Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved
Chapter 396: The Second Prince is Not Very Competent

Chapter 396: Chapter 396: The Second Prince is Not Very Competent

Seeing the Fifth Princess in such pain that her face turned deathly pale, Murong Man dared not shout at her any more and finally spoke:

"Princess, please don’t be angry, the Prince Consort couldn’t make it."

"Why!"

"Because in his rage, the Prince castrated him, and he’s now unconscious. The Prince said he won’t summon a Court Physician and will let him perish on his own."

The Fifth Princess’s face was marked with shock, then she revealed a ferocious smile, "Good, he deserves to suffer a fate worse than death! If the Emperor didn’t do it, I would have!"

"Princess, please calm yourself, the Imperial Physician said you must take good care of your health. If you give up on yourself, those who harmed you would be secretly delighted."

These words reminded the Fifth Princess.

When she had awakened earlier, the Prince Consort had said that he was seduced, and that female servant had been around him for several days already.

"The one who harmed me must be Murong Jiu!"

She gritted her teeth as she spoke, stirring her wound and causing pain that made her eyes blood-red.

Murong Man responded in surprise, "How could it be her? The Prince interrogated the Prince Consort, who said a female assassin sent by the Third Prince was disguised as a man at his side. It was done by the Third Prince’s Mansion, it should have nothing to do with Murong Jiu."

"No! It’s nobody but her!"

"Princess, there are too many ears around."

As Murong Man spoke, she asked everyone in the inner chamber to exit.

She whispered, "Princess, you can’t talk recklessly about such things, the Prince has already gone to the palace to accuse the Third Prince."

The Fifth Princess said hatefully, "Do you remember I told you that I wanted to teach Murong Jiu a lesson? I bribed a servant at the Prince Mansion to poison her, aiming to kill Murong Jiu’s twins. But that night, the incident with the Prince Consort happened, and then I was disfigured and lost my child! My face must look horrendous now. Murong Jiu must really want me to live a life worse than death!"

"Please, don’t get upset, Princess. I thought you were just speaking in anger, I didn’t expect you to actually do such a thing! This has indeed been a great injustice to you, but, even if you say it was Murong Jiu who did it, there’s no evidence, is there?"

"No evidence doesn’t prevent my brother from avenging me! They managed to enter my Princess’s Mansion like it was unguarded, blame it on the Third Prince, and they might later enter the Crown Prince’s Mansion to kill him as well!"

"Kill whom?"

The Second Prince entered, pushing a wheelchair with a solemn face.

Murong Man, surprised, said, "Your Highness, how did you return so soon?"

"The Emperor suffered a bout of headache today and refused to see anyone. The Third Prince is handling the state affairs."

The Second Prince spoke emotionlessly, yet even the Fifth Princess could hear the deep resentment in his words.

"Older brother, how can the Emperor be so heartless? Hasn’t he heard about my plight? I can’t believe the Imperial Physician wouldn’t report it to him. Not only did he not send anyone to see me, but he also refused to see you! Does he even regard me as his daughter?"

The Fifth Princess broke down in tears.

With the Empress gone, she had already been feeling miserable; now, she had nearly died, and the Emperor still ignored her completely, exacerbating her suffering.

What she took pride in was her noble princess status, but it seemed the Emperor might not even treat her as his daughter. Now disfigured and unable to bear children, everyone in the Capital City and the world would dare mock her.

Seeing her collapse, Murong Man steered the conversation back, "Your Highness, just now, the Princess said that it wasn’t the Third Prince who harmed her, it was Murong Jiu and Prince Ling’s Mansion."

Saying this, she relayed everything the Fifth Princess had told her to the Second Prince.

"You fool! Why would you undertake something without absolute certainty!"

The Second Prince was uncontrollably furious.

"Your Highness, please do not be angry. The Princess hates Murong Jiu so much because, back in the palace, if it hadn’t been for Murong Jiu assisting Consort Yun and the Emperor in their schemes, our mother wouldn’t have been exposed and led to..."

"Exactly! I do hate her. I want her to live a life worse than death! We’ve ended up in such a plight, all because of her, my brother! Please, help me kill her. I beg you, brother, can you help me take revenge?"

The Second Prince remained silent, his facial expression changing unpredictably.

After a long time he finally spoke, "This matter requires careful planning. Don’t worry, I will take revenge for you. I won’t let them get away with this. Manman, stay here and keep her company for a couple of days. I’ll come back for you later."

Murong Man obediently nodded in agreement and urged him to be very careful.

After the Second Prince returned to his mansion, he immediately summoned his aides to discuss how to target Prince Ling’s Mansion.

Before they could come up with a solid plan, screams of horror echoed through the mansion.

"Ah! Poisonous insects!"

"Such a huge poisonous snake! Run!"

The mansion was thrown into chaos, with two aides even bitten by the poisonous insects.

The Second Prince’s face turned pale with fright because he was the one bitten by a poisonous snake on the foot, which led to Divine Doctor Miao severing his foot to prevent further damage, rendering him disabled.

He had a tremendous phobia of snakes.

Murong Man, unaware of the situation here, still fantasized that the Second Prince would take action against Murong Jiu tonight and kill her.

She pretended to take care of the Fifth Princess but didn’t actually handle anything and soon excused herself to rest, claiming she was tired.

The window creaked as a figure slipped in.

Murong Man coquettishly exclaimed, "Are you out of your mind? This is the Princess’s Mansion."

"Everyone is guarding the Princess’s chamber; no one will notice. Manman, are you tired today? Can I massage your shoulders?"

A tall figure dressed as a guard approached, speaking gently, looking at Murong Man with deep adoration.

This person was none other than Guard Shi from the Second Prince’s Mansion, who had been secretly helping her ever since she fell out of favor.

Guard Shi never dared to aspire for Murong Man, viewing her as gentle, kind, and mentally strong—far beyond his reach. He only dared to show his admiration when others weren’t looking.

But once, when he was buying something for Murong Man and accidentally saw her bathing upon his return, he panicked and turned away. Unexpectedly, Murong Man slipped on a water stain coming out, and in his urgent need to help, he picked her up. Later, he couldn’t remember whether it was her who initiated wrapping her arms around his neck or his own overwhelming emotions that took control, leading to an intimate encounter.

Afterwards, Murong Man didn’t blame him, merely saying she was too captivated by his tenderness, leading her to approach him unconsciously. If there was blame, it was on her, and she would explain the situation to the Prince.

Guard Shi had long cherished her, and having finally won her heart, how could he possibly tell the Second Prince?

He didn’t expect that Murong Man also had feelings for him, but their relationship was forbidden, forcing them to restrain themselves.

Since then, Guard Shi had treated Murong Man even better.

Whenever the Second Prince visited other women, he would come to keep her company.

Guard Shi believed that the child Murong Man was carrying must be his.

Otherwise, why were there no signs from the other women? Was it not because the Second Prince was incapable?