The Eldest Daughter Returns with Power

Back in the solemn and majestic imperial study, the brilliant morning light streamed through the high windows, bathing the floor in its warmth. The emperor sat upright on the dragon throne, a symbol of supreme authority, his face dignified and solemn, yet revealing a hint of unsettling unease.

The Crown Prince strode into the hall with steady, powerful steps, his hands tightly gripping the wooden box containing the Imperial Seal of the State. Each step he took seemed exceptionally heavy, as if bearing an immense burden. He slowly walked to the Emperor, knelt on both knees, and raised the wooden box high above his head, saying in a deep and powerful voice, "Father, I have successfully found the Imperial Seal of the previous dynasty, as I have fulfilled my mission."

The emperor's gaze, sharp as a torch, scrutinized the box containing the jade seal—a symbol of countless historical events and supreme power—a complex and unpredictable emotion flashing across his eyes. He reached out and took the box, carefully stroking it before gently opening it. When his gaze fell upon the Imperial Seal within, and he focused intently on its inscriptions, his brows furrowed deeply. "Is this the Imperial Seal of the previous dynasty? These inscriptions… seem slightly different from ours," the emperor murmured to himself, his expression clearly indicating that he too had noticed the difference.

"Your Majesty, I also have many doubts in my heart, which is why I have come here to seek your advice," the Crown Prince said respectfully as he stood up. He knew in his heart that the secret hidden on this imperial seal of the previous dynasty might be closely related to the Shadow Cult, the Third Prince, and even the safety of the entire court.

The emperor remained silent for a moment, then decisively ordered, "Summon the Grand Preceptor immediately. Such complicated matters require someone as knowledgeable in astronomy and geography, and well-versed in the art of divination, to unravel the mysteries."

Soon after, the Imperial Advisor arrived in a hurry, striding anxiously into the solemn Imperial Study. The moment he saw the patterns on the jade seal resting on the desk, a flicker of undisguised surprise flashed in his eyes. "Your Majesty," the Imperial Advisor said slowly, his tone clearly grave, "these patterns... seem to be some extremely ancient sealing method, intended to protect the jade seal from the wanton interference of evil forces."

"A seal? Then why would it appear at this time?" the emperor asked anxiously, a vague sense of foreboding creeping into his heart. The Imperial Advisor pondered for a moment, then continued to explain, "Perhaps a mysterious person is secretly guarding the Imperial Seal, aiming to prevent it from falling into the hands of those with ill intentions. Now, the seal shows signs of weakening, or perhaps someone is attempting to forcibly open it, causing the Imperial Seal to appear in the world at this time, and at the same time, attracting the covetous eyes of the Shadow Cult."

"I see..." The Emperor nodded thoughtfully, then quickly turned his gaze to the Crown Prince. "You shall immediately go to the Ministry of Justice to interrogate those captured Shadow Cult members. You must find a way to extract details of their collusion with the Third Prince, and why they are so obsessed with obtaining the Imperial Seal of the State."

"Your subject obeys!" The Crown Prince respectfully accepted the order and turned to leave, but was stopped by the Emperor. "Also, regarding the Third Prince, I wish to summon him personally to hear how he will defend himself. But before that, you must closely monitor his every move to prevent any unusual actions." The Emperor's voice was deep and powerful, revealing an undeniable aura of authority.

The Crown Prince bowed respectfully and then left the Imperial Study, secretly planning his next move.

…………

The atmosphere in the secret room of the study in Prince Yuan's mansion was oppressive and heavy. The Third Prince's face was frighteningly gloomy, his hands clenched into fists, and he exuded anger and dissatisfaction. He suddenly smashed the cup in his hand to the ground, shards of porcelain scattering everywhere.

"Why did Gongsun Lin find the Shadow Cult's stronghold? Why didn't you inform me beforehand? What kind of work are you doing?!" The Third Prince's roar echoed in the secret chamber, filled with anger and accusation.

The Shadow Cult envoy, kneeling on the ground, trembled with fear, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He hurriedly explained, "Your Highness, please calm your anger. The failure of this operation was truly unexpected. Yuwen Mo obtained a clue from somewhere and infiltrated our stronghold. The Cult Leader originally intended to capture him, but unexpectedly, Gongsun Lin suddenly appeared with his men and captured some of our people. As for the operation being carried out ahead of schedule without informing Your Highness, it was simply because the situation was urgent. The Cult Leader was worried that those captured would leak secrets, so he had no choice but to act ahead of schedule and had no time to report!"

The Third Prince's eyes were filled with anger and resentment. He stared wide-eyed at the envoy, as if he wanted to devour him alive. His teeth were clenched tightly together, making a grinding sound, as if he was trying his best to control his rage.

"An accident? Can this be called an accident?" the Third Prince roared, his voice filled with disappointment and reproach. "My grand plan was almost ruined by a bunch of useless fools! Do you know what this means to me? If we had failed, I would have lost everything!"

The envoys were terrified, trembling uncontrollably, and kept their heads down, not daring to look the Third Prince in the eye. They knew they had made a grave mistake, but faced with the Third Prince's wrath, they had no way to defend themselves.

