tallest building

Dong Gang was taken away.

Alan was also helped back to Princess Duanmin's palace.

“Your Majesty, Alan has suffered such a fate, she can no longer serve you. But she is someone I brought with me, and I cannot bear to abandon her,” Princess Duanmin sighed. “She is quite strong-willed, so I have someone keep a close watch on her to prevent her from taking her own life.”

He glanced meaningfully at the Empress and said, "If she really dies, things will only get more out of control."

The Empress was certainly not in a good mood at this moment, but she knew that Duanmin and Alan were the victims, and she could not afford to offend them any further.

So he said in a kind and gentle tone, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Princess. What happened today was really unexpected for everyone, but no matter what, we still need to give you an explanation."

Princess Duanmin said nothing more, and left with her entourage.

Dong Gang was imprisoned and awaiting his fate.

"It's too late tonight, everyone should leave the palace and rest," the Emperor said. "Once we have thoroughly investigated the matter, we will make a decision."

The Dong couple didn't dare to plead for them in public, knowing that they had already incurred public wrath.

Dong Gang's reputation has never been good, but it has been kept under wraps since it hasn't been made public.

If they dare to plead for leniency in public now, it will only backfire.

"How could this child be so foolish? To do such a thing!" On the carriage ride home, Dong Gang's mother sobbed uncontrollably. "What are we going to do?"

"What can we do? We can only await their fate." Dong Sicheng's face was ashen. "It's all because of your good son! I told you long ago not to spoil him so much, but you just didn't care. Now look what happened! He's caused a huge disaster!"

“You only blame me. Does he only have a mother and no father? What mother doesn’t love her son? I didn’t ask him to do anything wrong.” Dong Gang’s mother retorted. “You have to think of something, whether you want to or not. In any case, my son’s life must be saved.”

"Hmph, you only care about saving his life, but you don't think about how I might lose my position as prime minister." Dong Sicheng sneered. "After something like this, how can I still have the face to stay in the position of prime minister? Starting tomorrow, I will have to stay at home and wait for punishment."

"This... could you ask the Grand Tutor for a solution?" Of course, she didn't want her husband to lose his official position.

“What can the Grand Tutor do? If he finds out about this, it will only make him sicker, and he has already been ill these days.” Dong Sicheng did not want to upset the Grand Tutor.

There's not much room for maneuver in this matter.

“Do you think Gang’er was framed? Even if he were confused, he wouldn’t do something to that Alan,” Dong Gang’s mother said. “And look at how relentlessly Princess Duanmin is making a scene…”

"What you're saying is pushing our family to the brink of ruin! Instead of properly admitting your guilt, you're still thinking about how your son was framed. Who framed him? Are you talking about Princess Duanmin? Have you offended her?!" Dong Sicheng felt that his wife was only making things worse.

"Oh, my son!" Dong Gang's mother cried again, feeling utterly helpless.

Consort Hui had no idea how she was carried back to her palace.

She even doubted whether she was dreaming, because it was so unreal and unbelievable.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please say something!" Granny Xia and Steward Hu were very worried. They had not expected such a thing to happen and were still completely confused.

"Where exactly did things go wrong?" Consort Hui asked. "Didn't you personally escort that painter to that room?" "Yes, Your Highness, you absolutely did nothing wrong, truly! I escorted him to the door, watched him go in, and then closed the door again. Besides, I left someone there to watch over him." Chief Eunuch Hu wished he could jump into the Yellow River and take a bath right now. He certainly hadn't done anything wrong!

"Could it be that one of the watchers is a traitor?" Consort Hui was now extremely suspicious, feeling that no one was trustworthy.

Chief Steward Hu immediately summoned the two eunuchs and questioned them, "You two were watching over there, did you leave in the middle?"

"We're innocent, Steward! We didn't dare leave your side for a second, knowing this was important." The two eunuchs were also terrified and hurriedly explained, "Then I watched him go to find you, and I didn't see a single person around here."

"How could the person have been changed?!" Steward Hu wished he could turn back time and go there himself to see for himself.

"Little Shunzi, did Little Shunzi lie?" Granny Xia slapped her thigh. "Wasn't he the one who came to tell us where it was?"

“Even if he tells us the location, he can’t possibly let Dong Gang into that room.” Consort Hui understood this. “Who exactly replaced the painter? And from where did Dong Gang get in?”

"The back window! That room has a back window!" Manager Hu slapped his forehead. "The person who switched the beams and pillars must have done it through the back window. Our men were only focused on the front door."

"Who replaced the person?" Granny Xia asked.

“Alan must know,” Consort Hui sneered. “She’s acting. Can’t you see that? Dong Gang was clearly framed, but he couldn’t explain himself no matter how hard he tried.”

"Yes, yes, yes, the prince consort must have been framed!" Steward Hu hurriedly said, "He was still at the table when we left. At that time, Zhang Yunqi had already been taken into the house by me."

“Our departure was a trap,” Consort Hui realized belatedly. “He must have been tricked into leaving later.”

“Yes! If the prince consort really forced himself on Alan, how could our people, who have been guarding nearby, not have heard anything?” Granny Xia understood as well. “It’s just a pity that we can’t see the prince consort now, so we can’t ask him.”

“What about Zhang Yunqi?” Consort Hui’s eyes lit up. “Find him and ask him. Maybe we can find out something.”

Only then did they remember Zhang Yunqi, who had been drugged and made drunk. He should be in that room, but he wasn't. Where was he now?

When Zhang Yunqi woke up, he felt a stinging sensation on his face.

He reached out and swatted at it, feeling a mosquito die.

He opened his eyes and was startled to find himself surrounded by dark shadows of trees. How did he end up sleeping on the ground?
He struggled to his feet and found himself sleeping on the grass behind the main hall where the Dragon Boat Festival banquet was being held.

"Oh dear, how reckless of me! How did I end up drunk at the banquet?" He tapped his head, trying to clear his mind.

He vaguely remembered someone helping him up and taking him to rest, but how did he end up here?

However, it was already very late at this time, and it looked like midnight had passed.

It wasn't good for him to just wander around here; if the Imperial Guards on night patrol found him, they would interrogate him. So he figured out which way to go and, using the cover of the bushes, walked back to the painting academy.

The painting academy was located in the southeast corner of the palace. The gatekeeper was familiar with him, and after some discussion, he was allowed to enter. (End of Chapter)