Prince Jing paced agitatedly once more, scouring every conceivable hiding spot in the room, but indeed, there was no one to be found.
"What the hell is going on here? People can’t just vanish into thin air, can they?"
Sikong Mo and Ye Jiu, one a War God King and the other a peasant girl, should have had no intersection in their lives, yet somehow, their paths had converged absurdly.
Now, with the sudden appearance of two massive eagles and the person who was supposed to have been brought back by Ye Jiu—Ye Wenzheng instead claimed there was no one. Plus, that girl who looked as if she were carved from the same mold as his own, could even disappear from a room into thin air.
All of this, wrapped in a fog of mystery, seemed to have no connection, yet was inextricably intertwined!
Ye Jiu’s disappearance might have barely caused a ripple in the vast capital city, but Sikong Mo’s disappearance was like an earthquake to Dongyue, which was on the brink of war.
At the same time, the Emperor was seething with rage.
The power held in Sikong Mo’s hands was something that those above could not help but dread.
In ordinary times, his disappearance might have pleased many, but now, it happened to be the worst possible time for him to vanish.
Faced with the covetous Nanchang and the secretly marshaling Northern Qi, the old Emperor had no choice but to order the Imperial Guard to thoroughly investigate the matter.
Moreover, given the unusually severe losses suffered by the Imperial Guard, they naturally did not dare show any laxity after receiving the orders.
Soon, the involvement of the Second Prince surfaced.
Once this matter was revealed, the Second Prince had offended not just the War Prince Residence but also the Imperial Guard Camp that was detaining the War King. Thus, as the winds shifted, not even the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works could protect him, and they too were implicated because of his actions.
With Sikong Mo’s life or death unknown, the War Prince Residence naturally would not let the matter drop. The Emperor already felt guilty for having ordered Sikong Mo’s seizure, and now had even more reason to display his stance.
Consequently, the recently emerging Second Prince, who had just begun to gain influence due to the frequent mistakes of the Crown Prince and Prince Jing, ended up digging his own grave.
By imperial decree, the Second Prince was demoted from his noble status of Prince to a commoner, and his children, along with his wives and concubines, were all expelled from the Second Prince’s residence.
Yet, just as the Second Prince stepped out of the Imperial City, he disappeared from everyone’s sight without a trace, and no one could find any clues to his whereabouts.
In the Imperial Palace, the old Emperor heaved a heavy sigh upon receiving this news.
"Second child, you were never bright enough or particularly capable, yet you always jumped around most vigorously. Now, look at you, you’ve finally done yourself in!"
Following that were the soothing words of support from the chief eunuch close at hand.
Helplessly, the old Emperor could only order that the wives and offspring of the Second Prince be treated well.
However, since the edict demoting the Second Prince to a commoner had been issued by him personally and was only two days old, it was certainly not easy to retract. Thus, he could only secretly send people to protect the family of the Second Prince, instructing them to escort them away from the capital city, a place rife with conflict.
In the dungeons of the War Prince Residence, wails mixed with the sound of a whip striking flesh echoed.
After a while, the screams grew fainter until they ceased entirely.
The executor finally stopped at the sign from Si Nan, and a bucket of cold water with salt was poured onto the Second Prince, jolting him awake from unconsciousness with a painful shiver.
"You...how dare you! Even if I have been stripped of my position, I am still the Emperor’s own son... you dare to lay hands on me, beware... beware lest the Emperor exterminate your entire families..." the Second Prince cried out, his voice trembling with sobs.