At some point, a rumor began circulating throughout Heaven Dou City.
And the contents of this rumor were enough to make anyone who heard it shudder.
People were discussing it animatedly in every street and alley.
"Have you heard? Someone poisoned His Majesty."
"I don't know if it's true!"
"Who could be so bold as to poison His Majesty?"
"I heard it was the Crown Prince?"
"What! How could His Highness the Crown Prince commit such a treasonous act! It's a rumor, it must be a rumor!"
"Who says otherwise? But what if, and I mean what if, it's true?"
"You can't just say things like that! If the patrol guards hear you, you'll be in serious trouble."
Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.
Emperor Xue Ye sat in his chair, resting his right cheek on his hand, his face as impassive as water as he looked at Xue Qinghe.
Xue Qinghe said nervously.
"Father, I don't know who is slandering me outside, but how could I possibly commit such a treasonous act?"
"Mm, naturally, Father won't believe those rumors."
Emperor Xue Ye's words carried neither sorrow nor joy, and it was impossible to tell from his tone what he was feeling at that moment.
A bead of cold sweat trickled down Xue Qinghe's forehead.
Although Emperor Xue Ye had not accused him of anything, this silence was even more oppressive.
After father and son remained silent for a while, Emperor Xue Ye suddenly said listlessly.
"Leave."
"Yes, Father."
Xue Qinghe bowed, then turned and left.
Just as he was about to reach the door, Emperor Xue Ye called out to him again and said meaningfully.
"Qinghe, remember this."
"Of all things under heaven and earth, what Father gives you is yours."
"If Father doesn't give it to you, you cannot take it by force."
Xue Qinghe's body trembled, and he hurriedly raised his head, wanting to explain something.
However, the moment he looked up, he met Emperor Xue Ye's deep eyes.
The words had already reached his lips, yet he did not know how to say them, so he could only lower his head and reply.
"Your son understands."
"Very well, leave."
As if granted a reprieve, Xue Qinghe hurriedly bowed again and quickly withdrew.
After he left the room, Emperor Xue Ye could no longer maintain his dignified appearance. He slumped into his chair, tears streaming down his aged face.
"My poor children."
Just now, whether it was Xue Qinghe's facial expressions or his responses, everything had been flawless, too perfect.
Perfect to the point of being unreal.
On top of that, Tang Yuehua had sent over an extremely special piece of intelligence.
According to this information, it had been confirmed that there was indeed a kind of incense in the imperial palace that was unique to Xue Qinghe.
This deepened his suspicion.
Moreover, before Xue Qinghe arrived, Dugu Bo had already examined Emperor Xue Ye's body in the imperial palace.
It had been confirmed that there were indeed traces of two kinds of poison in his body.
Therefore, before summoning Xue Qinghe, Emperor Xue Ye had already basically determined that there was something wrong with him.
What he had said today was merely a small warning to him.
After being immersed in his own thoughts for a short while, Emperor Xue Ye wiped away his tears and ordered the guards beside him.
"Pass down my order. From this day onward, Crown Prince Xue Qinghe may not enter the imperial palace without a summons, nor may anyone bearing the Crown Prince's token."
"Fourth Prince Xue Beng is to immediately go to Blue Tyrant Academy to study and reside in the student dormitories. He may not leave the academy without a summons."
"Prince Xue Xing is responsible for accompanying him in his studies and may not leave the academy without a summons."
"The people are forbidden from spreading this rumor any further. Anyone caught recklessly wagging their tongue will receive ten heavy lashes."
After leaving the imperial palace, Xue Qinghe returned to his Crown Prince's residence with a gloomy expression.
Emperor Xue Ye's orders had already reached his ears.
It was obvious that he had been exposed.
He now had no idea how much information Emperor Xue Ye had in his hands.
Did he merely know that she had harmed the Second and Third Princes, or did he already know that she was not Xue Qinghe at all!
After dismissing the guards around him, he entered his room.
After closing the door, he sat down in a chair, took a deep breath, and then said softly.
"Ci Xue, She Long, come out."
His voice was no longer the steady male voice from before, but the cool, clear voice of a young woman,
As his voice fell, a thin elderly man over two meters tall and a middle-aged elderly man of average build appeared together in the room.
As soon as they appeared, they respectfully said.
"Greetings, Young Master."
Xue Qinghe reached a hand into the front of his clothes, then lifted up an entire strange mask that extended all the way into the depths of his hair.
The face of a young woman in her early twenties was revealed.
She had already activated her Angel Domain in the room, so she was not afraid of anyone spying or eavesdropping.
Only at times like this did she dare reveal her true appearance, and only then could she return to being Qian Renxue, the daughter of the Pope of the Spirit Hall.
"How did the investigation I asked you to conduct go?"
The tall, thin old man She Long shook his head and said.
"Reporting to Young Master, the rumor seems to have originated with street vendors, and its spread has been extremely wide. It has also been circulating for quite some time, so there is simply no way to trace its source."
Ci Xue also continued.
"Young Master, a few days ago, an unidentified Titled Douluo went to the imperial palace, seemingly the Poison Douluo Dugu Bo."
"Dugu Bo went to the imperial palace, why didn't you tell me earlier?"
Qian Renxue's voice was filled with fury.
Dugu Bo had gone to the imperial palace at this time, which meant that before meeting her today, Xue Ye had already known about her poisoning him.
What kind of useless intelligence was this! It had caused such a serious blunder!
Ci Xue said helplessly.
"Young Master, it's just that Dugu Bo's appearance had changed far too much, making it completely impossible to confirm his true identity."
"His appearance changed drastically? How much can a living person change? Could he possibly, like me, wear this lousy human-skin mask every day?"
Qian Renxue furrowed her brows and slammed the armrest of the chair as she shouted angrily.
Ci Xue also felt very aggrieved.
The Dugu Bo in his memory was still that old man covered in green hair.
But the person entering and leaving the imperial palace these past two days was clearly a young man dressed as flamboyantly as a rooster.
After venting her anger, Qian Renxue leaned back against the chair and said indifferently.
"Xue Ye just issued an order that I can no longer enter the imperial palace, so the plan to seize the throne is temporarily suspended."
"Send the news to the Spirit Hall and let those old fellows decide what to do next."
"Also, did you find out what I asked you to investigate last time?"
After hearing that the plan to seize the throne had stalled, Ci Xue and She Long exchanged a glance and reluctantly acknowledged her.
After hearing Qian Renxue's next question, She Long said solemnly.
"We found out part of it. There are too many people protecting that kid, and getting too close would easily alert him."
"At present, we only know that this kid is the legitimate son of the second branch of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and he has always presented himself publicly as the Young Sect Master."
"His soul power cultivation is extremely strong. Previously, relying solely on his physical strength, he was able to beat that level 41 genius from Kamikaze Academy without any ability to fight back."
"However, this kid's reputation among the nobles is extremely poor. Almost every noble heir has been beaten by him."
"Another piece of information is that he is already engaged to the legitimate daughter of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Young Master, with two of the three Upper Sects forming a marriage alliance, we cannot afford not to guard against this."
"This kid is extremely cautious in his daily life, so this is all we have been able to find out."
Qian Renxue pondered for a while, then suddenly laughed.
"He has so many conflicts with those foolish nobles? No wonder he was neither warm nor cold toward me last time."
"Then this time, I'll go play with you again under the identity of a commoner."
"Hehehehehe—"
===============
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— End of Chapter 149 —