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

Xiao Lie squinted, pondered for a moment, and made a decision in his heart.

This is such a good move, we can't let it go to waste.

He immediately instructed Sixteen to lay out paper and grind ink. After writing, he whispered a few words in his ear and had Sixteen secretly deliver them to Prince Jing's residence.

"Remember, don't let anyone else find out. If you get caught, you can forget about your monthly allowance."

Sixteen tensed up and immediately assured, "Master, don't worry, I guarantee that no one else will know."

Xiao Lie smiled slightly and hummed in agreement, "Go ahead."

The next second, Sixteen pushed open the door and went out. In the blink of an eye, he flew onto the roof and disappeared.

The emperor didn't retaliate simply because he wanted to suppress the matter and protect Prince Kang's position, but the emperor refused to let him.

Prince Kang sold smuggled salt, disrupted market prices, and competed with the people for profit. Tsk tsk tsk, I wonder if he can withstand this charge.

I'm afraid that once this news comes out, there will be countless petitions to impeach him.

Sixteen sneaked into Prince Jing's residence, almost startling Prince Jing into summoning the guards. However, upon learning Sixteen's purpose, his expression changed slightly, and he opened the letter with some skepticism.

"He specially sent me incriminating evidence against my third brother to help me bring him down. Is this Prince Xiao really that kind?"

Thinking of Xiao Lie's sharp tongue in the palace, Jiang Yun felt a slight ache in her teeth.

Sixteen smiled slightly, "Your Highness Prince Jing, you'll see when you see it."

"As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Although the Crown Prince and His Highness may have occasional verbal disputes, there is no real conflict between them. However, His Highness Prince Kang is different."

"He is a true enemy to both Your Highness and the Crown Prince. If Your Highness can find incriminating evidence against him and bring him down, it would be a great benefit to the Crown Prince. Why would the Crown Prince deceive Your Highness on such a matter?"

King Jing nodded in deep agreement, feeling relieved. "Well, that's rare. Xiao Lie has finally said something sensible."

But when he read the contents of the letter, his smile froze on his face, and even showed signs of crumbling.

"This...this...Father is so biased."

"Jiang Heng's smuggling of salt was a grave offense, yet Father Emperor, to protect his reputation, did not pursue the matter and even forcibly suppressed it. Father Emperor, with all this concern, has he ever applied the same care to his other brothers?"

Although Consort Xian was getting older, she held a unique position in the emperor's heart because of her merit in saving the emperor. Even Jiang Heng received more favor from the emperor than the other princes.

This left Jiang Yun, who was eager to seize the throne, with mixed feelings that were difficult to describe, and even a hint of resentment.

"I know Father favors Third Brother, but I never imagined he would be this biased. We are all his sons, why does he treat us so differently?"

Jiang Yun clenched his fists, his eyes bloodshot, as if he couldn't wait to rush to the Golden Palace and get to the bottom of things.

But he knew all too well that he was a subject, and his father was the emperor. The emperor's authority was greater than that of blood relatives, and he could not tolerate any presumption or questioning.

Jiang Yun closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths, and after a few seconds, his expression gradually calmed down, and a faint cold light appeared in his eyes.

"Don't worry, I'll make good use of this."

"My father and third brother want to cover it up, but I'm determined to expose it. If I can't get the treatment I want, he can't either."

……

Two days later, a strange rumor spread throughout the court: everyone had heard that the Fifth Prince was smuggling salt. Immediately, the Kang Prince's faction...

They kept a low profile and remained law-abiding, fearing that the fire might burn them.

However, during the court assembly, several remonstrating officials still submitted a memorial to him.

"Your Majesty, rumors are spreading in the court, and people are unsettled. I urge Your Majesty to issue an edict to thoroughly investigate and clear Prince Kang's name. Otherwise, everyone will think that Prince Kang is openly violating the law by selling smuggled salt. This will not only damage the face of the imperial family, but also easily corrupt the atmosphere of the court. If this continues, the people below will follow suit, and the country will fall into chaos."

"Your Majesty, I second your opinion and request that Your Majesty order a thorough investigation of Prince Kang."

"I second that opinion..."

The Kangwang faction wanted to stop them, but the court officials dismissed them with a single sentence: "They have a guilty conscience." Some even angrily denounced them for having ill intentions.

"Things have developed to this point; an investigation is necessary to reassure the public. Are some people deliberately obstructing this process, perhaps intending to tarnish His Highness Prince Kang's reputation?"

These words silenced the Kangwang faction, who dared not speak again.

Jiang Heng secluded himself to reflect on his actions, and only learned of the matter after the court assembly had ended.

Although the emperor ordered the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Justice to thoroughly investigate the matter, they found nothing. However, the commotion was enough to make him lose face.

The fact that everyone else is ignoring him, but they're specifically investigating him, doesn't that mean they've already suspected him?

Even if the matter is investigated and his innocence is proven, as long as he is tainted by this stain, his reputation will never be completely clean.

Jiang Heng sent his trusted ministers to inquire, and sure enough, after the matter was investigated, the court officials went from openly suspecting him to secretly suspecting him. Some even thought that the reason he was "innocent" was because he had noticed the leak early on and disposed of the items in advance.

These veiled speculations left Jiang Heng, who was confined to his residence, unable to vent his anger.

"Investigate who is spreading these rumors in secret."

They spread such despicable rumors that whether he investigates or not, he will not be able to clear his name.

……

Upon learning of this, Xiao Lie was overjoyed in his mansion. He tossed a handful of golden melon seeds, leaned back in his armchair with a fruit platter, and said lazily.

"If you please me today, each of you will be rewarded with two ingots of silver."

For a time, the dancers' skirts fluttered and the sheng and xiao flutes played in unison, making it no less magnificent than a celestial palace banquet.

Just then, Butler Wang rushed over.

"Your Highness, a letter has arrived from the border!"

"Oh?" Xiao Lie immediately put his feet down on the table, stood up, and opened the letter.

Sure enough, something "happened" at the border.

As the weather grows colder, the northern barbarians become restless, plotting to plunder grain and wealth. They have even formed small armies, attempting to attack the city during troop rotations. If they can breach the city walls, they will raid it clean; if they cannot capture it, they will retreat immediately. This cycle repeats itself, with repeated incursions that keep the border troops busy.

Fortunately, the Great Xia city was well-fortified. Although the Northern Barbarians caused trouble many times, they did not gain any advantage and instead suffered heavy losses. Unable to overcome the tough nut of the Great Xia army, they turned their attention to merchants traveling to and from the border, robbing them of their money and lives, causing panic and disrupting trade in the border region.

What worried Xiao Tianze was that many of the goods on this trade route were in high demand within the Great Xia Dynasty. If trade were to be cut off, it would likely cause discontent in the capital. Concerned that his grandson would be harassed, Xiao Tianze quickly sent someone to inform him of the matter and instructed him to stay quietly in the mansion and avoid drawing attention to himself during this time.

After reading it, Xiao Lie frowned, feeling a surge of annoyance.

In his memory, those northern barbarians would come every autumn and winter, but each time they were driven back by the Great Xia army. None of them had caused such a severe disruption to trade as this year.