I'll steal Gao Qiu's life and lead the Song Dynasty to prosperity.

"Everyone, stop immediately!"

Zhao Mingcheng put all his strength into it, and his clear, deep shout was loud and full of confidence.

The wooden stick, frozen in mid-air, and the wrestling figures suddenly separated, and the foul-mouthed shouts and curses came to an abrupt end.

Everyone was startled by the sudden sound and instinctively looked in the direction of the sound, stopping in their tracks.

Zhao Mingcheng stood there, his face calm, but his gaze sharp as lightning, slowly sweeping over every disheveled, bruised, panting, and angry man on the field.

Without delay, he strode towards Zhao Ji, who was being held back by the eunuchs at a distance, and Zhao Xiaoyi, who was being supported by his attendants and whose face was pale.

"Your Highness," Zhao Mingcheng stopped in front of Zhao Ji, bowed, and spoke quickly and clearly, yet without any sign of panic.

"The incident occurred suddenly and is likely no ordinary dispute. The most urgent task is to immediately take control of the situation and prevent any further complications or unforeseen changes."

Just as Zhao Ji was recovering slightly from his rage, he saw Zhao Mingcheng so calm and composed, as if he had grasped the backbone of the group, and subconsciously nodded.

"you say!"

Zhao Mingcheng turned to Zhao Ji, his voice steady, with a hint of seeking instructions.

"Your Highness, please immediately issue an order to temporarily seal off all entrances and exits to the rear garden, and prohibit anyone from entering or leaving without such order. Also, please summon the physician of the palace to examine the Crown Prince's injuries and conduct a thorough examination."

"Let it be as Mingcheng says!" Zhao Ji immediately shouted at Liang Shicheng, who was pacing anxiously.

"Liang Shicheng! Immediately convey my imperial decree: lock all gates in the rear garden and assign additional reliable guards to watch over them. Not even a fly should be allowed to escape! Go and summon Physician Liu immediately! And bring another squad of guards currently on duty in the mansion!"

"Yes! This servant obeys!" Liang Shicheng felt as if he had been granted a pardon and turned around to give instructions at a loud voice.

The guards of the Prince's Palace, who had already arrived nearby but were hesitant to act, immediately sprang into action.

Some ran quickly toward the park gate, while others stepped forward armed, forcibly separating the two groups of people, one in ochre and the other in indigo, who were still glaring at each other, and clearing a space.

Zhao Mingcheng added to Liang Shicheng.

"Master Liang, please separate all the guests and servants of both parties involved into different quiet rooms and keep them under strict guard to prevent them from talking or colluding with each other. Especially—"

He turned his gaze to Yang San, who was bruised and swollen from being beaten by Ju Ke and was now curled up on the ground trembling, and said in a slightly cold voice.

"Detain Yang San alone and keep him under close guard. No one is allowed to approach him without the Prince's permission."

"Don't worry, Young Master Zhao, this old servant knows what's important."

Liang Shicheng understood and immediately ordered two burly guards to step forward, drag the limp Yang San off the ground like a dead dog, and tie him up tightly with hemp rope.

Yang San seemed to want to say something, his lips trembling, but then he suddenly remembered the warning that Manager Wang had given him.

He couldn't utter a single word and was eventually dragged away by the guards.

The other participants in the fight were also driven away by the guards, taken off the field, and escorted to different courtyards and rooms for safekeeping.

The field was quickly cleared, leaving behind a mess: fallen fruits, trampled grass, and scattered bloodstains.

The physician, carrying his medicine kit, jogged over, led by a servant.

He first bowed to Zhao Ji and Zhao Xiaoyi, and then carefully examined Zhao Xiaoyi's injuries.

Zhao Xiaoyi's abrasions have stopped bleeding, and the doctor carefully cleaned, applied medicine, and bandaged them.

The bruises under his ribs needed to be checked by pressing on them. Zhao Xiaoyi was in so much pain that he gasped for breath and his forehead was covered in cold sweat, but fortunately his bones were fine and he only needed to rest for a few days.

Upon hearing the physician say that there was nothing seriously wrong, Zhao Ji's ashen face finally softened somewhat, though his brows remained furrowed.

With the help of his attendants, Zhao Xiaoyi managed to sit up straight. His face was pale, and his eyes were filled with anger and lingering embarrassment.

I finally managed to get a chance to play football with my uncle, but who would have thought this would happen?

After the physician finished his treatment, servants brought chairs for the two princes to sit down and served them hot tea to calm their nerves.

Only Zhao Ji, Zhao Xiaoyi, Zhao Mingcheng, Liang Shicheng, and a few personal eunuchs remained on the field.

