A lazy bum transmigrates and marries a eunuch – it's awesome!

Chapter 205 Second Prince Jin Zexu

Sometimes, those directly involved are blinded by their own perspective. The old emperor, wary of Consort Xian's influence, prejudicially condemned her.

But they forgot that both mother and son were arrogant, domineering, and lacked strategy.

The Empress Consort's attempt to poison the Empress was largely due to the Emperor's secret assistance; otherwise, it might not have succeeded.

Liu Fu killed Xu Qinglan, and after the Eastern Depot found clues, he was immediately hacked to death for poisoning his master...

This is blatant murder to cover it up!

Who else says that if someone is poisoned by the Forget-Me-Not Pill, it must have been Consort Xian who did it?

Why would they use a limited edition poison that's obviously the mastermind if other poisons wouldn't kill people?

The reason for using the Forget-Me-Not Poison to kill the Empress was that the Empress had a nanny who was proficient in pharmacology by her side, making it difficult to carry out the attack. The Forget-Me-Not Poison was colorless, odorless, and had no antidote, so it was foolproof.

Is it really necessary to use such a high-quality item to kill the Third Prince?

Liu Fu has been taking care of the Third Prince for so many years that he has spent more time with the Third Prince's wife than he has with the Third Prince.

If he wanted to kill the Third Prince, he could use any poison he wanted, even if it was the Third Prince asleep in the middle of the night, he could just pour it into his mouth.

The old emperor had also thought of this, but he immediately ruled out the "bitter flesh ruse" option among the three princes, Wangyou.

There is no antidote for forgetting worries; the only way is to gradually remove the toxins from the body through detoxifying herbal decoctions.

This process is long and painful, and the third brother has no reason to do it.

Liu Fu hadn't been arrested yet, so he could have easily struck first and silenced the witnesses.

At that point, with no one able to verify the truth, no one can do anything to him; at most, he'll just be suspected.

Even if Liu Fu were caught and confessed to poisoning Xu Qinglan under his orders, this crime would not be enough to cost him his life.

Even if he aspires to the throne and doesn't want to lose his own trust, he shouldn't have gone this far.

It's just a self-inflicted injury ruse; a little poison or a cut on the arm or leg would suffice.

That's Wangyou; he doesn't remember that the third brother and the second brother had such a deep grudge that he would risk his life to frame them.

When Consort Xian was summoned, she was completely bewildered. As soon as she entered the room, she was hit in the face with a memorial.

"You vile woman, what have you done!"

Although Consort Xian did not understand what she had done to anger the emperor, she could only try to appeal to his emotions first.

"Your Majesty, I have served you since I was sixteen, and it has been almost 30 years now. I may not have made any great contributions, but I have certainly worked hard."

Now that you have a large family of grandchildren, I wonder what I have done to offend you so much that you have made me lose face.

"I've always been foolish. Even if you're going to condemn me, at least let me die knowing why."

"Stop pretending. Do you think I don't know what kind of person you are?"

"If it weren't for the fact that you've been well-behaved these past few years since giving birth to Xu'er, I should have sent you to apologize to Yun Shu with a cup of poisoned wine."

Upon hearing the late Empress's name, Consort Xian panicked for a moment.

She was indeed in the wrong, but more than ten years had passed, so why was the Emperor bringing up old grievances again?

It shouldn't be.

Although she wasn't very smart, not everyone in her family was stupid; her nanny had analyzed it for her.

The reason she was able to defeat the Empress must be because someone was helping her clean up the mess behind the scenes.

And in this palace, no one but the emperor has this ability.

That scoundrel is the most hypocritical. He's clearly afraid of the Crown Prince's excellence and the Empress's control over the harem, so he's using me to suppress the Empress.

Now that they've crossed the river and are tearing down the bridge, what exactly are they trying to do by using this to manipulate themselves?

The old emperor saw that she remained silent and gave a cold smile. "Do you think that if I poisoned the third prince, I would pass the throne to the second prince?"

Think beautifully.

I still have the Crown Prince and several other sons, and even the eldest grandson is intelligent and clever.

I will never allow a wicked woman like you to become Empress Dowager.

Upon hearing that the Third Prince had been poisoned, Consort Xian immediately cried out that she was innocent and that she absolutely could not take the blame.

