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

"you!"

King Jing was startled. He looked around to make sure no one was nearby before he dared to reply in a low voice.

"Are you crazy to say something like that?"

"You may not say anything about this, but everyone thinks the same thing. There must have been quite a few visitors coming and going at His Highness's residence these days."

Now that the powerful King Kang is about to fall, many ministers are changing their allegiance to the new ruler.

The Fifth Prince, Jiang Yun, was flattered and became quite smug, displaying an air of self-satisfaction.

He waved his fan and laughed, "The young master is still as pleasing to the eye as ever."

"I am only telling the truth, and I wish Your Highness all the best in achieving your goal."

Xiao Lie smiled and narrowed his eyes. He picked up his teacup and clinked it with Prince Jing's in tacit agreement.

With a "snap," a crisp sound echoed through the quiet room, as if some agreement had been reached.

Prince Jing left the palace leisurely, feeling as if the position of crown prince was beckoning to him.

He planned to summon his officials tonight and have them make the fire burn even brighter.

Seeing him leave, Xiao Lie silently picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and a very faint smile appeared on his lips.

……

"Your Highness, His Majesty has now placed you under house arrest and ordered a thorough investigation. You should make plans as soon as possible."

Jiang Yun gave a bitter laugh, slumped into the pear-shaped armchair, her hair disheveled, looking utterly dejected.

"Make plans early. What is there to plan now? My father has already become suspicious of me. I'm afraid we'll soon receive an imperial decree to confiscate my property and exterminate my entire clan."

The aide immediately knelt down, crawled forward on his knees, and said in a trembling voice.

"Your Highness, all the officials in the manor rely on you now. You must not give up on yourself at this time. Although the situation is critical, the matter has not yet been investigated, and His Majesty has not issued a decree. The rumors circulating in the capital are just that—rumors. There is still room for maneuver. But if Your Highness admits defeat, then you will truly be in a dead end."

Jiang Heng slowly raised his eyes and stared at the person on the ground.

"Then tell me, what other methods are there now?"

The advisor's eyes flashed a few times, then he crawled forward a few steps and whispered to Jiang Heng.

"Your Highness is extremely busy with state affairs, and all the properties in the mansion are managed by your subordinates. It is not impossible for someone to deceive you and act in Your Highness's name."

"But it seems Father already has solid evidence. If I say that, and the evidence disproves my claim, thus angering His Majesty, what should I do?"

"Your Highness, it's already absurd that this matter has even leaked out. If someone has malicious intentions and wants to harm you, what does it matter if they fabricate a few pieces of evidence? As long as Your Highness insists that this matter has nothing to do with you, and that it was all the audacity of your subordinates, perhaps..."

Jiang Heng rose, pacing back and forth, hesitant and uncertain. With a chance of survival before him, how could he willingly accept death? But His Majesty was not someone easily fooled…

Seeing that Jiang Heng had not yet made a decision, his aide grabbed his robe and stared intently at him.

"Your Highness, this is your last chance. Besides, think about it. If His Majesty really wanted to punish you, why didn't he make a scene in court? Why did he have to suppress the matter, let the officials investigate, and confine Your Highness to your residence without listening to your explanation?"

"Is this an attempt to settle scores, or to absolve His Highness of responsibility and keep the situation under control?"

Hearing his words, Jiang Heng's eyes gradually brightened. If what he said was true, then his father still cared for him.

In an instant, Jiang Heng made up his mind, "Alright, I'll take the gamble you're in."

"But you're right, it's quite strange that this matter has become such a big deal. Besides the fact that Prince Jing was stirring things up behind the scenes, it's also strange that this news was able to get out of the loop."

He narrowed his eyes, revealing a murderous intent.

"I'm wondering if there are some disloyal people here, betraying their own cause. The entire Kang Prince's residence should be thoroughly investigated."

The aide kowtowed on the ground, "Your Highness is wise, but I have something I must say."

"Say it, there's no need to worry about those complicated details right now."

"We should also deal with the Crown Princess. His Highness has known her for a long time, and now that she has entered the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, there are some things we must be wary of. Moreover, His Highness has been involved in several incidents related to her. I suspect that she may have already sided with the Crown Prince Xiao, and perhaps even this incident is related to her..."

Jiang Heng stared at him for a while before speaking.

"You've been holding these words in for a long time, haven't you?"

The aide sighed and lowered his head even further.

"Your Highness is wise. In the past, considering the friendship between Your Highness and the Crown Princess, your subordinates dared not speak out. But now, if Your Highness is not vigilant, similar troubles may follow one after another."

Jiang Heng held his breath. He had such thoughts in his heart, but considering their past friendship, even though he knew Lin Wan'er had developed different intentions, he still forced himself to suppress them.

After all, he owed her something for not stopping his father's decree to marry her.

But now, their grudges are intertwined. If they don't clarify and draw a clear line, it will only harm him and the people around him.

Jiang Heng tilted his head back, took a deep breath, and spoke in a complicated tone.

"I understand. You are in charge of investigating the mole. If it turns out that Lin Wan'er leaked the information, I will show her no mercy."

The staff member banged his head heavily on the ground.

"Your subordinate obeys."

Inside the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, Lin Wan'er clutched her chest. For some reason, her heart was pounding so hard it made her uncomfortable.

She rubbed her chest, her brows furrowed. "Could something bad have happened again?"

Meanwhile, Xiao Lie received a secret letter from the border.

Of the generals connected to the case, one died due to inadequate medical treatment, and another was killed when struck in the heart by a stray arrow.

Xiao Lie held the letter, tapping it on his palm as he frowned in thought.

"My grandfather also felt that the successive deaths of these two veterans were suspicious."

He glanced silently toward the palace, his brow furrowing even deeper. "Could it be that the emperor has already begun to act? If so, this is not a good sign."

Sixteen scratched his head, puzzled.

"Your Highness, if the Emperor truly punishes those people, wouldn't that be a good thing? It would cut off Prince Kang's henchmen, remove spies from the army, and alienate the emperor and his ministers. Isn't this exactly what you meant by killing two birds with one stone?"

"But if the emperor really wanted to deal with Prince Kang, he should have sent the suspect back to the capital for a thorough trial. Why take action secretly? Could it be—"

Xiao Lie's eyes suddenly lit up, and his pupils trembled.

"Is the emperor trying to create a situation where there are no witnesses left to prove the truth, thus protecting Prince Kang?"

If there is truly no way to verify the case due to the death, and the key figure is missing, then how to determine the verdict is ultimately up to the emperor.

Xiao Lie gasped. He had long known that the emperor was biased, but he hadn't expected that the emperor would tolerate it even now.

"It seems the emperor truly loves and values ​​this son."

Sixteen scratched his chin, hesitating.

"Is it possible that His Majesty saw through this scheme, and therefore doesn't want to punish Prince Kang?"

Xiao Lie's eyes flickered, and he realized that this made sense.

After all, the incident happened suddenly. The emperor was shrewd and experienced in officialdom for many years. How could he not smell the conspiracy behind it?