She looked up and realized that at some point, a strange young eunuch had appeared in her palace. Upon closer inspection, she recognized him.
"Aren't you one of Third Prince's people? How did you get into my palace?" the Empress looked at him with sharp eyes. If she didn't realize at this moment that the Third Prince had deliberately moved his own people away and let this person in, then she wouldn't have been Empress for so many years. Since he had entered her palace, he must have a purpose. She just needed to understand the truth and weigh the situation before cooperating with him.
Yes, the first thing the Empress thought of was that the Third Prince wanted to ally with her. After all, her own son had passed away, and the Second Prince had made such a huge mistake. Now, it seemed the Third Prince was the most likely to ascend the throne.
"I am here today to relieve your worries, Your Majesty?" Wu Caiwei said to her mysteriously.
"Relieve my worries? You have a way to deal with the Second Prince, I believe, but to take his life is not something just anyone can accomplish." The Empress sneered upon hearing this, finding the other party's tone too arrogant.
"I dared to come and see Your Majesty, so I must have a way. But I also ask Your Majesty to be magnanimous and spare that fake Third Prince." Wu Caiwei, seeing the dismissive look on her face, suddenly lost the desire to play mind games with her. Her objective today was unlikely to be achieved. The Empress might agree, but who knew if she would go back on her word after the Second Prince was eliminated, or even report her to the Emperor.
"Based on you?" The Empress unleashed her entire aura. If it were about something else, perhaps she could have continued to negotiate with the other party. But so many people had seen him plunge a knife into her son's body. Even if he had done it unknowingly, he was still the one who did it. No matter what, no one who had harmed her son would escape.
"It seems the Empress is unwilling. Let's just pretend I never came today. What I wanted to tell the Empress is that day the Second Prince rode his horse and tried to kill Li Shengxu. If I hadn't intervened to save him, although everyone would cast suspicious glances at the Second Prince, there would be no evidence. He could have claimed it was an accident that he shot the fake Third Prince, because at that time, the Third Prince was clearly sitting beside the Emperor, and it was obvious someone had impersonated him. You probably wouldn't be able to catch his weakness in this lifetime." Wu Caiwei understood the Empress's attitude and decided to use a strategy of retreating to advance.
"What? Do you want me to thank you? As a subordinate, isn't doing these things what you're supposed to do? Speak, what reward do you want from me? Is it gold, silver, or property and land?" The Empress looked at him with a cold smile. It was the first time someone dared to negotiate terms with her. Very well, she had taken note of it.
"Since Your Majesty doesn't need my help, then I shall take my leave." Wu Caiwei gave the other party a deep look and turned to leave.
"Wait, is this a place you can come and go as you please?" When did her palace become so casual? The other party had arrived so quietly, and now they were leaving so brazenly. She even doubted if she was still the Empress, as there wasn't a single person in her palace.
"What? Does the Empress think you can stop me by yourself? I said I have a way to deal with that person, and I have a way. Believe it or not, as soon as I leave, your palace maids and eunuchs will return. You know there are many extraordinary people in this world, and not all of them are old. I am one of them." Wu Caiwei retorted impolitely and continued to walk forward. To the Empress's shock, not long after Wu Caiwei left, her palace maids and eunuchs did indeed return.
"Where did you just go?" The Empress asked them with a darkened expression.
"Reporting... Reporting to Your Majesty, we didn't go anywhere. We were all standing in the courtyard, not daring to disturb Your Majesty's rest?" Her personal head maid had never seen the Empress's face so displeased before and immediately stammered. She didn't understand why the Empress was so angry with her, when she had only left the Empress's chambers for a short while and hadn't heard any commotion.
"You didn't hear such a commotion inside?" The Empress's heart skipped a beat. She suddenly remembered Wu Caiwei's words as she left, and then recalled how so many people had pursued him that day, yet he had escaped from the Second Prince and taken Li Shengxu with him. She had heard that the Second Prince had many capable subordinates and was highly skilled in martial arts. He was a renowned martial artist whom even her own father had wanted to recruit, but eventually joined the Second Prince's mansion. This had troubled her for a long time. Could it be true, as he claimed, that he was a reclusive master?
Everyone exchanged bewildered glances, then nodded firmly. The Empress couldn't help but show a thoughtful expression. Just as Wu Caiwei had said, relying on the Emperor would not result in the Second Prince's death. But if he continued to live, she would be restless, and her hatred would have no outlet. She regretted chasing him away earlier. However, she then thought that she was the Empress, and he was merely a guard of the Third Prince. Given her relationship with the Third Prince, she believed he would give her the person if she asked. Even if he didn't, there would be a trade-off, and he would have to consider it.
The Third Prince was baffled when the Empress summoned him. He didn't have much of a relationship with the Empress. Normally, the Empress's eyes were on the Crown Prince, and her target was the Second Prince. As the less powerful Third Prince, he had never caught her attention. Even when they met, they barely exchanged a few words. He wondered why the Empress would summon him alone today. Could it be because the Crown Prince had died, and the Second Prince had made such a grave mistake, leaving him as the most likely to ascend the throne among the remaining princes? Was she contacting him now to help him ascend the throne? The more he thought about it, the happier the Third Prince became.
Although the Second Prince had offended the Emperor now, who knew if he would regain his father's favor later? After all, before this, he had been his father's most favored son.
With the Empress's support, things would be much easier. Moreover, the forces behind her were beyond his comparison. Although it seemed like nurturing a tiger that would harm him, and even if he were weaker, he had been wary of him from the start. He was confident that after ascending the throne, he could push him aside. Although it felt like crossing the bridge and burning it, he knew his father didn't like the princes interacting much with the Empress's maternal family. They hadn't had the opportunity before, but now it was different. Although they didn't interact much on the surface, he could use his influence behind the scenes. He pondered on the way how he would speak to the Empress upon meeting her. But when he actually faced her and she made her request, he unconsciously gaped. He had never expected that the Empress's summons today was because of Wu Caiwei.
"Your Majesty, you jest. He is merely a guard in my mansion. Although he appeared before you that day, he was merely doing his duty. How could he be someone who could come and serve Your Majesty? He is from a humble background and doesn't understand the rules. I fear he might offend Your Majesty." The Third Prince hesitated, his words clearly expressing rejection. He was a hundred percent unwilling to summon Wu Caiwei. Although he was wary of him in his heart, he honestly felt that if he handed Wu Caiwei over, he would be forever estranged from that position. He didn't know how such a small woman could give him such a strong premonition, but he felt she was his lucky star. With her around, he didn't need to worry about anything. Sun Guotang had offended him and was now in a predicament at home, trying desperately to rescue the Second Prince.
He couldn't imagine what his position would be if that person were Sun Guotang's subordinate. Perhaps he would be the one imprisoned, with no chance of recovery in his lifetime.