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

Two days later, a secret letter was sent to the Jingzhao Prefecture and the Military Command. After reading the contents of the secret letter, the Jingzhao Prefecture Prefect and the Military Command Commander changed their expressions and trembled with fear.

The Prefect of Jingzhao turned pale and, trembling, lit a candle and burned the secret letter to ashes.

He said coldly, "Nothing happened today, and no secret messages were sent. Do you understand?"

The two men's confidants responded in agreement.

Meanwhile, in the military headquarters, the newly appointed commander Zhao Teng frowned, his face solemn.

The matter mentioned in the letter is of utmost importance. If he can capture it, it will be a great achievement. If he fails to capture it and offends the Xiao family for nothing, he will be doomed.

"Commander, please reconsider. Sending this secret letter at this time clearly means they want you as a pawn. The capital is in turmoil; what chance do we insignificant figures have?"

Zhao Teng coldly gripped the secret letter and chuckled in a chilling voice.

"What you're saying, how could I not know it? But I have no background. I've risen from a commoner to this position, which is already the best I can do. If I can't seize this opportunity, I'll be someone who depends on others for the rest of my life."

Although he held the rank of a fifth-grade official, in this capital city full of noble families, he was nothing more than a grain of sand. Even those rich second-generation playboys with no achievements could yell at him because of their family background, and he had to endure the embarrassment and strange looks from others and go up to him with a smile.

Zhao Teng, a fine young man, could not achieve great deeds, serve his country with loyalty and courage, or be ennobled as a king or prime minister. Instead, he had to spend his whole life scheming and plotting in the capital. How could he be content with that?

He considered himself a fine sword, but it was covered in mud and could not be drawn. But now, the opportunity to soar to the sky was right in front of him.

His knuckles turned white, and his eyes turned cold.

"My mind is made up. Whether this letter is real or fake, I will give it a try."

His confidant and close friend sighed deeply, heartbroken.

"Commander, you're making a fool of yourself. Going there will truly put you in a difficult position."

Zhao Teng stretched out his hand, his eyes resolute.

"There's no need to say anything more. I will bear all the consequences, good or bad."

If he succeeds, he will be favored by the emperor and rise to great heights; if he fails, he will accept it, for it is better than spending his whole life stuck in this stagnant water.

Meanwhile, a caravan under the Zhenguo Duke's mansion was about to escort goods out of the city, but was firmly stopped by the guards.

The leader of the group, with a fawning smile, pulled out a few pieces of silver from his pocket and handed them to one of the guards.

"Gentlemen, you've worked hard. This is just a small token of our appreciation. We hope you can have a few drinks to relieve your fatigue..."

Before he could finish speaking, the soldier, who used to be all smiles and grins after receiving the silver, suddenly slapped his hand away, his face stern, and shouted sharply.

"How dare you! I am here on guard duty, doing my job properly. How can you try to fob me off with such vulgar things? You offered me a bribe without a word; do you have ulterior motives?"

The team leader looked stunned and quickly waved his hand, "Sir, I had no such intention."

Before he could explain, the soldier waved his hand and shouted coldly.

"Whether it's there or not, we'll know after the check."

"You two go search the two cars behind, and the four of you go search..."

At a command, a squad of soldiers went forward to search, and soon they actually found something in the rice sacks behind them.

The soldier slashed it with his knife and discovered that it contained a bunch of weapons.

"this……"

Even the slow-witted leader knew something was wrong; his face turned deathly pale, and he was drenched in cold sweat…

There were no arrangements made for these items to be delivered today, so how could they be in the rice sacks...?

There must be a traitor among them. Who is it that betrayed the Xiao family?

Zhao Teng had been waiting at the city gate for a long time. Now that he had discovered the commotion, he pretended to have just received the news and rushed over.

His eyes narrowed, a cold glint in them. "The Xiao family seems to be transporting military equipment. What is their intention?"

He waved his hand, about to order his men to take it down, but a rosewood carriage with a green roof slowly approached from not far away.

Xiao Lie pushed open the window and said, "Commander Zhao, please wait. Please have your men spare our lives."

Zhao Teng originally wanted to finish the battle quickly and catch the Xiao family off guard, but he did not expect the Xiao family to arrive so quickly. Could it be that they had been paying attention to the situation here all along?

Zhao Teng felt a growing unease and became increasingly cold and stern.

"Young Master Xiao, this matter is strange and extraordinary. I must report it. Even if you, Young Master, come here, you cannot stop me."

Xiao Lie was taken aback, then sighed.

"Commander, you have misunderstood. The Xiao family has been greatly wronged in this matter. If it weren't for your keen observation and discovery of the clues, once these weapons were actually transported out of the city gates and caused any further disturbance, the Xiao family would truly be unable to clear their name."

"Now that the commander has shielded the Xiao family from disaster, how could I possibly stop him?"

"What does the young master mean?"

"I also have my doubts. I don't understand how such a strange object could have appeared in my caravan. Since the commander wants to investigate and report, why don't you take me with you?"

Zhao Teng thought for a moment and realized he couldn't offer any reason to object, so he had no choice but to agree.

With Xiao Lie's intervention, the atmosphere at the city gate immediately eased.

All the goods belonging to the caravan were temporarily imprisoned, and the escorts and their men were also imprisoned. However, Zhao Teng specifically instructed that this was only a temporary imprisonment and that no damage should be done without orders. This was also a way of showing goodwill to the Xiao family.

Xiao Lie smiled slightly, walked past him, and whispered something.

"Commander Zhao, you will be glad that you have shown this moment of mercy."

Zhao Teng's heart skipped a beat, and he stared at the young man in fear, but the young man still had a nonchalant look with his eyes narrowed, and he could not see through him at all.

Zhao Teng's heart surged with turmoil. Had he truly made a mistake? Should he have stayed out of this matter? This matter was likely far more complex than he suspected...

But things had already come to this point, and there was no turning back for him.

Zhao Teng could only bring Xiao Lie into the palace to report.

In the imperial study, the emperor put down the memorial, his expression amused.

"Oh, you mean you found a large quantity of weapons in the Xiao family's caravan?"

"Yes, Prince Xiao also wanted to get to the bottom of things, so he came to the palace with me."

The emperor's gaze shifted to Xiao Lie, and he suddenly sneered.

"Xiao Lie, since these items were found in your Xiao family's caravan, are you now going to say that you knew nothing about them and that your subordinates were responsible for their creation?"

"Your Majesty, please understand. I truly had no idea. Even if I had a hundred lives, I would never have dared to manufacture weapons privately. I beg Your Majesty to issue an order to thoroughly investigate this matter and restore justice to the Xiao family and to me."

No one in the hall knew what Prince Xiao, who was caught in the eye of the storm, was up to. But the emperor was intrigued.

"Alright, since you want to investigate, then so be it."

"Summon the Minister of Revenue, the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture, and the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review to the palace."

De Shun responded and quickly led his men down to deliver the imperial edict.