132: Chapter 132 The deposed prince whines and complains, and murderous intent soars in Zhaode Palace.

The eunuch dared not delay. After receiving the order, he carefully supported Chu Li and stumbled toward the direction of Zhaode Palace.

In the night, Chu Li's back looked exceptionally desolate.

That twisted face, however, still retained a monstrous hatred for Gu Han, like a maggot in the bone, impossible to shake off.

At this moment, inside Zhaode Palace, wisps of blue smoke rose from the incense burner, and the scent of sandalwood permeated the air.

Noble Consort Zhaode was dressed in a moon-white palace gown, sitting upright on a phoenix-embroidered soft couch, her fingertips gently caressing a string of blood-jade beads in her hand.

Her face was delicate and beautiful, with a hint of faint sorrow between her brows, as if she were a Fairy who did not partake of worldly food.

One could not tell at all that she had already given birth to a child.

Only her breasts were very prominent and firm.

One look told you that she was someone who would never let the next generation go hungry.

However, deep within those seemingly calm eyes, a trace of shrewdness and calculation occasionally flashed.

Suddenly, a burst of hurried and chaotic footsteps pierced the silence of the night, rushing straight toward the gates of Zhaode Palace.

Immediately after, a heart-rending roar exploded like a thunderclap.

"Mother Concubine! Save me!"

"You must decide for your son!"

"Someone wants to kill me!"

The jade beads in Noble Consort Zhaode's hand suddenly fell to the ground, emitting a crisp clattering sound.

She stood up abruptly, the delicate beauty on her face instantly replaced by shock and worry.

This voice belonged to none other than her most beloved son, Chu Li.

The palace doors were pushed open with a "creak," and Chu Li's blood-soaked figure came into view.

His face was as pale as paper, and the wound on his forehead was shocking to behold.

Bright red blood snaked down his cheeks, staining his magnificent robes into a mess.

Like a broken body mauled by vicious dogs, he stumbled toward Noble Consort Zhaode, his knees went weak, and he fell heavily to the ground.

"Li'er!"

Noble Consort Zhaode exclaimed, her figure moving like lightning as she instantly rushed to Chu Li's side and pulled him into her embrace.

The two massive mounds on her chest instantly buried Chu Li's head.

When her fingertips touched the chaotic True Qi within Chu Li's body, her pupils suddenly constricted, and her face instantly turned deathly pale.

"Li'er, your cultivation..."

"Crippled... your cultivation has been crippled?"

Noble Consort Zhaode's voice trembled, filled with unbelievable pain and anger.

She looked up sharply, her keen gaze like two cold blades, piercing directly at the eunuch who had supported Chu Li here.

The eunuch was so scared that he fell to his knees with a "thud," his body trembling like a sieve.

"Your Ladyship, forgive me!"

"This servant does not know!"

"It has nothing to do with this servant!"

"His Highness the Second Prince... His Highness was injured by Zhenwu Division Commander Gu Tian!"

"Gu Tian."

Noble Consort Zhaode repeated the name, each word seeming to be squeezed out from between her teeth, carrying bone-chilling coldness.

Killing intent surged in her eyes, like a sea of blood whipping up monstrous waves.

"It is not just the cultivation..."

Chu Li pointed his trembling finger at his own chest, where a faint blood-colored mark was flickering in and out of sight.

"That Gu Tian, he, he actually forced the essence of the Heart-Devouring Gu into your son's body."

"Every seven days, it feels like ten thousand ants devouring my heart."

"Mother Concubine, I beg you, decide for your son!"

He pressed his head heavily against Noble Consort Zhaode's knees, crying as if his heart were breaking.

That hoarse crying, every word weeping blood, stirred up the most primal rage in the depths of Noble Consort Zhaode's heart.

Heart-Devouring Gu! A secret Gu of the Huang Clan.

Its essence was actually extracted and refined into her son's body by Gu Han?

This was a method never heard of before, making him appear even more vicious.

