Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 718: Chapter 352: Killed Prince Jing_2

Nanny Sun thought it made sense. Empress Xie, no matter what, was Duke Zhen’s own sister and the Empress herself. No matter how angry the Duke was with Empress Xie, he would not harm her and Prince Jing.

"This time, I won’t spare Xie Wan’s wretched son’s life!" Empress Xie stood up and walked towards the study, deciding to write a letter to her son far away in Jinling.

On the other side, Duke Zhen, with a face like water, returned to the Duke Zhen Country Mansion and instructed his son to ensure that Prince Jing could not return to the capital.

The Princely Heir of the Duke Mansion was taken aback upon hearing this command and hurriedly asked, "Father, do you mean..." He didn’t finish the sentence but made a throat-slitting gesture with his hand.

Duke Zhen gave a slight nod and said in a light, airy tone, "Kill him."

The Princely Heir of the Duke Mansion was shocked to hear this. He was stunned for a moment before he spoke, "Father, are you serious about killing Prince Jing?"

"Kill him," Duke Zhen’s face and voice were very calm, as if discussing something irrelevant.

"Father, what did Aunt argue with you about in the palace?" The Princely Heir could see that his father was not joking and was serious. "Father, Prince Jing is Aunt’s own son, your nephew. No matter how angry Aunt makes you, you can’t kill Prince Jing."

"Xie Yi has lost her mind; she only thinks about herself and her son, not the Xie family." Duke Zhen was thoroughly disappointed with his sister, Empress Xie, and could no longer let her madness continue, "She wants to take the whole Xie family down with her."

"What, Aunt has gone mad?" The Princely Heir always thought his aunt, Empress Xie, was not very bright, but never to the point of madness. "Father, what exactly happened?"

Duke Zhen briefly recounted his conversation with Empress Xie to his son.

The Princely Heir reacted the same way as Duke Zhen after hearing it.

"Aunt has gone mad?"

"She went mad long ago." Duke Zhen thought that his younger sister was only madly jealous of their elder sister, but hadn’t expected her envy to reach such madness. "I can’t let them mother and son destroy the Xie family." No one could destroy the Xie family, not even the Emperor, let alone Empress Xie and Prince Jing.

"Father, do we really need to kill Prince Jing?" The Princely Heir felt it wasn’t necessary to go this far, "Father, we can make Prince Jing behave, there’s no need to kill him."

"Prince Jing is restless, and as long as he’s alive, he will continue to undermine us." Duke Zhen pinched his brow with an indifferent tone without emotion, "We cannot let him disrupt what we’ve done in Jinling; he only behaves if he’s dead." Duke Zhen had no affection for this nephew, Prince Jing.

"Father, but Prince Jing is a prince... If he dies, I’m afraid..."

"Prince Jing is in Jinling; have the people there kill him." Duke Zhen also didn’t want to kill his nephew, Prince Jing, but considering what Prince Jing was doing in Jinling, he couldn’t let him live any longer. "They are bent on bringing down our Xie family; we don’t have to care about familial ties either."

"What about Aunt?"

"She can’t die yet. If she dies, the Emperor will have to marry a new Empress, which is not good for our Xie family." Duke Zhen put a hand to his forehead, "The Xie family still needs her as the Empress; let her remain ill."

"How ill?"

"Too ill to cause trouble but not enough to die." Duke Zhen sighed softly, "I’ve done my best by her."

"Father, Aunt is your only sister."

"I treat her like my sister, but she doesn’t treat me as her brother." Duke Zhen sneered, "It’s all because your grandmother spoiled her. Your grandmother only had your aunt in her heart, not the Xie family."

The Princely Heir was hesitant to discuss the late grandmother, "Father, when to deal with Prince Jing, now?"

Duke Zhen thought for a moment and said, "Not now, wait until he returns from Jinling and take him down on the way back."

"When to deal with Aunt?"

"Right now. Make her catch a cold first, then gradually make her gravely ill."

"I’ll make the arrangements later."

For Duke Zhen, Empress Xie and Prince Jing were not major troubles. The biggest trouble now was Prince Chu.

"Has Prince Chu not been found yet in Peng City?"

"All that’s been found are Prince Chu’s decoys; his true self hasn’t been located."

Duke Zhen listened, his face thoughtful and silent.

"Father, could Prince Chu have already left Peng City?"

Duke Zhen said, "That’s what I fear the most."

The Princely Heir’s expression changed drastically, frowning tightly as he said, "Father, Prince Chu wouldn’t have gone to..."

Duke Zhen shook his head, "Impossible, Prince Chu doesn’t have the capability to discover Wuhua Mountain."

The Princely Heir thought he was overthinking; no matter how capable Prince Chu was, it was impossible for him to discover Wuhua Mountain.

"Father, if Prince Chu is not in Peng City, then where would he be?"

Duke Zhen thought of Prince Wei’s letter saying a decoy of Prince Chu was found in Jinling, along with reports of Prince Chu having planted people in Jinling before.

"Prince Chu might be in Jinling."

"Jinling?" The Princely Heir thought that Prince Chu being in Jinling seemed probable. "If Prince Chu is really in Jinling, then it would simplify matters."

"Whether it simplifies or not depends on finding him first." Duke Zhen frowned, "If we can’t find Prince Chu and he returns safely to the capital, we’ll have big trouble with the Crown Prince."

"Father, for safety, let’s notify Zhenxi to be prepared."

Duke Zhen nodded, "Notify them."

The father and son discussed the matter for a while longer.

The Princely Heir noticed his father looked a bit tired, so he tactfully retreated to let Duke Zhen rest.

Duke Zhen did not rest but went to the ancestral hall to offer incense to the Old Duke and Old Duchess. He told them that he must take drastic action against Empress Xie and her son for the Xie family and hoped the elders would not blame him for his ruthlessness.

The Emperor, upon learning about the fierce argument between Empress Xie and Duke Zhen, went to Zhao Yang Palace to visit Empress Xie.

Empress Xie was surprised that the Emperor would visit at this time, and her heart was deeply moved.

"What’s the matter between you and Duke Zhen, what conflict occurred?"

"Your Majesty, Duke Zhen he..." Empress Xie’s eyes reddened, her eyes welled with tears, and she looked aggrieved. She bit her lip and did not continue.

"What about Duke Zhen?" The Emperor’s tone became severe, "If he bullies you, I will stand up for you."

"Your Majesty..." Empress Xie leaned into the Emperor’s embrace, tears streaming, "Your Majesty, you sent Prince Jing to Jinling to work for his good, but Duke Zhen thinks Prince Jing is worthless." Empress Xie could not tell the Emperor the truth.

"Old Seven is doing very well; I’ve always valued him, so don’t mind Duke Zhen’s opinion of him." The Emperor smiled, "Old Seven is doing a fine job in Jinling, and I’m very pleased. When he returns from Jinling, I’ll reward him greatly."

"Your Majesty..." Empress Xie was moved to tears.

After chatting with Empress Xie for a while, the Emperor then left.

Exiting Zhao Yang Palace, the Emperor instructed Sun Kui, "Keep an eye on Zhao Yang Palace and ensure nothing happens to the Empress."

Sun Kui’s heart was startled, "Your Majesty, are you worried that Duke Zhen might harm the Empress?"

"Though Xie Yi is a bit foolish, she has done reasonably well over the years, and nothing should happen to her now." The Emperor further instructed Sun Kui, "Also, keep someone watching Old Seven." With Duke Zhen’s methods, he would not spare the Empress and Old Seven.