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

Sixteen was no longer so worried that he might be punished by the Prince of Xinyang after his secret was exposed.

Xiao Lie rested for a few days, but Jiang Yao couldn't stay idle.

He came several times to ask when he could finally go to the underground casino.

Otherwise, the other ancient painting he had been longing for would have ended up in someone else's hands.

In addition, the money owed to Xiao Lie was still quite a bit short after scraping together what he could.

"Your Highness, there's no use in being anxious." Xiao Lie has arranged for people to prepare the underground gambling den, but even if he does it quickly, it will still take some time.

Jiang Yao urged him several times without success, and he felt a little embarrassed.

He said apologetically, "Young Master Xiao, this is all I have on hand. I'll give it to you now, and I'll make up the rest as soon as possible."

Xiao Lie had dug a pit for Jiang Yao to fall into.

Naturally, the goal was to intensify Jiang Yao's sense of guilt towards him.

"Actually, I spent a lot of money to buy this painting from Princess Yuhua; it cost me almost half of my warehouse's worth of gold."

Jiang Yao believed what he said; paintings by Master Buming were something that could only be obtained by spending a fortune.

"Your Highness, I assure you that once I win from the underground gambling den, I will repay you every penny I owe you."

Xiao Lie hummed in agreement and didn't continue speaking.

He was still recovering from a serious illness, and it was not appropriate for him to entertain guests in the courtyard for too long.

Seeing that Xiao Lie looked extremely pale and kept coughing, Jiang Yao, no matter how anxious he was, decided not to bother him any longer.

So Jiang Yao got up to take his leave, even leaving behind a thousand-year-old ginseng.

A thousand-year-old ginseng is quite valuable, and the fact that Jiang Yao was willing to give it as a gift shows that the distance between them has narrowed considerably.

Xiao Lie was very satisfied with this.

"Sixteen, has any new news come from the capital?" Xiao Lie suddenly asked Sixteen, who had brought in tea.

Sixteen shook his head. "No news has come in the last few days."

Just as Xiao Liezheng was wondering what was going on, Seventeen rushed in in a great hurry.

"What are you doing, rushing around so hastily and recklessly?" Xiao Lie was startled by this side of Seventeen.

Seventeen had a shoulder injury, and blood was gushing out continuously.

"Sixteen, go and get the medicine box and apply the wound medicine to Seventeen." Xiao Lie was sharp-eyed and observant, and he noticed Seventeen's unusual condition at a glance.

Sixteen skillfully took the medicine box from the cabinet and applied the medicine to Seventeen.

Xiao Lie's eyes were solemn. With Seventeen's skills, there were few people in the capital who could hurt him.

"His Majesty's paranoia has worsened, and his health has deteriorated."

"He drank ginseng water that had been used for a thousand years before going to court, which was enough to sustain him until the court session ended."

"Even at night, he no longer summons Consort Yuan so frequently."

The news that Seventeen brought back startled Xiao Lie.

The emperor is so ill, why hasn't a word of it spread?

"His Majesty does not want anyone to know that he is seriously ill, and no unfamiliar face is allowed to appear around the main hall."

This allowed them to keep it a secret from the court officials.

However, it was precisely because he was so ill that he was listless and needed to rest in bed that the emperor became even more convinced that someone had poisoned him.

Whether it was the Imperial Hospital or the Imperial Kitchen, everyone was surrounded.

"His Majesty dispatched Li, the Chief Physician of the Ministry of Justice, to personally investigate."

Xiao Lie thought he had misheard. "Who did you say?"

"Li Langzhong is notorious for using torture," Seventeen emphasized again.

Li Langzhong was like a knife in the emperor's hand; wherever the emperor pointed, he would strike.

No matter who falls into Li Langzhong's hands, they will suffer greatly.

Some people even confessed under torture because they couldn't bear the torment.

However, he thought that by falsely admitting to a crime he had never committed, he would be let off by Physician Li.

No, if you're found to have lied, you'll only be tormented even more severely.

"Isn't the emperor afraid of completely alienating his ministers by doing this?" Xiao Lie thought the emperor was incredibly foolish.

The people in the Imperial Hospital and the Imperial Kitchen simply couldn't withstand the tortures inflicted by Physician Li.

At this critical juncture, tormenting these people would only give those with ulterior motives the opportunity to plant evil spirits inside.

"The Emperor has imprisoned all those suspected in the case in the Imperial Prison."

Seventeen explained, "The shoulder wound on my shoulder was caused by an arrow shot by the emperor's men when I was investigating near the imperial prison."

It wasn't just him who went to gather information; the Third Prince's and Fifth Prince's men also went.

After Seventeen was injured, he went to see Yuan Ajiao.

Yuan Ajiao sent a message back with Seventeen, saying that they should take this opportunity to arrange manpower for the Imperial Hospital and the Imperial Kitchen.

Xiao Lie happens to have thirty Shadow Guards under his command, so there are suitable candidates to send over.

"We'd better not get involved in this mess." If Li Langzhong's men find out anything, it would be a loss for us.

Xiao Lie didn't want to take the risk; he wanted to see if the Third Prince and the Fifth Prince's men would be discovered.

He'll decide how to make arrangements once the three factions have finished their infighting.

Just then, there was a rapid knocking on the door.

Xiao Lie gestured for Sixteen to come over and open the door.

Standing outside the door was You Shisan, who was beside the butler.

Yu Shisan came here specifically for this purpose. "Your Highness, someone broke into the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion last night and went to see the Princess Consort."

"The Crown Princess went to the steward several times today to ask for a carriage, saying she would need it for tomorrow."

Lin Wan'er was clearly ordered by him not to leave the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

He was almost driven to his death by her anger. Why was she running around instead of staying at home to repent and reform?

"The steward suspects that the Crown Princess is going to see the Third Prince." After saying this, You Shisan cautiously glanced at Xiao Lie several times.

He was afraid that Xiao Lie would get angry and take it out on him.

Only Sixteen, Seventeen, and a few other people knew that Xiao Lie was faking illness.

Even the housekeeper was unaware of it.

Xiao Lie had no choice but to pretend to be sick and cough violently again in front of You Shisan.

He coughed for a while before instructing You Shisan, "Take my message back with you and forbid the Princess Consort from going out."

"Before I returned, she wouldn't even let anyone who wanted to see her into the mansion."

You Shisan accepted the order and returned.

Seventeen then said, "The Shadow Guards discovered that the Crown Princess had hired human traffickers to buy some people to train outside, intending to secretly bring them to the residence."

"She even sent her maid to try and bribe our newly assigned maid."

"They are trying to find out about the Crown Prince."

Xiao Lie laughed in anger. He had thought that Lin Wan'er would calm down after being abandoned.

She really is a fence-sitter, swaying from side to side with the wind.

On one hand, she wanted to rely on him to survive, and on the other hand, she was still dreaming of becoming the Third Prince's consort.

"Seventeen, after you return to the capital, immediately arrange for all the people in her courtyard to be our people."

"Send a few more Shadow Guards to keep an eye on her every move in the open."

The Third Prince is definitely colluding with her and will probably try to harm him again.