Married To The Cruel Crown Prince

Nianzu's hateful gaze and disgruntled look terrified Deng Hui. She thought Nianzu had calmed down after the servant took the blame on him.

"I never poisoned the Empress," Deng Hui said in a firm tone. Her voice did not even tremble while speaking such a lie.

"You did. I vomited blood. You brought a servant just to save yourself from getting accused of the wrong you did," Nianzu asserted. "You did not change even after Brother Sheng graciously spared your life. I will tell the world about your real self. You don't deserve to live among us." Nianzu stepped back to leave when Deng Hui stopped him.

"If I poisoned the sweets, then why did I let you eat them? I can never harm my child," Deng Hui said, bringing her hand near her chest.

Nianzu snickered, running the middle of his forehead. "You let me eat so that suspicion will never be on you. You can mask your true self from everyone but not from me. You have to die," he remarked and it made Deng Hui teary-eyed.

"The Prince can leave. He is not in his right mind," Deng Hui said, controlling the outburst of the tears.

"I will leave when you confess the truth to me," Nianzu stated.

"I have already told the truth. The Prince shall not forget his mother is Empress Dowager. He cannot accuse her without evidence." Deng Hui used her status this time to shut Nianzu and send him away.

A chuckle escaped Nianzu's mouth. "Empress Dowager will soon lose her seat. This is the promise of Han Nianzu. I will never let Empress Dowager succeed in her evil plans," he pledged. "She has to either rot in prison or she has to d-die," Nianzu's voice trembled at the last word. He turned and dashed out of the chamber.

Deng Hui wiped the tears from the edges of her eyes. Not even in her worst dream, she had thought that Nianzu would wish for her death. Whatever she was going, was for him. She wanted him to secure his place. He was already dear to people, so why could he not be the Emperor? In her eyes, he was a puppet of his younger brother and sister-in-law, which she could never accept.

Nianzu stopped by the pillar and punched at it. Why did his mother have to betray his trust, his late father's trust, and most importantly the Emperor's trust?!

"Brother Nianzu!"

Nianzu straightened himself upon seeing Lei Wanxi, who stood before him. Lei Wanxi did not speak any word and embraced the Fourth Prince. He caressed his back but did not say anything.

"Brother Wanxi, our late father will never forgive me. I made a wrong and foolish request. She let me eat the poisoned sweets. What if Sister Lili had eaten those sweets? My foolishness created this mess," Nianzu said and gulped the anger inside him.

They withdrew from the hug. Lei Wanxi placed his hands on Nianzu's shoulders. "You did your duty as a son. Your mother suffered so much, and you only wanted her to see happiness once. It was never your fault," Lei Wanxi said humbly. He was himself stunned to see Deng Hui's evil ways.

"Brother Nianzu, I have found a shocking thing. Let's go to your manor," Lei Wanxi said, looking around, making sure no one was nearby.

Nianzu hummed and the two left for the Eastern Palace.

~~~~~

Sheng Li dressed up when Jian Guozhi told him not to go out. "His Majesty still needs to recover from the injury. Such a deep wound he got," Jian Guozhi said worriedly.

"I am better, First Brother," Sheng Li clipped the hair knot to hold the hair bun. He didn't keep his hair open today. Usually, in disguise, he would let his hair open.

"I am surprised that Brother Sheng planned to stay unconscious," Jian Guozhi stated. "How did His Majesty find out that the assassin would return to kill?"

"Because the arrow was aimed at my heart. So, whoever he was wanted me to die. When I gained consciousness, I contemplated. The first thought I had was of Empress Dowager. Her family is from the Eastern Province. And then I heard you saying that the arrow belonged to the same place from where she belonged to. So, she was the prime suspect in my eyes. Moreover, she had a spy behind us, who would have informed her about my state. I thought she would indeed send someone to kill me," Sheng Li explained to Jian Guozhi.

Jian Guozhi was surprised to see Sheng Li's state of mind even in the worst situation.

"Why did Brother Jian think that Brother Nianzu might be behind this attack? He is well aware of his nature," Sheng Li said while wearing the sash to hold his dress in place.

"Because we already got betrayed by the Second Brother. My heart believes in Brother Nianzu, but not my mind," Jian Guozhi answered and picked the woolen overcoat from the table. He handed it to Sheng Li, who thanked him.

"Brother Nianzu can never be behind this attack," Sheng Li confidently said. "I understand the First Brother's thoughts, but he must not forget that Brother Nianzu never wanted the throne. He could be the Crown Prince if he wanted." Sheng Li was right. If Nianzu had to betray them for the throne, then he would not even have rejected the offer of being the Crown Prince.

"We know that it's Empress Dowager doing. Then, why do we need to search this messenger, who ordered your assassination?" Jian Guozhi asked.

"Empress Dowager has turned smarter. She will easily dodge my claim if I don't present real evidence to her. I had never thought this day would come when I needed to punish her," Sheng Li said. His voice looked troubled. The face of Nianzu appeared in front of his eyes. Last time, he did not expose her because of Nianzu. However, this time he had to punish her. She tried to take his life which was the gravest mistake she made.

"I am ready," Sheng Li said as he wore a fake beard and mustache. He pressed them tightly against his skin.

"Lili doesn't know about my state, right?" Sheng Li once again asked to confirm.

"I, strictly told General Wang not to tell the Empress," Jian Guozhi stated.

"That's good. Let's end this matter soon and return to Luoyang. Our wives are waiting for us," Sheng Li said with enthusiasm and forwarded his hand. Jian Guozhi caught his hand.

"Together, we need to end this. Let's be each other's back, First Brother," Sheng Li affirmed with a smile.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness, everything is ready," General Xiao informed them. They both looked at each other and then left.