Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

After seeing Su Keguang and Xie Jun off, Jia Lian was about to return to the camp to take a nap.

He hasn't rested since yesterday.

Of course, it wasn't just him; most people in the entire Iron Net Mountain area had probably been waiting for two days.

Suddenly, a commotion came from the north. Everyone spontaneously made way for the main road and saw four strong soldiers carrying a stretcher, escorted by a large group of people, heading straight for the palace.

The esteemed Third Prince, leaning on the stretcher covered with a white cloth, walked along while weeping, looking utterly sorrowful.

"Father, Father..."

Before arriving at the palace, he was stopped by the imperial guards. The third prince then prostrated himself on the ground and wept bitterly, beating his chest and stamping his feet as if his mother had died.

Such a commotion naturally attracted attention from all sides.

As people gathered, they quickly guessed the truth based on the situation, and a great deal of discussion ensued.

It seems that the imperial palace received the message and ordered the imperial guards to make way.

The third prince then entered the palace, crying and shouting, just as he had done before, with the crown prince's corpse beside him.

Then he soon saw Emperor Ningkang.

Emperor Ningkang was no longer as indifferent and composed as before. He walked out of his bedchamber, trembling, toward the Third Prince.

His gaze easily fell upon the shocking white cloth.

The third prince knelt down, grabbed Emperor Ningkang's trouser leg, and cried out, "Father, Father! Your son is guilty! Your son has failed in his important mission and failed to bring back my eldest brother! Your son deserves to die! Your son deserves to die!"

The Third Prince's tearful plea made Emperor Ningkang tremble.

He kicked the Third Prince aside, went to the stretcher, and suddenly pulled off the white sheet covering it.

The familiar face that came into view, now deathly pale, made his heart stop for a moment.

He stared blankly down at his first child, and for the first time, a question arose in his heart: was it right or wrong for him to launch this coup?

The Third Prince, who had been tossed aside by Emperor Ningkang, looked at the emperor's hunched back with a cold glint in his eyes.

But he showed no hesitation. He crawled on his knees to Emperor Ningkang's side again, kowtowed before the Crown Prince's body, and said in a sorrowful voice, "Your son was ordered by Your Majesty to capture... no, to bring him back, and finally found him at the foot of the northern mountain."

Your Majesty, I originally wanted to persuade him to come back and admit his mistake to Father. After all, he is the Crown Prince and Father's eldest son. No matter how big a mistake he has made, Father, you will definitely choose to forgive him.

However, my eldest brother wouldn't listen to me at all. He led his hundreds of elite soldiers and broke through the defenses at the foot of the mountain, heading northeast...

Based on the direction in which my eldest brother fled, I guessed that he wanted to go to Shanhaiguan to mobilize troops. After all, the general of Shanhaiguan was once my eldest brother's riding and archery teacher, and there was a teacher-student relationship between them.

Your subject dared not delay and hurriedly led troops to pursue them…

The third prince, with tears streaming down his face, recounted the whole story in a halting manner.

"Finally, in a forest a dozen miles from the foot of the mountain, your son caught up with your elder brother's men once again."

Your Majesty still wanted to persuade him to turn back in time, but he didn't answer at all. His guards were all fearless and valiant... Waaah, how could I have known at that time that in order to escape my pursuit, Your Majesty disguised himself as a guard and broke through the encirclement separately.

When I finally caught up with the person wearing my elder brother's yellow robe, I was shocked to find that he was not my elder brother at all.

Before I could figure out what to do next, my soldiers rushed in with a report, saying, "Say, say..."

"They say that the eldest prince actually died from being struck by a stray arrow..."

"Father, Father, I have been wrong, I know my crime. I beg you to punish me severely, even if it means paying for my elder brother's life, I will have no regrets..."

The Third Prince's voice was loud enough that at least the surrounding ministers and generals could hear it.

With very few exceptions, most people did not feel much sorrow over the death of the crown prince.

Firstly, it was the Crown Prince's previous actions that turned their previously favorable situation into an unfavorable one.

Even now, Emperor Ningkang and his capable ministers are still anxiously discussing how to deal with the troubles to come.

Therefore, in their eyes, the crown prince was not a qualified heir apparent.

Secondly, based on the Third Prince's tearful account, they roughly understood the cause of the Crown Prince's death.

All I can say is, you reap what you sow.

That's incredibly stupid.

As the crown prince of Emperor Ningkang, he should stand firmly on Emperor Ningkang's side and stand with his father through thick and thin.

But he chose a different path and failed. Who can he blame?

They've already failed, yet they refuse to admit it and still want to call in troops from beyond the Great Wall? Do they think the deaths aren't enough, the trouble isn't bad enough?

Unfortunately, he still couldn't escape the Third Prince's pursuit, which shows his incompetence.

