Reborn, the daughter of the Marquisate went crazy

Dongling Palace, Imperial Study.

The first rays of morning sunlight penetrated the clouds, illuminating the earth and awakening all things. The glazed palace lanterns in the imperial study appeared dim against the backdrop of the sky.

Emperor Yingtian sat on the dragon throne all night. He was in a bad mood and didn't allow anyone to disturb him.

De Shun leaned against a corner of the imperial study and endured the whole night. He pounded his sore legs hard, then stood up tremblingly with the help of the wall. He raised his cloudy eyes and looked outside. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was still kneeling upright outside the door, his hair and clothes were wet with the night dew.

Deshun felt a little distressed, and he walked towards the dragon table tremblingly.

The Fourth Prince's suicide note was still placed before Emperor Yingtian. Deshun sighed slightly and said softly, "Your Majesty, it's dawn. Would you like to rest for a while?"

Emperor Yingtian casually asked, "What time is it now?"

But he did not listen to Deshun's answer. Instead, he reached out and stroked the suicide note, and read it word by word again.

The fourth prince's suicide note was very brief. He wrote: "Father, I have never done anything disloyal to you. I am willing to die to prove my loyalty!"

The handwriting on the suicide note was illegible, indicating that the Fourth Prince wrote it in a hurry. Some words were smudged by water stains, as if they were the Fourth Prince's tears. The Fourth Prince must have been extremely desperate at the time and very disappointed in me, his father. Emperor Yingtian thought so.

He turned to look at the imperial edict that had not yet been read, and couldn't help but laugh at himself.

He knew that the Huang Dai case had nothing to do with the fourth brother, and as for the witchcraft puppet case, although all the evidence pointed to the fourth brother, those puppets were crudely made and were completely different from the puppets in the palace that year. They could not be considered witchcraft at all.

But he still decided to issue an imperial decree to send the fourth son to guard the imperial mausoleum. He believed that the fourth son was too stupid to be framed so easily and was not worthy of competing for the throne!

Thinking of this, Emperor Yingtian's eyes became slightly moist.

He believed that he was a wise ruler, not a mediocre one. The entire Dongling was like his chessboard. Under his manipulation, the country was peaceful and the people were prosperous.

But now, the Huang Dai case has opened a crack, proving that a huge force is trying to confuse Dongling and even play him and his sons in the palm of their hands.

If he were a few years younger, Emperor Yingtian would have relished such a challenge and would have hunted down his enemies. Now, however, he was somewhat unable to do so, but he refused to admit his age, and even less to give up his position.

He picked up the Fourth Prince's suicide note and, with trembling hands, placed it over the candle flame. Within a few breaths, it was reduced to ash. Burning the note meant he no longer wanted to investigate, and it meant the Fourth Prince could only commit suicide out of fear of punishment, rather than die to prove his resolve.

He showed a sad smile. He had guarded the peaceful and prosperous times for half his life. This was the proudest achievement of his life as a king, and he would never allow others to deny it. Since this hole could not be repaired, he would cover it up. At least on the surface, it would still look like the peaceful and prosperous times!

Deshun was shocked to see Emperor Yingtian burn the suicide note. He quietly gathered up the ashes and said softly, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has been kneeling outside all night. I, your servant, have advised him against it. He only listens to you, his father!"

Emperor Yingtian suddenly raised his head and stared at Deshun for several breaths before suddenly smirking, "You old thing, your heart has become crooked. You're always worried about that brat!"

Deshun's forehead was covered in sweat, his heart trembling violently. He forced himself to remain calm and said, "Your Majesty, this old servant can't help it. I can never forget the Crown Prince's childhood. He was a little kid like a little ball of milk, with a very sweet mouth and a love for laughter. Every time I see him, my heart melts."

"But Empress Yao passed away suddenly, and the Crown Prince was still so young, like a little adult. He suddenly stopped smiling and talking. That's when I, this old servant, began to feel sorry for him, and my heart started to grow. Alas!"

"Qin'er!" Emperor Yingtian murmured, and suddenly ordered: "Bathe me and change my clothes. Let Cang'er also go and wash up, and have breakfast with me!"

"Hey! I'll arrange it right away." Deshun responded happily. He walked out quickly, secretly feeling relieved. When he saw the emperor burning the suicide note, he thought something bad was going to happen. The emperor was very likely to vent his anger on His Royal Highness the Crown Prince because of the death of the Fourth Prince. That's why he deliberately mentioned Queen Yao, wondering if it could help His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

A moment later, Emperor Yingtian and Chu Yuncang sat down at the dining table. Today's breakfast was very light, just a bowl of porridge and a few side dishes.

Chu Yuncang quietly looked at Emperor Yingtian and found that he seemed to have aged a lot overnight.

Chu Yuncang couldn't help but sigh in his heart. After he separated from Xie Qingli yesterday, he went straight to the imperial study, but his father didn't see him.

He knew that his father had helped him ascend to the throne, and even shown unusual tolerance and indulgence towards him from time to time, all because he felt guilty towards his mother. Deep down, his father might not have been so fond of him, which was why he allowed his sons to fight openly and secretly.

But now the fourth son is dead. Although he was not the son that the emperor cared about the most, the emperor had experienced the pain of losing his son and felt new guilt. With the emperor's conceited personality, he would not reflect on himself, but would only vent his anger on the cause of all this - him who insisted on interrogating Huang Dai!

So he insisted on kneeling outside the imperial study all night, hoping that this little self-torture trick could reduce the consequences of his father's anger.

Chu Yuncang drank the porridge silently, waiting for Emperor Yingtian's final judgment.

Emperor Yingtian leisurely finished his breakfast, rinsed his mouth, and washed his hands before speaking calmly, "Cang'er, please stop investigating the cases that the Shadow Guards are investigating at the Dali Temple! No further investigations are allowed into anything related to the Huang Dai case!"

Chu Yuncang seemed extremely shocked.

Emperor Yingtian snorted coldly, "The shadow guard is still my shadow guard. I know exactly what Cang'er has done." His feeling of being in control of the situation returned, and his mood couldn't help but improve.

"Since Cang'er went to Jiazhou last time, I temporarily gave Cang'er the power to dispatch the Shadow Guards. Now that the Huang Dai case has been settled, it's time for me to take it back."

He paused, thinking of Queen Yao, and continued, "However, I will leave one-third of the Shadow Guards for Cang'er to protect her safety."

Chu Yuncang bowed and said, "Your son thanks your father for his great grace!" Emperor Yingtian nodded slightly.

After coming out of the palace, Chu Yuncang felt extremely heavy, as if a thousand-pound stone was pressing on his heart, making it difficult for him to breathe.

Although he had long guessed that his father might stop the investigation into the Huang Dai case, and although the shadow guards had been investigating the case and collecting information at the Dali Temple overnight, and he had even secretly trained a group of his own people to replace the shadow guards, he still felt as if his heart was being cut by a knife when his father said those words.

Chu Yuncang didn't want to go back to the Prince's Mansion, nor did he want to care about the open and secret struggles. At this moment, he just wanted to see Xie Qingli. He remembered that the dog was buried today, so he went straight to the dilapidated courtyard in Yangliu Lane.

Walking through the dilapidated courtyard gate, the morning light was warm and the breeze was gentle. Xie Qingli was wearing a plain white dress, and her long hair was flying in the breeze and warm sunshine. She inadvertently looked back and saw Chu Yuncang. A hint of surprise flashed across her bright eyes, and then she nodded slightly to Chu Yuncang.

Chu Yuncang's panicked heart suddenly calmed down, and he felt peaceful and beautiful...