Chu Wang was "invited" out.
It was the Ling Princess herself who escorted him out.
The Ling Prince avoided seeing him; he couldn't possibly lay hands on a woman.
Chu Wang was genuinely surprised by the Ling Prince's firm stance this time.
Although Chu Lingyang also felt uneasy when Chu Wang was "escorted" away.
He hadn't spoken or shown himself earlier, but he had been listening intently to their conversation.
The Fourth Prince was right, but the Princess was also right.
When the Ling Princess returned after seeing off the Jing Prince, Chu Lingyang was pacing back and forth in the room.
"Lan'er, Fourth Prince he..."
"He's gone," the Ling Princess replied, sitting down and looking at him. "I understand that Your Highness is not happy."
"Then why did you threaten to kill yourself to prevent me from seeing the Fourth Prince?"
Lan Ji had anticipated that Chu Wang would come to persuade him before he even arrived.
This was their only option now.
Lan Ji, with her uncanny foresight, had already guessed this.
Therefore, she had given the Ling Prince an ultimatum: if Chu Lingyang met the Jing Prince that night, she would immediately die before his eyes.
Having been married for many years, Chu Lingyang understood Lan Ji's temperament very well.
Although Lan Ji was gentle and docile, she possessed an inner strength beneath her soft exterior.
What she said, she would definitely do.
How could the Ling Prince joke with his wife's life?
"The Emperor is gravely ill. We don't even know the situation now, how can you choose a side?"
"Lan'er, didn't we agree? We only stand with the empire and the people, we don't need to choose sides!"
So, why wouldn't she let him see the Fourth Prince?
Whatever it was, they could discuss it together!
"If we stand with the empire and the people, then why do you need to see the Jing Prince?" Lan Ji retorted.
Chu Lingyang didn't understand. "This matter... this matter can be discussed, and... it doesn't conflict, does it?"
But in the end, his voice became much softer.
This was because the Ling Princess's expression was not right; she clearly did not agree with what he was saying.
"Lan'er, I am a mere martial man, I don't understand many principles. Don't hold back when you speak, you... just say it clearly."
"Didn't you meet a fake Emperor tonight?" Lan Ji asked.
Chu Lingyang nodded, but then said, "It was the Emperor's disciple Feng Yexuan. He meant no harm, he was just trying to help my elder brother..."
"You know Feng Yexuan's identity, don't you?"
"He is the Emperor's disciple..."
"And the other, more prominent identity?" the Ling Princess gave him a sidelong glance.
Chu Lingyang thought for a moment, then mumbled, "It's... the God of War of the Northern Underworld, Prince Xuan."
He had completely forgotten about this.
All day today, he had been thinking that Feng Yexuan was the Emperor's man.
As for his true identity, he hadn't paid much attention to it.
"Has the Emperor lost his mind? He is still lucid, yet he lets his disciple impersonate him! Is this what an emperor of a nation should do?"
"Perhaps... perhaps it's just that the Emperor is unwell and... inconvenient."
"He's not unconscious or incapacitated. At the very least, he could still see you. Why would he need someone to impersonate him?"
"This..." He truly didn't understand!
"Moreover, you yourself said that after you went in, the Emperor didn't say a word to you."
Chu Lingyang remained silent, only nodding.
"Then, if the Emperor is not so ill that he cannot even speak, it means he has been abducted by Feng Yexuan and others!"
Chu Lingyang's heart trembled upon hearing this: "This... how is that possible?"