Exile? A mad, wicked woman empties the national treasury to escape famine.

"Then, what about that thing that explodes? Are you sure you're looking closely? Is it my second brother's?"

His second brother was already favored by their father. If he had something so powerful, why would he need to fight for the throne?

What's the point of arguing!

Just hand over the throne to his second brother!

"Your Highness, I'm not entirely sure about that. When I led my men there, we found the Second Prince's men searching everywhere, though we don't know what they were looking for."

As for that explosive device, I didn't see them use it myself, so I can't be sure if it was actually in the hands of the Second Prince.

But I think that's unlikely. I've dealt with the Second Prince a few times; he's arrogant. If he possessed something so powerful, he would surely announce it to the world, not keep it hidden.

Chu Jinsheng breathed a sigh of relief. As long as that thing wasn't in Chu Jingrui's hands, there was still hope.

"Good. You did the right thing, you didn't alert them, but we need to find out what that thing is. You'll stay with the team from now on, and you can leave the task of finding out what it is to your subordinates."

"Give them a clear explanation and make sure they keep their mouths shut. No one is allowed to know about this, especially not the second brother's men!"

Xiao Wu nodded seriously: "Your Highness, rest assured, apart from the people I brought out, I will send out assassins to investigate. There will be absolutely no leaks."

Just then, several more guards returned to the group; they were the same ones who had gone to find the durian tree.

When Xiao Wu saw someone coming over, he stepped aside to make room for them.

The guard bowed before the carriage and reported solemnly, "Your Highness, we are back."

"Hmm, is everything settled? That tree must be quite large. Tell your men to be careful. After it's moved back to the capital, have the craftsmen take good care of it for me. Make sure the tree survives."

That durian tree was his cash cow. As long as it survived in the capital, he could spread some rumors and make all the rich people flock to it.

At that time, a single durian will surely fetch a fortune, making his losses during this period negligible.

Thinking of this, Chu Jinsheng's mood improved somewhat.

The guards lowered their heads, somewhat afraid to speak, but the truth would eventually come out, and the Crown Prince would find out sooner or later.

Thinking of this, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and say:

"Your Highness, we searched the grove but found no trace of the durian tree. My men and I searched almost the entire half-mile around, but the durian tree seemed to have vanished into thin air; there wasn't a single trace of it. Since we couldn't find it, I left some men there to continue the search while I returned to report to you."

"What did you say?!" Chu Jinsheng sat up abruptly in the carriage, seemingly not understanding the guard's words.

"What do you mean the durian tree is missing? What exactly happened? Explain yourself to me in detail! How can such a large tree just disappear like that? Are you looking in the wrong place?"

His voice carried a barely suppressed anger.

Xiao Wu also found it unbelievable, and looked coldly at the guard in front of him:

"Tell me, what exactly happened? How could a perfectly good durian tree just disappear like that? Could it just vanish into thin air?"

"Speak! Did you yourselves fail to find the durian tree, so you made up these lies? Are you courting death? You dare to fool even the First Prince!"

The guard looked bitter. He knew that what he was saying was absurd. Not to mention that the eldest prince and the fifth prince wouldn't believe it, he wouldn't have believed it either if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes. But the tree really seemed to have disappeared into thin air.

"Your Highness, this is absolutely true. At that time, I received Your Highness's order and led a few men to search in the direction of the durian tree."

I had been to that place before, so I knew its location. To avoid going the wrong way, I even led my men to follow the footprints from before, but we still couldn't find any trace of durian trees when we got to that area.

Undeterred, his subordinates searched the area for a long time, but the durian tree seemed to have vanished into thin air, disappearing without a trace.

There were no signs of digging on the ground, as if the durian tree had never existed.

We also find this very unbelievable; after all, such a large tree couldn't just disappear into thin air, yet it is truly true. Many of the men I brought had also followed the Princess and her entourage to that durian tree.

If only one subordinate went to the wrong place, that would be understandable, but with so many of us, it's impossible for everyone to go to the wrong place.

As it turns out, the durian tree simply vanished into thin air, though I really didn't want to admit it.

Xiao Wu frowned deeply. How could such a thing have happened?

He was still somewhat unwilling to give up, so he called over the others who had returned with the guards.

Three or four guards knelt in a row.

"Tell me, is that really how it is? Are you sure you haven't come to the wrong place?"

"Xiao Wu, we really didn't go to the wrong place! That place is only so big, and some of us have been there before. How could everyone remember it wrong?"

"Yes, Xiao Wu, there are footprints on the ground. We followed the footprints there, and then the footprints stopped. There are also some bloodstains on the ground. Isn't that the blood that Ling Yun and the others shed when they were hit? There's no mistake."

The guards became increasingly alarmed as they spoke, and at one point they even thought they had encountered a ghost.

Chu Jinsheng sat blankly in the carriage, feeling a chill run down his spine. He felt as if an invisible pair of eyes were watching his every move.

"I've encountered a ghost! It's a real ghost! This wretched place, who can take this prince out of here? I never want to stay here again! There's a ghost, there's a ghost!"

Chu Jinsheng was starting to lose his composure; the events that had occurred recently were beyond his comprehension.

Especially when the guards returned and said that the durian tree had suddenly disappeared from the spot, coupled with the fact that they had been chased and soaked by the rain all day, what else could it be but a ghost?

Xiao Wu sensed that something was wrong with the eldest prince, and upon closer inspection, he noticed something unusual about the carriage—

Why is the carriage so dirty?

It's like it rolled out of a mud pit.

Not only was the carriage dirty, but the eldest prince himself was also very dirty. How could the eldest prince tolerate himself being like this?

What exactly happened during the time he was away?

"Your Highness, what has happened?"

The eldest prince hates it when people talk about ghosts and spirits, but at this moment, he himself says he's encountered a ghost?

Chu Jinsheng ignored him; his mind was preoccupied with figuring out how to get out of the woods.

Once you leave this forest and reach the town, there will be a government office, and with the government office, there will be his people.