Chapter 284 - 284. This Is His Only Card
The smile on the Third Prince’s face froze, and his expression turned solemn. Why did the Empress send someone at this time?
‘Til go give your mother acupuncture.”
Su Qing did not care about the matters of the royal family. She will quickly finish the acupuncture for the Third Prince’s mother and return early. This time, she underestimated the enemy and did not catch the person who did it. The inescapable net setup in Mo City was also not used. The people in the city were still anxious!
“Thank you, Miss Su.”
The Third Prince thanked Su Qing and ordered the palace maids to take Su Qing to his mother’s bedroom. He went to welcome the Empress’s people. The one who came was the Empress’s eunuch. This eunuch had followed the Empress for more than ten years and was very favored. When he saw the Third Prince, he raised his nose and was full of arrogance.
“Eunuch Su.”
The Third Prince suppressed the anger in his heart and greeted Eunuch Su. This was already giving him a full face. He was a prince, and the other party was only a eunuch.
The Head Eunuch snorted and ordered the Third Prince, with his sharp voice,
“Third Prince, someone reported that there is a spy in your camp. The Empress has ordered you to hand him over.”
“Who’s talking nonsense? How could there be a spy in my camp?”
The Third Prince’s expression changed drastically. He flung his sleeves and no longer treated the Head Eunuch politely.
By saying a spy was in his camp, wasn’t he trying to frame him for conspiring with foreign countries? It seemed that the Empress could not wait to make a move on him.
“Since the Third Prince said there are no spies in the camp, let me search it. The Empress is considering the Third Prince’s reputation to prevent people with ulterior motives from saying that you have ill intentions.”
Eunuch Su waved the horsetail whisk in his hand and said to the Third Prince with a fake smile. His posture was that he had to search today.
“Thank you for your concern, but Yeluchun is upright and unafraid of criticism. Please go back and report to Huangen Niang that Yeluchun is a lazy person and that she does not have to worry about me.”
Yeluchun’s eyes were filled with ridicule. He put his hands behind his back and retorted in neither a servile nor overbearing manner.
He meant I have no interest in the country, so you don’t have to waste your time here.
Eunuch Su understood the meaning behind Yeluchun’s words. However, the Empress’ decree stated that as long as Yeluchun was still the Third Prince, he would be a threat to the Second Prince. If it was true, he had to find the wrong person, given such a good opportunity.
“Third Prince, the Empress is also thinking about your safety. Making so many excuses will make people feel you have disloyal intentions.”
Eunuch Su’s attitude was unyielding.
“If the Third Prince doesn’t allow us to search, then we can only report to the Empress that the Third Prince is intentionally protecting the spy.”
Eunuch Su had already clearly wronged Yeluchun. Not allowing him to search meant he wanted to collude with foreign countries and had disloyal intentions.
If they were allowed to search Yeluchun, they would find that outsider and label him a spy no matter who he was.
In short, don’t even think about it.
“What if we can’t find him?”
Yeluchun was so angry that he laughed. He had already tried his best to tolerate it, but the Empress was still aggressive. He looked at Eunuch Su with a burning gaze.
“If you can’t find anything, then prove the Third Prince’s innocence and shut up those who criticize the Third Prince.”
Eunuch Su is a crafty old fox who will not fall for Yeluchun’s tricks. If you can’t find him, you can prove your innocence. The Empress is doing this for your good.
Yeluchun’s lungs were about to explode from anger. He wanted to accuse him, yet he still put on an appearance that said he was doing this for his good. This was going too far.
Yeluchun’s attitude was unyielding as he looked down at Eunuch Su with his hands behind his back. His authoritative voice carried the arrogance of the royal family.
“I’m a prince; even the Empress can’t just accuse me without a crime. You can search my camp but ask for the Emperor’s decree.”
Eunuch Su narrowed his eyes as he looked at Yeluchun. In the past, the First Prince had been overbearing and condescending. The Third Prince had not fought for it, so the Empress had not taken him seriously.
Looking at Yeluchun’s imposing manner now, he felt that he was even more challenging than the First Prince. The Empress had underestimated him in the past.
“Alright, since the Third Prince insists on protecting that spy, I can only go back and report to the Empress for her to decide. However, this old servant will advise the Third Prince. The Emperor is seriously ill, and if you still disturb him over such a small matter, where is the filial piety of a son?”
After all, Eunuch Su had followed the Empress for more than ten years and was already a wily old fox. He used the big hat of filial piety to pressure the Third Prince.
“Eunuch Su keeps saying that I’m harboring a spy, but there’s no evidence to accuse me. The little prince cannot prove his innocence and fears the traitor will frame him.”
Yeluchun respectfully cupped his hands in the direction of his father’s palace. His passionate speech rendered Eunuch Su speechless.
If he continued to say that it was a eunuch bullying the prince, he could not afford to be labeled as such.
“Hmph, Third Prince has a good mouth.”
Eunuch Su cupped his hands at Yeluchun, forcing a smile on his pale face. Although smiling, his eyes were as sinister as a venomous snake’s as he retreated while cupping his hands.
Yeluchun stood with his hands behind his back. His tall figure was like a lofty mountain, sacred and inviolable. The light in his eyes was like a sword, and his aura could not be underestimated.
Eunuch Su turned around, and the smile on his face disappeared. He sternly ordered his subordinates,
“Surround the Third Prince’s camp, and don’t let even a fly escape.”
The Third Prince saw him leave and turned back to the camp. He ordered the soldiers guarding the camp,
“Those who trespass without an imperial edict will be killed without mercy.”
His order was neither loud nor soft, but it was enough for the people outside the camp to hear. Eunuch Su turned around and glanced at him, grinding his teeth. 1’11 let you be arrogant for a while longer. Today is your last day as a prince.
He rushed back to the Empress’s Palace with a belly full of bad ideas to make an exaggerated report!
Yeluchun returned to Mother’s bedroom with a determined gaze. Su Qing had just finished performing acupuncture on Consort Lan and was packing the silver needles.
Yeluchun saw Miss Su painstakingly giving acupuncture to his mother and did not want her to be accidentally injured by the internal strife in the palace of Tartan.
Su Qing’s sharp senses told her to look up and ask Yeluchun,
“What’s the matter?”
“Something came up.”
Yeluchun feared his mother would be anxious, so he signaled Su Qing to come out and talk. Su Qing followed him out of Concubine Lan’s bedroom and stopped to ask,
“Tell me, what is it?”
“The Empress wants to kill me and falsely accuse Miss Su of being a spy. Before the Empress comes to the Royal Guards to search, I will send Miss away through the secret passage.”
Yeluchun quickly explained the current emergency. There was a secret passage leading to the outside of his camp. At this critical moment, he couldn’t care about anything else. He had to send Su Qing away first. He couldn’t let her become a sacrifice in his battle with the Empress. In addition, he could only carry out the next step if she left him.
“It seems that she’s planted spies around your camp. Brother Ye Lui, you should have heard that there is no excuse if you want to accuse someone, right? The Empress knows your every move like the back of her hand. If she wants to harm you, it’s useless no matter how much you guard against her.” After Su Qing heard this, she reminded Yeluchun that she had just arrived at Yeluchun’s camp and the Empress already knew. Evidently, she was already suspicious of him and wanted to eliminate him to prevent future trouble.
“I know.”
Yeluchun frowned deeply, his eyes filled with worry. He only had one card to play, and it was his only card..