiu patted Chun Ni's hand to comfort her, then asked: "Has An Er sent any letters?"

Chun Ni set down her needle and thread and smacked her forehead: "Look at my memory, I forgot again. I just received one this morning and carelessly left it in the front courtyard. Wait a moment, I'll go get it."

With that, she quickly left the room, ran to the side room, rummaged through a wardrobe, and pulled out a small box. Opening the lid, she saw it was filled with letters. She took the top one, tucked it into her sleeve, closed the box, put it back in the wardrobe, and ran back to the backyard storage room.

Entering the room, she cheerfully handed the letter to Lady Ling Yuqiu: "Lady, this is a letter from the second son."

Lady Ling Yuqiu wiped her hands on her clothes, smiled, and accepted the letter. After opening it, she found the writing blurry. Holding it farther away, she still couldn't see clearly, so she rubbed her eyes.

"Let me read it for you." Chun Ni, seeing this, took the letter and began reading solemnly: "To my respected mother: I humbly report my well-being, your unworthy son Zhao An..."

---

The scene unfolded in Chong'an Palace.

The Crown Prince knelt before Emperor Chengwu and pleaded earnestly, "Father, the Edict of Self-Blame must not be issued lightly. It not only undermines the emperor's authority but also fails to resolve the issue."

The Eighth Prince also knelt beside the Crown Prince and added his plea, "Father, Elder Brother is right. The Edict of Self-Blame must not be issued under any circumstances."

The Fourth Prince, before the imperial guards could enter, prostrated himself as well, "Father, it is all my fault. I am willing to confess my crimes, only asking for a chance to redeem myself."

As they spoke, two imperial guards entered. Emperor Chengwu waved his hand, "Seize him. Let him see Consort Rong, then escort him to the imperial prison to await execution."

The imperial guards complied, stepping forward to seize the Fourth Prince and take him out. Seeing this, the Fourth Prince's face turned cold, and he no longer begged for clemency. He wrenched himself free from the two guards and looked at Emperor Chengwu, "Father, may I say a few more words?"

Emperor Chengwu said, "Speak."

Everyone thought the Fourth Prince would once again defend himself and beg for clemency. However, he approached the still-kneeling Fourth Prince's Consort, stared at her, and with a look of unwillingness, said, "Even if I erred, haven't I treated you well enough? Why did you join outsiders to betray my trust?"

The Fourth Prince's Consort raised her head, her gaze cold, "Your so-called sincerity is to bring concubines and maids one after another into our household?"

Under the Fourth Prince's Consort's continuous questioning, the Fourth Prince looked astonished, "You actually cared about that? But which man in the world doesn't have multiple wives and concubines, let alone a prince like me?"

The Fourth Prince's Consort sneered, her tone mocking, "Yes, most men in the world are like that, but I had the chance to marry a man who would be faithful only to me, who would marry only me for a lifetime. It was you who insisted on imposing this marriage on me."

This was the truth. The Fourth Prince's jaw tightened, and he did not respond.

The Fourth Prince's Consort continued, "Very well, let's not talk about those concubines and maids. But your so-called kindness to me was to let Consort Miao bear a son before I had a legitimate heir?"

The Fourth Prince said, "The matter of the son born out of wedlock was my fault. I did ask for your opinion before permitting her to bear a child, but I have always told you that he would never surpass the children you bear."

The Fourth Prince's Consort's lips curled into a bitter smile, "You did ask me, but what did you expect me to say? That I didn't like this child and wanted her to terminate the pregnancy?"

Her face then turned cold, "But it doesn't matter anymore. I never intended to carry your child. To be honest, all these years I was unable to conceive because I took medicine. Ever since I found out you were the one responsible for the Jianchang flood, I've been taking medicine."

"You!" The Fourth Prince's face instantly darkened. He raised his hand but held back. Finally, he flicked his sleeve, stood up, and turned to leave.

After taking two steps, he turned back and looked at Emperor Chengwu, "Father, I want to ask, will you kill all the rebels, including the Second, Third, Sixth, and Thirteenth Brother?"

Emperor Chengwu, with a dark face, pressed his fingers to his temples, closed his eyes, and did not answer.

