Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne Chapter 1078 - 122: Divine Pill

"What did you say? Prince Chu is not only alive but has also returned safely to the capital?" Disbelief filled Prince Han's eyes as he stared at Yang Qi. "Mr. Yang, are you aware of what you're claiming?"

"Your Highness, I find it just as unbelievable, yet it's the absolute truth." Yang Qi shared Prince Han's shock when he first heard the report. "The information originated straight from the capital; it has to be accurate."

"How could this be?" Prince Han's expression darkened severely. "Didn't our suicide squad eliminate the fourth prince? Didn't you dispatch men to dispose of the body? Weren't you certain he was gone? Yet now you claim he's alive and back in the capital. So whose body was that? Are there truly two Prince Chus walking this earth?" Never before had Prince Han seethed with such rage. If anyone other than Yang Qi stood there, his blade would have already tasted blood.

Shame washed over Yang Qi as he admitted, "Your Highness, the corpse wasn't the genuine Prince Chu. I believe a disguise technique fooled them into thinking it was him." This blunder stemmed from his own negligence.

"Disguise technique?" Prince Han let out a bitter, furious laugh. "Does any such technique even exist in this world?"

"Your Highness, our suicide squad sent to pursue him wouldn't have erred. Unless the imposter resembled Prince Chu perfectly, they never would have taken the bait." Yang Qi reasoned steadily, "Two Prince Chus can't exist, so it had to be a masterful disguise."

"Disguise, haha..." Prince Han deemed Yang Qi's logic ridiculous. "If disguises that flawless are real, couldn't someone mimic me too? So, am I the true Prince Han before you, or a fraud?"

"Your Highness, do you doubt the reliability of our suicide squad?"

Prince Han had poured immense resources into training his suicide squad with utmost care. They couldn't possibly confuse Prince Chu, which meant a disguise had deceived them, blurring the line between authentic and counterfeit.

A resounding crash echoed as Prince Han yanked the wall-mounted sword and hacked fiercely at the desk ahead. It shattered cleanly in half.

Witnessing Prince Han's explosive fury sent chills crawling across Yang Qi's scalp. Steel himself, he pressed on, "Evidently, while fleeing the former Crown Prince's pursuit, Prince Chu employed the same trick—sending a disguised stand-in to draw the fire and slip away unharmed." Prince Chu possessed remarkable cunning, keeping a disguise expert close at hand.

"What's the point of explaining this to me now?" Veins throbbed on Prince Han's forehead from his wrath, his features twisted in malice, his tone icy and terrifying. "The fourth prince lives; we're the ones doomed next."

"Your Highness, we should remain safe for now."

Prince Han demanded, "Explain yourself."

"Reports from the capital indicate that since Prince Chu's return, the imperial court stays calm, and His Majesty shows zero response."

"Impossible!" Prince Han's brows shot up in astonishment. "Hasn't the fourth prince exposed my alliance with the Third Princess to His Majesty?"

Yang Qi ventured, "Prince Chu lacks proof. Accusing you rashly to His Majesty would only breed doubt; His Majesty might suspect he's framing you deliberately."

Prince Han found merit in Yang Qi's reasoning, and his scowl eased slightly.

"Your words hold some truth."

"Your Highness, had Prince Chu whispered to His Majesty, a reaction was inevitable—investigators would have been dispatched discreetly." Yang Qi felt confident in his assessment. "The current probes target your ties to Prince Zheng, not the Third Princess."

He continued, "Moreover, Princess Consort De hasn't issued any alerts for you to tread carefully."

Yang Qi's reassurances instantly calmed Prince Han's racing heart.

"Mr. Yang, I'm prone to panic. Could you lay it all out at once?"

"Your Highness, you keep interrupting before I can." Yang Qi mused inwardly that he was the truly startled one.

Prince Han chuckled wryly, "So it's my doing, then?"

"Your Highness, with Prince Chu back in the capital, probing your Third Princess connection is off the table for now, so we can ignore him temporarily." If they'd foreseen his silence, no need for the waves of assassins or deploying the Prince Han Mansion's suicide squad, which nearly blew their cover. "Our focus must shift to countering the investigators into your Prince Zheng dealings."

"I merely lent that idiot substantial wealth and forces, not gave them outright." Prince Han shrugged indifferently. "As his younger brother, aiding my elder with resources is perfectly natural. I was clueless about his schemes, so how can anyone charge me with conspiring with that moron?"