Douluo: Peerless Black Tortoise Moon God

Chapter 296 Kong Deming: Xu Tianran's crimes are unforgivable. Starting tomorrow, the position of Crown Prince will be changed!

That night, Xu Guozhong woke up to face the most extravagant interrogation team in history.

That night, Kong Deming asked three life-or-death questions: "How did you manage to blow up the level 8 fixed-position soul-guided cannon shell?", "Did you really plot to murder Jing Hongchen and Mingdetang?", and "How many accomplices did you have, and how much of that did Xu Tianran participate in?"

That night, Xu Guozhong stammered, "I was just playing with the soul tool when a homemade level-eight fixed-position soul tool exploded." "I was truly blinded by greed and hated the Red Dust Hall Master." "The plot to murder the Red Dust Hall Master was His Highness the Crown Prince's idea; I was just a messenger."

In an attempt to exonerate himself and find a way to survive or a clean and tiring death, Xu Guozhong, with tears streaming down his face, recounted in detail how Xu Tianran had asked him to send spies to find the Conferred God Platform, deliver a letter to the Adventurers' Association, and try to attract the attention of terrorist organizations such as the Body Sect.

These things were within Xu Tianxi's expectations. The only thing he hadn't expected was that Xu Tianran would dare to overstep his bounds even in the Crown Prince's residence, and the number of crimes he was charged with exceeded Xu Tianxi's imagination.

"Old Master Kong, I really was just a gofer. You know me, I'm just a good-for-nothing who knows how to eat, drink, and have fun, and line my own pockets. How could I dare to scheme against Master Hongchen? It was all that bastard Xu Tianran who forced me to do it..."

"He wants to use this opportunity to scheme against the Master of the Red Dust Hall, so that the Master of the Red Dust Hall will be held accountable by His Majesty, forcing the Master of the Red Dust Hall to submit to him in order to maintain his position, so that he can take control of the Mingde Hall..."

Xu Guozhong, supporting himself with his weak arms, kowtowed to Kong Deming, his forehead cracking as he struck the ground.

"You don't know, that bastard Crown Prince Xu Tianran has the ambition to usurp the throne. He discusses important matters with me at night, insisting that I honor him as Your Majesty and that I perform the three bows and nine kowtows to him. This is extremely presumptuous and extremely rude!"

"I swear on the honor of the royal family and the glory of a level nine soul master: every word of these words is true, and there is not a single falsehood!"

Xu Tianran is the real culprit behind all this; a lot of money Xiao Wang has accumulated over the years has ended up in his pocket!

Xu Guozhong knew he couldn't escape this predicament. Master Kong was personally involved in the scheming of the Mirror of the Mortal World, and he couldn't bear the blame for it, nor did he want Xu Tianran to take the blame.

If he doesn't tell the truth tonight, when Master Kong interrogates Xu Tianran tomorrow, the latter will definitely put all the blame on him and use his head to appease public anger. At that time, it won't be easy for him to die!

The saying goes, "It's better to die for the emperor's nephew than the emperor's uncle." My dear nephew, you saved me once last time, so please save me again this time. After all, it was you who suggested this extremely immoral thing, and you've even accepted the title of "Your Majesty"...

"For the past two years, Xiao Wang has appeared outwardly obedient and worked for him, but in reality, he has been secretly gathering evidence of his illegal activities, just waiting for this day to tell you, Master Kong. Xiao Wang kowtows to you..."

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The brilliant moonlight spilled across the empty, dusty fields, illuminating the night as if it were daytime, and Xu Guozhong's kowtows carried exceptionally far.

In the stillness of the night, the moonlight clearly illuminated every face, its expression shifting between light and shadow.

Even though Kong Deming had already anticipated this, Xu Guozhong's confession still surprised him, and he frowned deeply.

At this moment, Jing Hongchen's face was expressionless, his eyes as deep and still as a lake. Only those who knew him well knew that Jing Hongchen was truly angry, and his heart was filled with countless storms.

Ye Yulin and the other level-nine soul masters were filled with murderous intent, and Xu Tianxi and his two companions, as well as the students of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, also showed hatred and disgust on their faces.

No one, including Xu Tianxi and Xiao Hongchen, doubted that Xu Guozhong was lying, because such a good-for-nothing would indeed not have the guts to plot against Jing Hongchen.

Xu Tianran, this lame Crown Prince, is indeed very likely the mastermind behind all of this!

Kong Deming surveyed the expressions of everyone around him, his eyes gradually sharpening, and said, "Tomorrow, you will all accompany me to the palace to report this matter and investigate it thoroughly!"

"Confucius is wise!" all the soul mentors exclaimed in unison.

"Ugh...a bunch of bastards..."

After muttering a curse about these incompetent royal family members with his eyes closed, Kong Deming patted his chest, opened his eyes to stare intently at Xu Guozhong, and then asked, "What's the deal with Xu Tianyuan? Was he involved in your affairs as well?"

Xu Guozhong kowtowed repeatedly, respectfully saying, "Over the years, he has often used my connections to resell rare metals and weapons, reaping considerable profits; Your Highness... ugh! That bastard Xu Tianran knew that I had some connection with him, and had me recruit him..."

"Elder Kong, I'm innocent! Actually, I haven't accumulated much benefit over the years. I was just running errands for the imperial relatives, and only one of their errands." "So many members of the royal family are waiting to share in the profits of this smuggling. The actual benefit I got was practically nothing, Elder Kong! I'm innocent..."

