The Eldest Daughter Returns: Imperial Uncle, I'm Pregnant!

"Perhaps this is just a deception created by the enemy."

"Illusion?"

"Consort Gu's contributions are naturally beyond question. If Consort Gu were a man, I, Luo, would have to admit my inferiority. However, the matter of the Second Prince is probably not so simple. Your Highness just dismissed Chen Dianqing, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and then a shocking explosion in the west of the city caused a huge disaster."

"You mean the second prince did this intentionally!" Xiao Yuheng thought for a moment and said, "He's no longer a threat, could it be the crown prince...?"

Luo Yichen thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Although the Crown Prince is also competing with His Highness, the Crown Prince is not the kind of person who would do such a thing."

Yes, the Crown Prince would not do such a thing. He may fight openly and secretly with his brothers for the throne, but he would never involve the common people, especially so many innocent people. The Crown Prince is a very benevolent heir apparent, but in Xiao Yuheng's eyes, that is nothing more than womanly compassion.

Now it's the coldest time of winter. The ground is covered with not only thick snow but also a thick layer of ice. Even though the palace has people specially clearing it, it can't withstand the cold weather and the roads are frozen over again.

Not long after Zhao Youguang submitted his memorial, the emperor summoned the third prince, Xiao Yuheng, to the imperial study. However, instead of letting him in, the emperor had him kneel in the heavy snow and ignored him.

There are plenty of people both inside and outside the palace who want to find out what's going on. As long as there's a rumor, you're sure to find a leak.

The people sent out by Consort Yu, who had been waiting for news in the inner palace, have now returned.

"Well! What exactly did Heng'er do wrong?!"

"Your Majesty, I can't get close to him either. I only managed to find out a little bit by going to great lengths to find out about Eunuch Fuming's godson. It seems that the bombing in the west of the city is related to our Third Prince, and His Majesty is furious."

"What!" Consort Yu was so frightened that she sat down in her chair and couldn't move for a long time.

"No! The Third Prince absolutely cannot be harmed; he must have been framed."

Consort Yu couldn't wait any longer. She didn't care about her clothes or appearance anymore and led her palace servants directly towards the Imperial Study.

Outside the Imperial Study, Consort Yu saw her son kneeling in the snow, the snow around his knees melting. She felt heartbroken, but she couldn't help him up, so she could only kneel with him.

"What exactly happened to Heng'er? Why is your father punishing you?"

"Mother, it's cold here, you should go back quickly."

"No, I must plead for you. Heng'er, you are innocent. Your father shouldn't have done this." Consort Yu got up and rushed to the Imperial Study.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Heng'er is innocent! Your Majesty, please understand! It's so cold outside. If the Third Prince keeps kneeling like this, his knees will get injured!"

Fuming stood at the door, doing what a servant should do.

"Your Highness, you should go back soon. The Emperor will not see you. This is the Imperial Study, and Your Highness does not look well here."

"Who do you think you are, daring to block my way? When I see the Emperor later, I will make sure he punishes you for the great crime of disrespect."

Who is Eunuch Fuming? He is the most trusted person by the Emperor's side. Even when the Prince of Chu comes, he will give him some face.

Upon hearing Consort Yu speak in such a manner, Eunuch Fuming's attitude noticeably turned cold.

"This servant is just someone who serves his master and is nothing special. If Your Majesty wants to punish this servant, I have nothing to say. But right now, this servant cannot let Your Majesty pass by."

At that moment, Duke Wen also received the news and rushed over. He happened to see Consort Yu making a scene at the entrance of the Imperial Study, and immediately felt a headache coming on.

"Oh, it's Duke Wen!"

"You've worked hard, Eunuch Fuming. Is His Majesty inside? I need to speak with him."

"Please wait a moment, Duke Wen, while I go in to report."

"Please, Eunuch Fu."

Once everyone was alone, although Duke Wen was facing the Emperor's study, he was speaking to Consort Yu.

"What kind of behavior is this? Go back right now!"

When Consort Yu met Duke Wen, she knew that he was her father, so she wanted to get closer to him for no reason. However, nothing was more important than the Third Prince at the moment.

"But what about the Third Prince?"

“The Third Prince has made him kneel here. You should go back now. What do you take me for? The bombing in the west of the city is no small case. How could Xiao Yuheng be so bold? Someone has to take the blame for this.”

"Then I absolutely cannot go back!"

Duke Wen was somewhat angry at this good-for-nothing mother and son. They had such a good hand, but they had played it terribly.

Duke Wen glanced at Xiao Yuheng kneeling outside, and seeing that there was no movement inside, he took out a packet of loose silver from his pocket and quietly gave it to the eunuch at the door.

The gatekeeper eunuch, without glancing to the side, stuffed the bag of silver into his sleeve and pretended not to have seen anything, remaining completely still.

Duke Wen walked to the Third Prince's side and asked in a low voice, "The Prefect of Jingzhao said that the bombing in the west of the city is related to the Third Prince's residence. Is it true or false? You must tell me the truth at this time!"

Xiao Yuheng knew that Duke Wen was helping him, and after thinking for a moment, he finally nodded.

"Foolish! So many lives lost! What exactly are you trying to do? Are you short of money again!" Duke Wen had no idea what kind of thunderbolt Xiao Yuheng was making. In his eyes, the Third Prince must be short of money, which was why he had the fireworks workshop produce more at the end of the year, but he just didn't control it well and it exploded.

"Duke Wen, I never expected an explosion. Everything was fine. Shortly before the explosion, I even sent people to check for any potential hazards. It's impossible for it to explode suddenly. This must be a setup by someone!"

"Someone framed you? Who do you think it is?"

"Who else could it be but the Crown Prince or Xiao Yuhuai? Yes, it must be Xiao Yuhuai. He must be holding a grudge against me for putting him down last time and bringing down the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review's men, so he resorted to this desperate measure to retaliate against me! And the Crown Prince, he can't escape suspicion either!"

Xiao Yuheng thought about it more and more and felt that this made sense. His men did not stop and continued to investigate what exactly happened in the explosion. All three members of the Li family who were involved had disappeared without a trace, and were most likely blown to bits in the explosion.

However, for such an important matter, the Third Prince's residence would definitely send people to guard the area. Some people had seen the Second Prince's men in the vicinity, but the Crown Prince's men had not been seen much. Therefore, the most suspicious person is still the Second Prince, Xiao Yuhuai.

Duke Wen nodded and asked again, "Do you have any leverage over the Second Prince? Now that things have come to this, you need to find a way to admit it, and also use a feint to divert the court's attention."

Xiao Yuheng thought for a moment and said, "I don't know if it's true... There was once a noble lady in the palace who became pregnant, but it seems she wasn't the heir of the emperor."

Duke Wen was startled, and his voice unconsciously rose a little. Could it be that his grandson was so capable that he had investigated such a thing?

"Who is this important person?"