Masquerade in Bridal Attire and Marry the Prince

207. Apprehension

Translator: Bryan

“We failed in our duty. We should’ve found out immediately after Your Highness passed out in the ancestral hall. The three of us will go to the ministry of penalty to receive our punishment when Your Highness recover,” Luo Yi promptly said, admitting to his negligence.

Du Chuxuan frowned slightly, a trifle surprised as well. “I passed out? How long have I been unconscious?” Naturally, he knew that ordinary people were unable to gain entry into the ancestral hall, which meant that his father was the only one who could have brought him out. Those people should have figured something out by now. At this moment, he was eager to know the results.

“You were in a coma for three days, Your Highness. It was Master Du who brought you out.”

Du Chuxuan nodded, indicating that he understood. Luckily, his plan was completely flawless. Although he had fainted, he could still remember all the details. He promptly sighed in relief, “This is not your fault. You don’t have to tell Zizheng about this. Just take a mental note of this. I need as much manpower as I can get in these circumstances. I can’t afford to let any of you three get hurt.”

Luo Yi, naturally, knew that Du Chuxuan was showing them leniency. He didn’t insist Du Chuxuan punish them. When this was over, the three of them would go back to receive their punishment on their own initiative. Nobody could escape from the punishment they deserved in Sect Luo.

“We received a letter from His Highness yesterday. He only said the army was advancing quickly and they hadn’t encountered any problems so far, but some commoners spotted the soldiers passing by. I’m afraid there will soon be rumors circulating in this city. Your Highness will have to go to the trouble of making some arrangements.”

Du Chuxuan nodded. Turk was not as vast as Shenglan country. They would have to pass a lot of places before they could reach the borders. Therefore, before Yuxing Tianrui successfully reached the destination, the only thing Du Chuxuan had to do was keep this matter secret. He should at least keep the people in Shenglan, his father and the courtiers from becoming a drag on Yuxing Tianrui.

“The other day, because of the attempted assassination, rumors about Yuxing Wei’s actions didn’t cause a stir. This time, I will give them something sensational,” Du Chuxuan chuckled, a sly look in his eyes. Yuxing Wei was no longer among those that the Emperor wanted to knock into shape. Now it seemed that he was just a pawn.

Since he was a pawn, it didn’t matter whose pawn he was. He might as well try using Yuxing Wei and see what the Emperor had accomplished with years’ self-effacement.

“Send words out that the assassin who made an attempt on His Highness was the same person who tried to assassinate the third prince, and that he’s a cocky daredevil.” Luo Yi accepted the order and backed to the side.

To regain his strength, Du Chuxuan needed a rest cure. The rumor that the Crown Princess and the Crown Prince were all staying in their palace nursing their injury had now been proved true. Luo Qing hadn’t arrived yet. The first person to arrive was Du Chuxuan’s father who had learned that Du Chuxuan came around. Having seen that Du Chuxuan was fine, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Father, don’t worry,” Du Chuxuan smiled, trying to console his father. “I was just preoccupied in those two days, so I forgot to eat. I’ll fully recover after a couple of days’ rest.”

His father sighed. He seemed to have aged a few years in the past two days. “I thought you’re having such a tough time that you might commit suicide.” He couldn’t help but shake his head. “I told your uncles about it. It seems the efforts I’ve made in recent years to lick them into shape were not in vain.”

After saying that, his father smiled. “Since I chose you to help the Du family solve those problems, I will not give up on you at this point in time. Don’t think too much about anything else. We’ll always be at your back!”

After hearing that, Du Chuxuan stiffened momentarily. His father actually meant that his two uncles had both agreed, but it also meant that the Du family would either get to enjoy the peaceful life with him or be dragged into a troublesome situation they’d never be able to extricate themselves from.

“Don’t worry. In the final analysis, the Du family is a family of merchants, and what we do is speculation. This time around we’re just betting all our money on you and His Highness. It’s not easy to keep your identity secret. I just hope His Highness will ensure your safety after ascending the throne.”

It was not until this moment that Du Chuxuan realized that he had never told his father that Yuxing Tianrui knew that he was a man. It was true that after such a long time, he had almost forgotten that he was a man. He had gotten used to wearing women’s clothes.

“Thank you, Father. If the two of us succeed, the Du family will never have to work so hard anymore.”

This was the only promise Du Chuxuan could make his father, and his father, naturally, didn’t mind. He nodded at Du Chuxuan and told him to take a good rest.

In the palace, Yuxing Wei couldn’t help frowning as he looked at Noble Lady Xiao, who had been released because of the attempted assassination against him. “Why did you do such a silly thing?”

Noble Lady Xiao, who was still overjoyed, looked at Yuxing Wei in confusion. “This is divine retribution. How could you say it’s silly? Even the providence couldn’t stand it, which was why he set it on fire. Isn’t this a golden opportunity for you?”

“Mother, don’t you think Father acted too calmly when being informed of my brother’s injury?” Yuxing Wei was much more cool-headed than Noble Lady Xiao. He had never seen the Emperor as his father, so he naturally was much more composed when thinking about that matter.

“The East Palace is now gone, and Father won’t even let Yuxing Tianrui nurse his injury in the palace, and he didn’t say a word about looking into the attempted assassination. He just instructed the three departments to handle it, which was very uncharacteristic, seeing as how protective of the Crown Prince he usually is.”

In outsiders’ eyes, the emperor’s decision to let the three departments to handle it meant that he attached great importance to this matter. Actually, in the past few days, all court ladies and eunuchs had been taken to the department to be questioned. It had caused quite a stir. Commoners outside all believed that the Emperor loved the Crown Prince very much, and that he was a loving father while the Crown Prince a filial son, and that it was good news for this country.

However, by doing that, the Emperor was just going through the motions. If he really cared about it, he would never have bothered to ask if Noble Lady Xiao was locked up.

After hearing Yuxing Wei’s words, Noble Lady Xiao’s joy dissolved considerably. She glanced at Yuxing Wei uneasily and said, “Even so, we still have no way to figure out the reason. You might as well put more efforts into it and see if your father will allow your deeper involvement in court affairs. That’s what you should do.”

On hearing her words, Yuxing Wei felt anger bubbling inside him. He wondered who had set the East Palace on fire. The timing was perfect. If he ran outside and told them he was fine, then the attempted assassination of himself that he had arranged would be all for nothing.

“This is a good opportunity. Don’t forget your brother got your back,” Noble Lady Xiao smiled, stroking her belly.