Chapter 1288: Chapter 1124: Robbed

Gu Chengyu smiled faintly, observing that Prince Jing was too poor and too weak. How could he compete with Prince Gong? It would be better for him to lend Prince Jing a helping hand.

Only by watching the tigers fight from the mountain can one rest easy!

"Go check it out! Prince Jing has been too quiet lately, see what he’s plotting. I can’t believe that, with something as tempting as this in front of him, he still wouldn’t pick it up?"

"Emperor, there’s news from Jiangnan." The Emperor was sitting in the Imperial Study Room reviewing memorials when Pang Chu quietly reported from outside the door.

"Come in quickly!" The Emperor’s spirits lifted immediately. News had come from Jiangnan, but whether they had obtained the antidote was still unknown.

"Emperor, the Empress Dowager is here!" The Emperor had just opened the letter when he heard the Empress Dowager had arrived!

The Emperor’s expression darkened, and he tightened his grip on the letter in his hand, discreetly tucking it into the secret compartment of the Imperial Desk.

"Let her in," the Emperor said nonchalantly, picking up the memorials on the Imperial Desk as if nothing had happened. Pang Chu was somewhat surprised, his face full of doubt, but he knew this wasn’t a matter he could question.

The Empress Dowager hurried in, and upon seeing the Emperor sitting properly, she immediately began a litany of concern and comfort.

"Emperor! Why are you still reviewing memorials? Didn’t Director Zhang say you must rest well, or even with the antidote, your body won’t be able to withstand it?"

"Mother! My health has improved greatly. These memorials have piled up like a mountain. If I don’t review them, those ministers might flip the Taihe Palace."

The Emperor wore a faint smile, but if one looked closely, they would find the smile did not reach his eyes.

"You must take care of yourself!" The Empress Dowager wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief. After saying this, the two suddenly fell into silence.

"Emperor, I heard there’s news from Jiangnan." After a moment of hesitation, the Empress Dowager couldn’t resist asking.

The Emperor’s smile could no longer be maintained. He had just received the letter, and his mother had rushed over—what did this imply? Was every move of his under her surveillance?

How many Hidden Guards had the Empress Dowager placed in the Imperial Study Room and his residence? He glanced at Pang Chu, his icy gaze causing Pang Chu to shiver.

If Pang Chu still didn’t know why the Emperor was angry, he wouldn’t be able to serve as the Emperor’s personal eunuch. He quickly pleaded with his eyes; he wouldn’t dare do such a thing!

After all, he was the Emperor’s eunuch, serving only the Emperor from beginning to end. He had just reported to the Emperor upon receiving the letter, so where was the time to relay the message to Cian Palace?

"Emperor! Did you obtain the antidote?" The Empress Dowager clutched her handkerchief tightly. What else could she think about now? Even though she had already planned an escape route, Dundun was her son, and she didn’t want to reach the last step!

Looking into the Emperor’s deep eyes, the Empress Dowager was so nervous that her heart was trembling.

The Emperor suppressed the dull pain in his chest and smiled as he said, "I just received the letter and haven’t opened it yet."

The Emperor retrieved the letter from the secret compartment. "Pang Chu, go guard outside the hall. No matter who comes to see me, do not report them in."

"Yes!"

After Pang Chu left, the Emperor took a deep breath, trembling as he opened the letter. This thin piece of paper felt as heavy as a thousand pounds in his hand.

The Empress Dowager’s heart was as heavy as the Emperor’s. This letter filled her with dread.

The Emperor steeled himself and unfolded the letter. Upon seeing its contents, he slumped into the rosewood chair.

"Dundun?" The Empress Dowager cried out in shock, her heart filled with utmost fear.

...

"Prince! It’s bad, the horses we purchased this time have been hijacked." Lu Chen entered Prince Gong’s study with a grave expression, quickly bowing before delivering the bad news.

"What happened?" Prince Gong frowned slightly. They had just seized two Prefectures and urgently needed to expand their forces, which was why they bought a batch of horses from Da Xing.

"The horses were hijacked on the way back. All of our personnel were wiped out, not one left alive." Lu Chen also frowned tightly; the loss this time was not small.

Although they had captured two Prefectures and gained a lot of wealth, it couldn’t withstand such squandering.

Since ancient times, recruiting troops and buying horses has always been costly. They had just recruited troops a few days ago, and their military supplies were insufficient, hence their purchase, only to be intercepted.

"Did you find any clues as to who did it?" Prince Gong’s face was stern. This time, they lost more than two hundred thousand taels of Silver.

"After surveying the area, I believe it was a well-trained army. It’s just a guess, but their numbers must be substantial. By the time we realized something was wrong, it was too late; the traces had already been wiped away. It’s unclear where those horses were taken, but I think they shouldn’t be far. I’ve already sent people to investigate in the past two days, but no traces of large groups of horses have been found, nor have the travelers seen anything."

"Indeed! Such a large number of horses would be too conspicuous. They would certainly be noticed once on the road. Send more people to investigate; we lost over two hundred thousand taels of Silver this time, it’s truly severe."

Prince Gong sighed, speculating who could have carried out the act. He first ruled out Gu Chengyu, as Gu Chengyu was still at Yuhe Pass and couldn’t extend his reach this far. With so many horses, Gu Chengyu wouldn’t have enough people either.

Having the soldiers stationed at the border do it was even more impossible. The ones he sent were quite skilled, far superior to ordinary soldiers.

Moreover, Gu Chengyu only brought a small number of people to the border, naturally making such a large task impossible.

"Who does the Prince think was behind it?" Lu Chen looked at the silent Prince Gong and couldn’t help but probe.

Actually, he didn’t need to think about it much; he already had someone in mind.

"Who else could it be if not the Fourth? He has held his patience for so long before taking action. I thought he’d follow the old way, waiting for a life-and-death struggle between me and the Second before making his move. But this time, he surprised me by intervening."

Prince Gong snorted coldly, placing his brush on the desk.

He had grown accustomed to the Fourth’s style, who always remained behind the scenes and waited for the right moment to pounce, not to kill but enough to disgust anyone thoroughly.

"That’s what I thought too, but when we were buying the horses, we had to pass through Yuhe Pass and Yumen Pass. Do you think Prince Jing got wind of this so quickly, could it be related to the border?"

After some hesitation, Lu Chen finally voiced his thoughts. At the same time, he shifted his gaze to Prince Gong, carefully observing his reaction.

"Are you suggesting that Gu Chengyu got involved?" Actually, Prince Gong had the same suspicion but had not voiced it.

"It’s just a guess; we need to investigate further to make a conclusion!" Lu Chen lowered his head, his eyes flickering upon seeing Prince Gong’s clenched fists.

"Prince, bad news! One of our weapon-manufacturing sites has been destroyed, and none of the weapons were left behind!"

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