The second prince's right leg was crippled from then on, rendering him a disabled person.
The Emperor and Consort Wei could not accept this, and the second prince himself could not accept it even more.
The Emperor was enraged, and the imperial physicians who had treated him were all implicated. It was only because the second prince pleaded for them that the Emperor, with red eyes, absolved them of responsibility.
The few attendants also did not lose their lives, only receiving dozens of lashes.
Compared to the Emperor's thunderous wrath, this was truly nothing.
The entire capital mourned for the second prince.
After all, the second prince was the Emperor's chosen successor, the future Emperor.
But now...
An imperial successor could not have any external flaws; even a scar on the face was unacceptable.
The fall of the second prince not only broke his right leg but also his path to the throne.
The fourth prince, now the Prince of Qi, was next in line after the second prince. According to seniority, he was the most likely to be made the Crown Prince.
For a time, the Prince of Qi's mansion was bustling with visitors.
The Kang family was also pitied. If Kang Yutong had not died, she would have been the future Empress, and the entire Kang family's status would have soared, becoming the second Wei family in the capital.
But now, the Kang family was insignificant.
Inside the Prince of Ding'an's mansion, Wang Qingyao and Xiao Yun were also discussing this matter.
Wang Qingyao did not believe it was an accident. In palace intrigue novels, besides various banquets, hunting was the most common occasion for accidents.
Xiao Yun also had his suspicions, but unfortunately, he had no evidence.
"Did you sense anything at the time?" Xiao Yun asked.
Wang Qingyao regretted not using her clairvoyant eyes at that moment. If she had, she would have known what had happened.
She did not want the Prince of Qi to ascend the throne; he was not suited to be a wise ruler.
The Prince of Wu was also not suitable; he was too cunning, playing the role of a pig to eat the tiger.
Neither of these two was a good choice.
Little Seven was quite good. Although not as outstanding as the Prince of Qi or the Prince of Wu, he at least had a righteous character and a benevolent heart. If he became Emperor, the common people would not suffer.
Unfortunately, it was not her decision who became the Crown Prince, and thinking too much about it here was useless.
She shook her head, "No, I didn't know something would happen." She then asked, "Did you find out anything?"
Xiao Yun also shook his head, "I couldn't find anything from the Prince of Qi's side. Only he went in that day, and his attendants didn't follow. Only he and the second prince know what happened in the depths of the forest, but the second prince said nothing."
"So, from the second prince's perspective, everything the Prince of Qi said is true," Wang Qingyao analyzed.
Xiao Yun nodded, his brow furrowed slightly, as some parts did not make sense to him.
"Logically, that tiger was wild, and the Prince of Qi had no way to tame it. How could it have startled the second prince by such a coincidence? If it had been hunted by someone else beforehand or had injured someone else first, wouldn't the Prince of Qi's plan have failed?"
"Who spread the news about the tiger?" Wang Qingyao asked. "Was it from the Prince of Qi's side?"
Xiao Yun shook his head, "Everyone saw traces of the tiger the day before the hunt. I saw it too."
"Traces? What kind of traces?"
Xiao Yun thought for a moment, "Tiger footprints and fur. From a distance, I even saw the tiger flash by."
"So, no one saw the tiger up close?"
The closest was probably the second prince.
"What are you suspecting?"
Wang Qingyao's brows were tightly knitted, and the various palace intrigue novels she had read in the past quickly replayed in her mind.
"What are your thoughts? Tell me," Xiao Yun asked. He knew Wang Qingyao's ideas were often outlandish but usually effective.
Wang Qingyao considered for a moment and slowly said, "Do you think there was no tiger at all, but it was just something the Prince of Qi fabricated to confuse people and deliberately provoke the second prince?"
"Impossible," Xiao Yun said without hesitation, "I saw a bit of it. Although it was far away, it was indeed a tiger..."
"What if it was a person disguised as one?"
Xiao Yun was stunned, his eyes widening instantly. A person disguised as a tiger? That was too absurd!
He looked at Wang Qingyao, and Wang Qingyao looked back at him.
"Do you think there's a possibility? That's why none of you saw the tiger up close in its entirety! And that's why the tiger was so obedient, only startling the second prince!"
Xiao Yun was shocked by Wang Qingyao's wild idea, but after careful consideration, he found it quite reasonable.
"But nothing was found from the Prince of Qi's side!"
"Investigate Wei Yu!" Wang Qingyao said decisively.
"Isn't she allied with the Prince of Wu? How did she get involved with the Prince of Qi? Was the Prince of Wu also involved in this?"
"Investigate Wei Yu first," Wang Qingyao said. "For the throne, there are too many examples of brothers killing each other. There's no need to be surprised; anything is possible."
So, the second prince was actually quite rare.
He couldn't expand the territory, but he could defend the existing empire.
Xiao Yun immediately gave orders for the investigation.
He had originally planned to personally go to Nanzhou after the hunt, but with the incident involving the second prince, it would be delayed by a few more days.
But he still had to go, though he hadn't figured out a reason yet.
"That's simple. Tell the Emperor that Xiao Mo encountered danger in Nanzhou and you're worried and want to go personally. But you don't want the Old Consort and the Consort to worry, so ask the Emperor for a plausible reason..."
"Does the Emperor have time to care about my affairs right now?"
"The second prince just had an accident. He definitely doesn't want Xiao Mo to have an accident, so he'll grant your request."