The Fourth Prince waited for a while but received no response. Knowing the matter was settled, he turned and left the hall.

The hall fell silent again. Emperor Chengwu cast a glance at the kneeling Fourth Prince's Consort and gave the Empress a look, "I am tired. The Empress will handle the rest."

With that, he leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes.

The Empress nodded, looked at the Fourth Prince's Consort, and sighed heavily, "You are also a child of misfortune. But your involvement with Ning Fuyao in the rebellion has already been committed. Although it has not caused serious consequences, according to the law and palace regulations, the lightest punishment would be exile or being reduced to slavery."

The Fourth Prince's Consort looked fearless, "I defer to the Empress' decision."

The Empress changed her tone, speaking gently, "But if you tell us where Ning Fuyao is, or persuade him to come forward and confess, I might be able to plead with His Majesty for leniency and show you mercy."

The Fourth Prince's Consort shook her head, "Empress, Ning Fuyao is not the kind of person who changes his mind easily after a few words of persuasion. Moreover, before we left Qianzhou, he had already disappeared."

Seeing that she was not willing to talk, the Empress's face darkened, and she decided not to ask further.

The Crown Prince, however, spoke up, "Then do you know if those bandits are related to Ning Fuyao?"

The Fourth Prince's Consort shook her head, "I don't know. He never shared the details of his actions with me."

The Crown Prince carefully observed the Fourth Prince's Consort's expression, feeling that she did not seem to be lying. But then he thought of how she had hidden so many secrets by the Fourth Prince's side without being discovered, and he became uncertain again.

She sighed inwardly, thinking to herself that these royal individuals were indeed each more scheming than the last.

Since she remained silent, he couldn’t press her further and instead turned his gaze to the Empress.

Empress: "For now, you’ll stay in the palace and await further instructions."

With that, she called out, "Guards, take the Fourth Prince’s wife into custody. Without my permission, no one is to approach her."

Nanny Fang, who was waiting outside the hall, entered with two palace maids and led the Fourth Prince’s wife away. They had barely taken a few steps when the 11th Prince entered.

Nanny Fang and the Fourth Prince’s wife stepped aside and curtsied in greeting.

The 11th Prince, unaware of the events in the palace, saw the Fourth Prince’s wife standing beside Nanny Fang and clasped his hands in greeting, "Eleventh pays his respects to Fourth Sister-in-law."

Hearing this, the Fourth Prince’s wife managed a polite smile and returned the greeting, "Eleventh Brother, I hope you are well."

The 11th Prince gave a slight nod and walked past her without expression. The Fourth Prince’s wife then stepped towards the door, but as she looked up, she saw a tall man entering against the light. Visibly startled, she instinctively exclaimed in a low voice, "Fu Yao?"

Liang Quan, preoccupied and dejected, walked in with his head down, deep in thought. Hearing her, he glanced up briefly. Seeing it was the Fourth Prince’s wife and thinking she didn't recognize him, he simply bowed slightly in acknowledgment and walked straight in.

The Fourth Prince’s wife gazed intently at the man until he passed by her, only then realizing she had mistaken him for someone else. She looked incredulous, stared at his back for a moment, then shook her head, turned around, and walked away, clearly bewildered.

Though her exclamation was soft, the hall was silent, and everyone caught it. Emperor Chengwu, who was reclining with his eyes closed on the couch, sat up immediately.

Everyone exchanged glances, all showing signs of shock.

Could it be that Ning Fuyao and Liang Quan bore such a striking resemblance that the Fourth Prince’s wife mistook one for the other?

At this, the same astonishing thought struck everyone at once.

Could it be? Is there really such a coincidence in the world?

The Crown Prince gestured to the 11th Prince with his eyes, "Eleventh, quickly go and call the Fourth Sister-in-law back."

The 11th Prince immediately turned around and hurried out the door, "Fourth Sister-in-law, please wait."

Not long after, the 11th Prince returned with the Fourth Prince’s wife.

The Crown Prince did not beat around the bush and pointed directly at Liang Quan, asking, "Consort of the Fourth Prince, why did you call him 'Fu Yao' just now?"