HLnovel Chapter 432
Chapter 432
"What did you say?"Hearing this, Prince Lanhuai stood up in shock.
What did he just hear?
Prince An's Heir is at Prince An's estate?
"Your Highness, this old servant heard that Prince An's Heir has been at Prince An's estate all along," Eunuch Wu repeated anxiously.
He was also extremely anxious in his heart. If Prince An's Heir had been safely staying at Prince An's estate the whole time, then who was the child currently in their Prince's hands?
"Where did this news come from?" Prince Lanhuai asked, looking at Eunuch Wu in disbelief.
"Your Highness, this old servant just happened to go near Prince An's estate and happened to see Prince An carrying Prince An's Heir into the manor. Prince An's Heir was even begging Prince An for mercy."
Whenever Eunuch Wu thought about how he had heard that child call Prince An 'Father', his heart jumped into his throat.
After all, that child looked to be only four or five years old.
He was completely different from the child Zhou Zuo had brought back.
"Where is Zhou Zuo?" At this moment, Prince Lanhuai was still wondering if Zhou Zuo had failed to guard the child properly, allowing him to escape, or if Xu Heming had rescued him.
"Your Highness, there is another matter..." Eunuch Wu did not know how to tell the Prince that the child Zhou Zuo brought back was not Prince An's Heir at all.
"At a time like this, what else can't be said?" Prince Lanhuai was furious at Eunuch Wu's hesitation.
"Your Highness, that child and the Prince An's Heir this old servant saw at the gates of Prince An's estate are not the same person at all."
Seeing Prince Lanhuai's furious expression, Eunuch Wu quickly explained.
"What did you say?"
Prince Lanhuai never expected the truth of the matter to be like this.
Not Prince An's Heir?
Then who was that child?
Thinking of this, how could Prince Lanhuai not understand? It was impossible for Xu Heming not to recognize his own child. The only explanation was that Xu Heming had deliberately chosen not to expose him.
Damn that Xu Heming!
He had actually set a trap for him!
Recalling what Huo Yunxuan had said in his letter, the treasure at the suburban manor must have been taken by Xu Heming's men.
At this thought, Prince Lanhuai pounded the table in anger.
Considering that Xu Heming had not yet retrieved the title deed for the other Yutu Mountain, there must truly be a silver mine in that mountain.
Thinking of this, Prince Lanhuai gritted his teeth in hatred toward Xu Heming.
How did this damn Xu Heming always know how to ruin his plans?
"Go and summon Zhou Zuo for me!" He realized that all of this happened because Zhou Zuo had told him the child was Prince An's Heir, and he had believed it.
Everything was because of Zhou Zuo's incompetence.
Otherwise, he would never have approached Prince An.
Hearing this, the servant hurriedly went to find him.
After all, staying behind meant risking Prince Lanhuai's wrath.
As for Zhou Zuo, he could only pray for himself.
Eunuch Wu stood to the side, keeping his head down and not daring to say a word.
After all, if anyone was at fault here, it wasn't him.
At a time like this, keeping silent was the best course of action.
Hearing that the Prince was looking for him, Zhou Zuo hurried over.
However, as soon as he entered the study, he had a bad premonition.
"Brother, do you know why His Highness is looking for me?" Zhou Zuo asked the servant nervously.
"Master Zhou, this humble one does not know. You will find out once you see His Highness." The servant kept his head down; he definitely wasn't going to say that the Prince was probably looking for him to cause trouble.
After all, if Zhou Zuo didn't get skinned alive, it would be the servants who suffered.
Who told Master Zhou to be so incompetent?
Better him than me.
"Mhm." Although Zhou Zuo felt uneasy, he couldn't refuse since the Prince had personally sent someone to summon him.
He even wondered in his heart if there was another errand the Prince wanted to assign him.
"Your Highness!" Zhou Zuo bowed carefully to Prince Lanhuai.
Prince Lanhuai looked down at Zhou Zuo with a dark, cold expression.
"Zhou Zuo, who is that child you brought back?" Prince Lanhuai asked, staring at him.
"Your... Your Highness, that is naturally Prince An's Heir!" Zhou Zuo panicked, not knowing why the Prince would suddenly ask such a thing.
But at this moment, he didn't dare admit that the child wasn't Prince An's Heir.
Otherwise, who knew how the Prince would punish him.
"You had better think clearly before answering my question!" Prince Lanhuai asked again through gritted teeth.
How could Zhou Zuo not understand by now? The Prince must have found out something; otherwise, he wouldn't suddenly ask this.
"Forgive me, Your Highness! Forgive me, Your Highness!" Terrified, Zhou Zuo quickly knelt down and begged for mercy.
At this moment, he didn't even dare to imagine how the Prince would punish him after knowing the truth.
"Where! Did! That child! Come from!" Prince Lanhuai took a deep breath and asked once more.
He had never expected that the person deceiving him would be someone by his own side.
"At the time, we did capture Prince An's Heir. However, somehow, they managed to escape. Later, this subordinate thought that since Prince An's Heir was already gone, we might as well make the best of a mistake..." Zhou Zuo explained his original intentions, trembling with fear.
"Make the best of a mistake?" Prince Lanhuai looked at Zhou Zuo, suspecting in his heart whether he was in league with Prince An.
Otherwise, why didn't Prince An expose him back then?
"Do you really think I will believe your nonsense just because you say so? Speak! Are you a spy sent by Xu Heming?"
Having this thought, Prince Lanhuai couldn't help but ask directly.
After all, Xu Heming had seen that child last time.
"Your Highness, please forgive me! This subordinate truly does not know why Prince An did not expose the matter at that time." Zhou Zuo felt incredibly bitter in his heart.
He also didn't know why Prince An didn't play by the rules.
Now it was great; the Prince had actually misunderstood his relationship with Prince An.
What relationship could he possibly have with Prince An?
If he really had a relationship with him, why would he subject himself to following Prince Lanhuai?
"Damn it!" Prince Lanhuai grew even more furious.
From beginning to end, it was Xu Heming playing him for a fool!
"Men! Drag this traitor out and give him twenty strikes with the heavy cane!" Prince Lanhuai said angrily.
"Your Highness!" Zhou Zuo wanted to beg for mercy, but he was frightened into silence by the glare Prince Lanhuai shot at him.
He didn't dare utter another word of pleading.
He knew that today's beating was unavoidable.
Standing to the side, Eunuch Wu only dared to keep his head down, not daring to say a thing.
Thinking about how his scheme had been exposed, Prince Lanhuai wondered if Xu Heming had reported the matter to the Emperor.
If the Emperor found out about these things, he might become wary of him.
No!
At this thought, Prince Lanhuai grew anxious. He had to find a way out for himself before the Emperor could make a move against him.
After pondering it over and over, Prince Lanhuai decided to take Princess Fuan to meet the Third Prince of the Qinling Kingdom first.
As long as that prince took a liking to his daughter, the Emperor certainly wouldn't dare do anything to him.
"Go and summon Princess Fuan!" Prince Lanhuai quickly ordered Eunuch Wu.