Xu Guozhong was well aware of the principle that the law does not punish the masses, and if he wanted to live, he had to drag more people down with him.

This is exactly what Xu Tianxi wanted to see. Before putting Xu Guozhong down, he used his soul skill to induce Xu Guozhong to strengthen his will to survive. Only by making a big fuss could he legitimately take action against those parasites in the royal family.

But he felt that Xu Guozhong's words were not enough, so he stepped forward and sneered:
"Running errands, huh? If even a mere errand boy like His Highness can amass an underground palace, wouldn't all the other royal princes who take the lion's share be able to build their own palaces?"

"How many rare metals and precious soul tools have you smuggled over the years to make so much money? You must have had very good dealings with the big customers of the three great empires, right? Have you even become honored guests of the royal families of the three great empires?"

"Two years ago, the Level 7 Thunder Cannon that appeared in the hands of the Douling Royal Family team, and the batch of top-tier soul tools that appeared in the hands of the Xingluo Royal Family, were they all from your hands! This time it's top-tier soul tools, next time will you even sell out important military intelligence of your own country, or have you already sold it out!"

"The things they brought out were already so terrifying, do they even have level nine fixed-position soul-guided cannon shells? How many spies and agents have you planted in Mingde Hall! Speak!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Kong Deming's expression changed drastically. The ninth-level soul master was greatly shocked, and a chill ran from his tailbone to the top of his head.

If they can sell out Mingdetang, what else wouldn't they dare to sell out? What Xu Tianxi said may very well have already become a reality.

"Well, I do have some spies in Mingde Hall, and His Highness the Crown Prince does too. Not long ago, they found out the location of the Conferred God Platform. His Highness the Crown Prince has already put a bounty of 100 million gold soul coins on the Adventurers' Association of the Three Kingdoms, along with the location of the underground of Mingde Hall, several important research sites, and the location of the Conferred God Platform..."

Xu Guozhong recounted all the details truthfully, like pouring beans from a bamboo tube. As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Tianxi and the Hongchen siblings took out their soul-guided guns and fired shots at his chest.

This time it wasn't an act; he was genuinely so angry that he couldn't contain himself. Xu Tianxi never expected Xu Tianran to go to such lengths to fight for power.

I was wondering how those guys from the Body Sect were able to dig tunnels to find the Mingde Hall and the heavily guarded Conferred God Platform in the original story. It turns out it was all because of you, you bastard, providing the intelligence behind the scenes!

Such a despicable act made Xu Tianxi wonder if he had traveled back to the Southern Ming Dynasty of his previous life on Earth.

Kong Deming watched as Xu Guozhong was nearly beaten to death before he was saved. He then pressed down on Xu Tianxi and Xiao Hongchen's shoulders and said in a deep voice, "He's still useful. We'll use him as a witness tomorrow!"

Jing Hongchen spoke for the first time, his words seemingly containing the weight of millennia-old ice: "Elder Kong, I, Jing Hongchen, am sworn enemies with Xu Tianran! He intends to destroy Mingde Hall and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy!"

"If Mingde Hall is destroyed, the loss of materials will be a minor issue. If a large number of researchers die tragically, our country's technology will regress by at least three to five years, and possibly several decades! Some projects may even be cut off!"

Kong Deming raised his hand, his anger flaring, and said, "Don't worry, I understand these things. Once the facts are ascertained, I will not tolerate it!"

"Xu Tianran's crimes are unforgivable! Starting tomorrow, the position of Crown Prince will be changed!"

Xu Tianran committed a serious crime and was caught. Most of the ninth-level soul masters in the Hall of Worship were disillusioned with him. Jing Hongchen, Xu Tianxi, and the Hongchen siblings regarded him as an enemy. It was impossible for him to sit on the throne of the crown prince.

Kong Deming originally favored this pro-war prince, but his influence was no greater than Jing Hongchen's, and he was certainly no match for Xu Tianxi.

Not wanting to be caught up in the struggle for the crown prince and then be schemed against like this, Jing Hongchen probably already had nine ways in mind to save Xu Tianran's face.

The upright and incorruptible Xu Tianxi was even more resolute than Jing Hongchen, his eyes blazing with murderous intent. If he didn't get an explanation, Xu Tianxi might go home and gather his men to storm into the Crown Prince's residence and exterminate Xu Tianran's entire family, then claim that it was the work of a certain prince and support a new Crown Prince.

I thought he was a future emperor with great talent, but it turns out he's a scoundrel who has a history of overstepping his bounds and colluding with foreign enemies. Why not just get rid of him and wait for the New Year?
Xu Tianxi breathed a sigh of relief, the murderous intent in his eyes dissipating slightly. His efforts in leading his men to devise this plan had not been in vain. This time, he was determined to eliminate all obstacles in the Sun Moon Kingdom once and for all.

But just when he thought these things were about to end, an unexpected person arrived, bringing news that Xu Tianxi hadn't expected.

"Master Kong, something terrible has happened! His Majesty was shocked by the earthquake and is now unconscious. Before he fell into a coma, he specifically asked me to ask you to send someone to protect him!"

The chief eunuch of the palace, Eunuch Wang, rushed over with a whisk in hand, his sharp voice filled with anxiety.

(End of this chapter)