Zhao Mingcheng stepped forward and bowed deeply to the ground in front of Zhao Ji and Zhao Xiaoyi.

"Your Highness, Your Highness," he raised his head, his tone sincere, with a clear sense of self-reproach.

"Today's misfortune has disrupted our refined enjoyment and caused the Crown Prince to be injured and frightened. This is all due to my lack of foresight and negligence in my duties. I... beg forgiveness from Your Highness and the Crown Prince."

Zhao Ji frowned and waved his hand.

"Mingcheng, what makes you say that? It's clearly that Yang San who's audacious and despicable; what does it have to do with you?"

Zhao Mingcheng straightened up, shook his head, and looked solemn.

"Your Highness, competition on the sports field is a matter of youthful vigor, and collisions are inevitable. In the past, when the brothers in the manor played together, they knew each other well and knew their limits. Occasionally, a collision could be easily resolved with a laugh. However..."

Zhao Mingcheng paused, looked at Zhao Xiaoyi, and spoke in an even more earnest tone.

"Today, the Crown Prince has come for the competition, and both sides are giving their all, which is a good thing. However, the students are following old practices and treating it as just ordinary play, without considering that fair referees should be appointed to clarify the rules, make timely judgments, and resolve disputes."

This minor friction, which was not stopped on the spot, escalated into pushing and shoving, and ultimately into a full-blown fight that spiraled out of control. This was the student's fault, and the student cannot escape responsibility.

He clasped his hands in a gesture of respect again, his tone heavy with sorrow.

"Your Highness has been kind to me, keeping me by your side. In addition to organizing the classics, I have also assisted in managing this football game. I should have been thorough in my planning. However, I failed to foresee this situation and did not establish rules in advance to prevent problems from arising. This is truly my negligence and dereliction of duty. I beg Your Highness and the Crown Prince to punish me."

Previously, when playing football, the Prince's Mansion rarely had outsiders bringing people to play.

Most of the time, it's just the players on both sides playing against each other. There's never been a situation like today before, so there's no referee.

This is a custom of the Prince's residence.

Zhao Mingcheng's words, in which he voluntarily took responsibility upon himself, showed an extremely humble attitude and sincere feelings.

Emperor Huizong (Zhao Ji) only realized this belatedly after hearing it.

Yes, we used to play around like family, and it was always very friendly. Who would have thought something like this would happen?

Today, Saburo brought his team, and they played seriously. Since he valued winning and losing, the atmosphere was naturally much more intense than usual.

If there had been a referee present today, and he had stopped Yang San from making any excessive moves, the fight might not have even started.

"Hmm... what Mingcheng said isn't entirely unreasonable." Zhao Ji sighed, his tone softening.

"Alas, it was my oversight. I was only thinking about having fun and didn't consider these things. But this happened so suddenly, how can I blame it all on you? Please get up."

Zhao Xiaoyi sat in the chair, the abrasions still throbbing slightly, and he was naturally seething with anger.

But after hearing Zhao Mingcheng's words of first apologizing and then attributing the responsibility to "oversights in the rules," and seeing that Uncle Wang had clearly accepted this explanation, it would seem like making a mountain out of a molehill and being unreasonable if he continued to insist on "Yang San's deliberate attempt to harm him."

Besides, my injuries weren't serious.

Zhao Xiaoyi took a breath; the pain had subsided considerably, and he tried to keep his tone calm.

"Uncle Wang, Young Master Zhao, there's no need for this. It was an accident... Ah, never mind. But this Yang San..."

Even when he mentioned that name, a hint of coldness crept into his voice.

"His behavior was reckless and ruthless, which is certainly suspicious. If it weren't for him, things wouldn't have come to this."

"What the young master says is absolutely right," Zhao Mingcheng immediately replied, his gaze sharpening.

"Because their behavior is suspicious and far exceeds ordinary fighting, a thorough investigation is necessary to uncover the truth. This is not only to give justice to the Crown Prince and all the fellow players, but also to clean up the atmosphere of the Prince's mansion and root out any potential black sheep!"

He turned to Zhao Ji, his expression becoming extremely solemn.

"Your Highness, today's events occurred within the Duan Prince's residence and involved the injury of the Heir Apparent. If the truth is not uncovered immediately and the perpetrators not severely punished, rumors may spread and distort the truth, damaging not only the reputation of the Prince's residence but also the reputation of the Third Prince. I humbly request Your Highness's permission—"

He looked directly into Zhao Ji's eyes and spoke each word clearly.

"Give me a day. I will stay here and immediately begin to question the relevant people and clarify the details of today's events."

