coobybook Chapter 159 Reluctant
Chapter 159 Reluctant
This incident was a scandal, as fratricide was not something worth publicizing. Therefore, the emperor issued a gag order and ordered the palace guards to pass on the message.
But these royal family members who come to hunt next spring are not fools.
The guards at the palace were tightened, the entry and exit inspections were more stringent, and all the palace maids in Prince Liang's bedroom were replaced overnight.
With all this going on, how could the royal family not guess that something had happened?
However, they only dared to discuss it in private. In front of the emperor, they all pretended to be ignorant.
Li Ce woke up around dawn.
Eunuch Liang recounted in detail everything that had happened after he fell unconscious.
Li Ce sneered, said nothing, and continued to rest with his eyes closed.
After dawn, the emperor came to visit. Li Ce looked very grateful. After the father and son had a conversation, the emperor suddenly asked him.
"Xiao Liu...what are you going to do with it?"
Li Ce was silent for a long time, then he sighed.
"I just can't understand why Sixth Brother treats me like this? If it was the Fourth Brother, it would be fine. He has always looked down on me, but Sixth Brother..."
He clenched his fists and his eyes were red.
The emperor patted him on the back and sighed.
"Don't think too much. He is cruel, not your fault. This kid has been pretending to be stupid to gain your trust. I don't know how many things he has done in secret. Do you not know? The personal eunuch beside Li Zhu confessed that he has been taking benefits from Xiao Liu. Li Zhu's plan this time was instigated by this eunuch."
Li Ce suddenly raised his head, his face full of surprise.
He really didn't expect this.
But after the emperor's reminder, all the things that seemed wrong before now made sense.
That black gunpowder was developed privately by the Minister of Works, and didn’t Li Chou work in the Ministry of Works?
Even the man with the surname Liu is probably Li Chou's man.
Moreover, he should be a chess piece. Once discovered, all the blame will be put on Li Zhu.
What a deep scheming!
Li Ce could never have imagined that there was such a poisonous snake lurking beside him!
If he had not discovered the problem by accident this time, he would never have thought that it was Li Chou who was secretly planning all this.
There was a cold light flashing in Li Ce's eyes.
He immediately lowered his head and pretended to be sad to hide the emotions in his eyes.
The emperor comforted him a few more words before getting up and leaving.
As soon as the emperor left, Jiang Wanyue came out from behind the screen.
"Your Highness, I just realized that Ling Lan might also be Prince Liang's man."
Li Ce also had some guesses.
"I thought about it too."
Ling Lan appeared very suddenly.
She was just a weak woman. Even if she knew that the emperor was in Wangwu Mountain, how could she avoid so many guards and appear in front of the emperor?
Only Li Chou, who is in charge of the spring hunting, has the ability to do it.
Jiang Wanyue walked to the couch and sat down next to Li Ce.
Li Ce held her hand out of habit.
Two hands, fingers clasped together.
it is more than words.
After a long time, Jiang Wanyue spoke again.
"Your Highness, do you want to see him for the last time?"
Li Ce pursed his lips tightly, his eyes flickered, and after a moment, he shook his head.
"That's not necessary."
My father has already made a decision. The meaning of his previous words clearly shows that he wants to abandon Li Chou and protect Li Zhu.
He just went back, probably to issue an imperial decree.
Li Chou is destined to die. What difference does it make whether you see it or not?
Li Ce closed his eyes and pulled Jiang Wanyue to lie down on the couch.
"Lie down with me for a while."
Jiang Wanyue hummed, turned sideways, and gently hugged Li Ce's arm with both hands.
The hall was silent, with only the occasional sound of wind outside the window revealing the unrest of the day.
Li Chou has not slept since last night.
After being locked up in the bedroom, he became anxious and sent people to inquire around, but he didn't expect that all the people he sent out received no response.
Even the palace servants who originally lived in the bedroom were all taken away and replaced by a few unfamiliar faces that had never been seen before.
He felt uneasy, wondering where the mistake might have been.
I waited in agony from dusk till dawn.
I waited from dawn till dusk.
After dark, he couldn't see the light outside and couldn't tell the time.
I don’t know how long I waited, but suddenly, there was a noise outside.
Li Chou quickly jumped up from his seat.
The palace door was opened by someone, but it was not the emperor, but the chief eunuch beside the emperor, who was led by two expressionless eunuchs.
"Your Highness Prince Liang, please accept my order."
The butler spoke gloomily.
Li Chou's eyes swept across the bright yellow scroll he was holding in both hands, and realized that what was written on it must be bad news.
He lowered his head and bent his legs as if he was about to kneel.
But the next moment, he suddenly rushed towards the door.
Unfortunately, as soon as he rushed to the door, he was stopped by the two expressionless eunuchs.
The chief steward chuckled and said, "These two are the most powerful masters of the inner guard."
This one sentence immediately changed Li Chou's expression.
The chief steward held the imperial edict and spoke again: "Your Highness Prince Liang, do you want to disobey the order?"
Li Chou raised his head suddenly, with a sinister light in his eyes.
"Why didn't Father come? Why didn't Li Ce come?"
The butler raised his sparse eyebrows.
"You have committed an unforgivable crime, and you still want to see the Emperor and the Crown Prince? There is no way they will see you."
Li Chou was controlled by two internal guards. He wanted to struggle, but found that he could not move and could only roar angrily.
"I want to see my father! I want to see my mother!"
The steward made a "tsk" sound and winked at the two guards.
One of the guards stretched out his hand and grabbed Li Chou's chin. With a click, the chin was removed.
Then, another person kicked Li Chou behind the knee, forcing him to kneel down.
There was fear in Li Chou's eyes.
The butler shook his sleeves.
"Since His Royal Highness Prince Liang refuses to accept the order, then our family will have no choice but to offend him."
As he spoke, he opened the imperial edict and read it in a rhythmic manner.
"The sixth prince, Li Chou, has a perverse character and intends to murder the crown prince and me. His crime is unforgivable. Considering that his biological mother, Concubine Li, has served me for many years, I now allow him to commit suicide."
This imperial edict was written by the emperor himself without any embellishment by court officials, so it was extremely simple.
It was precisely because it was so simple that Li Chou realized that the emperor had really given up on him!
He struggled violently.
But as soon as he struggled, he was pinned down by the guards.
One of them took out a small porcelain bottle, pried open his mouth, and poured the liquid directly into his mouth.
Part of the sour liquid flowed down the throat into the body.
It worked very quickly.
The severe pain made Li Chou curl up into a ball, twitching continuously.
He hates it so much!
He is so unwilling!
He still has so many strategies that have not been implemented... and so many plans that have not been started... Is he going to die in this small palace?
He didn't even know what was wrong.
When his consciousness was about to fade away, he could faintly hear the butler's voice.
"Let's go! Go back and report to the Emperor, and tell him that His Royal Highness Prince Liang chose to take poison."
"He died from poison. It was his own fault."