The Third Prince had not yet left the palace when, as expected, the news spread through the city like wildfire, reaching every street and alley of the capital.
“What a sin! Why won’t the Third Prince let Zhang Lang be?”
“How can he ask the Emperor to issue a decree for marriage, forcing Zhang Lang to marry his cousin! The Lu family may be prominent, but does that mean the Miss Lu is worthy of Zhang Lang?”
“This sister, the one to blame should be the Third Prince! It is he who asked the Emperor for the marriage; what does it have to do with Miss Lu?”
“The Third Prince truly has the audacity! Zhang Lang belongs to us! We cannot allow the Emperor to grant this marriage!”
As the carriage passed through the bustling market, hearing the voices of the crowd shouting insults at him, the Third Prince’s face darkened like a thundercloud. He clenched his fists, wishing he could crush the Crown Prince.
He had just entered the palace to request the Emperor’s decree for marriage, and before he knew it, the news had leaked. Evidently, the Crown Prince’s spies had quickly reported it back to the Eastern Palace, clearly intended to spread this scandal!
No wonder the Emperor was reluctant to grant the decree! It seems he had expected this reaction all along! The Emperor guessed that granting Zhang Lang a marriage would undoubtedly lead to public scorn, so he chose to stay out of this mess. Consequently, only the Third Prince faced the blame, as he was the one who brought this matter to the Emperor—plus, it was the Crown Prince’s spies who found out!
Closing his eyes, the Third Prince forced himself to calm his mind. Since he couldn’t do anything about Zhang Lang for now, it might be better to sidestep Zhang Lang and deal with the Crown Prince as he had before! In the court, no faction is completely clean! Those under his command are not innocent; the Crown Prince’s people are hardly any better!
In the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince had been in a remarkably good mood lately. Especially today, having outwitted the Third Prince, the entire city was condemning him. He was so pleased that he even ate an extra bowl of rice during dinner.
After hesitating several times, a close aide could not help but remind the Crown Prince, “Your Highness, the matter of Zhang Lang’s poisoning has not yet been clarified.”
After Zhang Lang fell into a coma due to poisoning, the Imperial Medical Department searched the Eastern Palace and eventually discovered that the rim of the teacup Zhang Lang had used was smeared with a lethal poison. This poison could kill a person within fifteen minutes. If Zhang Lang had ingested it, he would have died on the spot.
However, Zhang Lang merely fell unconscious and did not die instantly. Although the imperial doctors speculated he might have accidentally consumed something else that mitigated the poison’s effects, which saved his life, there were still doubts surrounding the incident.
Later, a maid from the Eastern Palace committed suicide by poisoning, using the same kind of poison as that smeared on the cup’s rim. With the leads severed, there was no way to prove that the Third Prince had sent someone to poison Zhang Lang. The investigation into the matter stalled at this point.
The Crown Prince’s mind raced, narrowing his eyes as he ordered, “Select someone to incriminate the Third Prince.”
The close aide was astonished but quickly understood the Crown Prince’s plan. Even if the leads were broken and there was no evidence, the Crown Prince would fabricate proof to solidify the Third Prince’s guilt!
The Third Prince was preparing to deal with the Crown Prince when he realized the latter had acted first! It was a direct smearing and framing maneuver. While it was true that the Third Prince’s people were responsible, those involved were already dead! The Crown Prince was deliberately framing him!
In an instant, the Third Prince’s reputation was in tatters. The blame for poisoning Zhang Lang weighed heavily upon him. Tens of thousands of citizens knelt outside the imperial city, demanding the Emperor severely punish the Third Prince.
The Crown Prince’s faction was thriving in the court, a situation the Emperor did not wish to see. The Emperor looked down upon the Crown Prince when he was incompetent, yet felt apprehensive when the Crown Prince was too capable.
Therefore, the Emperor recalled the Second Prince. Even if he was useless, he could still be utilized. At this moment, the Emperor aimed to elevate the Second Prince in the court to distract the Crown Prince. Then, he would seek a way to protect the Third Prince.
The Second Prince had not been idle, secretly contacting the former subordinates of General Liu. He had already garnered a group of supporters.
Now that the Emperor was pressuring him to enter court and participate in governance, the Second Prince employed all sorts of tactics to evade this, even faking illness.
Unfortunately for him, the Emperor showed no sympathy toward this son; whether the Second Prince was sick or not, as long as he was alive, he would still be dragged to court to withstand the Crown Prince’s onslaught!
With a pained expression, the Second Prince reported to court, constantly displaying a helpless demeanor when facing the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince noticed that the Second Prince had no intention of competing with him, so he did not put him in a difficult position. However, the Emperor repeatedly showed favoritism toward the Second Prince in the court, even finding reasons to replace people in the Ministry of War, installing the Second Prince in a position of power. This forced the Crown Prince to treat the Second Prince as a political rival.
No matter how the Crown Prince provoked him, the Second Prince maintained a lazy, indifferent attitude. Even when the Second Prince was late or left early without attending to affairs of state, the Crown Prince’s faction impeached him, the Emperor merely reprimanded the Second Prince briefly, giving no indication of wanting to expel him from the Ministry of War.
Unlike previously when he had been flamboyant, after the incident with the Third Prince, the faction loyal to him in the court grew quiet. Regardless of how the Crown Prince’s faction provoked or pressured them, these officials had to endure in silence.
The Third Prince was confined to his residence, biding his time. He awaited an opportunity to clear his name and deliver a heavy blow to the Crown Prince!
He was keenly aware that the Emperor’s insistence on pushing the Second Prince into court was meant to curb the Crown Prince and make him less arrogant. The Second Prince was utterly useless and had no desire to vie for the heirship. To balance the power in the court, the Emperor likely hoped for some officials to side with the Second Prince against the Crown Prince’s faction. The Third Prince simply wanted to capitalize on this, having his officials feign loyalty to the Second Prince, supporting him in the court.
The Second Prince, wary of those officials trying to get close to him, maintained a deliberately unfriendly attitude, showing no interest in engaging with them. No matter how coldly the Second Prince treated them, the Third Prince’s faction shamelessly approached him. Even if the Second Prince remained silent in court, these officials would push him forward to fight the Crown Prince’s faction in his name.
In such a situation, the Emperor felt a forced balance was maintained in the court. He sensed that the Third Prince had learned to be patient and sent someone to deliver several books to him.
Upon receiving these books, the Third Prince instantly understood the Emperor’s intentions. His fighting spirit and hope reignited within him. Remaining composed, he continued to lie low.
Zhang Lang re-entered the capital, as glorious as ever, welcomed by tens of thousands of admirers. The Second Prince, upon hearing the news, immediately left the Ministry of War early, rushing to the streets, becoming one of the millions of fans fervently holding placards to welcome Zhang Lang.