"I never said my mother hated you! You're lying!"
Longyuan snapped a little angrily, and turned towards Liu Rushuang with a little innocent face, saying sincerely, "Mother, I never said that! You have to trust your son!"
Liu Rushuang took a deep breath and held back the rage brewing in her. Clenching her teeth, she coolly asked, "Tell me, then—why would Little White Flower lie about you?"
"B-Because… Yesterday… I, I…" Longyuan mumbled.
"What, you can't say?"
"No… Mother… I…"
Longyuan absolutely miserable then—how was he supposed to say it out loud? His mother is definitely going to get mad.
However, he has to say it in order to prove that Little White Flower was lying about him.
At that very thought, Longyuan shot a fuming glare at Little White Flower. How dare she set him up! He was never going to let this go easily.
Beside them, Liu Rushuang frowned her beautiful brows, clearly suffering a headache just then. Turning away, she asked, "Cang Mu, tell me what happened yesterday."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Cang Mu replied, and told Liu Rushuang about how Longyuan put fishes in Little White Flower's hot spring, and lashed her face with her own snakes.
Longyuan had already kept his head lowered then. When Cang Mu was finished, he said dully, "It's my fault, Mother. Don't be angry."
Liu Rushuang shook her head in utter disappointment, and turned towards another handmaiden to ask, "Qiu Ye, tell me what happened after you went out with the crown prince today."
"Yes, your highness."
With that, Qiu Ye honestly spoke about how Longyuan climbed the miniature mountain and fell off it, before stamping his foot on Cang Mu and coming to the Dark Moon Palace, where he beat up Little White Flower viciously.
Even so, Longyuan frowned at Liu Rushuang and said, "I didn't step on Cang Mu's head or beat Little White Flower today, Mother! You have to believe me!"
Liu Rushuang shook her head in disappointment.
"Hoho… I didn't think that the crown prince is that impressive! Even I would need to learn bullying from you."
A cold, deep voice laughed dispassionately from outside the palace then—those who heard it would be left with chills in their bones.
Han Moze entered in the blink of an eye and stood in front of Longyuan, staring down at him from above and coldly saying, "Do you know what you've done, crown prince?"
Longyuan's tears welled in his eyes immediately. "It's the truth, father. They were lying about me."
"Were you?"
Han Moze turned, leveling his hawkish gaze at the handmaidens and guardsmen.
"No, we weren't, Your Majesty."
Han Moze turned back to Longyuan and coldly asked, "Still won't admit it today?"
"Father, I did not bully Little White Flower today or step on Cang Mu's head! They are lying! You have to believe me!"
There were red circles around Longyuan's eyes but he didn't cry. After all, his father was glaring at him fearsomely with unrepressed disgust and clenching his teeth.
His instincts told him that right now, crying would be useless.
Liu Rushuang shook her head in disappointment, having no intent to interfere.
If Han Moze had disciplined Longyuan completely yesterday, the child would not have bullied anyone today.
With that, Han Moze coldly ordered, "Take the crown prince and lock him in my study!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Two of the guardsmen answered, and carried Longyuan away.
"Father, I don't want to go to the study! I was set up! They were lying about me! You have to believe me!"
Longyuan kicked his feet as hard as he could while he defended himself.
Little White Flower, those handmaidens, and guardsmen were all framing him! Why wouldn't his parents believe him?!
At the thought, Longyuan sniffled miserably.