The Command to Pamper the Husband - Chapter 201

A long, thin piece of paper was covered in dense, tiny script.

Noble Consort De read it, and her face turned abruptly pale.

Her palace maid, standing by her side, asked uneasily, “Your Highness?”

Noble Consort De seemed to be awakened from her thoughts by the maid’s voice. She blinked and handed the paper to the maid. “Burn it.”

The maid lit the candle on the table. Without reading a single word on the paper, she placed it directly into the flame.

The fire quickly consumed the paper, the bright light reflecting in Noble Consort De’s eyes, which were filled with murderous intent.

“Has the Fourth Prince entered the palace?”

“Yes, half an hour ago,” the maid replied respectfully as she cleaned up the ashes.

“When he leaves the palace, find a way to separate the Fourth Prince from the Crown Prince and assassinate him.”

Noble Consort De looked delicate, but her words were chilling.

The maid, seemingly accustomed to such orders, responded quietly.

As they spoke, Princess Li Yang ran in with her short legs, calling for her mother. Noble Consort De’s previously sinister expression softened immediately.

Meanwhile, in the Imperial Study.

The Emperor sat behind his desk with a stern expression, looking at his two sons.

One was his most cherished eldest son. Among his many sons, he only wanted to pass the throne to the Crown Prince.

However, the Crown Prince had no interest in the throne. Asking him to study state affairs brought him less joy than a storybook.

The Emperor had repeatedly hinted, both overtly and subtly, that the Crown Prince would be the successor of the Great Yan dynasty. But the Crown Prince never gave any positive response. When pushed, he would simply pull out a storybook as a distraction.

As for the Fourth Prince, despite discovering through a thorough investigation of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau that the claim of his incompatible fate was likely fabricated, the Emperor’s long-standing resentment was hard to change.

In fact, knowing that there was no incompatibility between their fates seemed to make the Emperor despise the Fourth Prince even more.

Whenever the Fourth Prince appeared, the Emperor was reminded of how he had been deceived by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau.

How could he, a wise ruler, have been fooled by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau for over a decade?

Yet now, the Fourth Prince and the Crown Prince were always together.

As soon as the Heavenly Hound entered the Imperial Study, it ran to the Emperor’s side, sitting by his feet. The Emperor, still stern-faced, patted the hound’s head and asked the Crown Prince, “What’s the matter, for both of you to come together?”

After performing the proper courtesies, the Crown Prince spoke, “Father Emperor, you asked my Fourth Brother and the Capital Magistrate to investigate the missing persons case. My Fourth Brother has found some clues, but since these clues are related to our Second Brother, he came to me for help.”

The Emperor looked displeased as he glanced at Shen Yue.

This bad omen, investigating a case and implicating the Second Prince.

“What is it?” the Emperor’s voice was icy. “What did you find out about the Second Prince?”

With the Emperor’s anger directed at him, Song Jin had to speak up. “Father Emperor, I discovered that the Second Prince instructed people to kidnap children.”

Bang!

Before Song Jin could finish speaking, the Emperor slammed the table in anger, glaring at Song Jin with eyes full of fury.

Ignoring the Emperor’s rage, Song Jin continued calmly, “I followed the clues to Chenbei Village. There, my eldest brother and I were nearly burned alive. Fortunately, my eldest brother’s exceptional martial skills saved us. He captured the arsonist, who confessed to being a death soldier of the Second Prince and admitted to the crime.”

Upon hearing that the Crown Prince had nearly been burned to death, the Emperor immediately looked at him with concern.

“What happened?”

The concern was genuine and heartfelt.

Seeing this, and thinking about the Crown Prince’s true identity, Song Jin felt amused.

The Crown Prince vividly recounted their experience in Chenbei Village, carefully omitting any mention of Song Jin using spiritual power.

As they spoke, a eunuch reported from outside, “Your Majesty, Noble Consort De requests an urgent audience.”

Song Jin and the Crown Prince exchanged glances.

Before the Emperor could speak, the Crown Prince said, “Father Emperor, my visit today is related to Noble Consort De and the Heir of the Duke of Ning. I hope you will hear me out before seeing Noble Consort De.”

The Emperor, favoring the Crown Prince, agreed.

But as for Noble Consort De…

Due to the incident at the last banquet and the box she dropped, the Emperor had developed a distaste for her, which she was well aware of.

She wouldn’t come to the Imperial Study unless it was truly important.

After a moment of contemplation, the Emperor instructed the Chief Eunuch, “Take her to the side hall.”

The Chief Eunuch obeyed and left.

Once he was gone, the Crown Prince said, “Father Emperor, today I visited the Marquis of Jingning’s private residence on Tongqian Street.”

At the mention of Tongqian Street, a flicker of emotion crossed the Emperor’s face.

The Crown Prince, pretending not to notice, continued, “In that residence, I found a large collection of weapons hidden by the Marquis of Jingning.”

Upon hearing this, the Emperor’s face darkened, though a hint of guilt flashed in his eyes.

The Crown Prince pretended not to notice. “The weapons were hidden at the bottom of the lake in the mansion.”

The Emperor was stunned.

The bottom of the lake?

The things he had asked the Marquis of Jingning to hide were under the signal tower.

How could they be at the bottom of the lake?

Seeing the Emperor’s stunned expression, the Crown Prince continued, “Furthermore, I discovered something else. Father Emperor, please do not be angry.”

The Emperor, still processing the previous information, was taken aback. “What is it?”

“Noble Consort De and the Heir of the Duke of Ning were childhood sweethearts. Before entering the palace, Noble Consort De was supposed to marry him. The box she dropped at the banquet belonged to the Heir of the Duke of Ning. He has remained unmarried, waiting for her.”

This statement enraged the Emperor.

“Outrageous!” The Emperor slammed the table, almost rising from his chair, trembling with anger.

The Crown Prince lowered his head, “I wouldn’t dare to deceive you. This matter is too significant to delay, so despite knowing you assigned the investigation to my Fourth Brother, I had to get involved.”

The Emperor was momentarily confused.

“You’re talking about human trafficking?”

How are the two connected?

“My Fourth Brother found that the human trafficking case is related to our Second Brother. I checked, and all the missing children were girls.”

The Emperor still didn’t see the connection, but he glared at Shen Yue. “The Second Prince doesn’t have such peculiar tastes!”

The Crown Prince continued, “These children weren’t harmed immediately. They were raised carefully for years and then sent out, similar to the practice with trained courtesans in Yangzhou.”

At this, the Emperor understood.

“Are you saying the Second Prince trained these girls to gather information and win over officials?”

The Crown Prince nodded. “Perhaps some were even sent into the palace.”

The Emperor…

Sending them into the palace had significant implications, which he fully understood.