Deep Palace Pet Peach Blossom Flawless

Chapter 593: The Path of the 3rd Prince

When the Third Prince came, he had thought about what might happen to him. At most, he would be put under house arrest. It happened so many years ago, and there was no way to find out about many evidences and people. The Miaojiang Gu breeder had gone back to his hometown for several years and his whereabouts were secretive. Even he himself only learned a method to conceive a Gu. All the people involved, including the concubine, had died, and the servant had also disappeared. What's more, they didn't know the truth at all!

The Third Prince wasn't surprised by this result at all, but he was still a little disappointed. "Father, it's just one petal of the Nine-Zhi Flower, and you're confining your son?"

"I also hope that you just secretly kept a petal of the Nine Zhi Flower!"

In fact, in addition to the third prince, Emperor Shenwu also suspected that the Shi family was the one behind all this. However, the Shi family valued culture and had no one or channels to enter Qiling Mountain.

The situation could not be changed, so the third prince returned to his mansion and was confined to his room.

Unexpectedly, this was not the end. The third prince's uncle, who was also his mother's elder brother, was exposed in the court for forming a clique for personal gain, embezzling and accepting bribes in huge amounts, and has been imprisoned.

The Third Prince was terribly anxious. He wanted to enter the palace to plead for mercy, to seek counsel, but the Xuanyu Guards had blocked the gates of his mansion. He could only wait in his own residence for news. At that moment, he was certain that his mother's family might be finished! His path to advancement was also cut short!

In just a few days, the Dali Temple had closed the case. In the solemn Golden Palace, the Dali Temple Minister had finished his report and was waiting for the emperor's final decision!

Emperor Shenwu bluntly addressed the court officials, royal relatives, and the entire palace, saying, "Third Prince! You are weak and confused, unfit for this great responsibility!"

All the civil and military officials in the hall listened to the emperor's advice to the third prince, and it seemed as if they could see the end of the third prince's road at a glance!

In the main hall, the whole place was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop!

The eldest prince, the second prince, and the fifth prince all opened their eyes wide, but did not dare to move, let alone look up at the expression on their father's face when he said this.

This assertion in the Golden Palace cut off all the retreat routes for the Third Prince. Even if there were any changes in the future, with Emperor Shenwu's words, the ministers would no longer consider the Third Prince. What's worse, it would be impossible for him to become an accomplished and powerful prince in the future!

Immediately afterwards, Emperor Shenwu issued an edict announcing the verdict on the Third Prince's eldest uncle: immediate execution! His second and third uncles were to be dismissed from their posts and investigated! The remaining relatives within the three clans were to be exiled three thousand miles southwest!

After hearing the news in his mansion, the third prince finally collapsed on the chair in the study.

His father, the Emperor, was so cruel! He cut off all his escape routes just like that! It was nothing more than a suspicion, without any relevant evidence, yet for the Empress, he forced his own son to this point!

In the previous few times, the Third Prince had done many outrageous things because of his concubine, but his father had never been so cruel!

The Third Prince was filled with rage and grief: "Father! You are so cruel! Just for the Empress! Just for the Empress! You have left me with no future! Even if my son is released from confinement, what difference will it make between me and my imprisoned Fourth Brother!"

The Third Prince seemed to see his father's cold mockery of him. He had touched his father's beloved queen, so his father wanted to gouge out his heart! He wanted to kill all his remaining blood ties and clan power!

The words of advice that Emperor Shenwu gave to himself in the Golden Throne Hall echoed in the Third Prince's ears from time to time.

"I am not up to the task! I am not up to the task! Father!"

The Third Prince fell ill. His anger was so intense that it triggered a lung condition he had developed while imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court. He coughed constantly throughout the day, occasionally experiencing high fevers and falling into unconsciousness. Even during his illness, he continued to submit petitions to the Emperor Shenwu, requesting a meeting with him, but none of his petitions reached a chorus.

