Chapter 113: Xiao Hong’s Fingers Cut Off? This Prince Wants Her Dead!

The assassination attempt on the Crown Princess quickly spread across the capital the very night it happened. Soon after came news of a citywide lockdown, with the Marquis of Zhenbei personally leading the search for the assassins.

But by the next day, another shocking rumor circulated. After failing to kill the Crown Princess, the assassins had targeted the disgraced former Second Prince, Xiao Hong, who was already under house arrest. They cut off two of his fingers.

The fingers were left behind, and because Xiao Hong had once sent “gifts” during Princess Xiao Ning’s wedding, the Imperial Guards had been strictly monitoring his residence. He shouted and raged for hours, but the guards ignored him. Not until the third morning, when someone came to deliver his meal, was he found unconscious by the gate. The Imperial physicians were called, but it was too late as too much time had passed, and the severed fingers couldn’t be reattached.

This news quickly reached Xie Yao. Two fingers? She lowered her gaze to her own left hand. Coincidentally, she had been injured in those very two fingers. But thanks to her resilient constitution, the wounds had already healed, leaving only faint scars. She also remembered that her husband, the Crown Prince, had returned late last night. Calculating the time… the physicians estimated the injury occurred exactly while Xiao Ji was away from the palace.

…

“Get out! Out, all of you! … Get out!”

Xiao Hong’s left hand was tightly bandaged as he paced the main hall like a madman. He wanted to smash things, but after being confined for so long, nearly everything in his mansion had already been destroyed. The hall was bare.

The physicians and palace servants had no choice but to retreat, leaving only Xiao Hong’s hoarse shouts echoing through the residence. Once he had driven everyone away, his bloodshot eyes burned with hatred. “Come out!”

From the shadows, a masked guard in black appeared, kneeling before him. Xiao Hong gripped his bandaged arm, voice dripping with venom. “Who was it?”

The guard reported, “Based on last night’s tracks, the attacker headed toward the Crown Prince’s estate. But… after circling it, he turned instead to the Princess’s residence.”

“Xiao Ning!” Murder flashed in Xiao Hong’s eyes. “She’s taking revenge on this prince!”

He still referred to himself as “this prince” refusing to acknowledge his demotion. In his mind, Xiao Ning’s schemes were nothing but temporary setbacks. Once Xiao Ji was dead, the Emperor would surely restore his position. Who else but him deserved the throne?

“What is she, to dare such things?” His chest heaved with fury, and his voice turned cruel. “This prince wants her dead!”

He sneered, “Go find that man from last time. If he wants to cooperate with me, then let him prove his sincerity. Now is the time for him to show it!”

The guard bowed, about to leave, when Xiao Hong suddenly barked, “And kill the commander of the Imperial Guards who stood watch last night!”

The guard hesitated. “But, Your Highness, the Imperial Guards answer directly to His Majesty—”

Before he could finish, Xiao Hong kicked him savagely in the chest. “Are you teaching this prince how to act? I said kill him, so kill him! If not for him, the physicians would have come sooner! My fingers could have been saved!”

The humiliation of losing two fingers, he would repay it in blood. “Go!” he snarled.

The guard vanished. Alone in the empty hall, Xiao Hong looked at his bandaged hand. The pain radiated through him, twisting his face with rage. He kicked the nearest table leg. “Ahh!” he howled as the pain doubled back on him. Damn it. Damn this table too!

…

Xiao Hong’s mutilation was not a small matter. Though stripped of rank, he was still the Emperor’s son, guarded day and night by Imperial Guards, which was a sign that the Emperor still harbored affection for him.

Now injured, he was technically just a commoner, but one of royal blood. The commander of the Imperial Guards who had been on duty that night knelt in the Yangxing Palace. “Your Majesty, this minister failed in his duty. Please punish me.”

The Emperor closed his eyes. It was true, he had ordered that Xiao Hong not be disturbed that night. Still, as his father, he could not ignore the negligence. “Forty lashes,” he said flatly. The commander was dismissed.

Turning to Chief Eunuch Li, the Emperor asked, “Have they found the culprit?”

The old eunuch lowered his gaze. The findings matched exactly what Xiao Hong’s own guard had reported. “The trail points to the Princess’s residence, Your Majesty.”

“Xiao Ning?” The Emperor’s tone was unreadable. “Do you think it was her?”

Chief Eunuch Li dared not offer an opinion, stammering, “This servant does not know.”

The Emperor let out a cold laugh. “Speak.”

Trembling, Chief Eunuch Li continued, “The evidence does point toward the Eldest Princess. And at her wedding a few days ago…” He implied that Xiao Ning had both motive and opportunity.

The Emperor’s expression darkened. Striking at Xiao Hong while shifting suspicion toward the Crown Prince was such a clever calculation.

“What of the Crown Princess?” he suddenly asked.

Chief Eunuch Li’s heart skipped. “The Crown Princess suffered no great harm. Though frightened, her pregnancy remains stable.” His voice grew quieter.

“I heard she was wounded. Do you know where?” the Emperor pressed.

“I-I will send someone to find out.”

When Xie Yao was attacked, the Prince had not summoned palace physicians. By the time reinforcements arrived, she was already wrapped tightly in the Prince’s cloak. They knew only that some blood had been shed, but not where she was injured.

The Emperor’s lips pressed into a thin line, his eyes cold with killing intent. So… the Crown Princess. Xie Yao. If she is truly innocent, so be it. But if she is the reason behind all this… then not only the bastard in her womb, but she herself cannot be allowed to live.

“Your Majesty,” came a eunuch’s voice from outside, “Consort Li seeks audience.”

Though no word had been sent to her, Consort Li had somehow learned of Xiao Hong’s injury. Arriving at the palace gates, she cast a venomous look at the whipped commander of the Imperial Guards. She would remember this!

The doors to the hall opened. “Her Ladyship may enter,” announced the eunuch.

Before even stepping inside, Consort Li’s tears were already falling. “Your Majesty, I beg you to uphold justice for Hong’er! If those villains could chop off his fingers this time, next time they’ll take his life!”

Her cries were heart-wrenching. The Emperor sighed softly and beckoned her closer. “I have already punished the commander of the guards. Such negligence will not happen again.”

Still sniffling, Consort Li tried to continue, but when she saw the Emperor’s frown, she swallowed her protests. “Your Majesty…”

“This assassin is arrogant beyond measure,” the Emperor cut her off. “The city is sealed, and the Marquis of Zhenbei himself is hunting them down. They will be caught. In the meantime, beyond Hong’er, even the Crown Princess was badly shaken. You, as an elder and Mistress of the Inner Palace, ought to summon her here and comfort her properly.”

Comfort that slut? Consort Li nearly choked on her fury. That woman doesn’t deserve it!

“Your Majesty—” she began, but the Emperor’s sharp gaze silenced her. “If you will not, then I shall have Consort Shu do it.”

Forcing a smile, Consort Li bowed. “Rest assured, Your Majesty. This concubine will see it done.”

That very day, a messenger from the palace arrived at the Crown Prince’s residence. Consort Li summoned the Crown Princess.