Li Ji looked at Li Yan as if he were an idiot and sneered.

"When I was speaking with Consort Liu, those two nannies were standing right outside.

If I had truly forced her to take poison, wouldn’t she have screamed?

If she had cried out even once, it would have been impossible for the people outside not to hear."

The two nannies kneeling on the floor hurriedly chimed in.

"The Prince is right. The Noble Consort never cried out from beginning to end."

Li Yan was still unconvinced. "Perhaps you used some trick to keep my mother from making a sound, then forced her to drink the poison."

Everyone present turned to look at Prince Zhao in unison.

Although the Fifth Prince’s speculation was rather extreme, it wasn’t entirely impossible.

Consort Liu had nearly cost Princess Consort Zhao her life. Prince Zhao had more than enough motive to want revenge for his consort.

Moreover, Prince Zhao was the only one present when Consort Liu was poisoned.

He had both the time and opportunity to commit the crime. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

As such, he naturally became the prime suspect.

Li Ji found it laughable.

"Think whatever you want."

He couldn’t be bothered to waste any more breath on this moron and turned to leave.

"Stop! You’re not going anywhere until this is cleared up!"

Li Yan dragged his crippled leg and rushed over, blocking the doorway to prevent Prince Zhao from leaving.

Li Ji’s gaze turned icy. "Get out of my way."

The murderous aura he had cultivated over many years of war erupted from him in an instant.

At that moment, he seemed less like a living person and more like a sharp blade drenched in the blood of countless victims. The chilling glint of its edge struck terror into the hearts of everyone present, leaving them too afraid to even breathe.

Li Yan’s knees weakened involuntarily.

But he held his ground, gritting his teeth and roaring.

"You must give me a proper explanation today!"

’If Prince Zhao really did kill Consort Liu, I’ll make him pay with his life!’

’I’m a cripple now, with no future and no prospects. Even the mother who doted on me most is gone.’

’Having nothing left means having nothing to fear.’

’Things can’t possibly get any worse than this.’

’I have nothing to be afraid of.’

Li Ji didn’t even spare a glance for the blustering fool before him.

He grabbed Li Yan by the collar.

Before Li Yan could react, he was thrown forcefully to the side.

He saw Prince Zhao striding out and assumed it was because he had a guilty conscience.

’If he isn’t guilty, why won’t he stay and explain things clearly? Why is he in such a hurry to leave?’

Li Yan scrambled and crawled, lunging forward.

"You murderer! Don’t even think about escaping!"

He swung his fist viciously at the side of Prince Zhao’s face!

Several gasps of alarm sounded from the side.

"My Prince, look out!"

Li Ji sensed the movement behind him.

He sidestepped the incoming fist and simultaneously raised his right hand, slapping Li Yan hard across the face.

Li Yan was knocked to the ground. His left cheek instantly turned red and swollen, and a trickle of blood even seeped from the corner of his mouth.

He hadn’t expected Prince Zhao to fight back and was stunned for a long moment before he came to his senses.

He stared at Prince Zhao in disbelief, his body trembling with rage.

"You... you dare to hit me?"

Li Ji looked down at him, saying contemptuously, "So I hit you. What of it? Did you expect me to bathe and burn incense first?"

"You!"

Li Yan’s eyes were red with hatred; he wanted to kill him.

Li Ji said, "With an idiot like you, who has water for brains, a few good smacks are the only way to knock some of it out."

Li Yan went berserk.

He scrambled up from the floor and lunged forward recklessly, still cursing.

"Neither Father Emperor nor Mother has ever hit me! What right do you, a bastard, have to hit me? I’ll kill you!"

Hearing the word "bastard," Li Ji’s expression instantly darkened.

He pressed forward ominously. "What did you call me?"

Seeing that things were getting out of hand, the onlookers rushed forward to hold Li Yan back.

"Your Highness, calm down! You can’t jump to conclusions before the matter is investigated!"

Li Yan was held back, unable to get any closer to Prince Zhao.

But his mouth was far from idle, and he continued to rail at Prince Zhao.

"I called you a bastard! You’re the bastard born from Princess Rouwan’s affair!"

Everyone present wished they were deaf.

’Was this kind of royal secret something they were allowed to hear?!’

Li Ji’s hands clenched into fists, the veins on their backs bulging and his knuckles turning white.

The others dared to restrain the Fifth Prince, but none dared to stop Prince Zhao.

Li Ji walked straight up to the Fifth Prince, grabbed him by the throat, and glared with murderous eyes.

"You’re courting death!"

Just then, a sharp bellow came from outside the door.

"What are you doing?!"

Everyone followed the sound and saw the Emperor, who had appeared outside the door at some unknown time.

Behind the Emperor was a large, bustling crowd.

The scene of Prince Zhao choking the Fifth Prince fell upon everyone’s eyes. For a moment, you could have heard a pin drop; no one dared to make a sound.

After a moment of stunned silence, everyone inside the room hurriedly knelt.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Li Ji kept his grip on Li Yan’s neck, not letting go.

Not to be outdone, Li Yan glared fiercely back at Li Ji.

The Emperor felt he was about to be angered to death by these two troublesome brats.

He strode into the room and commanded in a heavy voice.

"Let go of him, now!"

After another moment, Li Ji reluctantly released his fingers.

Once freed, Li Yan immediately dropped to his knees before the Emperor and cried out his grievance.

"I beg you, Father Emperor, to seek justice for my mother! My mother was murdered by Prince Zhao!"

The Emperor frowned. "What evidence do you have?"

Li Yan wiped away his tears. "I may not have evidence, but Prince Zhao was the only one on the scene when my mother was poisoned.

He’s been holding a grudge over Princess Consort Zhao’s kidnapping.

He must have used this opportunity to poison and kill my mother!"

The Emperor berated him sharply, "Who gave you the audacity to make such a wild accusation with no proof?!"

Li Yan’s eyes widened as he questioned him in disbelief.

"Why are you still siding with Prince Zhao, even now?

Even if he is your son, am I not your son as well?!"

As he spoke the last sentence, a hint of resentment crept into his voice.

This was a resentment that had been building in his heart for a long time.

Now that he had let it slip, though he knew it would anger his father, he felt an indescribable sense of relief.

He wanted to tear away the fig leaf and let everyone know about the scandal.

The Emperor’s first reaction wasn’t to refute him, but to look at Li Ji.

Li Ji stood silently to the side, not saying a word.

The Emperor looked again at Li Yan, kneeling on the floor with red-rimmed eyes. A burst of rage shot to his head. His temples throbbed, and it felt as if something was squeezing his heart, making it too painful to breathe.

He raised his right hand to clutch his chest and bent over in pain.

Zuo Ji cried out in alarm, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty, what’s wrong?"

An Imperial Physician happened to be on the scene and immediately rushed forward to diagnose the Emperor.

"His Majesty is having a heart attack! Help me get him to a nearby room to lie down."