Chapter 105: Take Off the Mask!

The two tigers that had just been wreaking havoc in the camp, swatting a seven-foot-tall man aside with a single paw, full of majestic, fierce, and untamed aura befitting the king of beasts.

Now lay flat on the ground, performing rolls and bows for Cheng Chengxuan, even voluntarily exposing their bellies to show him their soft underbelly as a sign of submission.

Just like obedient big cats from next door.

These two tigers had truly gone all out for the sake of their own cub.

Cheng Chengxuan sighed.

"Very well."

He took out that small porcelain bottle from his clothes, held it before the tiger's nose, and let it sniff for a while.

"Remember this scent. Go to the other side of the mountain and find my family."

Then he took off the cloak his mother had personally made.

He tied a few knots, fashioned it into a cloth pouch, hung it around the mother tiger's neck, and finally placed the Young Tiger inside.

He patted each of their heads one by one, pointing in the direction within Da Yin's borders.

"Go."

The family of three—two big and one small—nuzzled his hand, then bounded into the mountain in a few leaps, vanishing from sight in no time.

Cheng Chengxuan withdrew his gaze and said softly.

"Sorry to trouble you, miss, please pass word to Yu'an for me."

After the tigers left, Chu Yuan jumped down from the tree trembling, looking at the thick paw prints in the snow with lingering fear.

"That scared me to death."

Cheng Chengxuan glanced at him speechlessly.

"Look at how pathetic you are!"

"Yes, yes, yes, you're amazing. Facing a whole pack of tigers without changing color—you're the greatest, alright?"

After his quip, Chu Yuan's expression grew solemn.

"Shang Xiaomin didn't even inform you before changing the plan on his own. Clearly, he never truly trusted you."

"What do we do now?"

Cheng Chengxuan looked toward the camp, his eyes icy cold.

"The objective hasn't been achieved yet. Now is not the time to fall out with Shang Xiaomin."

"I'll go check the situation again. You leave here quickly."

……

And at this moment, inside the National Lord's main tent.

The Second Prince knelt on the ground, his tone sincere, every word earnest.

"Father Emperor, please calm your anger. Regardless, such a blunder occurring during the Eastern Hunt is indeed my son's fault. I am willing to accept punishment!"

"But Father Emperor, please hear me out—these two incidents are truly too suspicious!"

As he spoke, he shot a pointed glare at Shang Xiaomin.

"I am not trying to excuse myself."

"I only feel that it must be someone with ulterior motives deliberately framing me!"

Thanks to the efforts of the imperial physicians, the old National Lord had already regained consciousness, and now sat weakly propped against a chair.

Hearing these words, he was so enraged that he hurled the teacup in his hand straight at him.

He raised a trembling hand, pointing at him as he cursed furiously.

"You ungrateful wretch!"

"You botched your own assignment, and when something goes wrong, all you think about is shifting blame. Is this how I raised you?!"

The Second Prince knelt ramrod straight, motionless, letting the teacup strike him, staring back stubbornly.

"Father Emperor, I am not shifting blame. But these two incidents are far too coincidental. How did a tiger cub sneak into a tightly guarded camp? And those assassins hidden among the Imperial Guard?"

"If an investigation proves it truly was coincidence, I'll accept it. Whatever punishment I receive doesn't matter, as long as Father Emperor is unharmed."

"But if someone truly did this with malicious intent, as long as that person remains, I worry for Father Emperor's safety!"

Shang Xiao Hui's little speech of filial piety—"Everything I do is for your own good, Father"—actually had some effect.

At the very least, it planted a seed of doubt in the old National Lord's heart.

The Second was right. If someone really was plotting in the shadows, that person's scheming was truly terrifying.

Who could it be?

The old National Lord's aged yet exceptionally sharp gaze swept over everyone in the tent one by one.

The Imperial Officials were all possible. As for these two sons of his…

The Fifth had taken a sword for him, but the wound was shallow, and the imperial physician had said it hadn't hit any vital points. The Second had erred, and the one who benefited most was him…

As for the Second, it was also possible that the Second had staged the whole thing himself—a thief crying "stop, thief!"

