Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved-Chapter 256 - This is Killing Two Birds with One

Chapter 256: Chapter 256 This is Killing Two Birds with One Stone

Chapter 256 -256 This is Killing Two Birds with One Stone

Not only the Emperor, but the Third Prince also suspected the arson was the doing of Prince Ling’s Mansion.

It was because he had just attempted to assassinate Murong Jiu not long ago when Prince Rui’s Mansion encountered such an incident.

However, soon the Emperor had excluded Prince Ling’s Mansion from suspicion.

They did not believe that Murong Jiu, a mere woman, had such capability, and Jun Yuyan was still on his way back, needing at least eight more days to return, too far from the Capital City to execute such a meticulous plan.

Moreover, the Emperor’s men soon found out that a year ago, the Second Prince’s Mansion had purchased fire oil.

The Emperor immediately sent someone to the Second Prince’s Mansion to inquire about the whereabouts of the fire oil bought last year without any courtesy.

After the search, they found no fire oil in the storehouse of the Second Prince’s Mansion.

And since the Second Prince could not explain the use of the fire oil, the Emperor grew even more suspicious and ordered the Second Prince to be detained, and for the Dali Temple to conduct a thorough investigation.

Upon learning this news, Murong Jiu’s smile deepened on her face.

She suddenly remembered the use of the fire oil in the Second Prince’s Mansion. Before Jun Yuyan suppressed the bandits, the bandits in the mountains had a mutually beneficial relationship with the Second Prince, secretly raising private soldiers in the mountain ranges. These private soldiers would follow the bandits to ravage and plunder surrounding villages, using ordinary villagers for practice.

The fire oil was taken by those bandits to burn down the villages, erasing the traces of their deeds.

The reason she knew of this was that in her previous life, there had been no suppression of bandits by Jun Yuyan, and later, when she entered the Second Prince’s Mansion, the Second Prince purchased fire oil several times. She had treated the injuries of the private soldiers with broken legs, thus she was clear on the use of the fire oil, and even advised the Second Prince in private not to take human lives lightly.

The Second Prince agreed very nicely in words, but afterwards, no such news reached her ears again. It wasn’t that those acts ceased to occur; rather, the Second Prince no longer let her know.

She asked Jun Yuyan with a smile, “Did you know beforehand that the Second Prince’s Mansion had purchased fire oil?”

Jun Yuyan smiled slightly and nodded.

Murong Jiu thought, such a calculated and tactful man had met such a tragic fate in his previous life, all because of love and responsibility—she was the chief culprit.

And what she could do in this life was to respond to his love at every turn, echoing back in every affair.

Of course, the Second Prince could not possibly reveal the true purpose of the fire oil. The fire at Prince Rui’s Mansion was sudden and involved a large amount of fire oil, coincidentally close to the amount he had purchased last year, indicating a long-premeditated scheme. He hadn’t even had time to erase the purchase records of the fire oil before he was confined within the Prince’s Mansion.

He couldn’t take half a step out of the Second Prince’s Mansion until the matter was thoroughly investigated.

The Second Prince had just been reveling in schadenfreude for half the night when he was placed under house arrest, and there was almost conclusive evidence that he was connected to the arson case at Prince Rui’s Mansion. The next morning at the court meeting, unexpectedly, half of the court officials impeached him on charges of intent to murder the Imperial Brother!

Upon hearing this, the Second Prince was so angry that he gnashed his teeth in hatred.

How could he not understand that so many officials would impeach him, only if his father, who doted on the Third Younger Imperial Brother, was instigating them behind the scenes!

The injuries of the Third Prince were serious; one hand was nearly disabled, his hair was burned, and his back, covered by clothing, was even more a bloody mess, and he also developed a high fever.

How could the Emperor not be enraged?

If it weren’t for the fact that the Divine Doctor Miao truly had skill, reducing the fever in no time and saving the Third Prince from critical danger, the Emperor probably would have immediately killed the Second Prince in a fit of anger, to provide a funeral companion for the Third Prince.