Unexpectedly, the next day, the Third Prince's residence welcomed distinguished guests. The Crown Prince paid no heed to the Emperor Shenwu's decree ordering the Third Prince to remain confined to his residence. He brought all his brothers to visit the Third Prince and consoled them lovingly: "It's okay. Father only confined the Third Prince to cultivate his character. He didn't forbid us brothers from visiting him to see if he's seriously ill. If the Third Prince becomes seriously ill, we can report back to Father in time!"

The third prince was lying in bed unable to move, and only the third prince's wife came out to greet the crown prince and several princes.

The Second Prince said politely, "Thank you for your hard work, Third Brother and Sister-in-law!"

The Third Prince's wife smiled faintly and said, "It's not hard! My concubine and some of my sisters take turns to tend to His Royal Highness the Third Prince. It's not hard for us!"

The second prince was a little embarrassed. Normally, in such a situation, shouldn't the wife stay by her husband's side and not let concubines get close to her?

The prince pursed his lips slightly. He had contributed to the chaos in the third prince's backyard!

When he got into the house, the prince changed his usual serious expression and asked about the third prince's condition with a warm expression, telling him to take good care of himself and not to worry about anything else. He asked about the prince's health and showed great concern. He also brought a bunch of precious medicinal herbs, as if it was not the prince himself who raised the butcher knife against the Yang family members in the court.

The Third Prince himself was incredibly gentle, greeting each of his brothers one by one. Each of these royal brothers was a master of acting. Even the usually unbridled Seventh Prince restrained his true nature and greeted his Third Prince politely, as if they hadn't just recently fallen out.

For a moment, the room was filled with brotherly love and harmony.

The second prince discovered that the third prince's wife was really in the room, directing two concubines to run around, while she just stood there in a dignified manner.

I'm afraid that behind the scenes, the Third Prince's wife will just sit aside, enjoying the food and drink, and watching these people busy themselves serving the Third Prince!

The eldest prince watched coldly from the sidelines, shaking his head secretly. He thought that if a couple had reached this point, their remaining lives would probably be meaningless. He couldn't understand it, but he couldn't say anything.

When the eldest prince returned to his own residence, the steward of the third prince's residence followed him there and personally handed the return gift to the eldest prince. "This is a gift from our Third Prince to the young master. Please accept it. Our Prince also said that he would invite you to catch up with us sometime!"

A flicker of doubt crossed the eldest prince's brow. How could they be so familiar with each other? At this sensitive moment, his third brother invited him alone? What did the third brother want to do?

The eldest prince did not show it on his face, "Okay! Tell your master to take good care of himself!"

There has been a lot of unrest in the imperial city recently, and all the noble families are trembling with fear. Emperor Shenwu has recently released the Jinlin Guards to patrol and search the imperial city. The residences of the officials who have been targeted have only a few suspicious points, but they are still being closely tracked by the Jinlin Guards. There are now many more prisoners in the dark dungeons.

The reason Emperor Shenwu gave was to capture the assassin, but in fact the focus was on searching for various Miaojiang Gu and suspicious Miaojiang people. The Third Prince's Mansion was inevitably the focus of attention, and the Jinlin Guards went to the Third Prince's Mansion to investigate every day, and many people were captured.

Only a few people from the Shi family were affected again, and to make matters worse, they were taken away by the Jinlin Guards. Only the lonely Master Shi was left, who was seriously ill and barely breathing in bed, and was not captured.

Emperor Shenwu used the Jinlinwei knife to raid all the aristocratic families, officials' residences, and even the residences of the royal family in the imperial city!

Inside the Third Prince's mansion, a gloomy expression settled over him. He listened to the commotion outside, clenching his fists and straining his patience. Fortunately, his mansion was clear of any involvement with Miao Gu. He feared that the Third Prince's mansion would become a frozen cellar, never to receive the Emperor's care again.

