The Aloof Lord's Mysterious Wife
Chapter 104: The Emperor and Crown Prince Fall into a Trap

Chapter 104: The Emperor and Crown Prince Fall into a Trap

Nanli bestowed upon them amulets of protection, alleviating their worries.

Moreover, this formation only targeted men, leaving women unharmed and secure.

The palace maids’ hearts finally settled as Nanli guided them to dig in several locations.

Sure enough, they unearthed numerous jars buried beneath.

A solemn expression fell upon everyone’s faces.

Empress Xie, witnessing it with her own eyes, couldn’t bear the shock and fainted, her vision turning black.

Ye Chengyan widened his eyes, murmuring, "How... how is this possible? How can this be?!"

As the jars were exposed to sunlight, dark energy dissipated into thin air.

However, the malevolent contents of the central jar remained fierce, undeterred by the sunlight, and surged towards the relatives and ministers in the corridor.

People cried out in alarm, pushing and shoving one another.

Yet, a golden light flashed, a talismanic seal blocking the dark energy.

Nanli’s face remained devoid of any extra expression as she threw another talisman, dispersing the dark energy.

The chilling aura instantly dissipated.

Having narrowly escaped disaster, everyone still trembled, their admiration for Nanli’s Daoist skills deepening.

At this moment, Prince Qing spoke up, "Everyone has witnessed it; indeed, malevolent objects were buried underground! Ninth Brother, the Crown Prince’s plot to harm our imperial brother not only disqualifies him from inheriting the throne but also warrants punishment!"

Ye Siheng said, "Fifth Brother, rest assured, I will investigate this matter thoroughly."

Ye Chengyan, now in a state of panic, hastily said, "Ninth Imperial Uncle! Your nephew is innocent! When Master Xue was rearranging the formation, I kept a close eye on him. This thing... must have been planted to frame me!"

He knew that only Ninth Imperial Uncle could clear his name.

As long as it was proven that he was framed, there was still a chance to retain his position as the Crown Prince.

Ye Siheng coldly glanced at Ye Chengyan.

They had already warned him with good intentions, but Ye Chengyan, with the mind of a petty person, doubted their sincerity.

However, he had long dispatched people to strictly guard the paths up and down the mountain, precisely for this moment.

"Bring the person here," Ye Siheng ordered, and Qing Feng knew exactly who his lord was referring to.

First was Xue Cheng.

Second were the people by the Crown Prince’s side.

Third were generals and imperial guards like Chu Ye, who had previously arranged defenses in Yuanqiu Mountain.

Since Xue Cheng was a cultivator, Nanli was afraid that Qing Feng alone might not be able to handle him, so she accompanied him.

However, the room was empty.

Xue Cheng had vanished without a trace, and the guarding imperial guards were terrified, claiming they had been stationed at the door and hadn’t seen anyone leave.

Nanli entered and looked around, discovering traces of teleportation talisman.

She narrowed her eyes; there were only a few individuals in the world who could draw teleportation talisman.

Ni Kun and Ming Xu were among them.

Unexpectedly, Xue Cheng had also used them.

He should be of similar status to those two, all spies from the Qi Kingdom!

At this moment, Qing Feng also arrived, his face darkened. "Miss Chu, Liang Han is also missing."

Liang Han was the Crown Prince’s attendant.

Ye Chengyan ordered him to keep an eye on Xue Cheng.

Upon hearing this, Nanli looked around and also discovered traces of teleportation talisman.

"They are in cahoots, and they have escaped using teleportation talisman," she exclaimed.

These two individuals were well-prepared and now that they have fled, there is no evidence to prove their innocence.

"What?!"

Qing Feng exclaimed in shock.

"Liang Han was personally chosen by the Marquis of Zhenbei to stay by the Crown Prince’s side. He has a clean background and has always been dedicated to serving the Crown Prince. He is trustworthy. I never expected that he would conspire with Xue Cheng to frame the Crown Prince."

"Even you say so. Who would have thought that Liang Han, the traitor, would collude with Xue Cheng? Now that he has disappeared, the Crown Prince’s guilt is certain," Nanli said.

