Chapter 158

The Imperial Palace.

Emperor Qi Zhaodi listened to the report without saying a word, the entire hall filled with a tense atmosphere.

When he saw the red jade carved with "Received by Heaven, May You Live Forever and Prosper," his eyes were filled with undisguised rage.

"So the Duke has grown tired of being a Duke and wants to seize my dragon throne? Duke Li, you have great courage!"

"Guards, draft an edict: effective immediately, strip Li Xin of his title as Duke and throw him into the Heavenly Prison; all direct descendants of the Li family are to be stripped of their official posts and investigated. Order Duke Cui to be the special investigation envoy; all civil and military officials and the people of the country who know of the Li family's illegal activities may report them."

"Your Majesty, I am wronged, wronged!"

Duke Li still wanted to argue for himself, but Emperor Qi Zhaodi gave him no chance and ordered the guards to drag him away.

Duke Zhao watched the Emperor's thunderous rage and felt terrified as well.

Unfortunately, he was a witness today and had no way to plead for Duke Li.

Dongfang Yan also knew that the Li family was likely beyond saving, so he stopped meddling in these muddy waters.

But after the major matters were handled, he deliberately touched his cheek in front of Emperor Qi Zhaodi.

Emperor Qi Zhaodi asked casually, "Prince Jin, what happened to the injury on your face?"

Dongfang Yan followed the lead and began to complain: "Because I saw Prince Chaolan and the Crown Prince were very close, I felt unhappy for a moment and asked the Crown Prince if he had intentions toward my ex-wife. The Crown Prince flew into a rage and whipped my face in public."

Emperor Qi Zhaodi's gaze turned to Dongfang Qi: "Is that so?"

Lin Qingyue was about to speak, but Dongfang Qi stepped forward first to admit: "Yes. I was impulsive for a moment; please punish me, Father Emperor."

Emperor Qi Zhaodi said, "The Crown Prince's behavior was inappropriate; punish him with one year's salary. Call the Imperial Physician to treat Prince Jin's wounds; if there is a next time, there will be no leniency."

A year's salary meant nothing to Dongfang Qi.

Dongfang Yan also knew that Emperor Qi Zhaodi protected his own, so it was impossible for him to impose any substantial punishment.

His true purpose in complaining was to let Emperor Qi Zhaodi know that the relationship between the Crown Prince and Lin Qingyue had begun to cross the line.

Sure enough, he then heard Emperor Qi Zhaodi say, "If there is nothing else, everyone except the Crown Prince may withdraw."

Walking out of the hall, Dongfang Yan couldn't help but look back into the hall: the Crown Prince was bowing his head listening to the lecture, while Emperor Qi Zhaodi's face was full of rage.

—Dongfang Qi, you are very proud to be the Crown Prince, aren't you? But don't forget, the higher the position, the less freedom you have.

"Dongfang Yan." Lin Qingyue's voice sounded behind him.

Dongfang Yan's voice also carried a hint of coldness: "Does Prince Chaolan have any advice?"

Even if he liked Lin Qingyue, after being humiliated repeatedly, he wouldn't be completely without a temper.

Lin Qingyue said, "I have already burned the thing you sent me this morning. If you send any more filthy, messy things next time, I will burn down your Wangfu. I am not Dongfang Qi; I don't have those rules to restrain me."

"You mean that pair of underpants?" Dongfang Yan lowered his voice and said playfully, "That is the witness to our intimacy; how could you bear to burn it?"

Lin Qingyue said, "Dongfang Yan, you really are hopelessly stupid. How could that thing possibly be mine?"

"In fact, I knew long ago that you had drugged the wine. So, naturally, I wouldn't fall for it and swapped the wine in the cup. After leaving the Prince Jin's Mansion, I went straight to Tianxiang Lou. Who drank that love potion later?"

She pretended to frown in confusion, then suddenly laughed: "Could it be that you drank it? You drank the wine and fell for the love potion?"

Dongfang Yan's expression was extremely ugly: "What did you say? You didn't... then who was with me yesterday... Impossible! You are already my woman; don't think you can erase the facts by saying this!"

"With just those low-class methods of yours, you dream of making me fall for it? If you don't believe me, why not ask the guards at my door? It was still early when I went out. If I had really fallen for the love potion, I wouldn't have been able to retreat unscathed so quickly."

Dongfang Yan didn't want to believe these facts, but he knew what she said was indeed reasonable.

Yesterday, it was still bright when he drank the wine, and when he woke up, a full two hours had passed, and it was pitch black outside the hall.

At that time, he thought he had obtained Lin Qingyue and was too busy being happy to check with the guards at the door about when Lin Qingyue had left.

If the person who was intimate with him last night wasn't Lin Qingyue, then who could it be?

Whose was that blood-stained underpants?

Lin Qingyue laughed with schadenfreude: "Prince Jin, why are you stunned? Why don't you hurry back and find your new Princess!"

"I wonder which destined woman was so unlucky to be favored by you. You must remember to treat her well; after all, it's not easy to suffer such a great disaster, is it?"

Dongfang Yan said bitterly: "Lin Qingyue, even if I can't have you, I will never let the Crown Prince have you!"

After saying this, he turned and left, his steps staggering as he walked.

After returning to the Wangfu, he immediately summoned the gate guards from that night.

Upon asking, he learned that yesterday evening, before it was even dark, Lin Qingyue had left the Wangfu, rode away, and never returned.

So, what Lin Qingyue said was true.

He really... slept with the wrong person?

"Zhao An!" Dongfang Yan's expression was terrifyingly gloomy. "Last night, weren't you guarding outside the Qi Wu Dian the whole time?"

Zhao An knelt down trembling to answer: "This servant was secretly following the Princess at first. But the Princess walked too fast, and in the blink of an eye, she was gone."

"When this servant returned, the doors of the Qi Wu Dian were already closed. You were inside... This servant, this servant thought the Princess had returned. After all, she is always elusive... I never expected... Prince, please forgive me, this servant deserves to die!"

Zhao An kept slapping his own face, slapping it until it was red.

Dongfang Yan said calmly: "Since you know you deserve to die, what face do you have to ask me to forgive you?"

"Clang!" A sword light flashed. Zhao An, who had followed him for many years and had always been loyal, was cut down by Dongfang Yan's sword.

"Bring all the servants in the Wangfu for interrogation. Which lowly slave..."

Suddenly, he seemed to think of something and changed his words: "Bring Lin Ruzhen here!"

Back then, it was Lin Ruzhen who impersonated her, causing Dongfang Yan and Lin Qingyue to be unable to become a couple.

Later, in order to ascend to the position of Princess early, she drugged Dongfang Yan.

As a result, by a twist of fate, Lin Qingyue became the Princess of Jin.

Therefore, last night, she was absolutely capable of replacing her and spending the night with Dongfang Yan.

Not long after, the guard returned and reported that Lin Ruzhen had disappeared.

This disappearance further confirmed Lin Ruzhen's suspicion.

Damn bitch!

At this moment, Dongfang Yan deeply regretted not killing her with one sword.

"Find her!" Dongfang Yan said through gritted teeth. "I don't believe that bitch can stay hidden forever!"