Chapter 55 (2/2)

When he hesitated to answer, Bipaan pressed on him again.

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“You left the South Palace for the North Palace, but turned back even without seeing Princess Heyjin, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct,” he replied quickly. This time he couldn’t make any excuses. He just recognized his whereabouts that day and shut his mouth.

He heard many people at the interrogation place whispering among themselves.

Despite that, he couldn’t answer honestly.

He couldn’t tell Bipaan that he returned to the South Palace after meeting Kyosul at the North Palace.

***

Interrogation of Prince Ruhae was like a difficult tug of war to Bipaan. Ruhae denied his charges by all means, while Bipaan persistently interrogated him harshly enough to make even an innocent man forcibly confess his false charges. The long and persistent tug of war didn’t produce a result.

Bipaan returned to the East Palace only when the sun was going down. When he was about to lie on the bed, exhausted by long interrogation of Ruhae, someone was waiting for him unexpectedly.

“Your Majesty, Crown Princess Kyosul is waiting here for an audience with you.”

“Your Majesty!” Kyosul called him in a feeble voice as if she were about to collapse any time, but he cast an icy glance at her. She opened her little and dry lips, “Prince Ruhae was with me.”

Before Kyosul went to the East Palace to meet with Bipaan, she was shocked to learn from her nanny that Ruhae was taken to the imperial palace for interrogation.

“Nanny, what are you talking about now?” Kyosul screamed in astonishment.

Her eyes trembled wildly. For that short moment, she got so worried and nervous.

She was apparently more shocked by Prince Ruhae’s arrest than the bad news about Heyjin.

“Why has Prince Ruhae been forcibly taken by them?”

Kyosul kept pulling the nanny’s arm. Her tense eyebrows and sad eyes, as well as her impatient voice, clearly showed that she was heartbroken.

Though the nanny expected how Kyosul would react, she was embarrassed at the Crown Princess’s violent agitation.

“I heard that they started interrogating Prince Ruhae formally at the Central Palace.”

“What? Interrogation of Prince Ruhae? Does it mean that he was imprisoned on charges of a big crime? Why would he commit treason?”

“I also heard that even though Prince Heyjin collapsed, her baby on the way was in more danger.”

The emperor’s grandson was in danger. It was not just an ordinary son of a prince. He was the only grandson of one of the four princes in line to the throne. As Bipaan had no child, that grandson could be appointed as the next heir after him.

“Please tell me more, nanny!” Kyosul demanded strongly. She pulled the nanny’s sleeves harder with her hands trembling.

Looking at Kyosul, she told Kyosul everything she heard in detail.

“Two days ago Princess Heyjin suddenly fell from a sharp pain in her abdomen in the evening, I hear. So, those around her thought as her due date was approaching, she might deliver a baby earlier than her due, but she didn’t.”

Why did she complain of stomach ache when she was almost due?

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Kyosul could think of only two possibilities.

“So, the royal doctors in the palace were all mobilized on emergency standby at the North Palace. Prince Binsung was so enraged at the incident. As they quickly handled the situation, they caught a suspect running away from the palace.”

“A suspect?”

“Yes, the suspect was allegedly a court lady who put poison in the meals for the princess.

When they discovered the poison and the suspect, there took place an impromptu state interrogation, and Emperor Ohyulje left the interrogation with Crown Princess Bipaan.”

“Then, did the interrogation happen yesterday?”

As the imperial palace was vast, Kyosul didn’t know there took place such a big incident outside the East Palace. She vaguely thought they must have started an investigation into the incident to catch the real suspect of the royal family who instigated that court lady to poison the princess’s meal.

That’s why Kyosul was more embarrassed and confused.

“I hear they judged that court lady alone could not have committed such a wicked act, so they investigated all the court ladies of the North Palace and found one who saw Prince Ruhae with the suspect. So, the imperial army soldiers surrounded the South Palace to arrest Prince Ruhae.”

“That’s just sheer nonsense!” She flopped into a chair and said as if she couldn’t believe her ears, “Do you think it makes sense that he was taken on circumstantial evidence? There is no direct evidence. This is a total set-up!”