Chapter 12 The Truth Revealed

Jiang Chen admired the Prince of Heping's ability to read the situation, and his tone softened visibly.

"Very well, as long as you serve me loyally, I can pretend that your son's affair never happened!"

"However, let me make this clear: if I discover that your heart is impure, that you are colluding with outsiders and leaking information, then I will have no choice but to send your entire family to the Imperial Prison for a reunion, understand?"

Cold sweat trickled down the Prince of Heping's back as he swore in fear, "Your Majesty, I dare not!"

"I swear by our ancestors that if I am disloyal to Your Majesty, may my entire family die a horrible death!"

Seeing the Prince of Heping's solemnity, Jiang Chen nodded in satisfaction.

Although he didn't believe in these so-called oaths, the ancients valued them greatly. To swear by one's ancestors was enough to show the Prince of Heping's sincerity.

It was best to know when to stop. Having pressured him to this extent, it was time to let up.

Adjusting his expression, Jiang Chen bent down and personally helped the Prince of Heping up, comforting him, "As long as Royal Uncle serves me sincerely, I will not be stingy with riches, wealth, or beautiful women!"

As he spoke, he changed the subject. "By the way, I heard that your wife is the Empress Dowager Lu's younger sister. Have you had any contact with Empress Dowager Lu over the years?"

The Prince of Heping stood tremulously, replying cautiously, "Your Majesty, when the late Emperor was still alive, I handled a few errands for the Empress Dowager."

"But since the late Emperor's passing, I have rarely entered the inner court, and I haven't been in contact with the Empress Dowager for several years."

Hearing this, Jiang Chen's expression turned solemn as he pondered, "So, you were very familiar with each other more than a decade ago?"

The Prince of Heping was somewhat uneasy, answering carefully, "Well, after all, I married the Empress Dowager's younger sister. Relatives naturally have more interactions than outsiders."

Jiang Chen nodded, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. He said sternly, "Good, I'm going to ask you something now, and you will answer truthfully!"

Meeting the Emperor's piercing gaze, the Prince of Heping shuddered and nodded solemnly, "Yes, Your Majesty, I will definitely tell you everything I know without holding anything back!"

Years of experience navigating the court had given the Prince of Heping a vague premonition of misfortune.

But at this moment, he had no way out and could only wait for what was to come.

"Prince of Heping, I ask you, what is the relationship between Empress Dowager Lu and the Prince of Jiangzuo?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, a look of horror instantly surged into the Prince of Heping's steady eyes!

Not missing this fleeting change, Jiang Chen stepped forward sharply, pressing him, "Tell me the truth immediately!"

"Remember, your son is still serving his sentence in the Imperial Prison. If you don't want anything to happen to him, then put away those petty thoughts!"

Hearing the Emperor's murderous intent beneath his calm words, a struggle flashed across the Prince of Heping's stern face.

But he quickly made a choice, falling to his knees with a thud and saying with difficulty, "Your Majesty, I only know a little about this matter. If you don't mind, I will confess everything now."

"Years ago, Empress Dowager Lu desired the position of Empress, but because the two princes' aptitudes were mediocre, she was rejected by the late Emperor. Afterwards, the late Emperor made your mother Empress, and in order to compensate Empress Dowager Lu, he exceptionally made her Imperial Noble Consort."

"But Empress Dowager Lu was not reconciled and had been secretly looking for princes with good aptitudes, wanting to adopt them under her wing."

"However, the late Emperor favored women from prominent families, so the princes in the harem all had powerful maternal clans. Empress Dowager Lu was never able to get her wish... Later, she set her sights on the late Emperor's youngest brother, the Prince of Jiangzuo."

"When the Prince of Jiangzuo was born, the Director of the Astronomical Observatory prophesied that he was inauspicious and would bring chaos to the Great Wei Dynasty. As a result, the Prince of Jiangzuo was disliked by everyone. Not only was his birth mother put to death, but he himself was banished to the Cold Palace and neglected."

"And after Empress Dowager Lu's hopes of adopting a prince were dashed, she came up with the idea of the Prince of Jiangzuo. She not only sent people to the Cold Palace to take care of the Prince of Jiangzuo, but also whispered in the late Emperor's ear, going to great lengths to arrange a wealthy fiefdom for the Prince of Jiangzuo."

"So, although they don't have the title of mother and son, the Prince of Jiangzuo has always regarded the Empress Dowager as his mother."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chen's expression froze.

He really didn't expect that there was such a relationship between the two!

In that case, it was understandable that Empress Dowager Lu had Han Jinsheng send things to the Prince of Jiangzuo.

Since he wasn't her own child, she naturally had to put more effort into maintaining the bond between them.

As his thoughts raced, a bold guess welled up in Jiang Chen's heart!

Perhaps, the mastermind who had been hiding all along was this obscure Prince of Jiangzuo!

Only someone with such a background would be qualified to cooperate with an ambitious person like Mei Wenshi, right?

Thinking of this, Jiang Chen's gaze suddenly turned deep as he asked in a low voice, "How much do you know about the Prince of Jiangzuo?"

The Prince of Heping felt his scalp tingling under the Emperor's gaze, and he replied in fear, "Reporting to Your Majesty, although I am a member of the Imperial family, I am, after all, an outsider and cannot stay in the palace for long. Therefore, I only saw the Prince of Jiangzuo a few times when he was young, and I am not familiar with him..."

Feeling the sudden sharpness in the gaze upon him, the Prince of Heping suddenly raised his voice, "But, but the Prince of Jiangzuo left a very deep impression on me!"

"He is a very shrewd and rational child, able to endure what ordinary people cannot. He is a seed for great things! Even the late Emperor sighed in private, saying that if the Prince of Jiangzuo had not been born into the Imperial family, he would surely have accomplished great achievements."

A seed for great things?

Accomplish great achievements?!

Jiang Chen's expression suddenly turned grim.

What great things could a prince, especially one who remained in the capital instead of going to his fiefdom, accomplish?

Empress Dowager Lu, a woman with such ambition, would not support a useless person.

To be favored by her, even treated as her own son, could this Prince of Jiangzuo be a docile and honest person?

The corners of Jiang Chen's mouth rose in an arc, but there was not a trace of a smile in his eyes.

The truth was now fully revealed!

Empress Dowager Lu was raising assassins and participating in the rebellion all for this obscure Prince of Jiangzuo!

They were the manipulators hiding behind Mei Wenshi, the source of all the conspiracies!

Jiang Chen slowly narrowed his eyes, a bloodthirsty killing intent radiating from him, as if he would raise the butcher's knife in the next moment.

The Prince of Heping was so frightened that his legs went weak. He knelt on the ground, trembling, not daring to raise his head.

He had originally planned to keep this matter buried in his stomach and never say it for the rest of his life.

In recent years, he had closed his doors to guests, disappeared from the social circles of the capital, and even ordered his only son to change his name and leave to make his own way in the world, all in order to dilute the presence of the Prince of Heping's mansion and avoid being affected by these secrets.

Unfortunately, despite all his calculations, he could not escape fate in the end.

His good-for-nothing son had actually offended the Emperor, ruining his years of careful planning... Alas, what a tragedy!