After she left, Ji Yushu shook his head and said, “She’s even harder to understand than Miss Shaoyao. At least Miss Shaoyao will be happy if she receives a pearl. This one… Could it be that she’ll only be happy when she receives the head of someone she wants?” At the thought of this, he shivered.
…
In the palace.
In the emperor’s study, the report scrolls on the table were folded into a tall stack. Emperor Wen Hui sat at the table with the report scroll spread out in front of him, but he did not even look at it. He was about to enter his sixties. Although he was still energetic, age nonetheless left obvious traces on his face. Looking at him, his courtiers felt like he was an old tiger that had lost its sharp teeth.
Sooner or later, a new and young tiger would replace him.
At this moment, Emperor Wen Hui’s expression was dark. As he grew older, he became extremely thin, almost bone-skinny, looking gaunt and scary. When he spoke in a hoarse voice, one could tell he was angry.
“Did Prince Yu really kill someone who looked identical to that assassin?”
The two men in black standing in front of him said, “Your Majesty, yes, the trusted aide of Prince Yu who was caught by us also admitted that he executed a masked guard a few days ago.”
Emperor Wen Hui closed his eyes and suddenly raised his hand. The paperweight on the table flew out and shattered into several pieces on the ground. A moment later, he sneered. “I underestimated him!”
There were many spies in the palace planted by consorts, officials, and even the empress. Whoever had the most information would have the upper hand. The emperor was no exception. Only with his spies being planted everywhere would he have a firm grip on the throne.
At first, when he accidentally found out from his spies that Prince Yu had killed someone who looked identical to the assassin, Emperor Wen Hui did not believe it. The royal family was notorious for being heartless. Emperor Wen Hui managed to succeed to the throne by stepping on the corpses of his brothers. Prince Yu, who was the eleventh prince at that time, was spared from death because he risked his life to protect Emperor Wen Hui from being assassinated and became crippled ever since then.
After becoming the emperor, Emperor Wen Hui felt that dangers lurked everywhere. Even his sons were scheming against him and couldn’t wait to replace him. However, Prince Yu always reminded Emperor Wen Hui that there was still someone in this world who would die for him, and he still had a brother whom he could trust.
However, now, this turned out to be a mare act put up by this “trusted brother”. Emperor Wen Hui even started to suspect that perhaps, Prince Yu’s crippled leg was fake too.
What exactly did Prince Yu want to do? Was he planning a mustiny? Was he coveting the throne too just like everyone else? Emperor Wen Hui felt a surging anger and humiliation at being deceived.
If one was betrayed by someone they trusted, they would take back their trust. Not only that, but they would also become even more paranoid. The people of the royal family had always been paranoid. In the past, they did not suspect Prince Yu because of his seeming loyalty, but now, his loyalty turned out to be nothing but a show.
“Send someone to keep an eye on Prince Yu’s mansion. I want to see what he’s up to!”
Eunuch Gao kept his head lowered and tried to observe the expression on the emperor’s face from the corner of his eyes. Seeing the anger in the emperor’s tone, he sighed, thinking to himself, “Troubled times are on the way.”