After scattering the sand, Fang Zheng dusted off his hands and returned to his horse.

Looking at the effect below, he felt somewhat satisfied. Although he didn’t want to see resentment in people’s eyes, it didn’t matter now.

Liu Xun stroked his beard and smiled, “Lord Fang, that was quite a tactic.”

Fang Zheng put on a bashful expression, “You flatter me, my lord. This official only knows such small tricks.”

“Why don’t we leave these minor matters to me in the future? It’ll give me something to do.”

Liu Xun laughed inwardly.

What a fool, eagerly taking on these thankless, troublesome tasks. It seems he harbors resentment towards the refugees after being demoted from the capital.

“Then I’ll trouble Lord Fang with this. These refugees are fortunate to have you.”

Fang Zheng smiled slightly, “This official is merely doing his duty. Speaking of which, seeing these refugees wolfing down their food has made me a bit hungry…”

Hungry? Good!

“What would Lord Fang like to eat? This official will do his best to accommodate you. We can’t let such a talented individual go hungry.”

Fang Zheng pondered for a moment, “Ah, given the current difficult circumstances, I dare not be too extravagant. Let’s just have some simple fish, carp will do.”

Liu Xun relaxed. Carp was good, not a rare delicacy. If you had asked for something more complex, I might not have been able to provide it!

Liu Xun asked with a smile, “That’s a small matter. How would you like the carp prepared?”

“Boil a pot of old hen soup with fritillary bulbs, angelica, wolfberries, and ginseng for an hour. Then suspend the carp above the chicken soup, steaming the fish with the vapor. Let the fish meat fall into the pot and mix into a paste. The flavor is exquisite and must be tasted.”

“Lord Liu must join me in tasting this fish soup. I guarantee it’s an unforgettable experience!”

Liu Xun: “……..”

—

In the palace, Imperial Study

Two days had passed.

Guo Tianyang hadn’t seen the Crown Prince and was extremely anxious. Standing beside Emperor Jing, he couldn’t help but worry.

Since the Crown Prince began managing Banshan District, it was normal for him to miss a day of paying respects occasionally. But not attending court seemed a bit unusual.

Recently, Emperor Jing had been busy with state affairs and hadn’t paid much attention. He had asked a couple of simple questions, to which Guo Tianyang could only answer that he didn’t know, temporarily glossing over the matter.

But privately, he had sent secret agents to investigate and heard that someone resembling the Crown Prince had gone towards Taoyuan County.

Guo Tianyang couldn’t quite figure out the situation yet…

Suddenly, Emperor Jing put down his brush and looked up at Guo Tianyang, “Where has the Crown Prince been these past two days? Why hasn’t he come to see me?”

Guo Tianyang’s heart skipped a beat. It’s over, he’s asking again.

He steeled himself and said, “This old servant doesn’t know.”

Emperor Jing was clearly displeased, “Go, summon that unfilial son for me! He dares to skip court sessions now.”

Guo Tianyang nodded in agreement and hurriedly ran out.

He didn’t dare delegate this task to anyone else and personally jogged all the way to the Eastern Palace.

It didn’t take long to find the palace maid who usually served Li Yuanzhao.

He urgently asked, “Where is the Crown Prince?”

The maid was startled and pulled out a letter from her sleeve, honestly replying, “His Highness said that if anyone came looking for him, to give them this letter.”

“As for where His Highness went, this servant doesn’t know.”

Guo Tianyang immediately sensed trouble and opened the letter with trembling hands. As he read it, his heart sank.

He’s run away! He must have left in advance!

It turned out the Crown Prince had anticipated that the Emperor would send him to search, and had left a letter for the Emperor.

After reading the letter, Guo Tianyang was momentarily dazed, but quickly regained his composure.

He waved at the maid, “Mm, I understand. You may go.”

Seeing the maid walk away, Guo Tianyang collected himself and walked towards Li Yuanzhao’s bedchamber.

Li Yuanzhao’s door wasn’t locked, and Guo Tianyang gently pushed it open.

Looking at the scattered draft imperial edicts on the table, his thoughts became jumbled.

After standing there for a long while, Guo Tianyang took a deep breath and gathered his emotions.

Then he suddenly pushed open the door and ran back to the Imperial Study.

