Remarrying Chun Yuan

Chapter 374 Spy

The Crown Prince cursed and smashed things, and the Eastern Palace was already smashed to pieces by him.

The palace maids and concubines serving him were also covered in tears, some even with torn skin, from being whipped by Qin Mushuo.

Cheng Hai hissed, utterly disdainful.

The cowardly nature of the Crown Prince before me is even worse than that of an ordinary Golden Feather Guard. How can he possibly represent the foundation of the Great Qi Dynasty?

"Your Highness should still pay attention to your appearance." He lowered his head to speak to Qin Mushuo, but then felt the strong smell of alcohol on him and almost knocked himself over.

Clearly, he hasn't stopped drinking since the matter was exposed.

Drinking incessantly is also a way of escaping.

Qin Mushuo was taken aback for a moment, then looked at his clothes. "What's wrong with me? Even if I'm naked, I'm still the Crown Prince of the Great Qi, the chosen one of the dragons. How can I be compared to an ordinary person? And you, an old eunuch, dare to lecture me? The first thing I'll do when I leave the Eastern Palace is kill you!"

"Your Highness, don't talk nonsense, this is Eunuch Cheng!" The Crown Princess hurriedly ran out of the palace and was startled when she saw Eunuch Cheng.

"Please forgive him, Your Highness, His Highness has simply drunk too much and is not recognizing people properly," the Crown Princess quickly pleaded.

Cheng Hai smiled slightly, "It's alright. My family has always been old servants of the royal family, so there's nothing wrong with His Highness scolding me like this."

“But this time, His Majesty has sent me to ask His Highness a few questions, so His Highness might as well get ready before we speak?” Cheng Hai put on that fake mask again.

Those who know him well know that as soon as he puts on this mask, the other party is in big trouble.

Upon hearing this, the Crown Princess readily agreed. She summoned a palace maid to bring water and clothes, and immediately helped Qin Mushuo tidy up.

Qin Mushuo, half-drunk and half-awake, asked, "Why are you dressing me? I'm going to court."

"Please don't speak carelessly. You must answer Eunuch Cheng's questions seriously later."

"Slap!" Qin Mushuo raised his hand and slapped the Crown Princess across the face. "Do I need you to teach me how to do things?"

His slap caused the Crown Princess's right cheek to quickly swell and turn red, and even a trickle of blood flowed from the corner of her mouth.

But she still looked at Cheng Hai apologetically, "Father-in-law, please don't worry, it's alright..."

The Crown Princess wanted to step forward, but Cheng Hai immediately helped her up. "Your Highness, there's no need to interfere. There are good ways to sober up. You can just watch from the side."

The Crown Princess was taken aback, and then she saw Cheng Hai give a wink to the little eunuch beside him.

The young eunuch understood immediately and withdrew, only to return shortly after, each carrying several buckets of cold water.

The spring breeze was biting.

Several buckets of cold water were poured over Qin Mushuo's head, soaking him completely!

The Crown Princess bit her hand in fright, her face pale. She wasn't surprised that this method could sober her up, but rather that Eunuch Cheng dared to treat the Crown Prince this way, which clearly meant that Qin Mushuo had been abandoned by His Majesty.

Qin Mushuo dared not continue to feign madness.

She remained motionless, staring at Cheng Hai, completely soaked.

Cheng Hai squatted down, looking him in the eye, and asked, "Is His Highness the Crown Prince now able to listen attentively to the questions His Majesty asks as we relay them?"

Qin Mushuo blinked. "Is...is Father going to depose me from my position as Crown Prince because of that Yuan Cuo?" He asked the question he most wanted to know.

He was afraid, he was regretful, he couldn't understand why Yuan Cuo always managed to escape danger and what made him better than him!

"I killed him for the sake of Great Qi. His birth mother was from Chu, an enemy of Great Qi for hundreds of years!!!"

Cheng Hai chuckled, "Your Highness's excuse is quite suitable. Isn't that the same excuse that Imperial Uncle Deng gave Your Highness back then?"

Qin Mushuo did not answer, and continued to curse Yuan Cuo, "I killed him, and I should be regarded as a hero by the Great Qi. Yes, I am a hero!"

"The people of Daqi know his identity now, right? Shouldn't they arrest him and behead him tonight? He must be a spy from Chu, sent by Chu to Daqi to plot something wicked!" He was completely lost in his own thoughts.

Cheng Hai felt a pang of pity.

Does Qin Mushuo, standing before me, resemble a crown prince?

"Does Your Highness know that Deng Qi was sent by the State of Chu to incite the Crown Prince to rebel?" He still asked this question.

Qin Mushuo's body stiffened. "What did you say?"

"Deng Qi is a spy from the State of Chu. He brought back Liu Zhong and, in His Highness's name, led the Golden Feather Guards to surround the Liu family, forcing Liu Yuechu into premature labor. Moreover, he intended to use Liu Yuechu and her unborn child as leverage to force Minister Yuan to concede on the Three Kingdoms' negotiations and agree to Chu's demands..."

Cheng Hai recounted everything to Qin Mushuo, including the fact that Yuan Cuo had taken action earlier, joining forces with Yan and Meng to seize the triangular territory of Chu.

"So, which Chu spy would have helped Qi seize a territory from Chu?"

"Now the people of Daqi worship and praise Minister Yuan, and even if they know his background, they still regard him as their master."

……

Cheng Hai did not embellish the story, but told the truth: "His Majesty has just issued an imperial edict, bestowing upon Minister Yuan the title of Duke of Baoguo."

"Actually, Her Majesty the Empress wanted to recognize Minister Yuan into the royal family, but Minister Yuan himself refused."

"So Your Highness's position as Crown Prince has been preserved, but the crime of colluding with Deng Qi to seduce the State of Chu is something that can never be washed away... In addition, the commander of the Golden Feather Guard has committed suicide to atone for his sins, and all the people guarding the Eastern Palace have been executed."

Cheng Hai finished speaking slowly and softly.

Qin Mushuo listened blankly, and by the end, he seemed completely drained, his eyes vacant.

The Crown Princess, who was standing nearby, was also terrified when she heard this.

"The Right Chancellor's office is absolutely unaware of this matter. I hope you can report it to His Majesty. I truly do not know. If I did know, I would certainly inform His Majesty and would not allow His Highness the Crown Prince to act recklessly!"

Her first thought was of the Pei family, and when she looked at Qin Mushuo, her eyes were filled with resentment and hatred.

Cheng Hai nodded slightly, "His Majesty will investigate this matter. If the Pei family really did not participate, they will be safe and sound."

“So…” The Crown Princess looked at Qin Mushuo, unsure of His Majesty’s intentions.

Cheng Hai glanced at Qin Mushuo and said, "His Majesty does not want to convict His Highness the Crown Prince and implicate the entire Eastern Palace."

Whether Qin Mushuo went mad, became stupid, or died suddenly for some other reason, it all depends on whether the Crown Princess is willing to take drastic measures.

The Crown Princess knelt on the ground, weeping bitterly.

After Cheng Hai left, when she got up, Qin Mushuo's mouth and eyes were already crooked, and he was drooling all over himself. His laughter was both silly and stupid. He suddenly hid in a corner and shrank back, not daring to show his face to anyone anymore...

Three days later.

When the Empress heard that the Crown Prince had truly been frightened into madness, she actually breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's better to be crazy than to be dead; being dead only brings trouble to many people."

With the Crown Prince useless, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices was naturally left idle and unattended.

"How did His Majesty arrange things?" Someone naturally needs to take over the Crown Prince's affairs.