“Your Highness…”
Warm blood splattered across the back of her hand, and Xie Yao was instantly horrified.
Gu Changze tossed the dagger aside. With cool fingertips, he carefully straightened her disheveled collar and said hoarsely, “Don’t be afraid. I’ll take you back.”
Behind them, Gu Xiudun clutched his injured wrist, nearly fainting from the pain.
Gu Changze never looked back at him again. He led Xie Yao all the way back to her courtyard. Only when she saw the bright lanterns illuminating the residence did the shock and fear within her finally begin to settle. Her trembling fingers caught hold of his sleeve. “Your Highness, you injured the Sixth Prince like that. He…”
“It will be fine.” Gu Changze took the handkerchief she offered and wiped the blood from his fingertips. He looked up at her, his gaze lingering on the loose strands of hair framing her face. The darkness and killing intent in his eyes were hidden so well that not the slightest trace remained.
His voice softened as he reassured her. “Have the servants prepare some warm tea for you. I’ll send a physician over shortly to examine you. Get a good night’s rest tonight. Starting tomorrow, nothing like this will happen again.”
“Your Highness…” Remembering the terrifying expression he had worn on that secluded path, Xie Yao felt another surge of concern and tugged gently at his sleeve.
“Don’t worry.” Gu Changze glanced down at her. “I know my limits. It was nothing more than a small lesson for him.” The handkerchief slipped quietly from his hand to the floor.
As he turned to leave, Xie Yao heard him say those words. Soon, she was left alone in the room. Standing there by herself, she stared blankly ahead, her thoughts in complete disarray.
In his youth, Gu Xiudun had been captivated by Xie Yao’s beauty and had repeatedly asked Prince Xie for her hand in marriage. In the three months following her father’s death, he visited the Xie residence frequently, speaking of taking her into his household and often behaving with unsettling familiarity and impropriety.
But no matter what, Xie Yao had never imagined that he would dare do something so outrageous at Shanglin Garden. She hated Gu Xiudun to the core, but she had never wanted to drag Gu Changze into trouble because of her.
Terrified and shaken, Xie Yao spent the night tossing and turning, unable to sleep. The next day, she remained in her room resting until evening.
By dusk, her spirits had finally improved somewhat. She planned to have dinner and then visit Gu Changze’s residence to thank him for rescuing her the previous night.
Noticing how distracted she had been all day, Qingyu had specifically prepared a light seafood porridge for her that evening.
Xie Yao had just scooped up a spoonful and was about to take a bite when a servant suddenly rushed in, shouting anxiously, “Miss, something terrible has happened! Today, while hunting in the rear mountains, the Sixth Prince somehow fell and broke his leg. The imperial physicians have examined him and say he may never walk again! Right now, the Sixth Prince is causing a huge scene in His Majesty’s chambers. He’s accusing the Crown Prince of harming him, claiming that His Highness was jealous because you and the Sixth Prince had been close since your youth, and so he struck out in jealousy! His Majesty is furious. Orders have already been given to confine the Crown Prince, and it seems… there may even be an intention to depose him!”
Clatter— Xie Yao’s vision went dark. The spoon fell from her hand and hit the floor.
By the time she hurried over, the Emperor’s residence was brilliantly illuminated. Princes, ministers, and officials crowded the hall. Two people knelt in the center of the room: Gu Changze and Gu Xiudun.
Before Xie Yao could even approach, the Emperor hurled a teacup from the dais.
Scalding tea splashed across the floor, some of it landing on the back of Gu Changze’s pale hand, instantly reddening the skin.
“Come over here and explain yourself! Why did you attack your own brother so viciously?!”
The Emperor glared at Gu Changze in fury.
Gu Xiudun sat on the ground, completely disheveled, looking nothing like a prince. His usually charming eyes were filled with hatred as he stared at Gu Changze, as though he wished he could devour him alive.
“Sixth Brother accidentally fell from Xishan during the hunt. Everyone present witnessed it clearly. This son has not attempted to harm him.” Gu Changze coughed lightly twice before speaking in a calm, even tone.
“The injury on my hand was inflicted by Elder Brother last night!” Gu Xiudun suddenly shouted.
“Elder Brother, because you resented your future Crown Princess for having a past relationship with me, you tried to kill me without the slightest regard for brotherly affection. The evidence is right here. What else is there for you to deny?” He fixed Gu Changze with a savage glare, his eyes so red they seemed ready to bleed.
