After The Mission Failed, The Scumbag Alpha Ran Away - Chapter 17

17: Your Highness, Are You Alright?

The old emperor stood behind his desk, backlit by the light, his eyelids sagging with age. His gaze slowly swept over everyone present, carrying a violent scrutiny, like the oppressive dark clouds looming on the horizon before a storm.

Given the old emperor’s current temperament, if the matter had truly been exposed, he would have simply shot her on the spot—not summoned her for questioning.

Suppressing the pain in her shoulder, Jiang Youbai bit her tongue hard, reminding herself to stay composed at this moment. She forced her mind to go blank and, in an instant, willed her tense muscles to relax before they could betray her nerves.

Right now, even the slightest hint of abnormality would be enough for the paranoid and tyrannical old emperor to condemn her in his heart, leading to her imprisonment and execution in a few days.

Crown Prince Jiang Qingjia, who had been suppressed by his father for over fifty years, had always been timid in front of the old emperor. Under that sinister glare, he shuddered violently.

Jiang Qingxian had only arrived in the capital after the incident involving the imperial grandson, so she met the emperor’s scrutiny with calm, her eyes faintly reflecting confusion at the emotions the old emperor was displaying.

These two had never been suspects in the emperor’s eyes to begin with. His gaze slid past them and landed on Jiang Youbai.

Jiang Youbai furrowed her brows slightly, masking all her emotions under a layer of fear and unease, her expression tinged with concern as she looked at the emperor. “Your Majesty, please don’t let anger harm your health.”

The old emperor studied her. Jiang Youbai seemed to be in considerable pain, the arm struck by the flowerpot trembling faintly.

Slowly narrowing his eyes, the emperor’s gaunt face revealed deep suspicion.

After holding his gaze for a few seconds, Jiang Youbai, as if unable to bear the pressure any longer, blinked and twitched slightly from the pain. Under the emperor’s stare, she fidgeted uncomfortably, shifting her injured arm.

Her reactions were entirely natural—fear in the face of the emperor’s sudden fury, coupled with appropriate concern and a polite attempt to placate him. The pain from the injury dominated her movements, making her seem genuinely distracted by it.

A person’s reactions in such moments were the most telling. All her attention was focused on enduring the pain, and the emotions she displayed were utterly believable.

There was no excessive terror, nor any overly deliberate composure—just a seamless flow of natural reactions and subtle shifts in demeanor.

Since Jiang Youbai’s behavior was natural, then who was the real culprit behind the harm done to the imperial grandson?

The old emperor frowned and averted his gaze, his tone softening. “Youbai, your uncle didn’t know you were coming in. Did the flowerpot hurt you? Are you alright?”

Jiang Qingxian, standing closest to the emperor, lowered her eyes.

Before Jiang Youbai entered, the palace steward had announced her arrival. The emperor had picked up the flowerpot and thrown it only after hearing the door open.

Jiang Youbai remained where she was, forcing a strained smile. “I’m fine. Your Majesty’s health is what truly matters.”

The emperor nodded, brushing the matter aside. “I called you here because, aside from Qingxian, the other two are suspects…”

Crown Prince Jiang Qingjia was terrified but still managed to look incredulous—

Why on earth would he be a suspect? Kill his own child just to scare his father, who had a habit of hurling flowerpots at people? What would be the point?

Jiang Qingxian stayed silent.

A chilling sensation suddenly crept up from somewhere deep inside her.

The emperor’s suspicions were arbitrary. If he suspected someone, he acted on it without hesitation. If he wanted to throw a flowerpot, he did so—even if it killed Jiang Youbai, it would be justified. Jiang Youbai would have to apologize with a smile.

The emperor could never be wrong. The emperor was always right.

This was imperial authority.

She was now at the very center of the struggle for that authority. Today, the emperor suspected the crown prince of killing his own son. Tomorrow? Would it be Jiang Qingxian’s turn?

If he could suspect a child he had raised for over fifty years, what about one he had abandoned on a satellite, whom he had never met in over twenty years?

Jiang Youbai had no idea what Jiang Qingxian was thinking. To her, Jiang Qingxian was someone who didn’t understand the situation and was utterly unsuited for life in the capital.

In the capital, no one could afford to be like Jiang Qingxian—pure and unblemished, like a clear breeze under bright moonlight.

A sheet of white paper could never survive in a pit of mud. In this cesspool, it would only be torn to shreds, its remnants lost without a trace.

Jiang Youbai lifted her face, carefully controlling her expression—her trembling body, the slight twitches of pain on her face, all while pretending to endure the agony as she replied to the emperor. “Youbai is too useless to share Your Majesty’s burdens.”

Jiang Qingjia nearly gagged at her words. No wonder Jiang Youbai had survived this long, even daring to challenge him, a fifty-year-old crown prince. Such sincere, self-effacing words were something ordinary people could never pull off.

It wasn’t her fault the emperor’s investigators had failed, yet she insisted on blaming herself.

The emperor had even suspended their duties in the Botanical Garden Sanitation Bureau these past two days. Here they were, three powerless heirs standing before him, and she was the only one who could say such things.

The emperor, still standing behind his desk, raised a hand, about to speak, when suddenly Jiang Youbai paled and fainted.

The emperor swallowed his words and shouted toward the door, “Call the imperial physician!”

Jiang Qingxian was startled but reacted quickly, catching Jiang Youbai before she could hit the floor.

With the emperor’s recent health issues, the imperial physician was already in the adjacent room. The steward called out, and the physician arrived in the study at once. After assessing the situation, he carefully helped Jiang Youbai to the next room for examination.

Jiang Youbai’s faint was feigned. In such circumstances, the more she spoke, the more mistakes she might make. Rather than exhausting herself in a battle of wits with the emperor, it was better to cut things short—just faint and end the conversation.

After examining her, the imperial physician administered a painkiller and reported to the emperor, “Your Majesty, Her Highness the Princess was overwhelmed by shock and pain. Having recently presented as an Alpha, her body is still weak, which caused her to faint.”

Jiang Qingxian and Jiang Qingjia stood in the study for over an hour, still wearing the suffocatingly tight corsets. The emperor seemed to have forgotten about them, focusing only on the physician. “Are the Princess’s bones injured? Will there be any lasting effects?”

The physician replied, “Her collarbone is fractured. With some injections, it should heal in about ten days. After the bone mends, she’ll need to rest and avoid strenuous activity. She’ll recover fully in due time—there will be no lasting damage.”

The emperor let out a vague “Hmm.”

For a moment, Jiang Qingxian couldn’t tell whether the expression on her father’s face was disappointment or something else.

He waved a hand. “Escort the Princess out of the palace.”

Jiang Youbai had walked into the palace on her own feet but was carried out pale and unconscious. Chi Ruo, spotting her from afar, rushed down from the aircraft, only to stumble weakly as soon as she stepped out.

Wearing high heels, she fell hard, one heel snapping off with a sharp crack. Ignoring the pain—and the ruined shoes—she staggered toward Jiang Youbai, limping unevenly.

“Jiang Youbai!”

Jiang Youbai lay on the stretcher, her face turned to the side. After a moment, she opened her eyes, blinking dazedly. Her lips moved slightly, her voice faint. “Chi Ruo.”

Seeing this, Chi Ruo finally let out a sigh of relief, her worries easing.