The princess regretted it.

Chapter 309: The Third Prince "Pleads" for the Second Prince

The Second Prince frowned and turned to the Emperor, pleading, "Father, I believe Yundou would never do such a treasonous act. There must be a misunderstanding. I hope Your Majesty will understand."

The Emperor's expression remained gloomy. He stood up and slowly walked to the center of the hall. His voice was low and commanding, "Misunderstanding? I hope so. Zuo Quan, please recount the details of your investigation to the Second Prince."

Zuo Quan responded and stepped forward, telling the story of a suspicious person who was spotted outside the fire scene last night and escaped after being shot by a hidden weapon, as well as the hidden weapon wounds on Yundou's body, the smell of kerosene on the palace clothes, and the suspicious origins of the property discovered during the investigation.

The Second Prince listened, stunned, his mouth open, speechless. He still found this implausible. Yundou had been by his side for so many years, working honestly and without conflict. He couldn't understand why Yundou would do this. He wanted to plead for her, but with all the evidence, exonerating her would be difficult. And now, he feared he, too, would be under suspicion. For a long moment, he remained silent.

The Emperor walked back to the throne and sat down. His eyes swept back and forth between the Second Prince and Yundou, observing the Second Prince's reaction clearly. He still believed in his heart that the Second Prince was probably unaware of this. After thinking for a long time, he slowly spoke: "Yunji, I consider that you are usually quite honest and I will trust you for now. But Yundou is a serious suspect and must be handed over to the Ministry of Punishment for a thorough investigation. You should reflect on yourself when you return and see who is hiding around you."

Upon hearing this, the Second Prince felt a slight sense of relief and hurriedly expressed his gratitude, "Thank you, Father, for your trust. I will reflect on myself." He knew that saying more at this moment would be pointless. He could only await the results of the Ministry of Punishment's investigation before finding a way to clear Yundou's name. If Yundou was truly guilty, he would undoubtedly be affected as well. Yundou was given to him by his mother, so it seemed he needed to visit her to investigate whether there was any doubt about Yundou's background and what her origins were.

When Yundou heard that she was going to be sent to the Ministry of Punishment, her face turned pale and she collapsed to the ground, shouting, "Your Majesty, please spare me, Second Prince, please save me..." But no one paid attention to her pleas. Two imperial guards came forward, carried her and walked out.

At that moment, a sudden cry rang out from outside the palace: "Father, Second Brother has been wrongly accused!" The high-pitched, urgent voice belonged to the Third Prince, Changsun Wuwang. He had rushed over after receiving word that someone close to the Second Prince had been arrested. Upon hearing that the person had been plucked from the Second Prince's palace, he felt a surge of joy, feeling this was a godsend. His father would undoubtedly become suspicious of the Second Prince, suspecting him of involvement in this troublesome situation.

With this in mind, he rushed to the Health Palace without stopping, and even carefully planned a "voice arrives before the person arrives" drama, trying to create the appearance that he was extremely anxious and concerned about his brother.

This sudden shout had indeed worked. Everyone in the hall froze in an instant. The two imperial guards carrying kidney beans subconsciously stopped and turned to look at the emperor, awaiting his orders.

The emperor was rubbing his temples, trying to dispel the fatigue and worries accumulated in the past few days. When he heard the third prince's shouting, his brows instantly twisted into the shape of a "chuan" character. He slowly raised his eyes, looked towards the door, and then glanced at Yundou casually.

But with just this casual glance, the movement suddenly stopped. Yundou, upon hearing Changsun Wuwang's voice, seemed to have been cast under a spell, and stopped struggling. Instead, an unconscious look of anticipation appeared, and her eyes eagerly moved toward the door as her head turned. There seemed to be sparks of hope flickering in her eyes.

The emperor's suspicions surged. Did Yundou know the Third Brother? Wasn't Yundou someone close to the Second Brother? I hadn't summoned the Third Brother, so why had he rushed here in such a hurry? Could it be...? Just as he was pondering this, Changsun Wuwang appeared at the door.

He had an anxious look on his face, like an ant on a hot pan, and hurried into the hall. Then he knelt down with a plop, saluted the emperor, and shouted, "Your son comes to see your father, please forgive me for coming here uninvited. Your son is really worried about your second brother. I was anxious when I heard the news and did not dare to delay for a moment. I hope your father will not blame me." His words were earnest and his tone was sincere. If someone didn't know the truth, they would probably be fooled by his appearance.

The emperor sat on the dragon throne, gazing down at him condescendingly, dark clouds rolling in his eyes, just like the night sky before a storm. His gaze darted back and forth between him, Yundou, and Lao Er, as if trying to find flaws in their expressions and behaviors.

After a moment, he looked normal and spoke calmly: "Oh? What are you worried about your second brother?" As he spoke, he keenly noticed that when the third brother came in, he glanced at Yundou quickly, and Yundou's gaze actually followed the third brother intentionally or unintentionally. This subtle interaction made the emperor feel that something was wrong.

"Father, this could not have been done by my second brother!" The third prince straightened his back, said in a sincere and confident voice, "My second brother is kind-hearted and treats people simply. He has had a noble status in the palace over the years, and he has the support of the Grand Tutor's Mansion. He can get whatever he wants, and there is no need for him to do such a risky thing. I grew up with my second brother and know him best. I hope that your Majesty will understand and not blame my second brother wrongly!" As he spoke, he secretly glanced at the emperor, trying to pry into his father's thoughts.

The Second Prince listened to the Third Prince's words, his eyes slightly reddened as he looked at him with a deeply moved expression. He had never imagined that within this seemingly cold and distant imperial family, his third brother would actually defend him so strongly. A while ago, Jiaoyu had been whispering in his ear about how there was no brotherly love and respect in the imperial family, but wasn't his third brother's actions now a living example of that? Thinking of this, the Second Prince's heart was filled with warmth, and his gratitude towards the Third Prince grew even stronger.

As for the Emperor, after listening to the Third Prince's lengthy speech, he remained silent for a long while, seemingly lost in thought. In reality, he was thinking, "Third Prince, you're here to kick me when I'm down." These words, seemingly a plea for mercy for the Second Prince, were actually loaded with hidden meanings, each word defining him.

What do you mean by pure nature and simple attitude towards others? It's clearly implying that the second son is simple and foolish, easily trusting others and being exploited by those around him. The mention of the Zhang family again is just to give the second son a perfect excuse to take action. His mother had just been punished, and he was adopted. His previous status in the palace has plummeted. It is inevitable that he feels resentful and panicked, fearing that there will be more people competing with him. So he took the risk and wanted to set fire to Chun Guiren to kill her to prevent future troubles. Humph, is he even playing tricks on me?

The Third Prince didn't hear his father's reply for a long time. He couldn't help but hesitate, secretly wondering if his words had been too blunt and obvious. A flicker of panic crossed his face. However, after all, he had been working in the deep palace for many years and was well versed in the art of dealing with emergencies. He quickly adjusted his mindset and regained his composure, but the slight trembling of his fingertips still betrayed his inner nervousness.