He felt fortunate that Weiwei was adept in medicine and was able to restrain herself. Otherwise, he did not dare imagine what might have happened to Weiwei.
The fact that Long Chi dared to slip Weiwei an aphrodisiac proved that Long Chi had indecent thoughts about her.
This alone was enough for Long Yang to ensure Long Chi would not continue being the heir to the throne.
Lu Liangwei did not dare say a word when she saw Long Yang being silent. The icy look in his eyes was quite glaring.
She knew that Long Chi giving her aphrodisiac was what bothered Long Yang the most.
Outside the carriage, Long Chi clenched his fists when no response came from the horse-drawn carriage after he gave his explanation.
As Long Chi began to turn fearful from the suspense, he heard his Royal Uncle suddenly roaring in a deep voice, “Long Chi, do you know what you are guilty of?”
A chill ran through Long Chi as he quickly kowtowed and said, “I have always been respectful of you, Royal Uncle. The sun and the moon may bear witness to this. Please do not believe the words of petty people who mean me harm, Royal Uncle.”
“The words of petty people who mean you harm?” Long Yang sneered.
Next, an assassin in black was dragged over by Chu Jiu and thrown to the ground next to Long Chi.
The assassin was disheveled and wounded all over, but there was a righteous look on his face. He shouted, “Kill and dispose of me as you please. There’s no need to waste your time. I will never help you and accuse the Crown Prince.”
Long Chi’s calm face immediately turned pale when he heard this. He glared sharply at the assassin. “What lies are you spouting?”
The assassin turned his face away, acting as if he did not recognize Long Chi.
Long Chi’s heart sank when he saw this.
This was the man who had made a sudden appearance earlier. He was the assassin who tried to get Long Chi to escape by telling him that their plan had been seen through by his Royal Uncle.
After the assassin shouted those words, it had led everyone to suspect Long Chi. Now, the assassin was spouting even more, which was pushing Long Chi into a corner where he could not explain himself.
Was this man loyal to Royal Uncle, or was he loyal to the Prince of Xiangyang?
Long Chi’s face was drenched in sweat in an instant. He was unable to come up with a believable explanation.
Empress Dowager Xiaojing was about to pass out. She dearly wished she could cut the assassin into a million pieces.
She gripped her Buddhist prayer beads and was about to say something when Zhao Qian interrupted.
“You scoundrel! Do you think everyone here is deaf? Or do you think they are stupid? You clearly knew the Crown Prince when you appeared earlier on. You even said something about how His Majesty has seen through your plans and you told the Crown Prince to escape. How is it that you suddenly can’t recognize your master now?”
Zhao Qian kicked the assassin to the ground while saying this.
Long Chi’s expression changed. “Zhao Qian, don’t you dare malign others!”
Zhao Qian replied coldly, “You know very well if I’m maligning anyone here, Your Highness.”
With that, Zhao Qian shouted with an enraged look, “You deserve to die, you bastard. How dare you harbor the intention for rebellion. It looks to me that you’re tired of living.”
One might wonder who Zhao Qian could be cursing at.
A bloody taste appeared in Long Chi’s throat and there was agitation swirling within his vital energy and bloodstream.
This damned eunuch!
“Good, very good. I’d expect no less from the heir to the throne that I’ve chosen. The men under you are so loyal, even unwilling to testify against you at a moment like this.”
The cold laughter of the Emperor could be from the carriage. He said with dangerous rage, “We’ve already arrived at this point and you’re still trying to pretend this had nothing to do with you? If you really respected me, you would never have harbored thoughts of a rebellion. You must wish for me to suffer a sudden death so you can ascend the throne, am I right? I must have been blind to have appointed you as the Crown Prince.”
“Men! Announce my edict. Long Chi, who is of questionable character, has attempted to assassinate me for his own gain. He has acted unscrupulously and as such, I am indisposed to hand over the foundation of Great Shang to him. From today onward, Long Chi will be deposed of his right to the throne and is demoted to the Prince of Xuyang. He will move to Xuyang immediately and is not allowed to leave Xuyang without my edict.. Should he go against this edict, he will be executed on the spot!”