Noble Consort Zhaode took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the anger in her heart.

She gently patted Chu Li's back, her voice gentle yet containing endless coldness.

"Li'er, don't cry. Tell Mother Concubine, what exactly happened?"

"Mother Concubine will definitely seek justice for you."

Feeling the warmth and strength of his mother's embrace, the grievances and resentment in Chu Li's heart poured out like a bursting flood.

He added oil and vinegar to the story, painting Gu Han as a bloodthirsty, lawless madman.

He completely inverted his own conspiracy to control Gu Han, turning himself into an innocent victim.

Listening to Chu Li's tearful complaint, the face that was always delicate and beautiful was now filled with gloom.

Her fingertips trembled as she stroked the blood on Chu Li's forehead. Cold killing intent spread from her body, instantly enveloping the entire Zhaode Palace.

The air seemed to solidify; the palace maids and eunuchs were silent as cicadas in winter, even their breathing becoming cautious.

At this moment, these palace maids and eunuchs realized that this Noble Consort Zhaode, who usually seemed like a transparent person, was actually a martial arts expert.

She was not as weak and frail as she appeared.

"Gu Tian, Gu Tian!"

She repeated the name in a low voice, carrying bone-deep hatred.

The torture of the Heart-Devouring Gu, the crippled cultivation—this double blow made her heart feel as if it were being sliced by a thousand knives.

This was not just Chu Li's pain; it was also a great humiliation to the Huang Clan of Yuan Province, and even to her, Noble Consort Zhaode!

It also drove her expectations to the bottom of the valley.

The plans she had plotted for so long, the plans of the Huang Clan of Yuan Province, had all gone down the drain because of Gu Han's involvement.

Noble Consort Zhaode raised her eyes abruptly, her sharp gaze piercing straight at Chu Li, but her voice was kept very low, carrying a trace of imperceptible urgency.

"Li'er, have you gone to find the Emperor?"

Chu Li's body trembled, and a flash of complexity appeared in his bloodshot eyes—resentment, unwillingness, and deeply hidden fear.

He nodded, and his hoarse voice sounded again, vividly describing everything that had happened in the Qinzheng Hall.

He even clearly recounted Emperor Yuanwu's fury, the appearance of the Old Ancestor Chu Tiankuo, and Chu Tiankuo's words exonerating Gu Han.

Seeing this, Noble Consort Zhaode looked at the palace maids and eunuchs and raised her head. The palace maids and eunuchs understood and left Noble Consort Zhaode's sleeping quarters in an orderly fashion.

After everyone had left, "The Emperor... he actually believed the words of that Old Churl Chu Tiankuo."

"He actually ignored his own son for the sake of an outsider."

Chu Li's crying erupted again, filled with extreme grievance and confusion.

"He even ordered people to go to the treasury to retrieve the Nine-Turn Golden Core and sent imperial physicians to treat my injuries."

"But what use is that?"

"My cultivation is crippled, and the Heart-Devouring Gu is still there."

"The Emperor, he actually did not uphold justice for me."

"I am unwilling!"

Noble Consort Zhaode listened, and deep within those seemingly calm eyes, turbulent waves surged.

Emperor Yuanwu's attitude, the appearance of Chu Tiankuo, and the protection of Gu Han—these pieces of information were like cold blades, slicing away at the pride and layouts in her heart, one cut at a time.

She had envisioned countless possibilities, but she had never expected that even the Imperial Old Ancestor would step forward.

"heavenly mandate dragon vein?"

Noble Consort Zhaode's voice rose a few notches, filled with unbelievable shock.

This thing was a supreme treasure that was hard to come by, even for the Huang Clan of Yuan Province.

The Chu Clan actually paid such a huge price for Gu Han?

She stood up abruptly and paced back and forth in the hall, her slender fingers clenched tightly, her nails almost digging into her palms.

This news was like a thunderclap, exploding in her heart, shattering all her calm and disguise.