Clearly, if he had simply knelt down and apologized to Emperor Ningkang at this moment, he might have been able to gain the emperor's forgiveness and at least save his life.

Why did they choose such an unconventional path? Whose fault is it?

This shows a lack of wisdom.

In comparison, the Third Prince, who is usually gentle and refined, possesses the virtues of the ancient sages, and can be entrusted with important responsibilities at crucial moments, is clearly more suitable to be the crown prince of the country.

Yes, now that the Crown Prince is dead, then...

Many clever people, seeing the Third Prince weeping and repenting before the Crown Prince's body, were already hatching other ideas.

Emperor Ningkang slowly stood up.

He also heard the Third Prince's account and explanation.

No one knows how much he actually listened to, but Emperor Ningkang's gaze toward the Third Prince was very cold at that moment.

The indifferent gaze from above filled the Third Prince with fear as he quietly looked up and met the Third Prince's eyes, and he quickly lowered his head.

Emperor Ningkang asked, "Where are the irrigation ditches?"

"Deputy Commander Tian was incredibly brave, leading the charge during the pursuit, but was unfortunately killed when his elder brother's forces counterattacked..."

Tian Qu is dead too?

The reactions from others seemed even stronger than those from the previous death of the crown prince.

After all, given the Crown Prince's crimes, even if he lived, he would only be a deposed Crown Prince, not worth mentioning at all.

However, Tian Qu was one of the key figures in the successful coup, and he was about to be promoted and ennobled, but he unexpectedly failed at the last minute.

Sigh, he was probably too eager to make a name for himself.

Just then, a woman's screams came from outside.

Everyone turned to look and saw a woman with disheveled hair and a slender figure being pushed and shoved into the room by the Imperial Guards.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the Crown Princess.

The Crown Prince's palace was taken over when Emperor Ningkang launched a major counterattack, and his associates were arrested and imprisoned.

However, since the Crown Princess is the heir apparent, no one dares to disrespect her for the time being; the only problem is that she cannot leave the palace.

No one knows who leaked the news of the Crown Prince's death, but she immediately rushed over without regard for her own life. The guards, fearing for her life, dared not stop her.

Seeing Emperor Ningkang wave his hand, the guards withdrew and let the Crown Princess come over.

"Your Highness, Your Highness..."

The Crown Princess, now free, staggered over and collapsed onto the Crown Prince's body, weeping uncontrollably.

Unlike the Third Prince before, perhaps it was because a woman's crying was more infectious.

Everyone present could feel the Crown Princess's despair and heartbreak from her cries.

Such a cry can sadden those who hear it and bring tears to those who see it.

"Emperor's sister-in-law..."

The third prince knelt forward two steps, seemingly wanting to say something.

"Don't touch me!!"

The Crown Princess screamed and slapped the Third Prince across the face, stunning him and making him forget what he was about to say.

The Crown Princess, however, paid no attention to his reaction. She simply held the Crown Prince's head and muttered to herself as if she had lost her mind.

The Third Prince's expression shifted, but he finally regained his composure and said with a look of remorse, "Sister-in-law, it's all my fault. I'm the one who killed my eldest brother. If you want to hit him, then hit him a few more times. This is what I deserve..."

The Crown Princess ignored her and silently shed tears.

Emperor Ningkang frowned slightly, gave a look to his attendants, and ordered them to take the Crown Princess away.

The guards stepped forward as ordered, but before they could even reach out, the Crown Princess suddenly pulled a dagger from her sleeve, stood up, and shouted at them, "Get out of the way, all of you, get out of the way..."

The soldiers of the Imperial Guard were shocked and rushed forward to protect Emperor Ningkang.

The Third Prince, who was closest to her, was even more alarmed. Fortunately, he realized that the Crown Princess did not seem to be targeting her, so he quickly shrank to the side.

"Murderers, you're all murderers!"

Surrounded by guards, the Crown Princess laughed maniacally. She held a dagger, sometimes pointing it at the guards, sometimes at the Third Prince and Emperor Ningkang, as if judging their crimes.

But in the end, she did nothing.

Her two main pillars of support were her grandfather and her husband, the crown prince.

They're all dead now.

Her world collapsed, and she lost the will to live.

She suddenly charged in one direction, brandishing her dagger, and the guards in that direction quickly sheathed their weapons and dodged.

But behind them were walls and pillars, so they could only watch helplessly as the dignified Crown Princess died right before their eyes.

Her untimely death sent a chill down the spines of every man.

No one spoke; it seemed no one knew how to react.

Emperor Ningkang stood there, gazing at the Crown Princess's body for a long time. Then he turned around, but after taking only two steps, he felt the world go dark, and his body collapsed to the ground.

"His Majesty!"

