Abandoned Woman Busy Farming

Chapter 1564: Chapter 1564: A Trap Set Long Ago_1

The master of Cining Palace fainted or slept, leaving Bai Ruozhu with no choice but to hastily make arrangements before taking a grievously bitter-faced Ning Yu with him as they left the bedchamber of Consort Le.

”Ning Yu, tell me the truth, are you unable to break the curse?” Bai Ruozhu asked in a hushed voice.

Ning Yu shook his head. ”It can be broken, but it could cause severe harm to the body of Prince Xi; he’s too young.”

A thought suddenly struck Bai Ruozhu, and she said urgently, ”Does that mean he should, like Princess Diao Bin, have the witchcraft transferred but not so easily triggered, and perhaps it would be safer to break the curse when he’s a few years older?”

”That’s true, but no one knows how many years he can hold on. Do you want to watch a child turn into an old man before his time, like what happened with Diao Bin?” Ning Yu sighed, ”It was fine when nobody knew about Diao Bin before, but now everyone is aware of Prince Xi’s condition. Do you expect the Dowager and Consort Le to live in fear for years?”

”I understand how they feel. My Dengdeng once had a Poisonous Insect that would have stunted his growth forever. During that time, we searched everywhere for a way to remove the Poisonous Insect, and each day was fraught with worry and torment.” Bai Ruozhu spoke as she sniffled, empathizing with Consort Le and the Dowager’s feelings.

At that moment, the sound of hurried footsteps approached, and a bright yellow figure rushed over.

The Emperor came without his usual entourage and lacked any concern for etiquette; he was using his light body techniques to hasten over, with only one attendant following him.

”How is Xi’er? And Consort Le?” The Emperor asked anxiously upon seeing Bai Ruozhu.

Watching him, Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but reassess him. Regardless of his character, he seemed to be a good father and husband.

”My fellow disciple has suppressed the witchcraft curse on Prince Xi’s body. Consort Le has fainted; I had someone help her to rest properly, fearing she might develop complications from not recuperating well postpartum.” Bai Ruozhu lowered her voice further, ”In addition, I knocked the Dowager unconscious, fearing her agitated emotions might harm her health.”

”It’s fine; I won’t blame you,” Tang Yin said, before striding into the room. He went first to embrace Prince Xi, who no longer felt discomfort and even tugged up the corners of his mouth upon being held by his father. Such a small baby does not always smile, so it is obvious how much he likes being held by this person.

The Emperor looked on with heartache. If the Imperial Censor hadn’t been watching Cining Palace and reported everything that happened, he wouldn’t have believed that his dear son could have been afflicted with a witchcraft curse.

Prince Xi fell asleep shortly after, and the Emperor carefully laid him on the bed. He also went to see the sleeping Consort Le, whose frowning even in her dreams moved him to gently rub her brow.

If he wasn’t the Crown Prince but merely a prince, he could become independent after reaching adulthood and establish his residence, then request to marry her as his wife and take good care of her for life. But he had no choice; he was born to be the Crown Prince, and for his sake, she was willing to live a life amidst the inner strength that she disliked, enduring the pain of sharing her husband with other women.

He was powerless, having promised to protect her for a lifetime, yet she and their child had repeatedly fallen into danger. What was the point of him being the Emperor?

Tang Yin stood up and strode out, his face cold as he said to Lü, ”Arrest Fen Wan and her disciple and bring them to the Main Hall. I will interrogate them personally.”

”Your Majesty...” Bai Ruozhu wanted to speak up to stop him, her heart racing. Fen Wan had lifted the curse from Diao Bin, so how could that curse have been transferred to Prince Xi? She thought Fen Wan had been granted a new life and had forgotten her grudges. So how could she have done something so heinous?

She looked towards Ning Yu, wondering if it was a case of love turned to hate.

Tang Yin paid no mind to Bai Ruozhu and Ning Yu, his face set in an expression that seemed almost frozen, as he walked briskly toward the Main Hall.

Hao Feng and Fen Wan were soon brought into the Main Hall. Hao Feng did not resist, but his expression was somewhat angry.

”Emperor, you summoned us to break the curse, and we cooperated. The curse was lifted and yet you won’t let us leave, we didn’t even resist. Now you’re detaining us again? Is there no longer any reason in Danliang Country?” Hao Feng began with a heated tone.

Fen Wan also spoke angrily, ”Are you suspecting me after all? If you have something to say, say it quickly!”

Tang Yin looked at them with a stern face, his gaze almost piercing holes through them.

”Don’t play dumb with us; the witchcraft on Diao Bin has been lifted, but it has transferred to my son, Xinxin. You were the one who lifted the curse. Did you also secretly tamper with it?” Tang Yin asked.

This revelation shocked Hao Feng and Fen Wan. They found it somewhat unbelievable, but also knew that Tang Yin wouldn’t joke about his son. The two exchanged glances, aware of the graveness of the situation.

”I didn’t meddle with anything. Every step was done according to Ning Yu’s instructions, and I never got close to Prince Xinxin or Consort Le. I simply don’t have the capability to transfer the curse to him. If I would harm even a child, may the spirits despise me and make my life worse than death!” Fen Wan was desperate and made a heavy oath on the spot.

Tang Yin’s brows furrowed. He didn’t trust this aunt of his, especially since she had strangely become a young girl, but would she make such a heavy oath if she were guilty?

Ancient people believed in ghosts and gods and revered oaths. It was rare to make such heavy declarations.

Seeing Fen Wan’s expression, Bai Ruozhu’s previous suspicions dissipated. Moreover, even if Fen Wan had developed a grudge from love, why not just sabotage Diao Bin’s curse so that it would end her life? Why transfer it to Prince Xinxin?

”This matter cannot simply be dismissed by your denials. You can no longer stay in Cining Palace. You will be temporarily imprisoned in the Sky Prison until the investigation is clear. If you are innocent, I will naturally restore your reputations,” Tang Yin said, then signaled the law enforcer with a glance. Suddenly the officer rushed over and swiftly sealed Hao Feng’s acupoints.

Unable to move, Hao Feng stood in place and shouted in fury, ”Danliang Emperor, what is the meaning of this? Are we to cooperate with the investigation or are you determined to pin a crime on us?”

”Whether you are guilty or not, we will see after the investigation,” Tang Yin replied coldly, waving his hand to motion the officer to take them away.

Just then, Ning Yu, who had been silent all this time, suddenly covered his head, stomping his feet in frustration and muttering, ”I understand now, I see it all, how could this be!”

Everyone turned to look at him, and the officer halted his movement.

Bai Ruozhu grabbed Ning Yu, ”What do you understand? Explain yourself quickly!”

Ning Yu looked up at Bai Ruozhu and then at the Emperor, his throat dry as he spoke, ”From the beginning, someone set a trap, making Diao Bin’s curse worsen on purpose, all to lure us in to break it, and then...”

The Emperor’s expression changed, ”And then transferred it to me?”

Ning Yu nodded, ”It must be so. Someone tampered with the process in secret. If we followed the normal steps to break Diao Bin’s curse, it would lift but transfer to the Emperor. The perpetrator could even control when it would activate. However, something went wrong, and it ended up on Prince Xinxin.”