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

"I can't let my men down."

The Minister of War was very protective of his subordinates; most of his subordinates were promoted by him personally.

Among them were some who were planted by members of the imperial family or nobility.

But he didn't place it in a prominent position.

"Your Majesty, please grant me some more time so that I may thoroughly investigate this matter."

The emperor's cold, piercing gaze swept over him like a knife.

After a long silence, the emperor finally relented, saying, "If you cannot find out the truth within three days, bring me your head."

The Minister of War wiped away his cold sweat and left the main hall.

When Xiao Lie heard the news, he was enjoying flowers and tea by a lake in the imperial estate.

Princess Yuhua even peeled several fresh grapes herself and fed them to him.

"Was it you who stole the supplies?"

She was indeed quick-witted; nothing Xiao Lie did could be hidden from her.

However, Xiao Lie did not intend to hide it from her.

"Last time, I borrowed your flowers to offer to the Buddha, and I'm so grateful that you were willing to part with them." Xiao Lie was in a good mood at the moment, and he intended to fulfill the promise he had made to Princess Yuhua.

He had said he would take Princess Yuhua on a boat trip.

"Didn't I already say that everyone sees you as a prince who's on his deathbed? How could you possibly go out onto the lake for a stroll?"

Princess Yuhua did not want him to take risks for her sake.

Xiao Lie made his intentions clear: "Actually, I want to borrow the cruise ship to cause some trouble."

In order to avoid divorcing Shen Qinglan and to seize her dowry, the Third Prince actually sent someone to Shen Qinglan's family home in Jiangnan.

The Shen family's businesses in Jiangnan cannot withstand even the slightest investigation.

If the Third Prince finds out anything, Shen Qinglan will probably never be able to divorce him.

If the Third Prince were to act even more ruthlessly… Xiao Lie dared not entertain any wild thoughts.

The letter Shen Qinglan received stated that the Third Prince's men had close ties with the owner of their largest rival merchant house in Jiangnan.

Upon hearing that Xiao Lie had invited her to a boat trip to relieve Shen Qinglan's urgent crisis, Princess Yuhua felt a mix of emotions.

But she couldn't show the slightest displeasure on her face.

She readily agreed, "Okay, I'll do as you say."

There are several lakes in the imperial estate, each flowing in a different direction.

Since it was a lake tour, and Xiao Lie was a notorious playboy in the capital, he naturally invited many young masters and ladies to board the boat.

The more impressive the display, the more powerful the splashes of water will be.

Such a lively event would certainly not be complete without Gu Mingheng and his friends.

"Young Master Mo, please don't refuse any longer. We are honored to have made a friend like you."

Before even seeing her, I heard Shen Qingge's voice.

The "Young Master Mo" he mentioned was the eldest son of Mo Yongkang, the biggest rival of the Shen family business in Jiangnan.

Young Master Mo was dragged here by Gu Mingheng and the others.

Upon seeing them, Xiao Lie deliberately feigned anger, "If they look down on me as a hostage, why force them to come?"

Young Master Mo panicked instantly.

He didn't dare to come because he felt he wasn't qualified to see Xiao Lie.

"Your Highness, please don't forget me." His father, Mo Yongkang, would always vividly recount how, when the late emperor was alive, the Duke of Zhenguo and his men had fought on the battlefield and conquered this empire.

Those who govern or run a business understand best the timeless truth that conquering a country is easier than maintaining it.

The current emperor is narrow-minded, causing many virtuous ministers and famous generals to suffer unjust accusations.

These people are all clear-headed.

Which one of them wasn't secretly cursing the ruler for being unwise and threatening to ruin the country?

"The young master shouldn't have come to the capital to suffer." Without thinking, Young Master Mo blurted out his thoughts, "He should have become a great general of the next generation, but he has been worn down into a weak body."

Xiao Lie hadn't expected such an unexpected gain on this cruise.

It seems that Young Master Mo holds the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion in high esteem.

"Young Master Mo, to be honest, I felt an immediate connection with you when I met you today."

Seeing that the time was right, Xiao Lie covered his mouth with a handkerchief and coughed for a while in front of Young Master Mo.

When the handkerchief was removed, it was covered in shocking blood.

Young Master Mo was greatly startled. "Is there a doctor on the cruise ship? The young master has vomited blood!"

Xiao Lie weakly grabbed him, "It's alright. Ever since I was so angry that I died after catching the Third Prince having an affair with Lin Wan'er, my body has been like this."

Even though Young Master Mo was far away in Jiangnan, he had heard about this scandal.

He cursed, "Not only is the Crown Prince furious about this, but we are also furious just from hearing about it."

"Your Highness, please take care of your health."

Xiao Lie feigned a pitiful state, "Young Master Mo, I've heard that the Third Prince wants to form an alliance with your Mo family..."

He didn't continue speaking, but stopped at the right moment and coughed several times.

"Young Master, we, the Mo family, would never do business with someone as unworthy of his position as the Third Prince," Young Master Mo said indignantly. "Our Mo family has always looked down on the Third Prince."

Young Master Mo looked around and, seeing that no one else was watching, said, "The Third Prince's men have gathered many beauties from Jiangnan. It is said that the Third Prince keeps those beauties in his villa, and some of them have been played to death."

It seems there's no need to worry anymore; the Mo family will join forces with the Third Prince.

"Young Master Mo, I would like to introduce you to someone in a few days." Xiao Lie did not specify who it was.

Young Master Mo didn't ask any further questions and readily agreed.

Having achieved his goal, Xiao Lie stopped boating.

Instead, he swayed slightly and was supported by Sixteen.

Princess Yuhua stepped forward, "Quickly turn back, the young master has fainted."

When news of the imperial pleasure boat incident reached the emperor's ears, the Ministry of War official who had colluded with the fifth prince, Jiang Yun, confessed after being subjected to severe torture.

The emperor looked at the confessions and laughed in anger. "What do they take me for to fool?"

"I have underestimated the Fifth Prince. He knows how to undermine the enemy's strength."

The Ministry of War official seemed to have confessed to everything, yet he was unable to truly punish the Fifth Prince.

Enraged, the emperor imprisoned the Ministry of War official and executed him in the autumn.

At the same time, he also secretly investigated and uncovered many of the Fifth Prince's henchmen.

"The Fifth Prince has grown powerful and is posing an increasing threat to the Third Prince. These men must be expelled from the capital." The Emperor showed favoritism by expelling all of the Fifth Prince's right-hand men from the Six Ministries.

Upon hearing the devastating news, the Fifth Prince, without time to grieve, hurriedly went to the outside of the main hall and knelt for a long time.

"Father, I did this not for my own sake, but to ensure that the soldiers on the border, who are facing even greater food shortages, are fed first."

"Who would have thought that the grain supplies would be targeted and stolen by thieves?"

"It was your son's oversight and poor handling of the matter. I beg Your Majesty to rescind your decree and punish only your son."

The emperor stormed out of the main hall in a rage and kicked the fifth prince in the heart.

"Are you openly admitting to me that all those banished from the capital were your people?"