Nangong Yu's gaze fell upon Xiao Man. Was Xiao Man aware of all this? The Xiao Man of the past might have been, but the current Xiao Man, perhaps not!
Nangong Yu suddenly understood why Feng Tianlan wanted to kill Xiao Zhen. The current Xiao Man was not the Xiao Man of the past and would not obey him. Xiao Zhen, however, wholeheartedly protected his daughter. If Xiao Man so much as uttered a word of refusal, he would do everything in his power to safeguard her. For Feng Tianlan to control Xiao Man, the first step was to eliminate Xiao Zhen!
As for why he was targeted... Nangong Yu took a deep breath. It was to make him break ties with Xiao Man, to make Xiao Man hate him, and to prevent Xiao Man from suspecting him. He had voluntarily gone to the palace to play chess with the Emperor, securing a perfect alibi. Ultimately, he had underestimated Feng Tianlan.
When Nangong Yi returned with his consort, he found everyone looking at him with peculiar gazes, which made him feel puzzled. After taking his seat, he leaned in and asked Nangong Yu, "Fourth Brother, why is everyone looking at me so strangely? I merely took the consort out for a stroll. It's as if I've done something wrong."
"You missed quite a show while you were gone," Nangong Yu said slowly. "The Empress Dowager and Yongning exchanged sharp words; it was most spectacular. Both Third Brother and I were caught in the crossfire."
"The Empress Dowager and Xiao Man?" Nangong Yi looked at the Empress Dowager on the high seat with confusion. Seeing her eyes fixed on Xiao Man with hatred, he felt a jolt. What wicked idea was the Empress Dowager hatching now?
Everyone maintained a facade of peace, toasting each other and fostering a cheerful festive atmosphere. In the dungeons of the Honglu Temple, however, it was grim and terrifying, with the occasional cries of the prisoners echoing.
The Crown Prince sat in a corner, leaning against the wall, his hair dishevelled and his clothes in disarray. Gone was his former noble and elegant demeanor; he was now merely a criminal!
The cell door opened. The jailer stepped in, then quietly retreated, leaving two visitors, their identities unknown, entirely shrouded in black cloaks.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, I trust you are well."
"Xue Ning'er!" The Crown Prince's voice was filled with rage upon hearing the name. "You wretched woman, how dare you betray me!"
"Your Highness? You are no longer the high and mighty Crown Prince. You are merely a traitor who failed in his rebellion!" Xue Ning'er sneered, removing her veil and looking coldly at the Crown Prince. "When you demeaned me for that common woman, you should have foreseen this day!"
The Crown Prince's heart was consumed by hatred. "Xue Ning'er, even if I fall, do you think you will fare well?"
A smile appeared on Xue Ning'er's face. "If the Crown Prince is convicted of treason and executed, then naturally, I will not benefit. But if Your Highness the Crown Prince passes away from illness, then I will not be implicated. Do you think His Majesty has delayed your punishment for no reason?"
The Crown Prince's expression shifted slightly. "I am the Emperor's own son! Father would not kill me!"
"Own son?" Xue Ning'er laughed mockingly. "Are there not enough princes who have died at His Majesty's hands? You coveted the throne beneath His Majesty's seat and attempted to take his life. How could he spare you?"
"Ning'er, save me! I know I was wrong!" The Crown Prince immediately knelt before Xue Ning'er, clutching her leg and weeping bitterly. "It was that vixen who bewitched me. I have always loved only you. That vixen drugged me, and I couldn't control myself, which is why I treated you that way. Ning'er, you must believe me, I really didn't want to do it."
"Shifting the blame onto me is also because that vixen misled you?"
"Yes..."
Slap! Xue Ning'er struck the Crown Prince across the face with all her might, causing him to fall to the ground. However, the Crown Prince paid it no mind, scrambled up, and clung to Xue Ning'er's leg.
"I am a scoundrel, I am a beast. Hit me, hit me hard! As long as you can vent your anger, you can even beat me to death, but Ning'er, you must save me. You wouldn't want our children to be fatherless, would you? You wouldn't want everyone to point fingers at their backs and call them the children of traitors, would you!"
Xue Ning'er's eyes turned red. "Of course, I cannot let my children be the children of traitors!"
"Therefore, Ning'er, please save me. Ask Uncle Xue to petition Father, to place all the blame on the Empress. This was all orchestrated by the Empress herself, and I was forced by the Empress."
Xue Ning'er looked at the Crown Prince in disbelief. The Empress was his own mother, who had poured all her efforts into him, even risking treason, a heinous crime. Yet, to save his own life, the Crown Prince was willing to place all the blame on the Empress. Did he not realize that the Emperor would likely have the Empress beheaded if he did so?
Xue Ning'er took two steps back, creating distance between herself and the Crown Prince. Before coming, she had hesitated. After all, they had been married for many years, and she did not wish to go too far. However, the Crown Prince dared to harm his own birth mother so ruthlessly. What about others?
In the Crown Prince's eyes, she and her children were merely pawns to be used, to be discarded without hesitation when needed!
Xue Ning'er steeled herself. If the Crown Prince did not die, then she and her children would. "Crown Prince, considering our past relationship, I will help you."
"You are truly willing to help me?" the Crown Prince asked joyfully.
"Of course. I naturally cannot allow Your Highness to bear the charge of treason and be executed!" Xue Ning'er's expression was cold. "For the sake of my children and myself, Your Highness, please take your own life."
The Crown Prince's expression changed. "What did you say?"
"I said, please, Your Highness the Crown Prince, take your own life!" Xue Ning'er quickly retreated outside the cell door. The man in black behind her swiftly entered the cell, yanked off the Crown Prince's belt, and tightened it around his neck.
The Crown Prince was in a panic, struggling ceaselessly. "You... you want to kill me..."
"Do not blame me for being heartless; blame yourself for being worthless. Your wife and children mean nothing to you. Even the Empress, who has sacrificed everything for you, is merely a pawn you can discard at any moment. I cannot let you live to continue harming us, so I can only ask Your Highness to take your own life! Su Dan Novel Network."
The Crown Prince's eyes bulged, his fingers scratching at his neck, his legs struggling, but his neck grew tighter and tighter. He could no longer breathe. Moments later, the Crown Prince's hands fell, and he was still.
The man in black hung the Crown Prince's body on the bars, erasing any trace of their presence, before leaving the dungeon with Xue Ning'er. Only the Crown Prince's corpse remained, hanging on the bars, his clothes fluttering in the wind.
Tonight was the Lantern Festival, and officials were in the palace for a banquet. The jailers had also slacked off to drink. The esteemed Crown Prince met a tragic end in the dungeons of the Honglu Temple, yet no one knew. They would likely not discover his body until the morning shift change.