Connecting the danger of hovering between life and death just now with the “bloody disaster” Virtuous Consort Xiao had spoken of,
A suspicion faintly surfaced in Luo Qinghan’s heart—
Could it be that Virtuous Consort Xiao had long known he would be assassinated?
If she was in the know, then what relation did she have with these assassins?
Could they be in cahoots?
But if they were in cahoots, why would Virtuous Consort Xiao send him an amulet and even actively warn him to be careful of someone plotting against him?
Countless doubts surged into his heart, making Luo Qinghan stare at the amulet in his hand for a long time.
It was not until the First Prince and the Second Prince arrived in a hurry with guards that Luo Qinghan finally came back to his senses.
He put away the amulet, his face returning to its usual aloofness and coldness.
“Third Brother, we heard you encountered assassins. Are you injured?”
Luo Qinghan’s gaze swept across the faces of his two older brothers one by one. They seemed to be genuinely worried, their faces written all over with concern.
However,
Who could know what their true thoughts were in their hearts?
Perhaps these assassins were sent by one of them.
Luo Qinghan had only been instated as the Crown Prince a year ago. He was neither the eldest son nor born of the first wife; the only thing he could rely on was the support of the Empress’s maternal family.
But in the eyes of the other princes, no matter how close Luo Qinghan was to the Empress, he was not her biological child. On what basis did he occupy the position of Crown Prince?!
The princes did not show it on their faces, but they were all extremely unwilling in their hearts.
Over the past year, their private petty actions had been continuous. But they were only minor schemes that could not hurt Luo Qinghan, so Luo Qinghan had not taken them to heart.
He did not expect that these brothers would actually intensify their efforts, not even hesitating to kill their own sibling for the position of heir to the throne!
Emotions surged in Luo Qinghan’s heart, yet his face remained as calm as usual: “I am fine. There is no need for the two imperial brothers to worry.”
“It is good that you are fine. Imperial Father is very worried about you. You should go report your safety to Imperial Father quickly. It will be fine to leave this place to the two of us to handle.”
“Then I shall trouble the two imperial brothers.”
Luo Qinghan rode away on a guard’s horse, but he left his guards behind.
Because the Crown Prince had almost met with an accident, the Emperor had no heart to hunt further, and today’s hunt ended early.
Returning to the Eastern Palace.
Luo Qinghan called several of his trusted aides into the study.
They discussed for an hour.
In the end, they split into two routes. One group went down the cliff to search for the horse’s carcass and find out the reason why the horse had suddenly gone mad.
The other group went to investigate the origin of the assassins to see who exactly had sent them.
By the time Luo Qinghan came out of the study, it was already evening.
He suddenly remembered the woman who had hugged his thigh this morning.
“Where is Virtuous Consort Xiao?”
Eunuch Chang bowed and replied, “She is locked up in Lengxiang Building.”
Luo Qinghan lifted his foot and walked toward Lengxiang Building.
When they arrived before the gate of Lengxiang Building, they saw the main gate tightly shut, with the dim yellow light of candles filtering through the window.
Eunuch Chang stepped forward to call at the door.
“His Royal Highness the Crown Prince arrives!”
A series of clattering and clanging sounds came from inside the building, and Virtuous Consort Xiao’s urging voice could faintly be heard.
“Quickly put the things away!”
Immediately afterward came a rush of hurried footsteps.
The main gate was pulled open.
Xiao Xixi led Baoqin forward to kneel and pay her respects.
“Paying respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.”
Luo Qinghan looked at the woman before him. Seeing that her lips were red and shiny, he could also faintly smell a spicy, numbing, and fresh aroma.
He asked flatly, “What were you doing in the room?”
Xiao Xixi was very guilty: “Having dinner.”
“You do not seem worried at all.”
“Worried about what?”
“What do you think?”