The Comeback of the Charming Farmer's Wife-Chapter 2122 - 2124: Is Prince Le Really Dead?
Ye Zi’an had not even settled down yet, and he went straight into the palace.
Baili Yan ordered the royal kitchen to bring some hot dishes and rice for everyone to eat together.
Their busyness had extended through last night until midnight and they had been on the go all day today, so by now everyone was utterly exhausted. They didn’t care about appearances and devoured their meals hastily, then slumped onto their chairs without any regard for decorum.
It was a sore sight for the eyes of State Duke Tong and the heir of Prince Qing.
"Do you think Prince Le is really dead?" Baili Yan finally dropped the bomb after they had all rested enough.
Mu Shaoling was the first to speak, "Speaking of Prince Le’s death, honestly, there are suspicious aspects as well as plausible points."
Ye Zi’an also chimed in, "Indeed, it’s impossible to foresee the exact spot where an arrow would hit. But if it were real, his face would have been completely unrecognizable."
Baili Yan tapped his fingers on the table, and after a long pause, he said, "What if that person was never Prince Le to begin with? What if the person we talked to was someone else in disguise?"
Hearing this, everyone became serious, and they had to admit that it was highly possible. Prince Le was quite skilled with human skin masks and similar disguises.
How could he let himself die so easily?
"What you say makes sense, Your Majesty," said the heir of Prince Qing. "His death indeed had no suspense; it happened so suddenly, it always seemed a bit unreal. Looking back, why would someone as cunning as a fox choose to trade in such a precarious cliff? If he’s not dead, the two disfigured bodies at the bottom of the cliff were his design, to make everyone think he was dead."
The heir of Prince Qing was also aware that the deceased Grand Emperor was not actually the Grand Emperor, which made him extremely angry.
"If he is still alive, it’s very likely that he orchestrated both the Imperial Exam incident and the Grand Emperor’s affair. Such methods are typical of him."
During the Imperial Exam, he added something into the ice blocks, affecting countless scholars. Only he could do something like that and make it impossible to trace. The person who delivered the ice blocks died, and that person seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, leaving no trace of information. With that, all clues were lost.
Baili Yan couldn’t help but clench his fists secretly; this brother of his really was a pervasive shadow.
"Your Majesty, if this is true, then he is likely still within the borders of Great Zhou. We should investigate, as the Grand Emperor might still be alive."
"You are right, the state funeral was issued as a last resort, and although the Grand Emperor is officially deceased, we must find the real person; we can’t let him suffer in the outside world at his age," Baili Yan said. "Zi’an, I’ll leave this matter to you."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Baili Yan thought for a moment and added, "Uncle Prince Qing, let’s say the Seventh’s merits and demerits cancel each other out this time, but he cannot escape responsibility for the Imperial Exam incident. Currently, nobody is guarding the royal temple, and to prevent rumors, let’s have the Seventh go there, and let the Eighth accompany him. Once the Grand Emperor returns or a suitable person is found, they can come back."
The heir of Prince Qing originally wanted to plead for them, considering the Seventh and the Eighth were not yet of age, but hearing they could come back if suitable people were found, he said no more.
"This matter is for Your Majesty to decide."
"I’m afraid of what Uncle Prince He may think," said Baili Yan. "The heir of Prince He is a qualified Clan Chief, he cannot bear to see the children of the clan suffer. Last time he came to express his concerns, but my stance was firm, so he couldn’t say much. This time, he might come again to plead, and it’d be hard to not give him any face."
