Dream of the Red Chamber: After being exiled, I went on a killing spree in Liaodong.

The moment they stepped into the Imperial Study, the four of them felt their legs go weak and could barely stand.

If it weren't for each other's support, they would have collapsed to the ground long ago.

These subtle movements had already caught Xia Shouzhong's attention.

These four people are definitely up to something!

Emperor Yuankang stared at Jia Yi, listening to him solemnly recount the "glorious deeds" of his most prized son, Crown Prince Chen Yuan.

He really wanted to rush up and give the crown prince a good beating right then and there.

But upon seeing the prince's swollen face, he silently relaxed his fist after clenching it.

"The Crown Prince is acting irrationally. I can understand why you brought him back."

"But what about the King of Liang?"

Emperor Yuankang turned his gaze and pointed directly at Prince Liang, Chen Yi, who was standing to the side.

"Hmph, this brat is trying to take liberties with my sister."

"He got a good beating from my men."

Jia Yi glanced at Chen Yi sideways, his tone as cold as ice.

This guy doesn't look like a good person at all!

Liang Wang Chen Yi, who had been watching the spectacle with amusement, now had a stiff expression.

What does "lightweight" mean?

Before I could even utter a word, I was kicked and sent flying three zhang away!

"What?!"

"Which sister of yours?!"

Emperor Yuankang suddenly looked up, his heart skipped a beat, and his mind was filled with prayers: Please, it's not Yingchun... please, it's not Yingchun...

"All my sisters."

Jia Yi spoke calmly.

Anyway, Chen Yi walked towards Yingchun and her group of girls at that time, and saying "all" is perfectly accurate.

Emperor Yuankang's eyes suddenly turned cold as he stared intently at Prince Liang, Chen Yi.

In his eyes, this kid had ulterior motives and a clear goal—he was after Yingchun!

He was promised that he was only going to make friends before he was allowed to go.

And the result? Their intentions were sinister!

Even more suspicious is that the four weeping women behind him are probably also his accomplices, sent to frame the Crown Prince!

"Your Majesty, you really should discipline these two sons properly."

"This is outrageous!"

"If my son dared to do that, I'd break their legs!"

After Jia Yi finished speaking, he turned and left.

He had already "subtly" expressed his views on the Crown Prince; his objective had been achieved and his mission accomplished.

I'm going home to cuddle with my wife and go to sleep.

"Wait, Jia Yi!"

Emperor Yuankang grabbed his sleeve, extremely anxious.

He wanted to try one more time.

"I believe... there's a misunderstanding!"

"The Crown Prince has been framed!"

"Look at those four women, they look filthy!"

Emperor Yuankang had also frequented brothels and could tell at a glance that these four women were definitely not from respectable families.

The four Yangzhou "skinny horses" turned pale, their hearts skipping a beat.

"Where is it not clean?"

Jia Yi shrugged, looking completely innocent.

"A perfectly healthy person, with all four limbs intact and regular facial features!"

Everyone present nearly coughed up blood.

Emperor Yuankang was speechless, rubbing his forehead – how could I possibly have imagined persuading Jia Yi to reason with me?!

Are you out of your mind?!

But then he thought, if he couldn't win over Jia Yi, the Crown Prince could forget about marrying Yingchun in this lifetime!

The wedding is canceled, the alliance collapses, and the consequences are unimaginable!

"Alright, Your Majesty, please continue to educate your child. I won't disturb you any longer."

Jia Yi turned around gracefully and left without looking back.

Emperor Yuankang stood still, his eyes sweeping over his two sons with a gloomy expression.

"Father! I'm truly innocent!"

"I didn't do anything!"

Crown Prince Chen Yuan was so aggrieved that he almost cried.

He's the unluckiest person today!

From beginning to end, I was passively clinging to powerful figures!

"Xia Shouzhong, according to legend, investigated the backgrounds of these four people during the Tang Dynasty."

"remember--"

Emperor Yuankang lowered his voice, his gaze sharp as a knife.

"I do not wish for them to die in prison for no reason."