The emperor, however, did not want to listen to her explanation and ordered that the virtuous concubine be demoted to a commoner and temporarily imprisoned in her Jinhua Palace until the third prince was out of danger before taking further action.

No matter is too small for the imperial family. The old emperor did not deliberately suppress the news, and the news that Consort Xian had poisoned the third prince and was demoted to a commoner quickly spread throughout the court and the harem.

The second prince was furious and immediately wanted to go to the palace to plead for his mother.

What makes the Third Prince, that pretentious and weakling, worth the Mother Consort's attention?

With Jin Zexi, the nominal crown prince, and himself, the invisible crown prince, how could he possibly get a chance?

If my mother really wanted to help me seize power, she should have targeted those two. The third son doesn't deserve it.

Upon hearing this, the Second Prince's advisor felt his vision go black.

Saying this guy is hopeless is an understatement; his participation in the succession struggle was purely for show and a joke.

It's a pity about his status as the son of a concubine and the resources behind him. Anyone who wasn't out of their mind would have removed the crown prince long ago.

Fortunately, I have a dual identity; otherwise, following such a master would have meant a bleak future.

The strategist, recalling the message from the Left Prime Minister, stopped the enraged Jin Zexu.

"Your Highness, please calm down. This matter is not so simple."

Since His Majesty has directly deposed the Empress, it means that he has already concluded that the poisoning of the Third Prince was the Empress's doing.

We have no evidence right now, so even if you plead for leniency, it won't be of any use. It will only anger His Majesty and make him more suspicious of you.

The second prince slammed his fist on the table in anger, "Then what should we do?"

My mother has never suffered such injustice. Am I just supposed to stand by and watch?

The strategist narrowed his eyes, a serious expression flashing across his gaunt face.

"Your Highness, the Hidden Crown Prince is not the Crown Prince."

Even if he is the crown prince, look at the kind of life he is living now.

While you princes can leave the palace to establish your own residences and make your own decisions, the Crown Prince has absolutely no freedom within the deep palace.

"What you eat, what you use, who you meet, and what you say are all under the Emperor's watchful eye. Have you ever imagined living such a stifling life?"

Jin Zexu's eyes narrowed. "What does Mr. Dong mean?"

The strategist glanced at the doorway and whispered, "Our Emperor's paranoia is getting worse."

As you know, the Crown Prince didn't actually make any major mistakes.

The reason why it is so distrusted and practically a mere formality is simply because your father, the emperor, is unwilling to accept his age and doesn't like anyone coveting his position.

Consort Xian, you are in charge of the harem. You are upright, filial and honest, and you are increasingly supported by everyone. What do you think your father thinks?

The fact that the Imperial Concubine has been demoted is a signal of this.

He's starting to target you.

"how is this possible?"

Jin Zexu immediately glared at the strategist, "My father has always doted on me the most since I was a child. Whether it's the rewards from the royal palace or my status as a princess, I'm always the highest among my brothers."

He always said he had high hopes for me, that I was the most like him.

The strategist sneered, "These words are just to appease you; I suppose they were said to the Crown Prince as well."

You say the Emperor is good to you, but think about it carefully, wasn't His Majesty good to the Crown Prince before?

As far as I know, when the Crown Prince first entered the court, the Emperor took him by his side every day and taught him how to handle government affairs.

He praised the Crown Prince more than once for his wisdom and intelligence, saying he had the qualities of a wise ruler.

Your Highness, emotions are fickle; only the benefits and power you have in your hands are real.

Think about Prince An. When he was young, His Majesty favored his mother. The exquisite pagoda that was presented as tribute from foreign countries was given to him, not even to the Crown Prince.

But later, when his mother fell out of favor and he was bullied, the emperor never even glanced at him.

Perhaps His Majesty was indeed good to Your Highness in the past, but now that he has even set his sights on Consort Xian, how long do you think you can remain at peace?

Do you want to follow in the footsteps of the Crown Prince and Prince An, sliding into the abyss while still carrying their hopes for their father?

That's definitely not possible!

Jin Zexu shuddered at the thought of his brothers' rise and fall.

The old man has indeed become more unpredictable in the past two years, and he absolutely cannot sit idly by and wait for his demise.