"His Majesty……"

"Quickly summon the imperial physician!!"

……

The Third Prince was secretly delighted.

Although he considered all the pros and cons in his mind when he took action to deal with the crown prince.

But when he was truly being scrutinized by Emperor Ningkang, no one knew how terrified he was.

In particular, the look in Emperor Ningkang's eyes when he looked at him at the end made him wonder if Emperor Ningkang had already become suspicious of him.

He is very proud.

After enduring for so many years, he finally had the opportunity to eliminate the Crown Prince once and for all. Of course, he couldn't let the slightest reaction from Emperor Ningkang make him hesitant and let the tiger return to the mountain, leaving behind future troubles!

He had been engaged in open and covert struggles with the Crown Prince for many years, and he was well aware of how deep the Crown Prince's power base was.

That's all because Father Emperor is biased!

Therefore, as long as the crown prince is alive, he will pose a great threat to him.

Who says the Crown Prince is the eldest son!

Because of the years of fighting, the hatred between them had long been accumulated, and he had long wished to get rid of the crown prince.

This is such a golden opportunity, the Crown Prince has completely lost Emperor Ningkang's trust, and if he doesn't seize it, he feels he is not worthy of the position.

How can an emperor be soft-hearted and lenient?

Even if my father has some doubts, so what?

Given the current situation, does Father Emperor have any other choice besides him?

Ministers, do you have any other choice?

If the only option for the crown prince to be deposed is simply because he committed a heinous crime, Emperor Ningkang may be ruthless, but the court and the public would not agree.

So, if you're talking about being afraid, it's not that scary.

Even at the moment he took action, he felt his heart boiling. Seeing the crown prince kneel on the ground, he felt a surge of triumph within him.

For the first time in so many years, he felt that place was so close to him.

Especially just now, when Emperor Ningkang collapsed on the ground.

He knew that his good father hadn't slept well for at least three days in preparation for this incident.

Regardless of his inner joy, on the surface, the Third Prince still dutifully helped Emperor Ningkang to his bedchamber and personally sought medical advice and treatment.

He felt a pang of regret when the imperial physician said it was just due to overwork and lack of rest, and that he would be fine after a good night's sleep.

He personally received the ministers who came to visit him. Those who could enter the palace at this time were either of high rank or close confidants of Emperor Ningkang, so he naturally had to win them over.

Most of these people were very polite to him, and they seemed to have a desire to join him, which made him very happy.

Jia Lian also came, and after confirming that Emperor Ningkang was alright, the Third Prince personally escorted him out.

He cupped his hands in greeting to the Third Prince, then turned to leave.

The third prince suddenly said, "Brother, please wait."

Jia Lian frowned, looked around to make sure the Third Prince was calling him.

The Third Prince walked up to him with a smile and said, "General Jia is a descendant of the Emperor's grandfather who was left outside the palace. According to the order of seniority, I am a year younger than General Jia, so I should call him Brother."

Jia Lian hurriedly said, "Your Highness is mistaken. I am unworthy of such words. Your Highness should not mention it again in the future, otherwise, if His Majesty hears it, I will be guilty of a capital offense."

Jia Lian did not deny anything. Even though everyone knew that the Emperor Emeritus was under house arrest by Emperor Ningkang, he was still the Emperor Emeritus, and not just anyone had the right to question what he said.

The Third Prince looked at Jia Lian with a smile. Not bad, he was a respectful and sensible person.

He smiled and said, "Everyone knows that General Jia is Father Emperor's most favored general. Father Emperor's success this time is entirely due to General Jia's assistance. Father Emperor likes General Jia so much, I believe that even if he knew, he wouldn't blame him."

Jia Lian shook his head, showing no interest in discussing the topic.

Seeing this, the Third Prince stopped trying to establish a friendly relationship and lowered his voice, saying, "I heard that the Crown Prince tried several times to win over the General, but the General politely declined each time?"

"It's a fabricated story spread by busybodies."

"I just heard that the general's current situation seems to be not very good."

The Third Prince looked at Jia Lian with a mocking expression.

Jia Lian's expression changed slightly, and he retorted, clearly not speaking his mind, "Who spread this rumor? How come I myself don't know about it?"

"hehe."

The Third Prince chuckled, then his expression turned serious. He said to Jia Lian earnestly, "I will fulfill the promises the Crown Prince made to the General. What he couldn't fulfill, I will also fulfill."

Even things that Father Emperor cannot give the General, I am still willing to give. For example, I eagerly await the day when I can rightfully call the General "Brother."

"The general is a wise man; he should understand what I mean."

With that, the Third Prince patted Jia Lian on the shoulder, smiled, and turned back to Emperor Ningkang's bedchamber.

Jia Lian stood there for a moment, then walked out of the palace, mounted his precious horse, and drove away.