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

Sixteen shook his head and suddenly fell.

In the blink of an eye, Shanqing saw a teenager suddenly appear in front of him.

He was so startled that he almost fainted. The eunuch next to him immediately supported him, pinched his philtrum, and called out to him.

"Grandpa Shanqing, please wake up! Are you alright?"

Just as Shanqing was dazed, the stinging pain in his philtrum jolted him awake. He opened his eyes and his gaze fell on the innocent and youthful face in front of him, and he was furious.

He yelled shrilly, "Where did you come from? What are you doing sneaking around in this warehouse?"

"Guards! These must be some malicious thugs. Seize them at once!"

Before Sixteen could even react, he was firmly pinned on a accusation. He opened his mouth to defend himself, but he couldn't withstand the barrage of words from the other side.

"I'm not a thief, I'm doing something legitimate."

"Caught red-handed, and you still insist you're not a thief? So stubborn! We'll send you to the torture chamber later and see how long you can last!"

Xiao Lie's ears hurt from the noise of the farce. He picked at his ears, slowly woke up, and realized that he had waited for so long only to watch this low-quality elementary school argument. He couldn't help but feel very disappointed.

He went in and put his hand on Shanqing's shoulder. Shanqing was overjoyed to see him and quickly pointed at the sixteen-year-old in front of him and shouted.

"Your Highness, you've come at the right time. This person is acting suspiciously on the roof beam, doing who knows what. Please have someone throw him out."

Xiao Lie sighed softly, full of helplessness, "Ah, Eunuch Shanqing, you've misunderstood. He really has something to do."

Shanqing was stunned, bewildered.

Xiao Lie patted Sixteen on the shoulder again, encouraging him.

"Come, tell Eunuch Shanqing, what is your mission?"

"Keep a close eye on the people who come into the warehouse today, see if they do anything underhanded. If they do, find them out and throw them outside to be punished."

Upon hearing this, Shanqing's face turned pale.

He pointed at Xiao Lie with trembling fingers, then at Sixteen, stammering and unable to utter a coherent sentence. In the end, he could only say with extreme humiliation.

"Young Master, I merely sent someone to inspect, yet you insist on having someone keep an eye on me. In your eyes, this old servant is someone who cannot be brought to the table."

Xiao Lie clicked his tongue, clearly disapproving.

"Eunuch Shanqing, what do you mean by that? I merely ordered my men to keep an eye on the storeroom, and it just so happens that you were the ones who came in today."

Shanqing was so choked up that his face turned black and he was speechless. At the same time, a chill ran down his spine and he broke out in a cold sweat.

He almost caused trouble right under the nose of Prince Xiao's confidant. If he had been caught, he probably wouldn't have fared well.

At this moment, after hearing the suspicious behavior reported by the Sixteenth Reporter, Xiao Lie's eyes turned cold, and he suddenly put on a cold face, realizing something.

"Well, you're so kind. I treated you nicely, but I didn't expect you to be sneaking around trying to do something underhanded."

"You even dared to steal from the things prepared for the Empress Dowager's birthday. You are simply lawless. You are coming with me now. I will definitely go to His Majesty to demand justice and make him punish you properly."

These words were undoubtedly driving Shanqing into a life-or-death situation.

Having committed such a grave crime, how could he possibly survive if he went before His Majesty again?

So can we admit to this crime? Absolutely not!

Shanqing shook his head hurriedly, his face flushed red, and he stubbornly said, "You, you're talking nonsense. I have been loyal and devoted to His Majesty and the ladies of the palace for so many years. How could I have deliberately ruined the Empress Dowager's birthday celebration?"

"This is slander, defamation, and a frame-up!"

Shanqing, like a chicken being strangled, cried out in a shrill voice and almost jumped up.

Xiao Lie secretly wanted to laugh. He snorted and deliberately turned his head away, putting on an arrogant look.

"Hmph, who only sees the scheming thoughts hidden beneath your skin? You say you serve the masters in the palace wholeheartedly, but I don't quite believe it. With your physique, can you really say you've served wholeheartedly?"

"Is it possible that he secretly skimmed some profits, eating until his mouth was greasy, that's how he managed to eat so much?"

This statement was a double entendre, directly hitting Shanqing's most sensitive nerve.

Some things can be done, but only secretly; they can't be discussed openly. If they are, it might be seen as making an example of someone to scare others, leading to a far worse outcome.

So Shanqing stared wide-eyed, extremely anxious, his face pale with sweat, and could only deny it helplessly and stiffly.

"I didn't, don't talk nonsense!"

"Young Master, you're framing me!"

As for having someone personally inspect his assets to verify his innocence, that's absolutely impossible.

Shanqing's plan was well-conceived. In any case, he only had the desire to do something but hadn't had the chance to act on it yet. At most, the young master could only talk back to him and couldn't do anything about it.

But Xiao Lie gave Sixteen a wink, and Sixteen, with a blink of an eye, started spouting nonsense.

"Your Highness, this old eunuch is full of inconsistencies. I clearly saw him tamper with the fabric just now. If I hadn't stopped him in time, who knows how many more pieces of fabric would have fallen victim to his evil deeds!"

"You!" Shanqing was so angry he almost fell over. He never expected that he, a man who was used to twisting the truth, would encounter such a master of twisting the truth, who would start making up lies without even blinking.

Shanqing was so angry that she almost screamed, her voice choked with rage, "You need to provide evidence for what you're saying."

Sixteen was taken aback, but after receiving a subtle look from Xiao Lie, he immediately straightened his back and became righteous.

"How come I have no evidence?"

As he picked up the cloth, he ran his fingers across its surface, leaving a subtle but sharp mark.

Sixteen handed the cloth to Shanqing, and a slight tearing sound was heard. A large tear appeared in the smooth cloth.

Sixteen swore firmly, "You still say you didn't tamper with it?"

Sunkyung was incredulous. "This...how is this possible? I clearly didn't...no, it was you who did it, it was you..."

"You've framed me! I'm going to tell His Majesty so he can punish you severely."

Xiao Lie smiled leisurely, just what he wanted.

"Very well, then let's go before His Majesty and get to the bottom of this. I'd like to hear your explanation: I'm new here and have no grudge against you, so why would I deliberately set a trap to frame you?"

"Besides, even if I wanted to frame you, what makes you think I would do that in such an important matter? His Majesty has entrusted me with such a crucial task, yet I, instead of striving for advancement, would ruin my own career for a mere eunuch like you. What does that mean?"

Shanqing's face turned pale. His mind raced and he immediately realized what was happening. He felt as if all his strength had been drained, and he almost collapsed to the ground. Fortunately, the little eunuch beside him caught him in time.

Yes, Prince Xiao had no grudge against him, a mere eunuch. Why would he frame him, and why would he choose to do it in such a trivial matter?

This...this doesn't make sense!