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

"Your Highness, wake up!" Seventeen woke Xiao Lie up, and the spies left in the capital relayed the message.

Last night, Princess Yuhua went to the Emperor and made a scene.

Hearing that even the emperor was frightened, he summoned several trusted ministers late at night to discuss important matters.

For the first time ever, even the court assembly was cancelled.

The third prince, Jiang Heng, was even forced to kneel outside the palace until dawn.

Xiao Lie snorted coldly, "This time 'I' am going to die, so let's see how the emperor plans to deal with Jiang Heng."

After hearing the news from the capital, he quickly got up, packed his things, and set off with Seventeen.

After a night's rest, Xiao Lie hardly stopped along the way, except when changing horses at his own territories.

He even received some important intelligence and planned to discuss it thoroughly after meeting his grandfather, Xiao Tianze.

Fortunately, they encountered no trouble along the way, and a few days later, Xiao Lie and Seventeen successfully arrived at the Zhenguo Duke's military camp.

"Your Highness!"

"Is this the Crown Prince?"

As soon as Xiao Lie appeared, some of his old subordinates recognized him.

In their excitement, they helped him cover his way into the Duke of Zhenguo's military tent.

"My lord, look! Who's here?"

As soon as Xiao Tianze looked up, he saw his beloved grandson, Xiao Lie, whom he had been thinking about day and night.

His eyes welled up with tears, and he quickly stepped forward to stand in front of Xiao Lie.

Xiao Tianze circled around Xiao Lie several times, scrutinizing him thoroughly from head to toe.

"Why didn't you stay in the capital? You just came here without saying a word?" Xiao Tianze secretly wiped away the tears that kept welling up in his eyes.

He thought no one was watching.

When family members who haven't seen each other for many years reunite, they have a thousand words to say.

Xiao Lie stared at the excited Xiao Tianze, speechless.

His first words were to ask Xiao Tianze for a glass of water.

Xiao Tianze quickly poured him a cup of warm tea and handed it to him.

"You've lost weight and grown taller."

Watching Xiao Lie drink the water, Xiao Tianze choked back tears and uttered a sigh.

The veteran generals also had tears in their eyes.

"Young Master, now that you're back, don't leave again." They had all watched Xiao Lie grow up, and they couldn't bear to see him suffer in the capital.

All the absurd things he did in the capital were reported back to him.

The old generals felt a sharp pain in their hearts when they thought about the absurd things the prince had done all those years ago, all because he had to do them to protect himself.

Xiao Lie replied, "I managed to sneak into the military camp by using the Golden Cicada's Shell technique."

"I was worried that there wouldn't be enough food and weapons in the military camp, and my grandfather was hiding this from me."

Xiao Tianze guiltily looked away. This kid... he just didn't want him to worry too much.

The emperor is now more wary of their Zhenguo Duke's Mansion than before.

Not only would the military pay sent to the frontier be significantly reduced, but even the armor and cotton-padded clothes that the soldiers were required to wear would be cut.

When Xiao Lie sneaked in, he had already taken a quick look around.

"Grandpa, things are so difficult in the army, you shouldn't have kept it from me." He's in the capital, he'll do everything he can to find a solution.

Now, with the assistance of Gu Mingheng, Lin Yu, and even Shen Qingge, the combined efforts of these groups make it entirely possible to send more supplies over.

It's just a matter of going through a bit more trouble.

In order to deal with the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, the emperor arranged for many people to frame him, thereby achieving the goal of eliminating the entire Xiao family.

The emperor's actions had already aroused dissatisfaction among some ministers in the court.

The ministers had a clear understanding of the situation. They were currently free from internal and external troubles, thanks to their grandfather, Xiao Tianze, who was guarding the border.

Only then did no enemy army dare to harass them.

If Xiao Tianze is really gone, the flames of war will likely break out very soon.

"You went to the capital for training, and now you're back acting like you're the grandfather and I'm the grandson." Xiao Tianze never expected that Xiao Lie would start nagging at him as soon as he returned.

Xiao Lie emphasized repeatedly, "Grandpa, you must not hide anything from me anymore. You must tell me everything about the situation in the army without reservation."

He guessed that his grandfather would rather bear it alone than let him worry, which is why he made a special trip.

Xiao Tianze was so tired of hearing it that he poured him another cup of water. "Stop reading, take a break. I can see you're almost dry from talking so much."

Several of his veteran generals also chimed in, saying, "Young Master, please sit down. You must be exhausted after such a long journey."

Xiao Tianze breathed a sigh of relief before saying, "In the army, as long as morale remains high, we can endure any hardship or difficulty."

"Grandpa has contacted some of his former subordinates to see if they can borrow some grain."

Xiao Lie said, "This is just a drop in the ocean, and it's not a long-term solution."

"If it's a loan, it has to be returned. So how do we return it?"

However, the operation of the military camp has always relied on the military's ability to transport supplies.

The emperor deliberately delayed giving it to him, and Xiao Tianze was at a loss for what to do.

Xiao Lie came here not only to see it for himself, but also with a rather daring idea.

"That won't do!"

Both Xiao Tianze and his old generals unanimously disagreed.

Xiao Lie actually wanted to use the profits from some of his shops to support the army.

"What you're doing is raising a private army." Did Xiao Tianze not think of that?

The emperor was worried about not being able to find any fault with them, so how could he send his own crimes to the emperor?

"Grandpa, the reason I'm asking you for advice is because I've already come up with a foolproof plan, but I can't explain it to you in just a few words."

He was really tired and needed to get a good night's sleep.

Xiao Tianze noticed his weariness and offered him his own tent.

The military camp was a warm and welcoming place, while the capital was in complete chaos.

Because Jiang Yueyao was greatly favored by the Empress Dowager and had many close female friends, plus some who wanted to curry favor with her, many noble ladies helped spread the word.

The Third Prince made an advance on the Princess Consort of Xiao, and even angered the Prince Consort to the point of near death.

How could we possibly offend the Xiao family like that?

What's most prevalent in the marketplace? It's the literati, of course.

They studied diligently for years, all for the sake of passing the imperial examinations and serving their country with utmost loyalty.

The Third Prince's actions chilled the heart of the Duke of Zhenguo, and scholars wrote many articles criticizing him.

"Have you collected them all?" Jiang Yueyao sat in front of the dressing table, looking at her beautiful face in the bronze mirror, and asked the maid behind her.

"Yes, all the articles that are unfavorable to the Third Prince are in the several large boxes in the courtyard."

Jiang Yueyao hurriedly stood up. "Then what are we waiting for? Carry all of those things up. I'm going to the palace to find my imperial uncle."

She ordered a large procession to carry her to the main hall to request an audience with the emperor.

When De Shun saw her, his expression darkened. "Why is the princess here again?"

"Does this mean we really have to deliver Prince Xiao's heartfelt letters, in which he angrily denounces the Third Prince, every day?"