In the bedroom of Qianzheng Palace, Lan Qingwu had just seen a few children. She was a little tired, so she went to bed to rest.

When Lan Qingwu opened her eyes again, it was already late and dark. The Emperor Shenwu had returned at some point and was hugging her tightly. As soon as she moved, the Emperor Shenwu also opened his eyes. "Awake, how are you feeling today?"

"Fortunately, I feel much better. Xiaoqi and Yueyue are here today."

"Feeling better?"

Lan Qingwu nodded and said, "Your Majesty, I heard that my mother is not feeling well again."

Emperor Shenwu: "Yes! I have arranged for the imperial physician and some medicinal herbs to go to the border. If you are really worried, I will arrange for you to return after you are fully recovered in a few days."

Lan Qingwu was naturally very excited, but she also had some doubts. Did the Emperor Shenwu really want her to return to the border this time? Lan Qingwu still vividly remembered the Emperor Shenwu's crazy and paranoid look in the secret room.

"Your Majesty, I also heard that you have confined the Third Prince. Is this incident related to the Third Prince?"

Emperor Shenwu said, "I do suspect him, but it takes years to cultivate a pregnant Gu, which is too long, and I don't have any evidence. I just checked everywhere for the extra Nine-Zhi petals, and in recent years, only the Third Prince's Mansion has them. I have a rough idea by the process of elimination. I'm afraid that because of Concubine Yang's death, this son has resented me deeply!"

Lan Qingwu also sighed when he thought of the late Concubine Yang, "Aren't you blaming me?"

Otherwise, why would the vicious pregnancy poison target me?

Emperor Shenwu shook his head. "Firstly, it's hard to attack someone near me. The Ice and Snow Pill I took in my early years naturally repels these things. Secondly, I'm afraid the Third Prince wants to see the pain I feel after losing my beloved. He harbors resentment towards me, resenting my indifference to his mother. So the person he truly hates is me!"

"Weakness is my only weakness, therefore..."

"So he wants to cause your Majesty pain by getting rid of me?"

I'm afraid he still has the intention of attacking the prince and suppressing him in the court!

Emperor Shenwu stroked Lan Qingwu's black hair in silence. In fact, the Third Prince had already achieved most of his success this time. This incident had indeed caused an immeasurable impact between the two of them. It would probably be difficult for them to return to their original state.

The Third Prince, like Shi Qingluan, hadn't anticipated that, even though the Emperor Shenwu was certain his empress was infidelity and pregnant with another man's child, he hadn't intended to kill her and would keep her by his side. This was the reason for the subsequent turn of events. He hadn't anticipated that the Emperor Shenwu had no intention of shaking the Crown Prince's position.

Although these are all speculations of Emperor Shenwu, they are almost correct. In recent days, Emperor Shenwu has deposed two adult princes one after another. This is a big deal in the court.

Lan Qingwu asked again, "I also heard that His Majesty sent several concubines living in Chuxiu Palace out of the palace?"

Emperor Shenwu added, "As for the two talented women after that, I will arrange for them to live in the temple for a period of time, and then arrange for them to marry under other identities! I can't do anything about the other concubines!"

The former concubines had long since become true harem concubines. Forcing them to make other arrangements would, in their view, be like forcing them to a dead end. The Emperor Shenwu did not make many demands; as long as they remained in the palace peacefully, he would ensure their prosperity and that of their families.

In fact, as for these concubines and two talented women, Emperor Shenwu only gave a secret order to Li Tong'an, the deputy commander of the Jinlin Guard, asking him to arrange these women. He did not ask about other details and only looked at the results.

The Emperor of Shenwu had no idea. He had only casually spoken a few words, unaware of the immense headache Li Tongan felt after receiving this secret imperial decree! He could kill, he could investigate, he could even arrange a fake identity! But asking him to be a matchmaker, helping these women find marriages? Li Tongan declared that life was becoming increasingly difficult under His Majesty's rule.