Even the crown prince is getting a marriage of convenience? Why are you in such a hurry to stop bein

The emperor remained silent, pondered for a long time, and then uttered only one sentence.

"I understand. You may return to your residence now, and you are not to tell anyone about this!"

Jiang Heng was startled and suddenly sensed something was wrong. He had deliberately exaggerated the matter in order to use his father, the emperor, to make it bigger, but now it seemed that he had other plans and even intended to suppress the matter.

That won't do. If we suppress this matter, how will he split between Lao Wu and Xiao Lie?

Jiang Heng was anxious and quickly crawled a few steps to persuade the emperor on the throne.

"Father, Prince Jing is colluding with the Northern Frontier, plotting a rebellion. Every day we give them more time, the greater the danger we face."

"It would be better to place them under house arrest and interrogate them carefully. As long as we don't resort to torture, even if they are eventually proven innocent, there will be no way to stop it."

"Father, we must not take this matter lightly."

As he got more and more carried away, the emperor couldn't hold back and threw another memorial at his head, angrily saying...

"Third brother, you think your ass is clean?"

"You've finally been well-behaved for a few days, but instead of studying the ways of sages and the principles of governing a country, you're thinking about how to send your fifth brother to jail. Is this all the progress you've made these past few days?"

The emperor looked at him coldly, "Third son, do you think your little schemes are clever?"

Jiang Heng was stunned for a moment, then immediately realized what was happening and broke out in a cold sweat.

He forgot that his father, the emperor, had also emerged from a bloody and arduous struggle for the throne, and he probably knew far more about these intricate tricks than anyone else. Trying to put on an act in front of him was as laughable as showing off one's limited skills before an expert.

Having figured this out, Jiang Heng dared not say anything more and pressed his head firmly against the floor tiles.

"Father, I dare not!"

But at this moment, the emperor was no longer in the mood to listen to his attempts to sow discord, and simply said...

"Go back first; I will decide this matter myself!"

A twisted and vicious glint flashed in Jiang Heng's eyes, but he simply retreated obediently.

After everyone left, the emperor spoke in a calm voice.

"Deshun, pick a few reliable people to keep an eye on things and see if there's any real movement from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion."

De Shun acknowledged the order and withdrew.

Meanwhile, the bidding process is still in full swing.

To Xiao Lie's surprise, the Li and Su families were unusually silent this time. They neither actively participated nor said they wouldn't participate. Their calm was somewhat eerie. Even Prince Jing came to inquire about it once.

"What do you think they're thinking? Are they really just going to watch us divide up the spoils?"

Naturally, they would refuse, which is why the current calm seems so strange.

Just as Xiao Lie was considering whether to send more people to keep an eye on things, Sixteen rushed over with a pale face to report.

He leaned down and whispered a few words to Xiao Lie, which caused Xiao Lie's expression to change drastically in a short while.

"Is everything you're saying true?"

"I've confirmed it several times, it's true, someone is already watching us."

Xiao Lie had been carrying out large-scale transport of grain and money, and he was prepared to be discovered. He thought he could delay as long as possible.

But now Sixteen tells him that a new group of people has suddenly set their sights on them.

Moreover, judging from their movements and techniques, they seem to be from the inner court.

In an instant, a number of ominous thoughts flashed through Xiao Lie's mind.

In the end, however, the matter was settled on one thing: the battle between the two armies was at a critical juncture, and the emperor would not, and could not, touch the Xiao family. If the world knew that the emperor had executed the Xiao family, who had been supplying the front lines, under the pretext of suspicion, the spittle of the people would probably drown him.

Xiao Lie smiled coldly, then suddenly understood.

If he were the emperor, he would not only refrain from taking action, but would also try to cover it up to prevent the Xiao family from gaining prestige and increasing their power. He would then find an excuse to act once the war had ended or the situation had been settled.

"No, let them keep an eye on things. But absolutely no more weapons or similar items can be transported. Only ordinary money, food, and supplies are fine."

"Yes! But young master, there's something else that I find rather strange."

"Then tell me about it."

"Since Prince Kang left the palace a few days ago, he has been living in seclusion at his residence, never venturing out. And not long after, the people transporting supplies for our residence were targeted, wasn't that right?"

"Are you suggesting that the two are related?"

"That's right!"

Xiao Lie pondered for a moment and found it quite reasonable.

Even with the emperor's vast reach and influence, it's impossible for him to suddenly notice this place without warning. It would be more reasonable if someone had been secretly watching the Duke's mansion and then reported it to the emperor.

The fact that King Kang was living in seclusion at this time further confirmed his suspicions.

As expected, the emperor has no intention of taking action now. But why did Prince Kang choose this moment to report this? What is his motive?

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Xiao Lie, and he had a vague idea.

He then sent a letter to Shen Qinglan, and the two met in a meditation room at Qingtan Temple.

That night, Shen Qinglan took the initiative to prepare a table full of dishes and invited Prince Kang to a gathering.

Gazing at the dim candlelight, the beautiful women and delicious food, King Kang was overjoyed and blurted out many things he should and shouldn't have said, fueled by his drunkenness. At the same time, the wisps of white smoke from the auspicious beast incense burner entered his lungs with each breath, making him increasingly intoxicated and unable to distinguish between reality and illusion.

Seeing that the Prince of Kang was quite drunk, Shen Qinglan smiled and asked many more questions.

When she had exhausted all her questions, she downed a cup of wine, causing the King of Kang to faint completely, and then turned to give the order.

"Clean the incense burner thoroughly, so no one will find out."

The maid Yunxiu responded and carefully disposed of the incense ash and powder from the incense burner. Shen Qinglan, however, turned and walked to her desk, picked up her pen, and wrote a short message.

A few words were enough for Xiao Lie to understand.

She sealed the letter and asked her maid, Yunxiu, to find a way to deliver it to the Duke's mansion. Yunxiu solemnly agreed.

As for Prince Kang, she glanced at him and had several maids and servants outside the door help him up and send him back to his own main courtyard.

When the sun was high in the sky, King Kang slowly woke up. He covered his head, feeling nauseous and wanting to vomit. When he tried to recall anything, he found his head was foggy and muddled, like a lump of paste, and he couldn't remember anything at all.

He only vaguely remembered that the atmosphere last night was just right, and there seemed to be signs that he and Shen Qinglan were breaking the ice.

Jiang Heng smiled inwardly, feeling a sense of pride.

He took Shen Qinglan's initiative yesterday as an admission of weakness.

Having spent so long in the Prince Kang's residence, she must have come to terms with reality and know that a divorce is unlikely to succeed. Therefore, she has humbled herself and wants to turn back. Since that's the case, he might as well give her a chance.

Unbeknownst to King Kang, a secret letter had already been quietly sent out of the palace while he was in a deep sleep.

After reading it, Xiao Lie felt only one sense of "I knew it."

The sixteenth prince entered and said, "Your Highness, Prince Jing has invited you to a small gathering tonight. He said he wants to discuss our next steps with you."