As soon as he saw Emperor Jing, he wailed, “Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened!! The Crown Prince has run away! This servant deserves death!”

Then came the sound of repeated kowtowing, quickly leaving a bloody mark on the ground.

Guo Tianyang gritted his teeth, enduring the pain on his forehead.

His heart was bleeding. Your Majesty, this is the only time in my life I’ll deceive you…

“This old servant deserves death! This old servant deserves death for not watching over the Crown Prince properly!”

Guo Tianyang repeated these few sentences over and over.

Emperor Jing was shocked for a moment but quickly regained his composure. He frowned and said, “Get up! Why are you crying? Where did the Crown Prince run off to?”

Guo Tianyang looked terrified, “Your Majesty, this is the letter His Highness left for you.”

“You’d better go to the Eastern Palace and see… This old servant… This old servant dares not speak!”

Emperor Jing frowned, holding the letter without rushing to read it. He said sternly to Guo Tianyang, “Lead the way!”

The two quickly walked to Li Yuanzhao’s bedchamber.

Seeing the door half-open, Emperor Jing strode right in.

Looking around, he noticed a thin layer of dust, indicating that no one had cleaned for some days.

Then Emperor Jing walked to the table and, seeing the draft imperial edicts, his gaze sharpened, and his body began to tremble involuntarily.

“Unfilial son… Bastard…”

“Beast!!! He dares to forge an imperial edict! This handwriting… He’s imitating you!… Guo Tianyang!!” Emperor Jing exploded in rage!

Guo Tianyang knelt trembling beside him.

Emperor Jing’s face was full of murderous intent, “There’s even my seal on this! Isn’t the Imperial Seal Office under your charge?!”

“Yes… yes… This servant deserves death, this servant deserves death…” Guo Tianyang just kept kowtowing, not daring to say another word.

Emperor Jing was shaking with anger. Only then did he remember the letter in his hand and quickly unfolded it.

It contained Li Yuanzhao’s fabricated account of stealing the seal and forging the imperial edict, completely exonerating Guo Tianyang, and ending with him saying he felt too guilty to face anyone.

Emperor Jing glanced at the trembling Guo Tianyang at his feet, and his heart softened.

He frowned and said, “Get up. That beast… stole the seal while you were ill and left this confession letter. He must have run away. Quickly send people to investigate and bring that unfilial son back to me!”

“Yes… yes… Your Majesty, should we send people to retrieve the imperial edict?” Guo Tianyang asked cautiously.

Emperor Jing frowned, closed his eyes, and sighed deeply, “No need… It’s too late, it’s already too late.”

“That beast must have planned this long ago!”

“Changing orders so quickly will lose the trust of the people… Damn it!”

Even if they sent fast horses, it was basically impossible to catch up after several days.

If he had taken the waterway, there was even less chance.

Hearing this, Guo Tianyang scrambled to his feet and ran outside.

Soon he ran back, kneeling before Emperor Jing, “Your Majesty… A few days ago, someone from the Eastern Depot saw a person in red clothes, possibly the Crown Prince, heading towards Taoyuan County. This old servant has already ordered people to pursue.”

“Red clothes… red clothes…” Emperor Jing carefully considered the scene when he last saw the Crown Prince.

He had never seen him wear such eye-catching clothes before.

Clearly, this unfilial son had planned this early on. Did he think he could fool me with such a crude tactic?

“No, this is a diversionary tactic!”

“Send the Imperial Guard to Jianjiang to bring back that unfilial son! He must have gone to find Fang Zheng!”

“Where else could he go? I knew it, he and Fang Zheng are cut from the same cloth. These two pests can’t stay still for a moment!”

Emperor Jing quickly came to a conclusion after some thought.

Guo Tianyang’s eyes widened, “Your Majesty, do you mean that Fang Zheng incited His Highness to forge the edict?”

“Impossible… He doesn’t have the guts. You may leave now.” Emperor Jing stood with his hands behind his back, and Guo Tianyang couldn’t quite read his thoughts.

As the door closed, Emperor Jing slowly turned around. He looked at the drafts on the table expressionlessly.

He picked up one and read it carefully.

As he read, a slight smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

“You little rascal……”