In Capital City, even the lowest workers and footmen could see the Emperor’s affection for the Third Prince, causing a sense of injustice on behalf of Prince Ling.

Years ago, the people had all thought that the Eldest Prince was the Emperor’s favorite son, the one who brought him most pride. After all, Noble Consort Qi was also highly favored, and the only reason the Eldest Prince had not been made Crown Prince was that he had been injured and disfigured on the battlefield, along with a disability in his leg; but even so, he had been granted the title of Prince Ling, along with many rewards.

The Second Prince, born to the Empress from the Central Palace, should have been the rightful heir to the throne, yet the Emperor had delayed naming an heir, leading the people to believe it was because of his affection for Prince Ling.

Now it was utterly clear that the current His Majesty was not truly fond of Prince Ling at all. The only reason he had delayed naming an heir was to protect the Third Prince.

Otherwise, why wouldn’t he have shown his favor for the Third Prince earlier? If not for protection, what could it be?

The mother of the Third Prince was nothing but a Palace Maid, seemingly of peasant origin, taken into the palace to serve as a maid during one of the Emperor’s incognito visits to the outside world.

Everyone assumed that this Palace Maid had merely been favored by the Emperor because she served him personally, and it was out of sheer luck she conceived and was granted the title of Consort Jing Pin.

But previously, Consort Jing Pin was as if non-existent within the harem, utterly lacking presence.

Unexpectedly, once the Third Prince was injured and returned, Consort Jing Pin was immediately promoted to Consort Jing, and the Third Prince was made Prince Rui.

Meanwhile, the Empress’s legitimate son, the Second Prince, still had no title to claim.

Therefore, some also understood why the Second Prince would set a fire to kill the Third Prince. How could he, a legitimate son rightfully entitled, tolerate being ranked below a son born of a Palace Maid, used as a shield along with Prince Ling, while the Emperor secretly cultivated and protected the Third Prince? How could the Second Prince swallow such humiliation?

In Capital City, some were even pleased that Prince Rui’s Mansion was burned down, because it had been only a few days since the incident where the Third Prince wantonly killed more than a dozen Court Physicians in Capital City, and righteous indignation was at its peak.

When the stormy gossip of Capital City reached the Second Prince’s ears, his expression could no longer be described as merely grim.

He was well aware that this must be a trap set by Jun Yuyan, a true case of killing two birds with one stone. However, since he could not account for the location of the flammables, it was like having mud stuck in his trousers: whether it was excrement or not, it would be seen as such.

Fortunately, aside from the issue with the flammables, Dali Temple hadn’t found anything else, and his subordinates had taken the blame, claiming that the flammables were procured privately for his personal gain and sold to a grain and oil shopkeeper with whom they were friendly, who then sold them elsewhere.

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As a result, the worst he could be accused of was minor negligence.

But how could the Emperor let him off so easily? Taking advantage of Dali Temple’s investigation, even if it meant framing him, he would be sure to pin many stains on his reputation.

The Second Prince continued to be under house arrest, and the servants inside his mansion didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly, all feeling the impending sense of a looming storm.

Murong Man actually fared better than others, since the Second Prince seemed to have forgotten her, and even in his rage, it did not touch her.

She had heard from Guard Shi that her half-sister, Murong Dan, had kneel for half a day as a punishment from the temperamental Second Prince after trying to show her thoughtfulness by bringing him soup, causing her legs to turn purple from the cold.

On the other hand, with Guard Shi’s secret protection, Murong Man didn’t have to worry about food or drink and often enjoyed tonics to nourish her qi and blood. After some days of rest, her appearance had actually become more striking than before.

While she may not compare to Murong Jiu, she could certainly outshine Yun Weiwei.

The Second Prince couldn’t possibly truly be in trouble. After all, his mother is the Empress of the nation, and the Yun Family has deep and widespread influence. If the Emperor wishes to remove the Second Prince, he must weigh the consequences involving the Yun Family.

Just you wait and see, the Second Prince will surely be the ultimate victor.

Her judgement cannot be wrong.