"You said you saw someone who looked exactly like Prince Ning in the Imperial Garden tonight?" the Emperor asked again, incredulously.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Although the bamboo grove was dappled with light and shadow under the moonlight, this humble minister still clearly saw the man's face."
Yan Song was certain that the person he saw was Prince Ning.
Upon hearing Yan Song's words, the Emperor's expression instantly turned grim, his sword-like eyebrows, as if painted, furrowed into a single line.
"Guards, go to the Dali Temple prison immediately and check on Prince Ning."
The Emperor roared, issuing his order on the spot.
At this moment, Jian Feng, standing outside the hall, heard the Emperor's command. He immediately entered the inner hall to receive the order and then set off for the Dali Temple prison without delay.
Meanwhile.
Just then, Prince Ning received a secret letter written by Lin Zhenfan.
The secret letter stated that Prince Ning should immediately find a way to control the current Emperor and Empress Dowager, and then take control of the entire Imperial Palace. Within two days, he, Lin Zhenfan, would cooperate with Prince Ning from the inside and outside to capture the capital.
From then on, the entire Tianwu Kingdom would belong to the two of them.
How beautiful Lin Zhenfan's thoughts were, but reality was cruel. There were still several princes in the capital, such as Prince Leng and Prince An. If the Emperor and Empress Dowager in the palace had any unusual behavior, they would definitely not stand idly by. Moreover, Emperor's left and right arms, Leng Jinyu, were also present. How could their objectives be easily achieved?
However, Prince Ning still wanted to give it a shot. He did not want to live his life so furtively.
After a moment of thought, Prince Ning wrote a note and found a reliable person to deliver it to Princess Anle in the palace. If he truly wanted to make a move against the Emperor and Empress Dowager, he could only rely on Princess Anle and Nanny Chang in the palace for help.
At this moment, Lin Zhenfan had already led twenty thousand elite soldiers to rush towards the capital overnight. During the day, Lin Zhenfan was afraid of being discovered, so they dared not travel openly on the official roads. Instead, they hid in the mountains and set up camp to sleep.
When night fell, they would march again, making it difficult for people to discover them.
With two more days until Lin Zhenfan's twenty thousand troops reached the capital, he became even more cautious.
This time, he could only succeed in attacking the capital. If he failed, he would have no place in the Tianwu Kingdom and would be reviled by others as a rebel. That was why he thought of dragging Prince Ning into it, and then he could use Prince Ning as a scapegoat.
But what happened later made him regret it for the rest of his life.
...
In the Imperial Palace, Jian Feng quickly returned from the Dali Temple prison to report.
"Your Majesty, Prince Ning is still in prison and has not escaped," Jian Feng truthfully reported what he saw.
"Hmm, I understand. You may withdraw."
The Emperor, Empress Dowager, and Prince Leng and his wife were stunned by Jian Feng's words. The four of them sat in their chairs, lost in thought.
Prince Ning had no twin brother, so how could someone look exactly like him?
"Your Majesty, the person this humble minister saw truly looked exactly like Prince Ning, even his build and back view were the same..."
Yan Song hurried to add, fearing the Emperor would fly into a rage.
"Lord Yan, don't be nervous. Father Emperor hasn't blamed you for anything," Leng Ruoli comforted him.
Afterward, Leng Ruoli added, "Actually, for two people to look exactly alike, they don't necessarily have to be twins, or twin sisters. I know of another way to make two people look alike. That method is to wear a human skin mask that resembles the other person. However, this method is rarely mastered by many people in the current Tianwu Kingdom."
"That's right, Princess Leng. How could this subordinate not have thought of it? That person might very well be wearing a human skin mask. Alas..."
Upon Leng Ruoli's reminder, Yan Song's expression became agitated again. He sighed and repeatedly blamed himself for being foolish.
"Hmph! No matter who that person is! Eunuch Li, you and Jian Feng are to search the entire Imperial Palace, and find that impostor of Prince Ning for me!" The Emperor issued another order to Eunuch Li and Jian Feng.
Thus, the Imperial Palace was thrown into chaos with Eunuch Li and Jian Feng searching everywhere. In a short while, the entire palace was in an uproar, with chickens flying and dogs scattering, and people were in a state of panic.
However, even with all this, Eunuch Li and Jian Feng could not find the man.
Seeing this, Prince Leng and his wife did not want to cause further trouble for the Emperor and Empress Dowager. They thoughtfully sent Yan Song back to the Dali Temple on their way.
After sending Yan Song back to the Dali Temple, Prince Leng and his wife felt a sense of unease, but they could not pinpoint why they felt this way.
Therefore, they personally went to the prison to check on Prince Ning, who was imprisoned there.
Because Prince Leng and Princess Leng held noble statuses and were a formidable pair, the jailers guarding the prison entrance dared not provoke the couple. Thus, the two were able to enter the prison smoothly, even without the Emperor's decree.
As Prince Leng and his wife stepped into the prison, they saw that the jailers inside seemed to have been beaten, with their faces bruised and swollen.
However, Leng Ruoli and Jun Mohan were too lazy to question them. After entering, they walked directly to the cell where Prince Ning was imprisoned.
They saw that "Prince Ning" was sitting on a wooden bed, lost in thought, with his hands and feet shackled. His appearance was completely devoid of his usual spirit.
"Prince Ning" saw Prince Leng and his wife and sneered mockingly, "What kind of day is it today? So many people are running into the prison to see this king. Jian Feng just ran to the prison and examined this king carefully. What do you two, Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law, intend to do to this king now?"
"Third Brother, we don't intend to do anything to you. We just want to see your arms, is that alright?" Jun Mohan said thoughtfully.
"This king is not some stunningly beautiful woman, what's so good about my arms?" "Prince Ning" said, his eyes flashing with a strange expression.
"This king is not looking at a woman's arms. This king only wants to glance at your arms. Doesn't Prince Ning dare to show this king?" Jun Mohan retorted with firm words.
"Heh! What is there to be afraid of!"
"Prince Ning" said, and then he lifted both his sleeves to show Jun Mohan a glance. It was precisely because of this glance that Jun Mohan's suspicion about "Prince Ning's" identity was aroused.
This was because Prince Ning had never liked to roll up his sleeves to show others since he was young. It was said that when he was three years old, a palace maid accidentally spilled a bottle of hot water and burned his arm. Although it was treated later, the burn scar on his arm never faded, becoming his eternal heartache.
However, very few people knew about this matter. Only the old servants who served Prince Ning back then knew it clearly. Even Consort Jing might not know.
Since princes and grandsons in the royal family were not allowed to live with their concubines after the age of three, it was not strange that Consort Jing did not know about the burn scar on Prince Ning's arm.
But when he, Jun Mohan, asked to see "Prince Ning's" arm, this "Prince Ning" answered so readily that Jun Mohan could not help but become suspicious of him.