"We must thoroughly investigate the cause and course of this matter and report it to His Highness and the Crown Prince before nightfall tonight. This way, we can both ensure the Crown Prince and his brothers can return to their residences to rest without delay, and also quell the matter and clear up the fog of confusion as soon as possible."

"One day?" Zhao Ji raised an eyebrow, looking at Zhao Mingcheng. "Are you confident?"

"The students will do their utmost, with all their might." Zhao Mingcheng's gaze was firm and unwavering.

"If Your Highness would so be so kind as to grant me permission to question all those involved and to review any necessary records, I will certainly live up to your expectations."

As Zhao Ji looked into Zhao Mingcheng's calm and confident eyes, the restlessness and unease that arose from the chaos in his heart were gradually replaced by a sense of trust.

He needs a clear answer right now, someone to clean up this mess and find out whether it was an accident or someone really dared to do something so audacious.

Mingcheng is meticulous and prudent; entrusting the matter to him might be the quickest solution.

"Very well!" Zhao Ji slammed his hand on the armrest of his chair, making up his mind. "I'll give you one day! Whoever needs your assistance, the guards and servants in the manor, including Liang Shicheng, will all be at your command! You must give me, and Sanlang, a clear and transparent explanation!"

He turned to Liang Shicheng, who was standing to the side, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

"Shi Cheng, fully cooperate with Mingcheng's investigation! Whatever he asks, whatever people he needs to summon, whatever area he wants to investigate, you are not allowed to obstruct him. Cooperate completely! If there is any emergency, you may come directly to me!"

Liang Shicheng was secretly alarmed; the prince had essentially handed over the entire authority for the temporary investigation within the manor to Zhao Mingcheng.

This is an immense trust and authority!

He dared not delay and quickly bowed in response.

"Yes, Your Majesty! I will do my utmost to assist Young Master Zhao in investigating the matter and will not dare to slacken in the slightest!"

Seeing that Zhao Ji had so readily and decisively handed over the investigation to Zhao Mingcheng, Zhao Xiaoyi felt that any further words from him would be superfluous.

Not to mention, deep down, he also longed to know the truth.

"Since Uncle Wang and Young Master Zhao are determined to investigate thoroughly," Zhao Xiaoyi said, his voice still somewhat weak, but his tone clear.

"Then...we'll trouble you, Young Master Zhao. We'll wait in the guest courtyard of the mansion."

"Thank you for your trust, Your Highness! Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness!" Zhao Mingcheng bowed to the two of them again, his expression solemn. "I will take care of it immediately. I will give you both an answer today."

Emperor Huizong waved his hand and gave instructions to the eunuch beside him.

"Send Sanlang to his room to rest and take good care of him. Also, prepare some tea and snacks for the guests he brought to calm their nerves."

With the help of his attendants, Zhao Xiaoyi rose, nodded to Zhao Ji, glanced at Zhao Mingcheng, and then slowly left under the guidance of the eunuchs.

Once Zhao Xiaoyi and his entourage had gone far away, Zhao Ji's feigned composure finally crumbled, revealing a hint of exhaustion and lingering anger. He looked at Zhao Mingcheng.

"Mingcheng, how do you plan to investigate? That Yang San..."

"Your Highness, please rest assured." Zhao Mingcheng's tone was calm and his words were clear. "Please go back to your room to rest, or go visit the Crown Prince. Leave this to me. I will start by questioning Yang San. His behavior today was unusual, and he is the key to our breakthrough."

At the same time, the personnel from both sides who were near the scene of the incident today will be questioned separately to compare their testimonies.

We also need to ask Master Liang to arrange a quiet, undisturbed room, and assign two reliable clerks with fast writing skills to record the confessions verbatim.

Liang Shicheng immediately responded.

"This old servant will take care of it immediately. The quiet room will be set up in 'Listening to Bamboo Cottage,' which is secluded. The clerks will be the two people on duty in the inner study, who are strict and have neat handwriting."

Zhao Mingcheng nodded.

"Thank you for your trouble. Please take Yang San to Tingzhu Xiaozhu for safekeeping. I will be there shortly."

The other personnel from both sides were separated and detained in two separate rooms, east and west, with additional guards assigned to them, and conversation was strictly prohibited.

Then send people to carefully inspect the field, especially the places where the prince fell and Yang San initially landed, to see if there are any unusual signs.

"Yes, this old servant understands." Liang Shicheng turned around, pointed to several trusted eunuchs and guard leaders, and gave them instructions one by one. The men accepted the orders and quickly dispersed to perform their respective duties.

The once noisy and chaotic stadium has now been cleared out.