I was chased by my sickly junior brother who had two lives

Inside the imperial palace, beneath the magnificent palace, there are countless undercurrents of conspiracy and calculation. The repeated conflicts between Chen Jia and the princess, like ripples on the water, aroused the high vigilance of the prince and Chen Jue. They knew that the princess, who was so reckless and arrogant, would never be so persistent and strategic in targeting Chen Jia without others carefully planning and fanning the flames behind the scenes. Therefore, the prince and Chen Jue secretly launched a meticulous investigation, determined to find out the mastermind hidden in the dark.

The prince first locked onto several suspicious people around the princess with his spies and intelligence network in the palace. Among them, Cuiyu, the princess's personal maid, was the most secretive. She often went out alone late at night, avoiding the eyes and ears of the public, and traveled between remote corners of the palace and some mysterious mansions. Chen Jue personally led his trusted men to quietly follow Cuiyu, not letting go of any of her movements.

One night, Cuiyu quietly left the house again. She was dressed in black, and her steps were hurried, with a hint of nervousness and excitement in her eyes. Chen Jue and others followed her carefully, like ghosts in the dark night. Cuiyu turned many corners and finally came to a remote house. She knocked on the door knocker gently, and the door slowly opened. A faint light shone through the crack of the door, reflecting Cuiyu's slightly anxious face. After Cuiyu flashed in, Chen Jue and others quickly approached the house, and with their superb light skills, they climbed over the wall and hid in the shadows of the courtyard.

They quietly approached the room where Cuiyu entered and peeked in through the cracks in the window. Inside the room, Cuiyu was respectfully bowing to a man in a gorgeous brocade robe. The man had his back to the window, so his face could not be seen clearly, but judging from his posture and clothing, he must be of an extraordinary status.

Cui Yu whispered, "Your Highness, everything is done according to your instructions. The princess has had conflicts with Chen Jia many times. Now everyone in the palace is talking about it, and Chen Jia's reputation has also been affected a little."

The man sneered, "Well done. However, this is far from enough. I will make Chen Jia completely disgraced and unable to gain a foothold in the palace. I will not let Chen Jue go either, as he dared to go against me."

Chen Jue was shocked. It turned out that the person behind the scenes was actually a prince. He suppressed his anger and continued to listen to their conversation.

Cui Yu said hesitantly, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince seems to be quite protective of Chen Jia and Chen Jue. If he intervenes in this matter, it may ruin our plan."

The man snorted disdainfully, "So what if he's the crown prince? Although he's deeply loved by my father, I'm no pushover. I also have my own power in the court. If he dares to stop me, I'll have a way to deal with him. You continue to fan the flames around the princess and let her go further to cause trouble for Chen Jia. It would be best if you could provoke Chen Jia's anger and make her do something outrageous. Then, I can justifiably catch them all in one fell swoop."

At this time, Chen Jue signaled his men to stay and continue monitoring, while he quietly left the house and quickly went to discuss with the prince. After meeting the prince, Chen Jue told him everything he had seen and heard. After hearing this, the prince's face was terribly gloomy: "Second Prince, I should have thought of him earlier. He has always been ambitious and tried to expand his power in the court. Now that he sees that Chen Jia and Chen Jue are appreciated by me, he is jealous and uses such despicable means."

Chen Jue asked, "Your Highness, how should we respond now? Since we already know that the Second Prince is behind this, we must not let his conspiracy succeed."

The prince pondered for a moment, a trace of determination flashed in his eyes: "I will go to see my father and report the matter truthfully. At the same time, we must also take precautions to prevent the second prince from jumping off the wall and harming Chen Jia and you. Chen Jue, you should return to the Duke's Mansion as soon as possible and strengthen the guards in the mansion. I will send some people to assist."

Chen Jue took the order and left. The prince dressed and went to the emperor's bedroom. In the bedroom, the prince told the emperor in detail about the second prince's conspiracy, including the content of the secret conversation between Cuiyu and the second prince and the various evil deeds they secretly planned. After hearing this, the emperor was furious: "My prince is so disregarding the brotherhood and stirring up disputes in the palace for his own selfish desires. This matter must not be tolerated."

Afterwards, the emperor ordered the second prince to be summoned to the palace. On his way to the palace, the second prince felt uneasy, as if he realized that his conspiracy was about to be exposed. But he still had a fluke in his heart, thinking that there might be room for maneuver.

When the second prince came before the emperor, he saw the crown prince beside him, and his heart suddenly sank. The emperor glared at the second prince and scolded him, "Rebellious son, do you know your crime?"

The second prince pretended to be calm, knelt down and said, "Father, I don't know what crime I have committed."

The prince stood up and said, "Second brother, you still dare to quibble. You instructed Cui Yu, the maidservant beside the princess, to instigate a conflict between the princess and Chen Jia, in an attempt to use this to strike at Chen Jia and Chen Jue and expand your power in the court. Do you think you can conceal your actions?"

The second prince looked pale, but still said stubbornly: "Brother Crown Prince, please don't listen to other people's slander. This son of yours did not do this at all."

At this moment, the emperor's guards brought Cuiyu up. Cuiyu had already collapsed to the ground in fear. She did not dare to look directly at the majesty of the emperor and the prince, and told the second prince's conspiracy: "Your Majesty, Your Highness, all this was done by the second prince. He promised me a lot of money and status, and asked me to fan the flames around the princess and stir up trouble. I... I deserve to die."

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, the Second Prince collapsed to the ground and said no more.

The emperor looked at the second prince and said disappointedly, "I had high hopes for you, but you disappoint me so much. As a prince, you don't want to share my worries and work for the well-being of the people. Instead, you stir up trouble in the palace and disrupt the government. I have decided to imprison you in the palace and let you reflect on your mistakes. I will also investigate and punish your followers. I will not let you off easily."

When the second prince heard that he was imprisoned, he was filled with despair and regret. He knew that his ambitions and plots had been completely shattered, and he had lost the opportunity to fight for power in the palace.

Cuiyu was thrown into prison, and severe punishment awaited her. After learning that she was used by the second prince, the princess was ashamed and went to Chen Jia to apologize in person. Seeing that the princess was truly repentant, Chen Jia generously forgave her, hoping that she would turn over a new leaf and not be used by others again. The storm finally subsided, and the palace returned to its former tranquility. But after this battle, everyone deeply realized the cruelty and ruthlessness of court struggles. In this crisis, Chen Jia and Chen Jue successfully resolved the predicament with wisdom and courage, and their reputation became even louder inside and outside the palace.