"Oh? What did he say?"
"Him?" Ye Ziāan shook his head and said, "Heās quite interesting. Between the lines, he was warning me to return to Funan early, or else one day I might be fed a cup of poisoned wine. The point is, uncle, Iāve met him a few times, and heās definitely not as rumored. And today in the palace, I discovered he could even ride a horse into the palace; no other prince has such a privilege, right?"
"Alas!" Old Mu put down his teacup and sighed, "Thatās right, recently, some things have happened again in the Capital City. The Eldest Imperial Prince, Prince Ning, went mad, went mad in the House of the Imperial Clan, muttering every day āI was wrong, Iām guilty.ā"
"How could this happen?" Luo Linhao exclaimed, "Wasnāt he just captured?"
"Yes, not only that, but recently the Emperor has valued Prince Le greatly. Not only can he ride a horse into the palace, but also gold, silver, and jewels have been continuously bestowed upon Prince Leās Mansion, as if compensating for the neglect towards Prince Le over the years."
Thinking of these recent events, Old Mu felt even more worried. If the Emperor, out of guilt towards Prince Le, were to give away the throne someday, then people like them would be in trouble.
"Uncle, you must tell me all the details about Prince Ning and the recent occurrences."
"The matter with Prince Ning is very odd. The Fancy Red Pavilion is involved with him, and itās all very secretive. Even the Prime Minister who supported him probably knows little. However, Prince Le produced countless pieces of evidence with Prince Ning involved in every single incident, even poisoning the Emperor. The imperial physician confirmed the Emperor was indeed poisoned with the zombie disease. Originally, after he was captured, the Emperor forbade pleading for mercy or investigation. But one day, somehow, Prince Ning in the House of the Imperial Clan suddenly clamored that he wanted to see the Emperor, to confess."
"Itās just that incredible; Prince Ning admitted everything. Everything was done by him. Not only did he poison the Emperor, but he also poisoned those in Shandong. The Fancy Red Pavilion is his, the weapon shop this time is also his, and even Prince Le was threatened by him."
Old Mu shook his head, "Since he admitted it himself, what else can others do? Lord Prime Minister probably cries every day now. Just two days before you entered the Capital, news came from the House of the Imperial Clan that Prince Ning had gone insane. Everyone thought he couldnāt handle suddenly being deposed, after years of planning falling through, leading to his insanity, but I donāt quite see it that way."
"I also think Prince Ning may not be genuinely insane." Ye Ziāan thought for a moment and said, "There must be some expert in poisons by Prince Leās side; creating some poison that drives people mad isnāt hard. As for the Fancy Red Pavilion, itās unknown whether it has anything to do with Prince Ning, but he was definitely plotted against by Prince Le."
After a pause, Ye Ziāan said, "Uncle, we must find a way to get Prince Ning out of the House of the Imperial Clan; otherwise, after a while, he might end up committing suicide. Getting him out is the only way to know if the Fancy Red Pavilion is related to him. If itās not, heās the key to toppling Prince Le. If it is, weāll discover more about Prince Le."
"What you say makes sense, but getting a living person out of the House of the Imperial Clan is somewhat difficult." Old Mu thought for a moment and said.
"Whatās so difficult?" Luo Linhao said, "Isnāt there a human skin mask? Just find someone to replace him."
Old Mu contemplated for a moment, then nodded, "I have an idea for this matter; Iāll make the arrangements."