As soon as those words left his mouth, every gaze in the hall turned toward Xie Yao. The looks she received were all different. A past relationship?
Xie Yao’s face flushed with anger. She had never imagined that Gu Xiudun would still dare to twist black into white in front of the entire court.
“Father Emperor, as Crown Prince, he attacked his own brother simply out of jealousy! My leg is ruined. I’ll have difficulty even walking in the future. Father Emperor, you must seek justice for your son!”
As Gu Xiudun wept bitterly, more than half the officials in the hall began casting disapproving looks toward Gu Changze.
If the Crown Prince, the empire’s future ruler, could be so reckless and cruel, how could he ever accomplish great things?
“Even if the Sixth Prince was at fault, isn’t His Highness being far too petty and narrow-minded?”
“A beauty truly brings disaster. The matter between Miss Xie and the Sixth Prince is long in the past, yet it has driven His Highness to such irrational behavior.”
“His Highness is already frail in health as Crown Prince. Now he appears cruel and suspicious as well. As for his position as heir apparent…”
As more and more accusations and criticism were directed at Gu Changze, Xie Yao could no longer remain silent. She stepped forward two paces and knelt in the center of the hall. A trace of anger shone in her clear, bright eyes.
“Your Majesty, every word spoken by the Sixth Prince is false. I beg Your Majesty to allow this subject to speak. Last night, the Sixth Prince falsely claimed to be acting on the Empress Dowager’s orders and lured me to a secluded path on the western side of Shanglin Garden. He intended to force himself upon me. By chance, the Crown Prince passed by and rescued me. During the struggle, I accidentally injured the Sixth Prince. The matter has nothing whatsoever to do with His Highness. I have never had any private dealings with the Sixth Prince in the past, and this so-called former romance is complete nonsense!”
The moment she finished speaking, Gu Xiudun shot her a vicious glare. A moment later, however, he forced out a smile. “Yao’er, now that you’re about to become the Crown Princess, don’t tell me you’re turning your back on an old acquaintance. Last night, you were the one throwing yourself into my arms.”
Xie Yao looked at him coldly. “Sixth Prince, a woman’s reputation is of utmost importance. My conduct and upbringing were personally taught by my late mother. It is impossible for me to engage in such shameless behavior. I have never met with you privately before. To throw such slander at me without a shred of evidence is something I absolutely will not acknowledge.” Her words rang with conviction and strength.
The cold anger in her eyes momentarily even stunned Gu Xiudun.
On the dais, the Emperor narrowed his eyes. “Miss Xie, you just said that Dun’er intended to violate you last night?”
“It is absolutely true. His Highness the Crown Prince and several servants witnessed it themselves. This subject would never dare utter a single falsehood.”
“You just said that a woman’s reputation is important. Then do you understand that if these words spread throughout the realm, rumors may place you in a very difficult position?”
The Emperor’s voice revealed neither approval nor displeasure.
“I understand.” Xie Yao raised her head. “But this subject is even less willing to see a good man like the Crown Prince falsely accused.”
“Such a noble declaration, that you cannot bear to see a good man wronged. But do you know this?”
The Emperor looked directly at Xie Yao. “When the person who pushed the Sixth Prince from Xishan grabbed him, the jade pendant torn from that person’s body happened to be the Crown Prince’s personal possession.”
The Emperor let out a cold laugh.
Buzz. Xie Yao’s mind went blank. Almost instinctively, she turned and looked at Gu Changze.
“My jade pendant was lost three days ago,” Gu Changze said calmly. “At the time, I thought little of it. I never expected it to appear beside Sixth Brother now. It seems someone may have deliberately arranged this.”
“So you claim that someone is framing you?” The Emperor’s voice was full of skepticism. “Then how is it that everything is such a coincidence? Last night, something happened to Xie Yao, and you conveniently arrived in time to save her. Today, your Sixth Brother falls from a cliff and breaks his leg.”
Hearing the doubt in the Emperor’s voice, Xie Yao clenched her teeth and began to speak again. “Your Majesty—”
“You need not speak either.” The Emperor cut her off.
“As for what truly happened last night, I cannot rely solely on your account. But the fact remains that a jade pendant belonging to the Crown Prince was found on the person who pushed the Sixth Prince.”
