Before the house was raided, the maidservant of the Prime Minister's residence absconded with t

Reporting on an assignment.

What errand are you reporting?

Report that the Crown Prince has gone missing?

Or has the crown prince already died from the poison?

Xie Jingxing stared at him, trying to read something from his face.

But Jiang Zhen had his head down, so nothing could be seen.

Li Defu smiled and smoothed things over: "Your Highness, His Majesty is still waiting."

"Commander Jiang, this way, please."

Jiang Zhen nodded and followed Li Defu toward the side hall.

Xie Jingxing stood there, watching their figures disappear at the end of the corridor.

The glance Jiang Zhen gave him just now...

In that instant when their eyes met, he clearly saw something in Jiang Zhen's eyes.

That's not the look a subject should have when meeting a prince.

That is……

That was a look of hatred that seemed to want to tear him to pieces.

Xie Jingxing's heart clenched suddenly.

wrong.

Jiang Zhen definitely knows something.

But why didn't he say it to his father?

Is it because there is no evidence, or...?

"Your Highness?"

A young eunuch's cautious voice came from behind, "His Majesty requests your presence."

Xie Jingxing snapped out of his daze, took a deep breath, and stepped into the Hall of Peace.

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Inside the hall, ambergris incense burned, and wisps of blue smoke rose from the beast-shaped incense burner.

The emperor was sitting behind his desk, reviewing memorials, when he heard the noise, but he didn't even look up.

Xie Jingxing knelt down and bowed, saying, "Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."

The emperor did not respond.

Xie Jingxing knelt there, his knees touching the cold floor tiles, his wounds throbbing slightly.

He dared not move or make a sound, but simply lowered his head and waited.

The hall was eerily quiet.

The smoke from the incense burner rose gently and then slowly dissipated.

After an unknown amount of time, the emperor finally put down his pen and raised his head.

Get up.

Xie Jingxing stood up in response and stood to the side with his hands at his sides.

The emperor looked at him calmly, his gaze revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Is the injury healed?"

"You seem to be in such good spirits?"

Xie Jingxing felt a chill run down his spine.

Does Father Emperor know?

He suppressed his panic and bowed his head, saying, "Thank you for your concern, Father. My injury doesn't hurt as much anymore, and I can get out of bed now!"

The emperor's voice was indifferent, "Oh, it seems thirty strokes of the cane were too lenient a punishment, emboldening you to act so recklessly!"

Then the emperor slammed the memorial on the table and shouted, "Third brother, how dare you send assassins to kill the Northern King, your own brother!"

You are truly my good son!

How could you be so heartless!

The Crown Prince is no longer the Crown Prince; he will spend the rest of his life in the bitter cold of the North!

Why do you have to be so ruthless, driving people to the brink of despair?

The emperor asked with great distress.

Still not satisfied with what he had said, he walked down the steps, then went up to King Cheng and slapped him twice across the face.

Xie Jingxing knelt down with a thud, "Father, please calm your anger!"

Your son wouldn't dare; you must have misunderstood.

My son has always revered his elder brother, the Crown Prince; how could he possibly harm him?

Xie Jingxing thought to himself that he could not admit that he had sent someone to assassinate the Crown Prince.

The emperor looked at him and suddenly let out a contemptuous laugh.

The laughter was very soft, almost inaudible.

But Xie Jingxing heard it; there was no warmth in that laughter.

"Yeah?

Third brother, you say you respect your eldest brother, the Crown Prince, do you even believe that yourself?

I am old, but I am not so confused that I can't distinguish right from wrong!

You think you can fool me with your little tricks? Don't waste your time!

And what did you hear outside just now?

Xie Jingxing's heart sank.

He raised his head and met the emperor's unfathomable eyes.

"Father..."

Your Majesty, I truly did not send anyone to assassinate my eldest brother. I beg you to believe me.

As for what was said in the hall just now, I did hear some of it.

Since there's no evidence, he absolutely cannot admit it.

"What did you hear?"

The emperor looked at him coldly and asked.

Xie Jingxing gritted his teeth: "Your subject heard... Commander Jiang said that the Crown Prince was assassinated."

He couldn't lie and say he didn't hear it, because lying under the emperor's nose was only a death wish.

Standing outside the hall, one could definitely hear the conversation inside; there was no point in lying.

The emperor glanced at him sideways and continued, "What else did you hear?"

"And I also heard..."

"My elder brother, the Crown Prince, has gone missing."

"Hmm." The emperor's fingers tapped lightly on the imperial desk. "Third Prince, you keep insisting that you didn't send the assassins. So, who do you think did it?"

Xie Jingxing's heart almost stopped beating.

He opened his mouth, but found his throat too dry to make a sound.

The emperor looked at him with disappointment, weariness, and something else that Xie Jingxing couldn't understand.

The emperor slowly spoke, "Third brother, even now, you still refuse to admit that you sent the assassins?"

Look at this thing, what is it?

"Li Defu, show the things to Prince Cheng."

The emperor's voice rose from low to high, his face contorted with rage.

Li Defu, who was standing nearby, brought over a tray with a poisoned dart made of black iron on it. The dart bore the mark of the Prince Cheng's Mansion.

Upon seeing the poisoned dart, Xie Jingxing's face turned deathly pale, his knees buckled, and he knelt down once more.

With a snap, the emperor picked up a teacup from the table and threw it at Prince Cheng, who was kneeling on the ground.

It struck Cheng Wang precisely on the forehead, and blood instantly flowed out, running down his cheek and into his neck.

"Father, your son..."

Your Majesty, I was confused for a moment…

I beg for my father's forgiveness!

Xie Jingxing was so frightened that he trembled and quickly kowtowed to beg for mercy.

"Now you still want to argue that it wasn't you who sent the assassin to kill the crown prince?"

Instead of focusing on the tasks I entrusted to you, all you do all day is scheme against your own brothers!

With your ruthlessness, how will you become a ruler of a country in the future?

Which of the civil and military officials can submit to you?

What an idiot!

The emperor was so angry that he cursed loudly, saying that his son's actions were extremely foolish.

"Your subject knows his mistake, Father..."

Your Majesty is only afraid that Your Majesty will reinstate your eldest brother as Crown Prince...

That's why I made a mistake for a moment..."

At this point, he had no other choice but to kowtow and beg his father for forgiveness.

"I ordered you to reflect on your actions in the palace. What did you reflect on?"

I told you to recover quickly and bring Liu Tao'er and the others back, but you've been focusing your attention elsewhere.

Did I warn you not to engage in any underhanded tactics? Did you listen?

The emperor's voice softened slightly, but it was still loud. "I had Jiang Zhen speak outside just now, deliberately so you could hear, just to see how you would react."

I want to see if you'll take the initiative to admit your mistake!

And then…”

Xie Jingxing froze.

Did you deliberately let him hear?

Old man, you're deliberately messing with me...

"I know how long you've been standing outside, just by looking at how long you've been listening."

The emperor stood up, walked around the imperial desk, and went to Xie Jingxing.

"I gave you time, I gave you a chance, and I hoped you would take the initiative to admit your mistakes, but what did you do?"

How did you do it?

Xie Jingxing lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to raise his head.

All he could do was keep saying, "Your subject was wrong..."

Your son will never dare to do it again...

Your Majesty, I have failed you..."

"You stood outside and listened to everything."

and then?

Come in, kneel before me, say nothing, admit nothing.

Do you think I have no evidence and can't do anything to you?

So you can just deny it?