"Now that you've been completely exposed, the Emperor will surely investigate thoroughly. If it's discovered that you're connected to me, you'll face utter ruin!" The Third Prince's voice grew increasingly stern, the threat in his tone palpable. "You must find a way to resolve this issue and prevent me from being implicated. Otherwise, you'll bear the consequences!"

Upon hearing this, the envoys kowtowed and begged for forgiveness, expressing their willingness to do everything in their power to prevent the Third Prince from being implicated. They promised to take measures as soon as possible to eliminate the potential danger and ensure that similar mistakes would not occur again.

Seeing their humble demeanor, the Third Prince's anger subsided slightly. However, he remained distrustful of them and warned them to take the matter seriously and not to be negligent in any way.

Finally, the Third Prince waved for the envoys to leave. The envoys, relieved, quickly thanked him and departed. However, the Third Prince's heart remained heavy; he realized the potentially serious consequences of this incident and fell into deep thought…

At that moment, hurried footsteps came from outside the door, and the shadow guard shouted, "Your Highness, something bad has happened! General Han Zheng of the Imperial Guard is leading his men toward our residence!"

The Third Prince's heart skipped a beat, his face grew even more somber, his brows furrowed tightly, and he muttered to himself, "How could they have come so quickly?" He felt somewhat surprised and uneasy. He had originally thought he had enough time to deal with the situation, but now it seemed that the situation was more urgent than he had imagined.

This news plunged him into deep thought. He began pacing back and forth in the secret room, pondering how to proceed. Time was of the essence; he had to make a swift decision to deal with the impending situation.

After some thought, the Third Prince finally stopped, took a deep breath, and tried to calm his nerves. He knew that running away was not the solution; only by facing reality could he find a way to resolve the problem. So, he forced himself to remain calm, straightened his clothes, and slowly walked out of the secret chamber, preparing to greet the arrival of the Imperial Guards.

Outside the tightly closed door, the armor of the Imperial Guards gleamed with a chilling light under the slowly rising sun. General Han Zheng stood firmly before the army formation, his face solemn and expressionless. Behind him stood his soldiers, lined up in perfect unison, each one exuding a fierce aura, as if about to charge into battle.

The moment the Third Prince stepped out of the mansion, the two powerful forces seemed like surging torrents about to collide, and the surrounding air was filled with a tense atmosphere and a heavy sense of oppression.

"General Han, what is the reason for this mobilization?" The Third Prince tried his best to make his voice sound calm and composed, but his eyes could not hide the faint panic.

Han Zheng bowed slightly, but his tone showed no sign of yielding: "Your Highness, I have come here on His Majesty's orders to investigate the recent events related to the Shadow Cult. We have reliable intelligence indicating that this matter may be connected to Your Highness's residence, so I have come to request Your Highness's cooperation in our investigation."

Upon hearing this, the Third Prince felt a chill run down his spine, but he remained outwardly calm: "General Han, you flatter me. I have no connection with such a cult and am willing to fully cooperate with the investigation to prove my innocence."

Han Zheng nodded slightly, then waved for the soldiers behind him to begin the search. The Third Prince watched indifferently from the side, his mind racing, calculating how to escape unscathed from this sudden storm.

The search was conducted with extreme care, leaving no room or corner unchecked. The Third Prince appeared outwardly calm, but inwardly he was filled with anxiety, fearing the search might uncover incriminating evidence. However, as time slowly passed, the search seemed to yield no unusual findings.

Just as the Third Prince secretly breathed a sigh of relief, a soldier suddenly discovered a seemingly ordinary ancient book in a secret room of the study. He carefully presented it to the Third Prince, and there, nestled between the pages, were several yellowed drawings, meticulously crafted with incredibly complex arrays and talismans, bearing a striking resemblance to the sealing patterns on the imperial seal. Upon seeing this, the Third Prince's face instantly turned ashen. He knew all too well that if these drawings fell into the Emperor's hands, he would be utterly unable to defend himself.

Just as he was about to reach out and snatch the blueprints in an attempt to destroy this evidence, Han Zheng strode forward and firmly grasped the blueprints in his hand.

"Your Highness, what exactly is this?" Han Zheng's voice carried a hint of stern questioning.

The Third Prince forced himself to calm down and explained in a seemingly composed manner, "These are just some ancient books that I studied in my spare time, and they have nothing to do with the Shadow Cult."

Han Zheng did not immediately choose to believe him. Instead, he carefully put away the blueprints, preparing to take them back to the palace to report to the emperor. He gave the Third Prince a deep look, as if trying to etch every subtle expression of his face into his heart.

"Your Highness, it is my duty, and I have offended you greatly. Please come with me to the palace so that I may explain to His Majesty in person." After Han Zheng finished speaking, he signaled the soldiers to surround the Third Prince and prepare to return to the palace.

Although the Third Prince was filled with resentment and anger, he could only suppress it and follow Han Zheng to the palace. He knew that this trip would likely be fraught with danger. Before leaving, he turned to look at the Shadow Guard Yuan Bai beside him and subtly hinted that he should go to his maternal grandfather, Grand Tutor Qi, because at this moment, only Grand Tutor Qi had the ability to save him.