These words were a direct and blatant attack on Prince Liang, Chen Yi.

The four Yangzhou courtesans were terrified.

"Your Majesty...we..."

Before they could finish speaking, their knees buckled, and they all collapsed to the ground.

Liang Wang Chen Yi's heart skipped a beat.

Oh no, Father has misunderstood me!

"Father! This really has nothing to do with me!"

He quickly waved his hand to prove his innocence.

"Father! He's the one who orchestrated this!"

Crown Prince Chen Yuan immediately turned the tables and bit back.

"At first, only two women were bothering me!"

"It was him who revealed my identity!"

"Then the two women who had initially pounced on him immediately turned around and hugged me!"

Chen Yuan almost wanted to grab a weapon and chop his own brother up!

Emperor Yuankang frowned.

Were both sons tricked?

Who did it?

In a flash, a name crossed my mind—

The retired emperor.

"You may all leave now."

"I will handle the aftermath of today's events myself." Emperor Yuankang patted Crown Prince Chen Yuan on the shoulder, his tone gentle yet carrying immense weight.

Today's turmoil has probably spread throughout the streets and alleys of the capital.

Suppressing it? It's as difficult as climbing to the sky.

"Yes." Crown Prince Chen Yuan and Prince Liang Chen Yi exchanged a glance and silently withdrew.

A while ago, the retired emperor spread the word about the poetry gathering, making the secrets of the event known to everyone in the palace.

*

This time, it's clear to everyone that there's only one purpose: to suppress the affair between the Crown Prince and Yingchun.

"hateful!"

"Father, you have interfered time and again, pressing us further and further..."

"Then don't blame your son for flipping the table!"

Emperor Yuankang still cherished old feelings and intended to give Prince Yizhong, who was imprisoned in the imperial jail, a dignified end.

But now?

No need.

They sent him on his way directly, extinguishing the last vestige of hope for the retired emperor.

"Xia Shouzhong".

"I heard that Prince Yizhong has passed away."

"Go collect the body, find a barren slope, and bury it in a corner of the imperial mausoleum."

"Not even a tombstone will be erected, and the remains need not be named."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Xia Shouzhong acknowledged and withdrew, his heart sinking slightly.

A prince, reduced to a dead man with no proper burial.

At this moment, dark clouds loomed overhead.

Xia Shouzhong led a troop of imperial guards into the depths of the imperial prison.

In the prison, Prince Yizhong was lying on a pile of straw, resting with his eyes closed.

Hearing the chains rattle, he opened his eyes and saw Xia Shouzhong's cold face, and immediately smiled.

"Oh, you've come?"

"Is the Emperor in such a hurry to take my life?"

He sneered, his sarcasm dripping: "Pretending to be a benevolent ruler in public, but stabbing people in the back behind their backs—that's quick enough."

They've only been imprisoned for a few days? The execution is still pending, and they're already making their move?

"Your Highness, please don't blame His Majesty for being ruthless."

Xia Shouzhong said calmly, "If it weren't for the Emperor Emeritus's interference, you might have lived a few more days."

"Grandpa Emperor??"

Prince Yizhong sat up abruptly, his pupils contracting sharply.

"What did you say? I died... because of my grandfather?!"

"I want to see him! I need to see him now—"

Before he could finish speaking, a cold glint flashed.

The Imperial Guards moved with lightning speed, their blades slicing across the neck.

Blood splattered on the straw mat.

Prince Yizhong stared wide-eyed, his throat gurgling, and finally collapsed in a pool of blood, dying with his eyes wide open.

Xia Shouzhong remained expressionless, took the steel knife from the imperial guard beside him, bent down and stabbed the corpse in the abdomen several times, each stab reaching the bone.

Only after confirming there was no hope of survival did he slowly get up and shake the blood off the knife.

The surrounding imperial guards felt a chill run down their spines.

That old eunuch is more ruthless than the King of Hell.

"Walk."

"Carry him to the imperial mausoleum."

As soon as the group stepped out of the prison gate, they bumped into a young eunuch carrying a food box, about to deliver the meal.