"Prepare the carriage at once. This King is going to the capital," said the Prince of Nanping.
"Your Highness, the Princess Consort is here," a servant reported, entering the room.
Upon hearing this, the Prince of Nanping quickly walked to the doorway. Seeing the Princess Consort approaching hurriedly, he instructed the servants behind him, "Go and prepare the carriage. I will depart shortly."
The servants withdrew.
The Prince of Nanping hurried forward and supported the Princess Consort, asking, "My dear, what has made you so anxious?"
Tears welled up in the Princess Consort's beautiful eyes. "Your Highness, at this point, will you still not tell me the truth?"
The Prince of Nanping let out a few gentle laughs and said softly, "My dear, this King knows nothing. What truth can I tell you?"
"Fine, if you won't speak, then tell me, where is Ze'er? Where has he gone?"
The Prince of Nanping's expression remained unchanged. "Ze'er has gone to the capital. By now, he should be close to returning."
"Close to returning? You actually say he is close to returning? But I heard that he has been imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison by His Majesty. You tell me he is returning? Your Highness, if you deceive me like this, do you want me to personally go to the capital to inquire about the news?"
The Prince of Nanping became a little anxious. "Princess Consort, please do not be anxious. Is this King not afraid of you becoming anxious?"
"If you are afraid of me becoming anxious, then you deceive me?" the Princess Consort asked, looking at the Prince of Nanping, word by word.
The Prince of Nanping smiled awkwardly. "Princess Consort, please do not be angry. Your health is not good, and this King is afraid you will become anxious upon hearing the news."
"Then tell me now, what has happened to Ze'er?" the Princess Consort asked urgently.
"Ze'er has been framed for the murder of the Second Prince. This King intends to go to the capital immediately to request an audience with His Majesty."
"The Second Prince? How is that possible? Ze'er is not such a reckless person." The Princess Consort shook her head. Her Ze'er would never kill anyone, let alone the Second Prince.
"Princess Consort, what this King says is useless. The key is whether His Majesty believes it and whether the court officials believe it."
The Princess Consort looked at him and her lips suddenly trembled. "Your Highness, why not tell His Majesty the truth!"
The Prince of Nanping's body trembled. He looked at the Princess Consort and said, "Princess Consort, do you know that once His Majesty is informed, Ze'er will no longer be a member of the Nanping Prince's household?"
"But I would rather have him live well," the Princess Consort said, tears streaming down her face.
The Prince sighed and said, "Until the critical moment, this King will not reveal it. If the situation becomes uncontrollable, this King will speak out."
The Princess Consort nodded. "Yes, yes."
"Princess Consort, please wait for this King and Ze'er to return safely in the Prince's manor, alright?"
The Princess Consort nodded. "Yes, I will wait for Your Highness and Ze'er to return!"
"Princess Consort, take care!" The Prince of Nanping stepped forward, kissed the Princess Consort's forehead, and then departed.
The Princess Consort bit her lower lip, weeping uncontrollably.
"Princess Consort, please don't cry. You must believe that His Highness and the young prince will return safely."
"They will, they will return safely!" the Princess Consort said firmly.
The Prince of Nanping got into the carriage and closed his eyes. Only when he felt the carriage moving away did he open his eyes again. The Princess Consort's words echoed in his mind.
Ministry of Justice Prison
The jailer saw Eunuch Zhang and quickly stepped forward obsequiously, bowing respectfully. "Eunuch Zhang, what breeze brings you here? If you had told me earlier, this humble one would have gone out to welcome you."
"This humble one is fine. I just came to have a look." As he spoke, Eunuch Zhang slipped some silver into the jailer's hand.
The jailer was so startled that he quickly tried to refuse. "Eunuch Zhang, you truly honor this humble one too much. This... this humble one cannot accept it."
"Take it. This humble one will be coming more often in the future. Just be clever about it," Eunuch Zhang said slowly, looking at the jailer.
The jailer nodded. "This humble one will definitely be clever and will not say what should not be said."
Eunuch Zhang asked in a low voice, "Where is the young prince imprisoned?"
The jailer quickly replied, "In the very back. This humble one will lead you there."
"No need. This humble one will go by himself." Eunuch Zhang walked towards the interior and soon saw the somewhat disheveled Qi Yuze.
He quickly quickened his pace, feeling a pang of heartache. "How has our young prince become like this?"
Qi Yuze looked up and saw Eunuch Zhang. He said, "Why are you here? After finally getting out of here, you want to go back in."
"Young Prince, please don't joke with this servant. This servant asks you, how did you get yourself in here? They all say you killed the Second Prince, but this servant does not believe it!"
Upon hearing this, Qi Yuze chuckled softly. "Eunuch Zhang, you believe this prince so much?"
"It's not belief, it's trust in the young prince's character," Eunuch Zhang said slowly.
Qi Yuze shook his head. "Eunuch Zhang, your belief is of no use. His Majesty does not believe, and the court officials do not believe."
Eunuch Zhang stomped his feet anxiously. "Are there no other ways?"
"No," Qi Yuze shook his head. This was a dead end.
Given the words he had previously spoken, coupled with the assassins who had attacked the two princes, and the Third Prince's accusation against him, there was no possibility of proving his innocence.
"This servant heard that the Prince of Nanping is about to enter the capital. This servant will go and ask for the Prince of Nanping's intentions." Eunuch Zhang said.
Upon hearing this, Qi Yuze said, "Tell Father that if there is no evidence to clear this prince's name, then he should not bother with this prince. Let him return to the Nanping Prince's manor and live his carefree life as a prince."
"Young Prince..." Eunuch Zhang exclaimed.
"Eunuch Zhang, only you have come to see this prince. This prince is immensely grateful."
Eunuch Zhang couldn't help but shed tears. "Young Prince, you will not die. This old servant will risk his life to ensure you live, to survive."
"Eunuch Zhang, stop trying so hard!"
Eunuch Zhang shook his head. "Young Prince, please don't mind this servant."
After saying this, he turned and left.
Third Prince's Manor
When Qi Yuheng heard that only Eunuch Zhang, who was close to the Emperor, had entered the Ministry of Justice Prison, he sneered. "That old fellow. I let him escape death last time, but this time, I will definitely not let him go. A'ling, find a way to let Mother Consort know about this matter, and let Mother Consort help this Prince."