The reborn girl always wants to escape, but the abstinent marquis hugs her and coaxes her!

Chapter 112: Betrayal

This was the first time Wu Tianchi entered the palace's study with fear.

When they were young, they brothers would wait here for their father to return from court, and the prince would cling to his father's lap.

Although their other brothers did not dare to be as kind as the crown prince, their father was also very good to them.

They would ask them what books they had read and whether their wet nurses had neglected them.

My father is not as strict as my mother. Deep down, he likes to come here to enjoy a moment of freedom and warmth.

But today...

Four imperial guards surrounded him, their presence more like coercion than companionship. Fortunately, a young maid from Concubine Shu's palace saw him as soon as he entered the palace.

Seeing that the situation was not good, he immediately turned around and went back to report the news.

……

In the upper study, the emperor looked extremely ugly.

When Wu Tianchi saw the Crown Prince and the Jiangnan Dao Envoy, his anxiety eased.

He knew that the incident in Jiangnan must have happened.

There was a person kneeling in the middle, with a strong smell of blood on his body.

Wu Tianchi couldn't see his face, but he thought he must be someone who couldn't endure the torture.

He walked in and bowed solemnly: "Your Highness, your son pays homage to you, Father."

The emperor did not call him up, but simply asked him, "Do you know the person kneeling here?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a guard stepped forward and forcibly turned Duan Chuanchao's head.

Wu Tianchi studied it for a moment and shook his head: "Reporting to the emperor, I don't know this person."

The emperor sneered, "But, in his home, we found your jade token. This person said that you ordered him to go to Jiangnan to kill and silence the witnesses." "Father, your majesty is wise!" Wu Tianchi prostrated himself on the ground. "Your Highness, I don't know this person at all, and I would never dare to do such a thing that would lead to death!"

"Second brother, you really clear yourself of the matter. You say you don't know him, but how do you explain your jade token? Each prince has only two jade tokens. Don't say that such an important thing was lost!" The prince, who was standing aside, saw the second prince's pretentious look and couldn't help but expose him.

"Your Highness, can you falsely accuse me of something with just a jade token?" Wu Tianchi refused to back down.

Because he knew that he had no way out.

The emperor looked at him quietly for a moment, then continued to ask Duan Chuanchao, "You also heard that the Second Prince said he had never seen you."

Duan Chuanchao gritted his teeth and said, "Of course, the Second Prince didn't come here in person to deliver the message. He would always arrange for a deputy envoy named Liao to come, and this jade token was left behind by him."

After he finished speaking, Wu Tianchi's face turned pale.

But he was lying on the ground at this time and no one saw him.

The emperor remained silent for a long time, tapping the desk lightly with his fingers.

Time passed minute by minute.

There was a commotion outside the study.

The emperor frowned, but before he could say anything, Eunuch Yao took the initiative to say, "I'll go out and take a look."

Outside, Concubine Shu and the Queen were facing each other.

"Why did the Empress stop me?" Concubine Shu's eyes widened.

Wu Tianchi had been worried and absent-minded recently, which naturally could not escape the attention of her as a mother. When the little palace maid hurried back to report the news today, she knew that her son must have caused a big disaster.

So she hurried over.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived outside the study, he was stopped by the Queen's men.

She had just slapped the man a few times when the queen herself rushed over and stood in front of her.

"The harem is not allowed to interfere in politics! I am here to dissuade you, please don't make any mistakes." The queen looked at her.

Concubine Shu raised her head, looked at the nine-tailed phoenix hairpin on the empress's head, and sneered, "Empress, you are already the mother of a country! Your son is already the crown prince of the Eastern Palace, the heir to the throne of the Great Zhou. To you, mother and son, we are nothing more than people who will give you a bowl of rice in the future. Why do you have to kill us all?"

"You're too kind, Concubine Shu! His Majesty is in the upper study, questioning matters at court. This has nothing to do with you or me." She glanced at the surrounding eunuchs and asked, "Why don't you send Concubine Shu back to the palace?"

As soon as he finished speaking, several eunuchs came forward.

Concubine Shu was furious: "Let's see who dares! I am a concubine in the harem, you are not allowed to act rashly!"

Amid the stalemate, Eunuch Yao walked out from the upper study.

Concubine Shu hurried forward and said, "Eunuch Yao, why did His Majesty summon the Second Prince?"

Eunuch Yao pretended not to hear. He simply walked up to the Empress and bowed deeply. "His Majesty is currently in the study, and it's too noisy here. Please handle the situation yourself, Your Majesty."

After saying this, he slowly retreated.

These words made the queen's mind clear as a mirror.

She waved her hand and said, "Take Concubine Shu back to the palace quietly."

Concubine Shu was shocked, but she was already at a disadvantage outside the study, not to mention that there was also the Queen's decree.

Then several eunuchs rushed forward.

Just as Concubine Shu was about to curse, a eunuch quickly covered her mouth.

After all, the Queen had just instructed: to bring Concubine Shu back to the palace quietly.

While struggling, several imperial guards came from a distance.

They had one person in custody.

After seeing who was coming, Concubine Shu forgot to struggle. She could only watch the man being taken into the study.

The person who was brought here was none other than Deputy Envoy Liao from the Second Prince’s Mansion!

At this moment, he was thrown into the study and knelt beside Duan Chuanchao.

This was the first time in his life that he saw the emperor's face.

The emperor pointed at Duan Chuanchao and asked him, "Do you know this man?"

Lieutenant General Liao had just been tortured. The punishments in the palace were even more severe than those in the Eastern Palace. After just over half an hour, his eyes were so swollen that he could barely open them. But even so, he still managed to take a hard look at the people around him.

He nodded with difficulty: "He is a private wine shop owner in the capital, his name is Duan Chuanchao."

The opening was easy, and the emperor then asked, "He said that he was ordered by you to go to Jiangnan and assassinate several officials."

Lieutenant General Liao shook his head: "Your Majesty, he is not following orders from me."

After he finished speaking, the Second Prince let out an almost inaudible sigh of relief.

But the next second, Lieutenant General Liao's words brought him to the bottom: "This person is acting on the orders of the Second Prince. I am only passing on the message."

Wu Tianchi was shocked. He glared at Lieutenant General Liao who was kneeling in front of him and said, "You are slandering me!"

Lieutenant General Liao didn't turn around, but simply opened his eyes with difficulty and looked at the emperor. "For years in Jiangnan Province, I, under the orders of the Second Prince, have been secretly placing officials there. Earlier this year, when I learned that Lord Chang wanted to reinforce the dikes in the four Jiangnan prefectures, I mobilized those officials and ordered them to tamper with the foundation materials. During the inspection, they also passed off inferior materials as good ones."

"After the flood in Jiangnan, in order to eliminate future troubles, I, under the orders of the Second Prince, sent Duan Chuanchao south to silence him."

"Nonsense! Nonsense!" The Second Prince was hysterical. "Father, you must not believe his nonsense!"

Lieutenant General Liao kowtowed repeatedly, "Every word I have said is true! I have all the correspondence about this conspiracy hidden at home. Your Majesty will find out once you check!" He turned around and knelt before the Second Prince, "Your Highness, I am incompetent! I simply cannot endure the torture in the palace."

The Second Prince didn't know what to feel at this moment.

The door to the study room opened quickly.

Except for the queen, several other princes have also arrived and are guarding here.

They watched Duan Chuanchao being carried out.

Lieutenant General Liao was escorted out right behind him. He raised his swollen eyes and glanced through the crowd at the gentle Fourth Prince.

Leave without saying a word.