Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Chapter 137 Heart-wrenching words

There was deathly silence in the Golden Palace.

The emperor looked at the prince kneeling in front of him and crying in disbelief. His son, who had always been gentle and polite, was now like a wounded beast, roaring and accusing. He could not believe that the prince, who had always had a deep brotherly relationship with Hu Bugui, would say such heartbreaking words.

"What did you say? It's not his...he has the intention of rebellion?" The emperor's voice trembled slightly, obviously shocked by the prince's accusation.

The prince burst into tears and choked up, "Father, everything I said is true! Hu Bugui has been secretly building up power and forming a clique for personal gain. He has long been disloyal! He exposed the prime minister's crimes this time just to divert your attention and buy time for himself!"

"What nonsense!" Li Dequan, the chief eunuch beside the emperor, could not help but scold, "Your Highness, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say anything you want. The prince has always been loyal, and heaven and earth can bear witness to that!"

"Eunuch Li, you are just a servant, you have no right to speak here!" The prince's eyes widened, pointing at Li Dequan's nose and scolding, "As Hu Bugui's lackey, you will naturally speak for him!"

"You...you..." Li Dequan was so angry that he was shaking all over. He pointed at the prince but couldn't say a word.

"Enough!" The emperor slammed the throne and roared, "Prince, do you know what you are talking about? Without solid evidence, how dare you slander your brother like this?!"

The prince, however, seemed to have given up everything. He took out a letter from his bosom and held it high up: "Father, look at what this is! This is a secret letter that my people found in Hu Bugui's mansion. The content of the letter is enough to prove that he has a rebellious heart!"

The emperor took the secret letter, unfolded it, and his face turned pale. Although the content of the letter was obscure, the words revealed a hint of treason. He suppressed his anger and handed the letter to the eunuch beside him: "Show it to the ministers!"

The eunuch took the letter and trembled as he passed it around. After reading the letter, the ministers began to whisper and discuss it.

"This... the contents of this letter seem to be true..."

"Yes, looking at the handwriting, it also looks like the prince's handwriting..."

"Alas, I didn't expect that the prince actually had the intention of rebellion..."

The ministers' comments were like sharp knives stabbing the emperor's heart. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself down.

At this time, the prime minister who had been silent all this time suddenly stood up, bowed deeply to the emperor, and said in a sad tone: "Your Majesty, I dare to say that the reason why the prince has become what he is now is that he was bewitched by that witch Wu Tao!"

"Wu Tao?" The emperor suddenly opened his eyes, a cold light flashed in his eyes, "What does this have to do with her?"

The Prime Minister sighed and said, "Your Majesty, you don't know that Wu Tao is not an ordinary woman. She is charming and seductive, and she is scheming. Since she married the prince, the prince has become a different person. Not only has his temperament changed drastically, he has also done many things that are against common sense. I am worried that Wu Tao is behind this!"

The emperor remained silent. Wu Tao's stunningly beautiful face appeared in his mind, and he couldn't help but feel a little shaken...

In the Golden Palace, the "evidence" in the hands of the crown prince and the prime minister was like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, stirring up thousands of waves. Although the emperor was unwilling to believe that Hu Bugui would betray him, the "iron evidence" in front of him made him doubt. He rubbed his temple tiredly, and looked at Hu Bugui with a little more scrutiny and suspicion.

"Bugui, what explanation do you have for what the prince and the prime minister said?" The emperor's voice was low and intimidating without even being angry.

Hu Bugui looked calm, took a step forward, and answered in a neither humble nor arrogant manner: "Your Majesty, I am loyal to you, and the sun and the moon can testify to that! What the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister said is pure slander! I have never seen that letter, and I don't know whether its contents are true or not. Someone must have deliberately framed me!"

"Framed? Then tell me, who would frame you?" There was a hint of impatience in the emperor's voice.

"This..." Hu Bugui was speechless for a moment. Although he suspected that the prime minister and the prince had teamed up to frame him, he had no evidence.

"What? You are speechless?" The Prime Minister sneered at the side, "Your Majesty is in a high position of power, who dares to frame you? I think you are guilty and have nothing to say!"

The prince also echoed, "Father, everything I said is true. Please understand!"

The emperor looked at the three people arguing in front of him, feeling very annoyed. He waved his hand and said weakly: "Let's put this matter aside for now. I will make a decision after I find out the truth. If you don't come back, you will stay in the palace for the time being. You are not allowed to go out without my order!"

"Your son obeys your order." Although Hu Bugui was unwilling in his heart, he knew that it was not appropriate to say more at this time and could only kowtow to the leader.

After leaving the Jinluan Palace, Hu Bugui was confined to his house. He knew that this was just the calm before the storm, and a greater crisis was yet to come. He had to find out the truth and clear his name as soon as possible, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.

Wu Tao was extremely anxious when she learned about this. Although she did not understand the intrigues in the court, she knew that this matter was serious. She held Hu Bugui's hand and said firmly: "My Lord, I believe you, you must have been wronged! No matter what happens, I will be by your side and face it together!"

Hu Bugui held Wu Tao's hand, his eyes full of gratitude and love. He knew that no matter how difficult and dangerous the road ahead was, as long as Wu Tao was by his side, he would be fearless.

