CHAPTER 70: FRAMED IN THE PALACE

She looked at Yue Mingxuan’s face, now layered in heavy, gaudy colors like an artist’s palette and couldn’t help but sigh quietly.

If her young master ever appeared before others without makeup, he would no doubt be recognized as the most beautiful man across all four kingdoms.

Those so-called princes and noble heirs would be fighting to propose to him.

But now... sigh... the most beautiful man of the four kingdoms had fallen so low he was called the most ridiculous prince instead.

Yue Mingxuan stood and smoothed out the folds of his robe.

After checking his reflection carefully in the mirror to make sure nothing was out of place, he straightened his back and walked out with composed grace.

Sui He hurried forward and stopped near the eunuch, slipping a small piece of silver discreetly into his palm.

"Please take good care of my master along the way, sir," she said politely.

The eunuch accepted the silver, but his expression didn’t soften one bit.

His eyes swept over Yue Mingxuan with a hint of disdain before saying stiffly, "Then let’s go, Prince Yue. Follow me."

As she adjusted Yue Mingxuan’s robe one last time, Sui He whispered in his ear, "Your Highness, please be careful. Concubine Hua is not like other people."

Yue Mingxuan gave a small nod and followed after the eunuch.

The more he walked, the more certain he became that this visit would not end well.

From the attitude of the eunuch alone, he could tell that something was wrong.

If it had been good news, the messenger would’ve been one of the high-ranking eunuchs someone with real power and he would’ve come smiling, bearing gifts or rewards.

But this man was plain, clearly low in status, and even after accepting silver, hadn’t shown a single trace of warmth.

Thinking this, Yue Mingxuan let out a low chuckle.

Whatever awaited him at the end of this walk... it definitely wasn’t going to be small.

They passed through the Imperial Garden and soon reached the Tianxin Hall.

One glance was enough for Yue Mingxuan to see the difference between privilege and neglect, the entire palace was glowing with bright lights even at night, as brilliant as daylight.

Compared to his own dim residence, it was like heaven and earth.

"Prince Yue has arrived..." The eunuch’s voice echoed at the entrance.

Moments later, someone came to escort Yue Mingxuan inside.

In the main hall, Concubine Hua was reclining lazily on a luxurious couch, her every movement exuding elegance and arrogance.

Before her knelt a man dressed like a scholar, while a few lesser-ranked consorts sat scattered on both sides, watching quietly.

When Yue Mingxuan entered, several of them turned to look at him and almost all of those looks were filled with thinly veiled disdain.

Yue Mingxuan stepped into the grand hall and the scene before him almost made him laugh.

Oh? What was this? Which concubine had been caught cheating this time? And Concubine Hua had actually called him here to watch? What was this, a public execution for the sake of warning others?

He smirked faintly at the thought.

The women in this harem really had nothing better to do, always stirring up trouble, gossiping, scheming, all of them because there was only one emperor to fight over.

It reminded him of the TV dramas he’d watched in his previous life, the ones where princes, guards, and royal physicians were always tangled up in affairs.

Looking at the scholar like man kneeling on the floor, he tilted his head slightly.

Hmm... this one looked like a physician too.

Concubine Hua’s expression darkened when she saw Yue Mingxuan walk in so calmly, even smiling as if enjoying the show.

Her anger flared instantly.

She slapped the small table beside her seat with a sharp crack.

The eunuch beside her immediately stepped forward and barked, "Yue Mingxuan, do you know your crime?"

Yue Mingxuan glanced at Concubine Hua once and his suspicion was confirmed, this wasn’t about catching someone else.

The whole setup tonight was aimed at him.

He straightened up calmly.

Since trouble had come to his door, he might as well deal with it head-on.

"I don’t know," he said flatly.

"Yue Mingxuan, do you recognize the man kneeling below?" The eunuch’s voice was high-pitched and harsh, like a duck being strangled.

It made Yue Mingxuan’s skin crawl.

"I don’t," he replied coldly, giving the kneeling man a brief glance.

The man had a delicate face and there was even a faint resemblance to Concubine Hua herself.

Concubine Hua waved her hand elegantly. "Bring a seat for the Fifth Prince."

A eunuch quickly brought over a low round stool.

Yue Mingxuan didn’t stand on ceremony; he sat down with the same lazy grace that infuriated those who disliked him.

"Prince Yue," Concubine Hua said slowly while tracing her fingers along her polished nails, "this morning, the guards caught this man at the palace gates. Tell me, do you know the punishment for trespassing into the imperial city without permission?"

Yue Mingxuan glanced at her, resisting the urge to sigh.

Was this woman actually making him help interrogate prisoners?

She really had too much time on her hands.

Still, he answered properly, "By law, the punishment is death."

The moment the words left his lips, the man kneeling on the floor suddenly lunged forward and clutching desperately at the hem of Yue Mingxuan’s robe.

"Mingxuan," he cried, his voice shaking, "we have spent one night together, how can you betray me like this?"

Yue Mingxuan froze for a split second, watching this pathetic act unfold before him.

When his eyes met Concubine Hua’s, he caught the sharp, poisonous glint in her gaze and realization struck him.

So this was the real show.

The cheating scandal wasn’t someone else’s it was his.

Well, wasn’t that poetic? He had just been thinking about which concubine got caught cheating and now he was the one standing in the middle of the stage.