"Reporting to His Highness the Crown Prince, and Lady Zhang Xiuyi, besides Her Majesty the Empress, there are also Noble Consort De and Lady Xiuyi."
Little Mu Xing stopped speaking, his face grim as he walked straight ahead.
He reached Yu Lou's side and shoved him forcefully, then walked past with his head held high. The young eunuchs following behind him scurried away in a state of panic.
After they left, Prince Yu Lou burst into loud sobs. Crying, he ran towards Chang Xin Palace, intending to tell his mother that someone had stolen his title as Crown Prince and to seek her revenge.
Little Mu Xing headed directly towards the Imperial Study. Over the past few days, he had gotten a good grasp of the palace's layout.
Although there were still places he hadn't visited, he was very clear about the location of the Imperial Study, where His Majesty conducted his affairs.
Thus, the little figure sped towards the Imperial Study. The eunuchs accompanying him turned pale, sweat pouring down their faces. They yelled frantically behind him.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, Your Highness the Crown Prince, where are you going? Please return, please return!"
Unfortunately, Little Mu Xing paid no mind to the little eunuchs. Although he was only five years old, he had practiced martial arts since he was young.
While his martial arts were not particularly high, his speed was quite agile. The eunuchs, panting, could not catch up to him. In a short while, he arrived at the entrance of the Imperial Study.
The eunuchs guarding the entrance were taken aback by Little Mu Xing's wild demeanor. They hesitated to stop him, as they had heard that the young Crown Prince was not to be trifled with. In their hesitation, Mu Xing had already barged into the Imperial Study.
Inside the Imperial Study, the Emperor was discussing the appointments of court officials with the newly appointed Prime Minister Liu Ting and the Minister of War Jin Shaoyuan. Seeing Little Mu Xing storm in, his face set in a grim expression and his eyes glaring fiercely at the Emperor.
Upon seeing Mu Xing, Feng Xie spoke with a smile.
"Why has Mu Xing come?"
"Father Emperor, I ask you, didn't you say I am the Crown Prince? Why is there another Crown Prince here? And if there is another Crown Prince, why must Mother and I return?
I am truly angry. It turns out Mother was sad because of this, because you and we are not a family, and there are others involved. I will leave here with Mother."
Mu Xing spoke with arrogant authority. Despite his small stature, he possessed a man's bearing, gazing coldly at his father and panting heavily.
Hearing Mu Xing's words, Feng Xie's expression plummeted. He glared at the terrified and uneasy little eunuchs standing at the door and issued a stern command: "Seize these servants and give each of them twenty heavy planks. Send them to the Cold Palace."
The little eunuchs were already petrified, their bodies collapsing to the ground.
Little Wanzi quickly went out to order the eunuchs outside to drag these people away. Mu Xing paid no attention to the eunuchs being beaten, his small face showing stubborn determination. He did not like others interfering in their family affairs.
Feng Xie knew that the relationship between Liu'er and himself was not as loving as outsiders perceived. Everything they had now was maintained for Mu Xing.
If Mu Xing insisted on leaving the palace, it was likely that Liu'er would leave with him. The thought of this possibility sent a chill through Feng Xie, a chilling cold that also carried a hint of resentment.
After all, he was an Emperor, and his son was merely a five-year-old child who dared to accuse his own father. His imperial harem had long been neglected, with only Lou Enjing and Zhang Xiuyi remaining.
If he found any wrongdoing on the part of those two women, he would not hesitate to depose them. However, he had not yet found any concrete evidence against them, so he could not expel them from the palace.
Yet, his son only blamed him. What was he to do?
"Mu Xing, Father Emperor has matters to attend to. You should return to Weiyang Palace first."
Feng Xie commanded imperiously. Though he doted on Mu Xing, his son's mischievousness at such a young age was unacceptable. Starting tomorrow, he would find a tutor to properly teach him basic etiquette and strategies, so he wouldn't reveal his emotions so easily.
"Father Emperor?"
