"Man'er, you're awake," Xiao Zhen's voice came, full of surprise. "How do you feel? Does anywhere hurt? Do you know who injured you?"
"The Thirteenth Prince… it was the Thirteenth Prince…" Xiao Man said with difficulty.
Xiao Zhen's expression tensed. "You mean the Thirteenth Prince injured you?"
"Nonsense! You wretch, Xiao Man! I didn't reveal that you stabbed me, and yet you play the victim, accusing me of stabbing you!" the Thirteenth Prince exclaimed agitatedly, struggling to rise and roar.
The crowd looked at the Thirteenth Prince, then at Xiao Man. Xiao Man claimed the Thirteenth Prince stabbed her, while the Thirteenth Prince said Xiao Man stabbed him. Who actually injured whom?
"You both claim the other stabbed you. What happened?" the old Emperor asked sternly.
The two injured parties accusing each other of being the assailant. Could it be they attacked each other?!
"Your Highness, I encountered Xiao Man in the Imperial Garden and invited her to visit my residence, Heqing Palace. Along the way, Xiao Man suddenly disappeared. I went back to look for her and saw her heading towards Chonghua Palace. I followed her to Chonghua Palace and found her standing in the main hall, facing the wall, doing something. I reached out to pat her shoulder, and she turned and stabbed me. After that, I don't remember anything," Nangong Yi recounted the events. The old Emperor then turned to Xiao Man. Her complexion was poor, and her voice was clearly lacking in strength, extremely weak.
"Your servant followed the Thirteenth Prince. When we reached the second gate… the Thirteenth Prince suddenly disappeared. Your servant was very surprised, thinking he was playing a trick. Turning the second gate, your servant saw a figure of the Thirteenth Prince flash past the corner door and chased his retreating figure to the entrance of Chonghua Palace…"
Xiao Man panted, speaking with evident effort. After a moment of breath, she continued, "Your servant assumed Chonghua Palace was the Thirteenth Prince's residence and entered. However, there were no attendants anywhere. Far ahead, your servant saw the Thirteenth Prince standing with his back to her at the palace entrance, so she walked over to ask why he was running so fast. Who knew he would turn and stab your servant? Your servant then knew nothing more."
The old Emperor listened, somewhat perplexed. The Thirteenth Prince's account and Xiao Man's were almost identical. Both claimed to have been stabbed by the other, yet they were so severely wounded that it was impossible for them to have had the strength to stab the other.
"Did you see the face of the person who stabbed you?" Nangong Yu inquired.
"No," they both replied in unison.
"Since you didn't see the other's face, on what basis do you conclude that the person who stabbed you was them?"
"Their clothes," they both said in unison again.
Nangong Yu understood immediately. This incident was likely aimed at him and Xiao Man.
However, Xiao Man had also counted herself as a victim, escaping the trap set by the other party. In the end, the suspect was still him!
The old Emperor's expression was grim, and everyone else remained silent.
They had all clearly seen that the Thirteenth Prince and the eldest daughter of the Xiao family were likely both framed. And the one who framed them was very possibly Prince Qin.
After all, the Thirteenth Prince was backed by the Jin family.
The Jin family was immensely wealthy and had many connections in court. Although the Thirteenth Prince was somewhat dissolute, he had support in the court.
But Prince Qin had virtually no foundation in court; his men were all in the military. Even if he were to act, he should have targeted the Crown Prince, not the Thirteenth Prince.
"Your Majesty, Prince Qin is the most suspected party in this matter!" Elder Du immediately stepped forward. He had painstakingly groomed his daughter, only for Prince Qin to cripple her. He had long hated Prince Qin to the bone.
"It couldn't have been Fourth Brother!" Nangong Yi immediately retorted. "The person who stabbed me was shorter than me."
"Perhaps Prince Qin sent an assassin!"
The old Emperor glanced indifferently at Elder Du and then looked at Xiao Zhen. "Minister Xiao, what is your opinion?"
"Your servant believes Your Majesty will see justice for my daughter," Xiao Zhen stated resolutely.
The old Emperor heard this and turned his gaze to Prince Qin. "Fourth Son, Elder Du believes you are the culprit."
"If I were the culprit, neither of them would be alive," Nangong Yu said slowly. "I have never failed to kill the person I intended to kill."
Elder Du choked. "Prince Qin has great ability, never failing to kill whomever he intends to. Does this mean that if Prince Qin wants to kill someone, no one can escape him?"
"Naturally."
"Your Majesty, listen to him! If Prince Qin wants to assassinate you, then Your Majesty is in danger!"
Nangong Yu narrowed his eyes slightly. It seemed he had indulged Elder Du too much, making him think he was easily manipulated.
After a moment of thought, a mocking curve appeared on Nangong Yu's lips. "You sow discord between sovereign and minister, father and son, and brothers. Elder Du, you have great skill, truly pushing your silver tongue to its limits. I believe Elder Du should truly be sent to the battlefield. I suspect the enemy forces would undoubtedly be defeated by Elder Du's venomous tongue."
Xiao Man's lips twitched. She didn't laugh outright, but her eyes were filled with mirth. "In your servant's humble opinion, everyone participating in the Dragon Boat Festival banquet today is a suspect."
Everyone looked at Xiao Man in unison. All the attendees of the Dragon Boat Festival banquet were suspects? Did this mean they could all be the murderer?
"Man'er, do not speak carelessly," Xiao Zhen admonished her gently, sitting by the bed and cradling Xiao Man, allowing her to lean on his shoulder more comfortably, lest her movements tear her wound.
"Father, daughter did not speak wrongly. Everyone is a suspect!" Xiao Man said indignantly. "Your Majesty summoned your daughter to the palace on a whim, yet the other party had already set such a malicious scheme to harm the Thirteenth Prince and your daughter. Daughter may be arrogant and have offended many people, and the Thirteenth Prince is dissolute, but we have never done anything heinous. At most, we've exchanged sharp words or gotten into scuffles. Yet, the person behind this wants both our lives. They are truly venomous."
"What they want is likely not your lives," Xiao Zhen sighed. "I know you feel wronged. Rest assured, His Majesty will see justice for you."
"Your Majesty, your servant does not understand. It should have been quite easy for the mastermind to kill your servant and the Thirteenth Prince. But why lure us to Chonghua Palace? Does Chonghua Palace hold any special significance?" Su Dan Novel Network
Everyone turned to Prince Qin again.
Chonghua Palace was the palace where Prince Qin resided when he was a prince. Normally, apart from the cleaning staff, only Prince Qin would come here. However, since Prince Qin moved out to establish his own residence, he had rarely returned to Chonghua Palace.
"Chonghua Palace was the palace where I used to live."
Xiao Man heard this and tilted her head in thought. "Oh, I understand now. The other party wanted to kill me and the Thirteenth Prince and frame Prince Qin. A clever scheme! Killing three birds with one stone!"