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Huayang continued, sensing something was amiss. She had even witnessed Consort Li arguing with a personal guard. As the Fifth Prince grew older, the guard became his martial arts instructor through manipulation.
Unfortunately, a bastard is still a bastard; the bloodline is shameful, and he excels neither in literature nor martial arts. Thankfully, with his biological Father shielding and protecting him, he could live without worries.
Every year, Consort Li would send the Fifth Prince out of the palace for about half a month under various pretexts. I bribed a little maid who accompanied them, and she told me that at night after leaving the palace, they could always hear the Fifth Prince crying out in pain. Moreover, during this half-month period, they were not allowed to attend to him closely.
Later on, one night, the Fifth Prince suddenly developed a high fever. Consort Li claimed that the prince had fallen into water, but the imperial physician said it might be due to an injury that had become infected.
That same day, the physician died.
In the dead of night, the prince's wet nurse burned his soiled clothes from his illness. I watched secretly from nearby and discovered that the bloodstains were concentrated exactly where the Fifth Prince had a birthmark on his back.
The Fifth Prince had been gravely ill that time; he should have remained in the palace to receive the best medical care. Yet Consort Li, weeping and wailing, insisted on sending him to a temple under the pretense of seeking divine help.
My father was annoyed by her tears and eventually acquiesced to her wishes. Seizing this opportunity, I mixed into the group leaving the palace and caught sight of a hurriedly summoned court tattoo artist who stayed with the Fifth Prince during his treatment.
From this, I formed a hypothesis that could connect all previous Suspicion. Based on this guess, Consort Li’s subsequent cover-ups would leave her with nowhere to hide in my eyes.
I initially wanted to inform my father of this discovery but held back; such significant Leverage must be utilized to its fullest potential.
Huayang recounted a lengthy past while Sang Qingxiao listened attentively without interruption, analyzing Huayang’s character through her words. Indeed, it revealed her patient side.
Sang Qingxiao asked her if what she meant by maximizing effect was causing such an uproar in Jingjing City?
Huayang suddenly laughed heartily, wondering how much Consort Li would be saddened or frightened upon hearing this news. She longed to see it face-to-face.
"Huayang! Two nations nearly went to war over your personal vendetta!"
Still smiling, Huayang replied, "It's not just personal vendetta; confusing royal bloodlines is a national issue. I am eliminating harm for my country—am I wrong?"
As for war, it wouldn’t escalate; once the identity issue of the Fifth Prince surfaced, even Dayu would be too busy covering it up to consider waging war.
Sang Qingxiao reminded her that for the Great Yu Emperor, exposing scandals might be more detestable than committing them. Moreover, she had spread this news beyond their borders.
"Are you not afraid that once the Great Yu Emperor settles this matter, he will turn around and punish you?"
With a hint of glee in her laughter, Huayang declared that she intended to spread this news far and wide. Not only would it force my father to quickly condemn Consort Li, but out of concern for his reputation, he would have no choice but to impose a severe punishment.
In the hearts of the people of Dayu Kingdom, my father was portrayed as a god-like figure. After he became Monarch, he would shine brightly yet also cast shadows. If I were to ascend to power, I did not want to be belittled whenever compared to him.
Furthermore, my father held himself in high regard; unless there was a significant fault on our part, he would disdain killing his own children and saw us royal daughters as inconsequential. I was about to become the first person to slap him in the face; he would remember me well. In his heart, I would become an entirely different existence.
"You're just dressing up your ambitions," Qi Xiaomian said angrily. "You want to make a name for yourself, but you can't act recklessly in the territory of Great Jing!"
"I'm sorry, but the Fifth Prince was closely guarded by Consort Li and his personal guards during his time in Dayu, so I couldn't take action. I wanted to create a bigger stir, so I chose to act during the Imperial Examination."
A mere apology without any sincerity. Qi Xiaomian wanted to say something harsh, but Sang Qingxiao held him back. The effects of the drug had a time limit; they needed to focus on the case.
Qi Xiaomian exhaled deeply and asked Huayang, "How did the Fifth Prince die?"
It was Ginger and Tang Tian who acted; I merely spoke a few extra words.
Ginger is a small nation but harbors grand ambitions, always eyeing our two countries with a furtive gaze. I once thought that once I ascended to the throne, I would join forces with Great Jing to eliminate it and divide its land, resources, and population.
Oh, I'm getting off track.
Ginger has always had the guts to do bad things but lacks the courage to admit it. Their favorite pastime is to sow discord between our nations. Based on their psychology, I incited them behind the scenes to drug the Fifth Prince, even deceiving them into thinking that the drug was poison when it was merely a painkiller.
Ha! Even if I dislike the Fifth Prince, I cannot allow him to die at the hands of that despicable little nation. My involvement with Ginger was also meant to do Great Jing a favor. Previously, during the Dajing Imperial Tomb incident, your country couldn't even catch Ginger or Leverage.
Now that Leverage has been handed over to you, shall we teach them a lesson together?
Qi Xiaomian confidently exposed her: "You Dayu are also involved with the Royal Tomb!"
"Do you have evidence?"
If we mobilize all our connections to investigate, we should be able to find something. However, Qi Xiaomian didn't want to waste any more effort on this matter for the current Xuande Emperor. Doing more might only lead to trouble; it would be better to strengthen city defenses as a precaution.
Qi Xiaomian warned him succinctly: "I will find out eventually."
Not wanting these two to waste time arguing, Sang Qingxiao redirected the conversation back to the case and began discussing Tang Tian.
"I knew Tang Tian's value before he joined the Dayu Group; it was my initiative that made it happen."
It is true that he used the Imperial Examination as an opportunity to rise, but I was unaware of Great Jing's situation at that time, so I concealed his strength and tactics—it's not deceitful.
It is also true that he killed the Fifth Prince.
Sang Qingxiao continued to guide Huayang: "Then he must be quite skilled. In the Martial Arts Arena, under everyone's gaze, he could still kill from a distance."
The Martial Arts Arena and Wenju Field are only separated by an alley; it's not far at all. Moreover, when Tang Tian acted, he had already left the competition area and could concentrate fully on his Inner Strength manipulation. It was just a thin needle; he had practiced multiple times beforehand—it's not difficult.
Aren't you quite invested in Tang Tian? You were paving the way for him. If it turns out later that he is implicated, all your efforts would be in vain.
"How could it be wasted?" Huayang laughed. "Tang Tian acted from afar; no one could catch his leverage. If I push all suspicion onto Ginger behind the scenes..."
After all, that thin needle was delivered through Zhengniang's hands after the Fifth Prince got drunk and entered his body. And Zhengniang is connected with Ginger; what does that have to do with Tang Tian?
How do you plan to reveal the identity issue of the Fifth Prince?
Father is not a fool. With just a letter from me, he will understand with a little hint. After a thorough investigation, he will surely discover that I have manipulated the entire situation. Whether this escalates further depends on his actions.
After the effects of the medicine wore off, Huayang lay on the table and slept a little longer. Just as he was about to fully awaken, he overheard Qi Xiaomian and Sang Qingxiao whispering nearby. He couldn't catch everything they said, but a few key phrases stood out.
It's really the Fifth Prince.
The tattoo, a royal secret, has significant power in the Office of Censors.
Who could it be?
Tang Tian, Ginger.
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