However, will the Prime Minister and the Prince let this opportunity slip away? They secretly join forces and begin to plan a more sinister plan. A bigger storm is about to sweep in...

The confrontation in the Golden Palace seemed to have subsided, but in fact, there were undercurrents. Hu Bugui was confined to the mansion, seemingly safe, but like a trapped beast, he was still fighting and was in danger. And all of this was seen by a pair of cold eyes.

"Your Highness, how do you plan to deal with this?" Inside the Prime Minister's Mansion, the Crown Prince paced back and forth anxiously, his words filled with impatience.

The Prime Minister was shrewd and calculating. He was playing with a jade ring in his hand, with a sinister smile on his face. "Don't worry, Prince. This is just the first step. Hu Bugui is already trapped in a jar. There is no need to worry. The most urgent task is to completely sever the emperor's trust in him and make it impossible for him to turn things around!"

"What does the Prime Minister mean..." the prince asked tentatively.

"The emperor is old, and the prince has been unable to succeed to the throne smoothly. There have been undercurrents in the court for a long time. Now is the best time for us to take action!" A hint of ruthlessness flashed in the prime minister's eyes. "I have contacted several important officials. They are all dissatisfied with the emperor's favoritism towards Hu Bugui. As long as the prince makes a call, great things can be accomplished!"

When the prince heard this, a trace of greed and ambition flashed in his eyes, but he quickly calmed down and asked in a low voice: "But, what if..."

"Nothing will happen!" The Prime Minister slammed the table and stood up, his tone firm, "Those who achieve great things don't care about small details! As long as we act quickly and successfully control the palace, who can stop us?"

The prime minister's words, like the whisper of a devil, echoed in the prince's ears. He took a deep breath and finally made up his mind: "Okay! Let's do as the prime minister says! Let's join forces to overthrow the tyrant and create a new dynasty!"

As night fell, the palace was completely silent. Hu Bugui seemed to be calmly flipping through the book in his hand, but his furrowed brow betrayed his inner anxiety.

Suddenly, there was a slight knock on the door.

"Come in." Hu Bugui put down the book and said in a deep voice.

The door was gently pushed open, and Wu Tao walked in holding a bowl of ginseng soup.

"Your Highness, it's late at night. Drink a bowl of ginseng soup before going to sleep." Wu Tao put the ginseng soup on the table and said softly.

Hu Bugui looked at Wu Tao's worried eyes and felt warm in his heart. He stood up, took the ginseng soup and drank it all in one gulp.

"Tao'er, I'm sorry to have made you worry." Hu Bugui put down the bowl and gently took Wu Tao into his arms.

Wu Tao snuggled up to Hu Bugui's chest, feeling his warm body temperature, but her heart became more and more uneasy.

"Your Majesty, I have a feeling that the Prime Minister and the Crown Prince will not let this go. We..."

Before Wu Tao could finish his words, he was interrupted by a rapid knock on the door.

"Your Highness, something bad has happened! Someone is coming from the palace!" The guard's voice was filled with anxiety.

Hu Bugui and Wu Tao looked at each other, and suddenly a bad feeling arose in their hearts...

Hu Bugui's face darkened. He protected Wu Tao behind him and said in a deep voice, "Come in."

The guard pushed the door open in a panic, knelt on one knee, and said hurriedly: "Your Highness, someone has come from the palace, saying that the emperor has ordered Your Highness to enter the palace immediately!"

Hu Bugui and Wu Tao exchanged glances, and both were startled. In the middle of the night, the emperor suddenly summoned them, and there must be something fishy going on.

"I understand. You can go down now." Hu Bugui waved away the guards and turned to Wu Tao and said, "Tao'er, don't worry. I will be back soon."

Wu Tao was worried, but she also knew that this was not the time to be soft-hearted. She held Hu Bugui's hand and said firmly, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. I will wait for you here."

Hu Bugui nodded, turned around resolutely, and followed the guards out the door.

It was a dark night and the palace was brightly lit, but it could not conceal the tense atmosphere in the air.

Wu Tao paced back and forth in the room, feeling extremely anxious. She knew very well that the Prime Minister and the Crown Prince would not give up easily, and that the Emperor's late-night summons might lead to bad luck.

"No, I can't just sit there and wait to die!" Wu Tao secretly made up her mind that she must do something to help Hu Bugui overcome the difficulties.

She remembered that Hu Bugui once told her that not everyone in the court was in cahoots with the prime minister, and there were some loyal ministers who had been secretly supporting Hu Bugui.

Thinking of this, Wu Tao no longer hesitated. She called her trusted maid, whispered a few instructions to her, and then hurriedly left the palace.

Under the cover of night, Wu Tao's figure shuttled through the quiet streets. She had only one belief in her heart, and that was to rescue Hu Bugui at all costs.

At the same time, Hu Bugui followed the guards to the palace, but found the atmosphere extremely strange. The palace gate, which was usually heavily guarded, was now empty and silent.

Hu Bugui's heart was filled with alarm as he realized that he had fallen into a trap.

"Your Highness, please!" The guard made a gesture of invitation, but a cold smile appeared on his face.

Hu Bugui walked into the palace gate calmly. He knew that a storm was about to come.

At this moment, an unexpected figure appeared on the palace wall. The man was wearing a black cloak and his face could not be seen clearly, but his appearance ignited a glimmer of hope in Hu Bugui's heart.