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

Jiang Yun arrived at the appointment with a smile, thinking that they would be discussing the division of profits. However, as soon as he sat down, the young man made a shocking remark.

"Your Highness, Prince Kang has accused us of conspiring with the Northern Frontier to plot a rebellion. Are you aware of this?"

What do you mean by that?

King Jing sat up straight immediately. Upon hearing this, he began to wonder if Xiao Lie was toying with him.

Xiao Lie remained expressionless and repeated what he had just said. As expected, Jiang Yun cried out that he was innocent.

"This is a frame-up, a slander! I have never had any dealings with the Northern Border, except for donating money or goods once or twice. How could that be considered collusion and treason? Jiang Heng is trying to drive me to my doom with just his words. Now I will go to the palace and argue with my father to make him understand what kind of person Jiang Heng is."

One son donated money and supplies to the front lines and even organized auctions, while the other son used this to attack and eliminate dissidents. It's clear at a glance who is superior.

Jiang Yun was about to get up when Xiao Lie stopped her.

"If His Majesty were to ask how Your Highness knew of this matter, how would Your Highness answer?"

Jiang Yun froze, her mind went blank, and she looked at Xiao Lie for help.

Xiao Lie did not answer his question, but continued calmly.

"If Your Highness wishes to explain your innocence, how would you explain our current alliance? Even bringing up the previous auction now might be seen as a sign of our collusion."

"This..." Jiang Yun was at a loss for what to do, but he knew that Xiao Lie was still able to sit firmly on the throne, so he must have made some preparations.

"May I ask for your wise opinion, Your Highness?"

Xiao Lie lowered his gaze and slowly said, "If we argue now, we won't be able to understand. Even if we do understand, there's no guarantee that His Majesty won't become suspicious in the future. Why don't we take this opportunity to muddy the waters?"

Jiang Yun frowned slightly. "What does the Crown Prince mean?"

Xiao Lie beckoned to him and whispered in his ear.

A few days later, a strange rumor began to circulate at the canal wharf.

It is said that King Kang spent a lot of money to purchase items such as charcoal-fired cotton clothing in order to transport them to the front lines.

After all, the cargo on the cargo ship was unloaded box by box and placed on different carts, and it did indeed leave the city gate and head towards the official road to the north.

This is absurd. Everyone knows that the Prince of Kang has a grudge against the Xiao family, so how could he possibly help the Xiao family in the Northern Border? If the Prince of Kang's caravan did indeed head towards the Northern Border, and it did indeed carry supplies that the Northern Border army might lack, then this rumor seems to have some merit.

For a moment, the ministers were filled with unease, unsure of the origin of this rumor. Following this, news also emerged that the Su and Li families were assisting the northern border.

This made the Kang Prince's Mansion and the other two families look as ugly as if they had swallowed a fly.

"Your Highness, we are innocent! We are just trying to earn some money. How could we be associated with the Northern Army? The person who spread this rumor is deliberately trying to put us in a difficult position."

"Indeed, such rumors are utterly baseless, absurd, and misleading. We earnestly hope that Your Highness can clarify things for us before His Majesty."

Jiang Heng slammed his fist on the desk and couldn't help but sneer.

"If I defend you, then who will defend me?"

These sensational rumors were primarily directed at him.

Jiang Heng clenched his fists, pacing back and forth with a gloomy expression, already having some guesses in his mind.

It must be Xiao Lie, and his damned fifth brother.

Otherwise, how could similar rumors spread so soon after he spoke to His Majesty? This is clearly retaliation from the two, an attempt to repay them in kind. And yet, he cannot even go to His Majesty to defend himself.

If he were to defend himself, his previous accusations against Xiao Lie and Jiang Yun would be untenable. If he did not defend himself, this thorn, subtly embedded in the Emperor's heart, might one day transform into a deadly poison that devours his life.

What should he do? The only solution now is to seize on the fact that the Xiao family is transporting military equipment.

Currently, all military equipment within the imperial territory is manufactured by the imperial authorities. To forge it privately would be extremely difficult, as it involves iron ore mining and smelting, as well as a series of legal issues.

Risking public condemnation to secretly transport weapons to the front lines, all for the sake of righteousness, few would believe it; most would likely be suspicious.

That's right, it's military equipment. As long as he gets clues about the Xiao family transporting military equipment, he can naturally distinguish himself from the Xiao family and the Prince Jing's Mansion.

He sent caravans to the Northern Territory to do business, but the Xiao family members went to the Northern Territory to escort military supplies.

If he could gather evidence against the Xiao family, he might as well lend a hand; if not, he might as well.

He walked up to the two of them and whispered a few words.

The two men's expressions changed, as if they were hesitating, but Jiang Heng's words shattered their remaining hope.

"Do you want to keep the guillotine hanging over your heads, gambling on whether it will fall, or do you want to settle this matter once and for all, bring down the Xiao family and the Jing Prince's Mansion, and monopolize the benefits of the Spring Festival? The choice is yours."

King Kang's words were extremely harsh.

If you don't do it, you might risk your life someday; if you do it and succeed, that would be an immense benefit.

In an instant, the two were deeply shaken and, without further hesitation, knelt down before King Kang.

"Your Highness, we will obey your orders."

Jiang Heng's lips curled into a sinister smile, full of hostility.

Xiao Lie, since you want to imitate my previous methods and turn the tables on me, then let's see if you can handle this move.

Upon hearing this rumor, the emperor in the palace looked uncertain for a while before finally smiling leisurely.

"De Shun, look at this, in just a short while, these people have started fighting right under my nose."

De Shun gave an awkward smile and bowed in reply.

"No matter how many schemes and tricks they devise, they cannot overcome His Majesty's wise judgment. His Majesty is sharp-witted and discerning; any conspiracy or scheme is nothing but fleeting smoke in His Majesty's eyes."

"You still have such a pleasant way of speaking. But I also want to know how the Kang Prince's Mansion, the Jing Prince's Mansion, and the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion will explain themselves to me."

With a "thud," the chess piece was thrown into the chess basket, making a crisp sound. The emperor's face immediately turned cold, and he spoke.

"Tell those people underground to keep a close eye on things and not miss any movement."

Although Prince Kang had previously filed a complaint, the emperor did not fully believe it. After all, the two had a feud, and it was possible that Prince Kang was trying to mislead the emperor and frame him.

Moreover, although the Prince of Kang kept saying that the Xiao family was transporting military equipment, he had sent people to keep an eye on things for a long time. While there were indeed items being transported such as cotton clothing and provisions, he had not discovered anything about the transportation of military equipment.

He also hoped that his good son could thoroughly stir up the water in this pool so that all the filth at the bottom could float to the surface.

King Kang, oh King Kang, never let him down.