Liang Han had been lurking by the Crown Prince’s side all along without revealing any flaws.

No wonder he stumbled this time.

Given the circumstances, Qing Feng had to return and report.

Upon hearing that Xue Cheng and Liang Han were nowhere to be found, some worried while others took pleasure in their misfortune.

Prince Qing glanced at Ye Chengyan and said, "With the exposure of the Crown Prince’s affair, his men naturally fled in fear."

Ye Chengyan’s face turned pale, and he almost lost his balance.

His eyes widened, and his breathing became rapid.

These sinister things must have been planted by Liang Han and Xue Cheng in secret.

Liang Hai, who had followed him for many years, had only been waiting for this moment.

His most trusted attendant had betrayed him, and he had no one to prove his innocence!

The mastermind behind this scheme had truly took great effort!

However, he was not willing to accept this.

He knelt before Ye Siheng and pleaded, "Ninth Uncle, I am innocent. This is a frame-up orchestrated by Liang Han and Xue Cheng! I implore Ninth Uncle to investigate thoroughly!"

"With concrete evidence, you have caused our imperial brother’s illness to worsen. How dare you plead innocence?!"

Prince Qing angrily retorted.

"In my opinion, your status as Crown Prince should be immediately revoked, and you should be buried alongside our imperial brother!"

With that, he drew his sword from the imperial guards and aimed it at Ye Chengyan’s heart.

A resounding clash echoed through the air.

The long sword was forcefully split apart.

Nanli looked over and saw that Ye Siheng had unleashed an inner force to stop Prince Qing.

"You dare to protect him, even at this point?!" Prince Qing fumed.

Ye Siheng calmly stated, "Bring the Crown Prince down and keep him under strict surveillance."

The Marquis of Zhenbei breathed a sigh of relief.

Ye Chengyan’s eyes turned red.

Although he was under house arrest, he had managed to preserve his life and his position as the heir.

As he watched the figure of his Ninth Uncle, he truly appeared tall and imposing!

"Ninth Uncle, what is your intention?!" Prince Qing blocked the doorway.

Several high-ranking officials echoed his sentiment.

Regardless of whether the Crown Prince was aware or not, his illness was related to him, and he could not escape blame.

Even if he managed to save his life, he was no longer worthy of being the heir!

Upon hearing this, Ye Siheng coldly smiled and said, "Whether I am worthy or not is for our imperial brother to decide. If you all insist on deposing the Crown Prince, I will be overstepping my bounds. But then, you may find yourselves accused of seizing control of the court."

Prince Qing’s face turned cold.

"How could that be? Our imperial brother is currently gravely ill and unconscious. The Crown Prince is implicated in a murder plot. Only you can oversee the situation."

"Fifth Brother, when he awakens, he will handle the Crown Prince himself. I don’t need to take charge," Ye Siheng said coldly, exuding a powerful aura that left people questioning.

The several ministers dared not speak any further.

Prince Qing choked, gritting his teeth. "As you heard from the imperial physician’s orders, if you don’t take charge now, you will have to take charge tomorrow!"

If he had the same power and influence as Ye Siheng, would he still need to waste time arguing here?

There was no need to be too explicit in his words; everyone understood Prince Qing’s meaning.

Ye Siheng turned to Nanli.

"When will our imperial brother awaken?"

He knew that Nanli’s calm demeanor indicated that our imperial brother’s condition was not yet critical.

"In a couple of days. I need to set up a formation to replenish his yang energy," Nanli replied.

Prince Qing’s face stiffened.

Ye Chengyan also stared at her intently.

Prime Minister Lu, who was both surprised and delighted, didn’t notice their expressions and approached, saying, "I knew it! Why did Miss Chu keep the evil object? It turns out she has a way to cure the Emperor. Why didn’t you say so earlier? Ah, how much time has been wasted!"

"You were all so engrossed in your argument. How could I interrupt?" Nanli said, quite pleased with herself.

It was just perfect for Ye Chengyan to suffer a beating, so he would understand that saving eighteen thousand taels was bound to lead to trouble.

Finding her was truly worth it!