Mu Xing saw that his father was not like his former self on逍遥岛 (Xiaoyao Island), as if he had become a different person. His heart ached. His large eyes welled up with tears, but he held them back, speaking fiercely.
"Father Emperor, I hate you."
With that, he rushed out of the Imperial Study without looking back, ignoring his uncle's calls.
Liu Ting glanced at the Emperor. The Emperor waved his hand, signaling him to go and persuade the boy, lest he become obstinate and truly run off with his mother.
Now he was fully occupied with dealing with treacherous individuals in the court. He had no time to bother with these people. His imperial brother had gone to the Moon Splendor Kingdom, leaving him with one less capable assistant. To make matters worse, this brat was causing trouble at such a time, truly vexing.
Feng Xie closed his eyes and leaned back on the soft couch. Jin Shaoyuan, who was standing in the Imperial Study, spoke with concern.
"Then Your Majesty should rest for a while. I will return later to discuss."
Jin Shaoyuan's handsome face, with its dark, thick eyebrows and spirited star-like eyes, looked at the Emperor with great worry and did not wish to disturb him. He prepared to leave, allowing the Emperor to rest.
Feng Xie immediately raised his hand and gestured, indicating that Jin Shaoyuan should continue with their previous discussion. He was listening. Jin Shaoyuan nodded and resumed the conversation.
"When Your Majesty was ambushed on the way back to the palace, Prince Yan, upon investigating, discovered that a concubine had leaked Your Majesty's whereabouts.
This was also a lapse in judgment by Prince Yan, as he was too confident. He could have interrogated the concubine to find out who had instructed her.
However, on that same night, the concubine committed suicide by poison. Whether it was murder or suicide remains unknown, thus we are unable to ascertain which faction was behind the assassination attempt on the Emperor.
Currently, there are two suspicious leads. One is the Lou family. Their motive is quite clear, and they are the most likely suspects.
If the Emperor were to be killed, Prince Yu Lou would ascend the throne, and the Lou family would dominate the court. The other is the Si men family. However, the enmity between the Si men family and the Emperor is not yet clear.
Currently, Si men Ping Chao is only gathering influence, with no discernible actions. Therefore, it is difficult to ascertain his purpose in recruiting people, nor are there any concrete movements. Thus, the assassins Your Majesty encountered on this trip are very likely people sent by the Lou family.
However, although the Lou family has great influence in the court, they have no connections with the martial world. So, who sent Hua Wuyou of the Demon Palace to oppose the Emperor?"
Jin Shaoyuan analyzed the situation and looked up at the Emperor. He saw that the Emperor's eyes were slightly closed, his thick, straight eyelashes blinked, and then he suddenly opened them. They were as deep as a thousand-year-old abyss, unfathomable, and flashed with ruthlessness.
"Focus on investigating the Lou family. Let's deal with them first. It seems their ambitions have grown too great. As for the Protector of the Nation, General Si men Ping Chao, have people monitor him closely. Since he dares to recruit people in secret, there must be a hidden motive."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Jin Shaoyuan acknowledged the order.
Feng Xie's cold gaze swept over him. Fortunately, Jin Shaoyuan had always stood by his side. He did not wish for his childhood companion to become a memory. "Additionally, the Minister of Revenue is a member of the Lou family. Do you have any suitable and reliable talents? Find a charge to have the current Minister of Revenue removed from his post and replace him with one of our own people."
Upon Feng Xie's command, Jin Shaoyuan accepted: "Yes, Your Majesty. Your subordinate will attend to it immediately."
"Good, you may go,"
Feng Xie waved his hand. After Jin Shaoyuan had left, he sank into thought, wondering about his son's condition. Had he been too stern just now? His son must be blaming him.
Feng Xie's face flickered between light and shadow. He had not expected Yu Lou, so young, to be so presumptuous as the Crown Prince. It seemed that the people behind him had been instructing him frequently. Lou Sijing, if you have even the slightest evidence of conspiring with the Lou family, do not blame me for being ruthless.