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

"I saw it too."

"Yes, yes, that person also gave the boy a bag of silver."

One of them took out a purse, on which was clearly embroidered the character "Xiao," making its origin obvious.

Xiao Lie's eyebrows and eyes did not move, but a faint hint of impatience appeared on his face.

"That's really clumsy..."

They find a few "witnesses," fabricate some random things, and create some dubious clues, hoping to pin the whole thing on him.

Xiao Lie glanced at the young man beside him, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

"No wonder the Third Prince came so quickly; he knew there was a good show to watch here all along."

"Your Highness, please be careful with your words. I was merely concerned, but who knew I would encounter such a situation. Faced with accusations, instead of trying to clear yourself of any involvement, you slander me. Could it be that you are in the wrong and have no evidence to refute me, so you resort to these petty tricks to confuse the truth and exonerate yourself?"

"If that's what Young Master Xiao thinks, then you've come to the wrong person."

Xiao Lie looked at him coldly. "Third Prince, I advise you to stop now."

The more Xiao Lie acted this way, the less guilty and weak he appeared in Jiang Heng's eyes. The officials nearby all lowered their heads, not daring to breathe, for fear of being dragged into this strange storm and becoming sacrifices.

Seeing that Xiao Lie remained silent, Jiang Heng, confident of victory, sent someone to the palace to consult the Emperor.

Xiao Lie narrowed his eyes slightly. "Third Prince, are you sure about this?"

Jiang Heng disregarded the matter completely and persisted in his own way. Soon, the matter alarmed the emperor, who frowned.

"I heard about the fire. Is there something you want to cry about?"

Before Jiang Heng could speak, Xiao Loumian stepped forward first, his voice steady.

"Your Majesty, I wish to accuse the Third Prince of deliberately poisoning a witness and disrespecting the imperial authority. I request Your Majesty to conduct a thorough investigation."

Xiao Lie recounted the story in detail, listing many points of doubt.

First and foremost, he had no reason to burn the two people alive. The situation was in his favor; if he stirred up trouble again, wouldn't that just create unnecessary chaos? Furthermore, he had just learned from his trip to the prison that the Liu mother and son had a mastermind behind it all, and the fact that this had happened clearly indicated that the mastermind had been monitoring the Liu family, and that someone in the prison must have secretly informed them after he left.

"Your Majesty," I suggest, "a thorough investigation of everyone involved. See who neglected their duties during that period, and then continue the investigation to find the real culprit. It shouldn't be difficult."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Heng's face paled slightly, clearly caught off guard.

He hurriedly tried to dissuade him, "Your Majesty, there are so many people in the Imperial Prison. Investigating them one by one would be a waste of time. In my opinion, it would be better to arrest the relevant servants of the Duke's Mansion and interrogate them directly about what happened in the Imperial Prison today. Under severe torture, they will surely confess."

"Is Your Highness resorting to severe torture every now and then? Are you trying to extract a confession through coercion? Besides, whether I have a problem or not can be easily found out with an investigation. Your Highness's obstruction is nothing but a guilty conscience. If Your Highness insists on a thorough investigation through severe torture, why not start by investigating the Kang Prince's residence?"

Jiang Heng's face stiffened. "I...this..."

Xiao Lie snorted coldly, "Third Prince, stop making trouble and claiming you're not the mastermind? If you're not the mastermind, why are you deliberately misleading us?"

Jiang Heng remained silent, not daring to utter another word. He was well aware of the dubiousness of those "witnesses" and dared not mention them at this moment, for fear of getting himself into trouble.

But just because he didn't dare to mention it didn't mean Xiao Lie didn't dare to. He directly asked His Majesty to start the investigation from those few people.

"Since His Highness the Third Prince insists on his innocence, those who wish to testify must be completely innocent. I think it would be better to start by investigating these people, to see if they have any extra wealth and if their families have any connections with the Kang Prince's residence."

"this……"

Xiao Lie swept a sharp look at him, his tone icy, "Third Prince, you're unwilling to do this and unwilling to do that. Are you saying you're just feeling guilty?"

Seeing his pale face and silence, Xiao Liefei said that he was the mastermind behind the plot to overthrow the Duke's Mansion and demanded an explanation from him.

At first, Jiang Heng thought it made some sense, but the more he listened, the angrier he became.

Xiao Lie was capable of saying anything in an attempt to turn the tables on him.

The Liu mother and son have been in the Duke's mansion for so many years. If they were truly spies or informants harboring malicious intentions, would he have been plotting this from the very beginning?

He was so young then, how could that be?

Jiang Heng angrily said, "How dare you! How could a mere member of the Liu family be a spy or informant? Don't spout nonsense just to frame me."

But Xiao Lie was unusually insistent, clinging to this charge and demanding that the emperor punish the third prince.

The emperor's eyes flickered slightly, his gaze indifferent yet sharp, landing lightly on Xiao Lie as if trying to see right through him. Xiao Lie, however, kept his back straight, pretending not to notice.

This made the emperor frown.

Could it be that he was just being paranoid? Did Xiao Lie really not figure out the real mastermind behind it all, so he suspected Heng'er?

The emperor pondered for a moment before speaking hesitantly.

"Xiao Lie, even if there really is a mastermind behind the Liu family, why do you think that the mastermind must be Heng'er?"

Xiao Lie's eyes widened in disbelief.

"In this entire capital, besides the Third Prince, who else would do such a thing besides framing me, given their animosity towards me?"

Jiang Heng was utterly speechless, feeling that Xiao Lie was simply being unreasonable. However, he ignored the emperor's strange silence and kept crying out for justice. Finally, the emperor sighed softly and spoke as if he had no choice.

"Jiang Heng, what do you have to say now?"

Jiang Heng suddenly opened his eyes wide. "Father, how could you believe his one-sided story? What mastermind? He made it all up. I admit that I did have some prejudice against Prince Xiao before, so I believed what Liu and her son said. But I really haven't heard of anything else..."

The emperor was furious. "It has nothing to do with you? Then why is your involvement in every single one of these incidents?"

Jiang Heng was tall and slender, with a pale face.

The emperor waved his hand dismissively, ordering De Shun to investigate whether Jiang Heng had any connection with the imperial prison. He also instructed the prison guards who testified to be thoroughly investigated.

"Father, Father, please let me explain..."

But the emperor wouldn't listen at all. After giving Wan his instructions, he told the two of them to return to their respective residences and await news. Xiao Lie glanced at him with pity, while Jiang Heng, still unaware of the true seriousness of the matter, only sneered coldly.

"The young master is truly eloquent; he's even adept at twisting the truth."

Xiao Lie said in a low voice, "That's not necessarily true. I, the Third Prince, would better behave myself. Otherwise, if you jump again, there are some things you might not be able to avoid."

Jiang Heng sensed that there was something more to his words, and her brows furrowed involuntarily.

"What do you mean?"

Xiao Lie simply smiled and said nothing more.

When he returned to the carriage, Sixteen was already waiting.

"Rest assured, Master, the matter has been taken care of. I guarantee that when someone investigates, traces of the Prince Kang's residence will be found everywhere."