Xie Yao felt as though she had fallen into an icy abyss. It was one thing for the Emperor not to believe her. But why, when the only evidence against Gu Changze was a single jade pendant and nothing more, was he so ready to believe the accusation? Why would the Emperor refuse to believe her? That was one thing. But now, with no evidence beyond a single jade pendant, why was he already speaking as though Gu Changze’s guilt had been established?
Panic flashed through Xie Yao. Instinctively, she looked toward Gu Changze.
“Although there is not yet any witness testimony, the jade pendant Dun’er tore from the culprit belongs to you. Do you admit that?”
Gu Changze raised his eyes. “Father Emperor intends to pass judgment without first determining whether the evidence is genuine?”
“And I do not have only physical evidence!”
The Emperor coldly threw down a thin sheet of paper. “My people have just discovered that one of your subordinates bribed the guards stationed in Xishan and tampered with the area where Dun’er was standing. That is why he was caught off guard and fell from the cliff!”
The paper landed beside Gu Changze’s feet. He picked it up, glanced at it, and replied in his usual gentle tone, “Utter nonsense.”
“Whether it is nonsense or not, I have already ordered a thorough investigation!” The Emperor’s voice rang through the hall. “And if it truly turns out that you harmed your own brother, then I will never tolerate such a ruthless prince within Great Sheng! Men, seize the Crown Prince. Confine him to his own residence. Without my explicit orders, no one is to visit him.”
As soon as those words fell, several guards rushed forward and restrained Gu Changze.
Gu Changze stumbled when the guards shoved him forward. The Crown Prince’s jade crown nearly fell off. His already frail complexion turned even paler, and his body looked as though it might collapse at any moment.
Xie Yao’s voice trembled. “Your Highness!” Her eyes reddened, and she instinctively stepped forward to support him.
If Gu Changze were truly implicated because of her affairs and became the target of Gu Xiudun’s hatred, she would never be able to forgive herself. He had already stated that he was innocent. The evidence was inconclusive. How could the Emperor act this way?
The entire hall fell silent. No one had expected the Emperor to move so swiftly and decisively against the Crown Prince.
The guards escorted Gu Changze away under restraint. Though Xie Yao was frantic with worry, she could see that the Emperor had already made up his mind. Swallowing her objections, she withdrew with the others and immediately began investigating everything she could about that day’s events.
Before dawn, news of the incident had spread throughout Shanglin Garden.
Soon afterward, it reached the capital.
Everyone was saying that the Crown Prince had apparently tried to kill his own brother over a woman.
Rumors flew in every direction. Opinions were divided, though most believed the Crown Prince had shown excessive cruelty and was unfit to remain heir apparent, having “lost his head for a beauty.”
By the time these whispers reached Gu Changze’s residence, he was sitting beneath the covered corridor in his courtyard.
Heavy guards stood watch outside. The only person left at his side was his personal eunuch, Jiang Zhen. Compared to the crowds who had surrounded him only a few days earlier, the scene was desolate indeed.
“Your Highness, if you really did have something planned, you should have warned this servant. I could’ve cleaned it up for you afterward! How did things end up… with His Majesty seizing evidence against you?”
Jiang Zhen was beside himself with anxiety.
The rumors outside were practically devouring the Crown Prince alive.
The Emperor already disliked His Highness to begin with. If he chose this moment to depose the Crown Prince, then everything would truly be over.
Jiang Zhen was so worried that he felt his hair was about to turn white. Yet when he looked back, the Crown Prince sat calmly, playing chess against himself. It was as though the Emperor’s humiliation the night before and the slander spreading outside had not affected him in the slightest. But the Crown Prince’s jade crown was practically hanging by a thread now!
“Your Highness, you…”
“What people see with their own eyes spreads from one person to ten, from ten to a hundred. Perhaps Sixth Brother is feeling quite pleased with himself at this moment, believing he has controlled public opinion and will soon force me from this position.”
Gu Changze picked up a chess piece between his long fingers.
Jiang Zhen looked at him miserably. “Does the Sixth Prince even need to be pleased? Everyone in the realm has already heard about it…”
“Yes, everyone in the realm has heard about it.” Gu Changze lowered his eyes, a faint smile curling at the corner of his lips. “Isn’t that exactly the effect I wanted?”
“What do you mean by that?” Jiang Zhen froze.
But Gu Changze offered no further explanation. Instead, he lifted his head and glanced toward the courtyard entrance, smiling as he said, “Don’t worry about those things anymore.”
“Why don’t you help me guess instead?”
“When do you think my Crown Princess will come to see me?”