Suyang, upon hearing these words, felt a chill down his spine, and his whole being seemed to go awry.
"Miss, this is just me, talking off the cuff, as if we’re chatting about family matters. Of course, we can talk about anything, hehe."
In his heart, however, he was screaming. Weren’t you the one asking all these questions? If I didn’t talk, wouldn’t you have chopped me up into pieces? Oh, now that I’ve told you everything, you have the audacity to threaten me?
"Hmm, chatting about family matters." Lin Caisang nodded, saying no more.
At that time, Eunuch Gui in the palace had already met with the person sent out to gather intelligence, who reported that the National Teacher was already en route to the palace.
He sighed with relief, grateful that he had already sent someone to notify Prince Mo’s Mansion. Prince Mo should be entering the palace any moment now, but what he hadn’t expected was that the person gathering intelligence also brought back another piece of news.
It was that Prince Jin had also entered the palace.
That was far from good news. Who in Shaohua City didn’t know that Prince Jin and Prince Lin were like two natural enemies within this imperial city? Surely he hadn’t come to the palace just to pay his respects?
He immediately slipped quietly into the imperial study.
The emperor, awaiting news, immediately asked upon seeing Eunuch Gui enter.
"Your Majesty, the person gathering intelligence has returned. The National Teacher and that female doctor are on their way to the palace. This servant has also ordered someone to summon Prince Mo to the palace," Eunuch Gui reported.
The emperor responded with a simple hum.
"Your Majesty, your servant..."
Eunuch Gui, seeing that the emperor did not continue to inquire and unable to directly report Prince Jin’s arrival at the palace for fear of raising the emperor’s suspicions, could only pretend to be hesitant as he looked at the emperor.
"What else is there?" The emperor, noticing his behavior, indeed turned his gaze towards him.
"Your Majesty, the person this servant sent to gather intelligence returned and reported seeing Prince Jin’s carriage heading towards the palace. Prince Jin must be coming to visit Her Highness Princess Consort Lian. Would Your Majesty like to summon him to the imperial study as well?" Eunuch Gui suggested.
On such an important day, no one would believe that Prince Jin’s visit to the palace was solely to see Her Highness Princess Consort Lian.
The emperor, upon hearing Eunuch Gui’s words, was momentarily taken aback.
"Since Jin’er has come to the palace, let him go directly to Princess Consort Lian’s palace," he ordered.
As an emperor, he naturally kept a watchful eye on the scheming amongst his sons, holding each and every one of their moves close to his heart.
Prince Jin’s arrival at the palace at this time was hardly likely to be a simple visit to Princess Consort Lian. His purpose, at the least, might be to undermine his own brother’s resolve to rescue Prince Lin from White Blind Mountain, or at the most...
Perhaps he aimed to use his own power to win over the National Teacher’s favored female doctor and, by extension, curry favor with the National Teacher’s Mansion, pulling Suyang over to his side!
This point became clear to the emperor with just one sentence from Eunuch Gui.
Summoning Prince Jin to the imperial study now would only happen if he was now a foolish and incompetent emperor. Otherwise, it was absolutely impossible!
"You may withdraw," he said.
"This servant takes his leave," Eunuch Gui said as he withdrew.
Outside the imperial study, he gestured to a young eunuch.
The young eunuch immediately came over and bent down to bring his ear close to Eunuch Gui’s mouth.
"Stand guard outside, and if Prince Jin asks to see the emperor, tell him directly that the emperor has ordered him to go directly to Her Highness Princess Consort Lian. Don’t say anything else to him."