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墨書 Inktalez
As the Xuande Emperor's gaze turned towards the person who seemed to devour souls, he found himself lacking the courage to even ask questions. He could only kneel obediently, grateful that they were in the palace and not exposed to a larger audience.
His head felt heavy, and after resting for a few hours, he awoke and inquired about the findings of the Dragon Guard from Cai Zhuo. Cai Zhuo had already reviewed the reports, his anger still simmering. He deliberately withheld water from the Third Prince, who had asked several times through the eunuchs.
Seeing Xuande Emperor's insistence, Cai Zhuo could only advise him to take it easy. The attitude of Cai Zhuo prepared Xuande Emperor for what was to come, but as he read through the entire document, his chest began to rise and fall rapidly. Noticing something was wrong, Cai Zhuo quickly pinched Xuande Emperor's acupoint, ready to summon the imperial physician.
However, Xuande Emperor grasped his hand tightly, stopping him. "Why call for a physician? So more people can laugh at me for raising such a son?"
Cai Zhuo spoke earnestly, "Your Majesty, this matter is not yet settled. You must not let your health suffer; take it slow. There will be a method..."
"Method?" Xuande Emperor interrupted sharply. "What method could there possibly be? The best solution would be to kill him and put an end to this once and for all; that would at least provide an explanation to the court and the people!"
The Third Prince, half-awake and startled, sat up straight upon seeing the memorial in Xuande Emperor's hand. He instinctively defended himself. "Your Majesty, did Qi Xiaomian's people compile this memorial haphazardly? Their words cannot be trusted! How can you take a few remarks seriously enough to threaten me with death?"
"If it were just their words, I would indeed consider them carefully," Xuande Emperor replied coldly. "But your dirty deeds have been uncovered by my Dragon Guard!"
"Qin Junyong! How dare you betray your country!"
The Third Prince's first reaction was disbelief. "Your Majesty, you actually allowed the Dragon Guard to investigate me!"
Then he fearfully lied, "Your Majesty, how could I betray my country? Perhaps some people have infiltrated the Dragon Guard. Didn't you once entrust them to Qi Xiaomian? It could have been during that time that they planted spies."
"Qi Xiaomian is a treacherous man with honeyed words," he continued. "I've never liked him since childhood, yet you..."
Xuande Emperor did not want to hear any more of his nonsense. "There is evidence and witnesses; you still dare to quibble! Your nearly sixty thousand private soldiers are hidden in Zang Tian Gorge. The subpar horses you exchanged are among them. They may not look impressive on the surface, but anyone who has been on the battlefield can tell those horses come from Dayu!"
"This is just a casual investigation; there are already so many flaws. If we conduct a thorough investigation, even as a prince, I cannot protect you!"
"You wretched thing! Hurry up and confess everything!"
After being scolded several times, the Third Prince finally showed a hint of fear. When he began to confess, he did so hesitantly and with a touch of spoiled arrogance. "Your Majesty, I truly did not betray my country."
"It was just some grain sold off," he added quickly. "And I exchanged it for so many horses! Even if they are old or broken-down horses now, before they became that way, they were good stock—sired by Great Jing horses—so they still look quite robust."
"You often lament how good Dayu horses are, right? In a few days, I can send you a batch of fine horses that can run and jump."
"As for my private soldiers," he continued defensively, "Your Majesty is biased! Why should Qi Xiaomian have private soldiers while I cannot as your own son? Besides, my soldiers are your soldiers! If you want them, just say the word and I will gladly offer them up."
"Ha! Do you think all people from Dayu Kingdom are as foolish as you? And breeding horses?"
"Yes," he admitted reluctantly. "There have indeed been quite a few foals born in my Private Army Camp recently; I've gone to see them myself. They were fine when born but after just a few days of raising them... they died."
The truth is something people dare not tell you. They conspire with those around you, using words to deceive you, especially since you don't visit often.
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