RPAGF Chapter 446 The Wise King Cannot Escape
Chapter 446 The Wise King Cannot Escape
The entire palace was surrounded, but the wise prince was not seen.
A subordinate came to report: "Reporting to Prince Ning, reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, only the Princess Consort and the Prince's left-hand concubine are in the backyard. The servants have all been brought under control. The Prince himself is not there."
Governor Cheng frowned and asked, "Is the Prince Xian not in the residence?"
The subordinate explained, "Reporting to the Governor, we have inquired and found that the steward and the servants of the outer study met His Highness the Prince today, but they did not see His Highness leave the residence."
"You haven't left the manor, nor have you seen anyone. Tell me, isn't that strange?" Governor Cheng was displeased.
Prince Ning then asked, "Have you inquired with the Princess and the concubines?"
The subordinate replied, "We've inquired, and neither the Princess nor the concubines know anything. Moreover... we've heard that the Prince hasn't visited the inner courtyard for half a month."
"This is really strange. A perfectly healthy person just vanished into thin air?"
Having handled many cases, Prince Ning quickly grasped the key point and said, "Go and get the topographical map of Prince Xian's residence, and arrange for someone to measure it, measuring every inch of the land. Ask the Princess and the steward of the residence if there are any cellars or similar places."
"Yes."
Governor Cheng was quite surprised and looked up at Prince Ning: "Your Highness, you are so knowledgeable and experienced that you can do such a thing?"
Prince Ning rubbed his temples and said, "If Prince Xian really escapes, it will probably become a hidden danger. It's hard to say how to explain this to him."
The two were uneasy.
But Prince Ning's men acted swiftly and soon found the entrance to the secret passage.
"Your Highness, there is a secret passage, but we don't know where it leads. We've asked around, but no one in the Prince's residence knows anything about it."
Governor Cheng hurriedly said, "Then let's go in through the secret passage and search!"
The guards from the capital were about to search the place, but Prince Ning stopped them.
"Wait a minute." Prince Ning frowned. "If it's a secret passage, there might be traps. Don't act rashly; you must be careful."
The guards were stunned, but they also realized what was happening and looked at Governor Cheng.
Governor Cheng was also in a dilemma. If there really was a mechanism, he didn't know what it was, where it was located, or how to deal with it. Moreover, he couldn't just ignore it.
At this moment in the courtyard, Zuo He was uneasy, her eyes red with grievance.
She was filled with fear and didn't know what to do. Now, she could only rely on Guishan.
"Sister, where has the Prince gone? What should we do?"
Gui Shan ignored her, but her mother next to her spoke coldly.
"Neither the Left Consort nor the Princess Consort knows the whereabouts of the Prince."
Zuo He burst into tears: "Does His Majesty no longer care about the bond between father and son and is going to attack the Prince? Does that mean we have no way to survive?"
"Shut up!" Gui Shan gave her a sharp look.
Zuo He cried even louder: "How can I shut up? Waaah, I want to go home. Gui Shan, can you hear me? You are the mistress of the house. Give me a letter of divorce and send me back home. I don't want to stay in the Prince's mansion anymore."
Making a racket like this is just asking for trouble.
Gui Shan didn't want to talk to her.
Zuo He's commotion indeed attracted the attention of the guards outside, and someone immediately came over to reprimand him.
"Does this concubine disrespect His Majesty so much that she doesn't want her head?"
Zuo He shrank back in fear, covering her mouth and continuing to cry.
Gui Shan stood up, walked up to the guard, and said, "Sir, I have something I want to say to His Highness Prince Ning. Could you please take me to see Prince Ning?"
The guard was unhappy.
Gui Shan continued, “Sir, I was quite close to the three young ladies of the Si family when I was young, and I also met His Highness Prince Ning several times. Today, I am seeking an audience with Prince Ning on an important matter. If you delay, it would be inappropriate if Prince Ning were to blame me later.”
The guard was from the Imperial Guard and originally didn't want to make this trip. But after hearing Gui Shan's words, which were half-threatening and half-pleading, he was still a little worried and turned around to report back.
Governor Cheng grew impatient upon hearing the guard's words: "What could she possibly want? She just wants to use her relationship with the Empress to plead for leniency! We're still investigating the case; we're not going to do anything to her. Go, go, go, don't delay us!"
Prince Ning thought for a moment and said, "I'll go see the Princess Consort."
Governor Cheng hurriedly said, "Your Highness, why bother with the Princess Consort? The steward has already said that the Princess Consort is not favored by the Prince Xian, and he hasn't visited her courtyard in a long time. Previously, Consort Hu managed the household affairs, but later the Prince Xian had the steward manage the household affairs, and he hasn't entrusted them to the Princess Consort."
Prince Ning did not speak and went into the inner courtyard.
Gui Shan stepped forward to greet her and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, I have something I wish to say to you alone."
Prince Ning frowned and led her to the door. There were no people from Prince Xian's residence around, only Prince Ning's own people.
"You said."
Gui Shan hurriedly said, "A while ago, I secretly sneaked into His Highness Prince Xian's outer study and found a sealed blueprint, which I then copied. Originally, I intended to give it to Her Majesty the Empress, but now it might come in handy..."
Prince Ning looked her up and down: "You? You have such abilities."
Gui Shan laughed: "Your Highness underestimates me. Although I am a woman confined to the inner quarters, I have some things to offer."
She told Prince Ning where the tracing drawings were stored.
Prince Ning immediately sent someone to retrieve it, and it was indeed the blueprint for the secret passage.
Moreover, the exit is a farm on the outskirts of Beijing.
Prince Ning and Commander Cheng split their troops into two groups.
Governor Cheng took the blueprints and entered the secret passage, following the correct route to catch up with the Wise Prince.
Meanwhile, Prince Ning rode swiftly to the exit of the secret passage to intercept Prince Xian.
Ah Song ran over and asked, "Your Highness, what about the Prince's Mansion..."
Prince Ning reined in his horse and turned back, hesitating for a moment before saying, "We will still keep the Prince's residence under control, but they can move around freely as long as they don't leave the residence."
It was also the first time that the wise king had walked through the secret passage. Although there were blueprints, it was not difficult to move forward. He almost went the wrong way several times.
When he finally reached the exit of the secret passage after going through countless hardships, he was met by Prince Ning and his guards, who surrounded the entire exit.
The wise prince's eyes widened: "You... Xiao Youchuan, what are you doing here?"
Prince Ning's gaze was indifferent as he chuckled lightly, "Your Highness, the fire at Prince Chen's residence is related to you. Let's go, come with me to the Dali Temple to cooperate with the investigation."
The wise prince was not about to accept this and angrily said, "Xiao Youchuan, do you know that I am the emperor's own son! In the end, I am the one who will inherit the throne!"
Prince Ning raised his hand, and his men arrested Prince Xian and all his men.
"Your Highness should refrain from saying such things. Even the emperor is subject to the same laws as commoners, let alone Your Highness, who is not the emperor!"
The Prince of Ning's voice was filled with sorrow and anger.
"The entire Chen Prince's mansion, including all seventy-two people, masters and servants, perished in the fire. These were all living, breathing lives. Do you think you can escape today?"
However, the Wise Prince didn't care at all. He laughed wildly: "They deserve to die! Xiao Youchuan, I want to see my father. Take me to see my father!"
Just then, a huge bell rang out from Kyoto, one after another.
There are three sounds in total.
Everyone was stunned and looked in that direction.
This bell tolls only when His Majesty passes away.