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

Xiao Lie nodded. "That's only right."

"How do they plan to raise the funds? Will it be like last time, with the imperial court contributing some money as an example, and then raising funds from nobles and the common people?"

"That's not the intention. The emperor probably felt that people in the countryside wouldn't be happy about raising money repeatedly, so he ordered people to donate goods. He asked wealthy households to donate their unwanted winter clothes for repair, and then patch them with new fabric and cotton. This way, a lot of costs could be saved."

"Hmm? That's one way to do it."

"Not only that, I've heard that the ladies of the palace and members of the royal family have taken the lead in preparing a lot of old clothes, and some people, in order to curry favor, have simply prepared new materials and new cotton. Your Highness, shouldn't we also start preparing?"

Xiao Lie nodded. "That's how it should be."

The affairs of the border are inextricably linked to the Xiao family, and he cannot afford to fall too far behind, lest he tarnish the Xiao family's reputation.

"But...you just said that members of the royal family should set an example?"

Sixteen nodded. "I heard that Consort Xianyi has already begun preparations and plans to personally mend winter clothes. The concubines and wives of the imperial family are following suit and joining in as well."

This saves on labor costs.

Time flies, and the winter supplies were quickly prepared and sent to the border.

Then, a few days later, a secret letter was urgently sent back to the Xiao residence, which greatly surprised Xiao Lie.

"Your Highness, what exactly happened?"

Sixteen watched as the prince opened the letter, and he trembled as if he had seen a ghost, his face turning pale. He was also filled with fear and his breathing became shallow.

"Has the northern barbarians invaded again? Or has something else major happened?"

Xiao Lie slumped into the chair, still looking bewildered from the huge shock, and murmured to himself.

"How could this happen... Who did this?"

Sixteen was anxious and couldn't help but lean forward to take a look. After seeing what it said, he was so shocked that he couldn't speak.

"Has Commander Xiao been poisoned?"

Xiao Tianze was not only poisoned, but he was also poisoned by medicine prescribed by the imperial court. He wasn't the only one; other wounded soldiers also experienced varying degrees of adverse reactions.

Xiao Tianze struggled to stay conscious, and with the help of a military doctor who urgently suppressed the toxins, he was barely able to maintain his awareness. However, he was weak in his limbs and could only lie in bed, unable to mount a horse again.

He initially thought it was poisoning by enemy troops or the work of an insider, but after investigating, he discovered that the problem was with the batch of medicine itself.

The root of the problem wasn't on the border, but in the capital. This infuriated Xiao Tianze.

He led a group of soldiers, risking their lives to guard the border of Great Xia, only to be stabbed in the back by himself. It's bad enough that the power struggle involved him, but to drag a group of innocent soldiers down with him is unacceptable. Didn't those people realize that by causing such chaos, if the border of Great Xia were to fall, what a terrible fate awaited the neighboring prefectures?

They knew it, but they didn't care. They only cared about fighting for power and profit, and didn't value the lives of these soldiers at all.

This realization enraged Xiao Tianze. He sent a secret letter to Xiao Lie, instructing him to investigate the truth thoroughly. If someone was harming border soldiers for personal gain, they must be expelled. If it was the person behind it all, they should not be touched for the time being. They should wait until Xiao Lie was cured of the poison before making any further plans.

Xiao Lie's fingertips felt cold, but his mind was clearer than ever before.

Even powerful and wealthy relatives can find a way to get out, but what if the person behind this is the ruler of the Great Xia?

Xiao Tianze didn't finish his sentence, but Xiao Lie already felt a chill.

He slowly raised his eyes and looked through the void toward the direction of the imperial city, as if he could see the figure wearing a bright yellow dragon robe with precision through that one glance.

His eyes were heavy.

This emperor viewed the Xiao family as a thorn in his side, but he sincerely hoped that, at least for now, the emperor hadn't lost his mind. Otherwise, even the deepest brotherly bond with the founding emperor probably wouldn't be enough to stop Commander Xiao's murderous intent.

Xiao Lie rubbed his temples and reviewed the matter in his mind. He managed to calm himself down and listed out all the people who might be in charge behind the scenes.

He said, "Sixteen, go and find out who was in charge of procuring this batch of medicine, and who handled it. I need to see a detailed list by tonight, along with their respective responsibilities and scope of involvement."

Sixteen immediately knelt down on one knee and replied, "Yes."

The imperial court's preparation of supplies followed a transparent process, and Sixteen only needed to inquire briefly to learn most of the information. After further verification, a list was quickly drafted.

The medicine part was quite simple. The Imperial Medical Academy would formulate the prescriptions and purchase lists, and the official pharmacies and Jitang of the Great Xia would handle the specific arrangements. Once the finished medicines and herbs were prepared, the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War would coordinate the transportation.

This matter involves a large number of people, and Sixteen cannot be completely certain of the people involved. He can only include all those responsible for this matter in the list.

"Your Highness, what should we do next?"

Xiao Lie glanced at the list. Most of the names on it were those of low-level officials who were in charge of organizing the event. Just by looking at the names, one could not tell the intricacies behind the scenes. Suddenly, his gaze fell on a certain spot, and he frowned slightly.

"How could Fuhai be involved in this?"

Fu Hai was also one of the emperor's confidants, holding an important position and maintaining the operation of the palace's central hub. Although he did not serve the emperor closely, he was equally valued by the emperor.

"It is said that Eunuch Fuhai has a family tradition of learning. His ancestors ran a pharmacy, and he himself knows a little about medicine. So the emperor ordered him to oversee this matter and report on the progress in due course."

Sixteen raised her eyes and cautiously spoke, "The young master believes that this matter is related to him."

"The emperor is standing right behind Fuhai, does that matter...?"

Xiao Lie leaned back, his tone wistful, "It's hard to say."

However, making wild guesses wasn't his style. Before long, the actual poison would be sent back to the capital. If such a large batch of finished medicine was problematic, the required amount of herbs must have been substantial. An investigation would easily reveal who was responsible.

At this time, it is not advisable to alert the enemy.

"Have someone keep an eye on Fu Hai and see if there's anything wrong with him."

Sixteen bowed and accepted the order, then hurriedly withdrew.

At the same time, the emperor received a secret letter from his spies in the army and was furious.

His gaze was piercing, fixed on the person kneeling on the ground, as if he were looking at a dead man.

"What else do you have to say about this?"

Fu Hai kowtowed repeatedly, begging for mercy while weeping.

"Your Majesty, this matter truly has nothing to do with this old servant. This old servant doesn't know what happened. This old servant is utterly loyal to Your Majesty, how could I possibly do something that betrays Your Majesty and the Great Xia?"

"The incident happened so suddenly that there must be some treacherous officials who colluded with the northern barbarians to launch a coordinated attack on the border of the Great Xia. If Your Majesty were to pin the blame on this old servant, you would only be playing into the hands of those treacherous officials."

The old eunuch cried his heart out, each word filled with sorrow. He knew that if he didn't speak up soon, he would truly die.

He cried and wailed for a long time, and it didn't seem fake. The emperor's expression softened slightly.