But when his gaze fell on his second son—covered in wounds, his face pale as paper, a picture of utter disarray—a flicker of heartache crossed the old National Lord's mind.

After all, he had raised this son with his own hands, and once took pride in this brave and valiant, high-spirited boy.

The old National Lord sighed, raised his hand, and gave the Eunuch Chief a look.

"You blind fools! Hurry up and help your Second Prince up!"

"Where are the imperial physicians? Quickly, tend to the Second!"

Seeing this scene, Shang Xiaomin secretly rolled his eyes.

He'd truly underestimated the Second before. So the fellow knew how to play the victim too?

Shang Xiao Hui sat in the chair, letting the imperial physician treat his wounds.

"Father Emperor, that masked man holding the tiger cub was also very suspicious. In my son's opinion, he should still be interrogated."

Shang Xiaomin hurriedly clutched his chest and stood up.

"Father Emperor, I urge you to reconsider — that man did render meritorious service in saving Your Majesty after all!"

"What's the rush, Fifth Brother? Oh right, if I'm not mistaken, what that man was wearing looked like the uniform of a guard from Fifth Brother's residence, didn't it?"

Shang Xiaomin gritted his teeth, speaking word by word.

"I urge Second Brother to choose his words carefully!"

The old National Lord narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Enough!"

"Second's suspicion has some merit, and what Fifth said is also not wrong — we cannot wrong a man who has rendered service. To be safe, let's still summon that man here for questioning."

Shang Xiaomin secretly gave a look to Qingmu at the door; the other took the hint and quietly left.

Meanwhile, just as Cheng Chengxuan stepped through the gate of the Camp, he was surrounded by a group of Imperial Guard soldiers.

The guard beside the Second Prince waved his hand heavily.

"Take him away!"

"Wait!"

Qingmu walked over.

"The National Lord only said to bring the man back for questioning — he never said to treat him like a criminal and drag him there!"

That guard clenched his teeth, forced out a smile, and cupped his fists toward Cheng Chengxuan.

"Thank you for the reminder — I was too hasty. Please forgive me, brother."

"The National Lord summons you; please come with us, brother."

Cheng Chengxuan followed behind them and arrived at the National Lord's great tent.

He performed a salute toward the seat of honor.

"Greetings to the National Lord."

The old National Lord sized him up.

"Where did you discover that Tiger cub?"

Cheng Chengxuan lowered his head slightly.

"In reply to the National Lord, this Subordinate believed the Tiger would not have charged into the great camp without cause. Upon careful observation, I discovered the cub in a palace woman's arms."

"I had only meant to try it on a whim; I never expected that, by sheer luck, it really did draw those two Tigers away."

"Hmph!"

The Second Prince gave a cold snort.

"You say you discovered it in a palace woman's arms — who can testify to that?!"

Cheng Chengxuan stared straight at him.

"This Subordinate clearly remembers that the palace woman was Imperial Consort (Gongzhu) Xue's personal maid. Summon her and ask, and the truth will be known."

The old National Lord called out toward the outside.

"Bring that palace woman here!"

And upon hearing him mention Imperial Consort Xue, a fleeting look of unease crossed the Second Prince's face.

"Wearing a mask, hiding and covering up — there must be something fishy about you!"

Cheng Chengxuan raised a hand and touched his mask.

"This Subordinate once escaped death from a fire; my face was burned by the great flames and is truly hideous and frightening to behold. It would be an eyesore, and I dared not startle or offend the National Lord."

But in the Second Prince's eyes, this explanation was nothing but a sign of a guilty conscience.

Moreover, for some unknown reason, this man gave him a sense of déjà vu.

The more Shang Xiao Hui thought about it, the more he felt something was off about him.

"No matter. Father Emperor is the Son of Heaven and is blessed by the heavens above. If your conscience is clear, you should take off that mask and let us have a look!"

Shang Xiaomin secretly clenched his fist tight.

"Second Brother! You're being far too aggressive!"

Although Muyuan and Da Yin had not waged war for years, within this tent there were also veteran generals who had once been on the battlefield.

What's more, back in his early years on the battlefield, Second had met members of the Cheng Family!

He would surely recognize Cheng Chengxuan!

The old National Lord lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment.

"Second is right."

"Remove that mask at once!"