We'll have you impersonate the Crown Prince and create a prosperous era for the Great Qian Dyna

"First charge: Unjustly murdered the Emperor of Northern Xia, thus instigating conflict between the two nations!"

Zhou Tianze narrowed his eyes and began to talk about the situation in Northern Xia.

"As expected of the Crown Prince, who was praised by the Duke, his abilities are indeed far beyond those of ordinary people."

"This time, not only did you save my grandfather, the Emperor, on your trip to Northern Xia, but you also captured Emperor Tuoba Lie of Northern Xia. I am deeply impressed."

"But the worst thing you could have done was to kill Emperor Tuoba Lie of Northern Xia. This will cause a conflict between Daqian and Northern Xia. Who will be responsible for the casualties of soldiers and the displacement of civilians?"

Zhou Tiancheng turned his head to look at him, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"I was not the one who killed Tuoba Lie."

Zhou Tianze had a vague sense of unease.

"Who else could it be but you?"

"When I was at the Great Yue Pass, I clearly heard the Northern Xia people shouting, 'You're the one who killed Tuoba Lie!'"

Zhou Tiancheng laughed even harder.

He pretended to be nonchalant.

"Oh, you mean this? Well, on my way out of Beixia, I heard that you, Third Brother, were coming to support me with 50,000 men. I was so moved that I wept tears of joy!"

"We can't let you come all this way for nothing, can we?"

"I was thinking of sending Tuoba Lie over to you; that way, you could earn some merit. But I didn't expect you wouldn't be here, Third Brother!"

After hearing these words, Zhou Tianze turned pale.

The cultural relics officials looked at Zhou Tiancheng with strange expressions.

When did the relationship between the Crown Prince and the Third Prince become so good?

They only knew that Tuoba Lie was dead, but they didn't know how he died.

Now, listening to the Crown Prince's words, they finally sensed something was amiss.

It's highly likely that Tuoba Lie died at the hands of the Northern Xia people themselves.

So it seems that Northern Xia is not a monolithic entity.

At this moment, Zhou Rui looked at Zhou Tiancheng with some confusion.

"Your Highness, what exactly is going on?"

"At yesterday's banquet, you glossed over this matter, and I'm completely confused."

Zhou Tiancheng sighed, looking as if he couldn't bear it.

"Father, I didn't want to say this, but today, I have no choice but to."

"My third brother led 50,000 men into Northern Xia to help me. They were surrounded by the Northern Xia army on a desolate mountain. I passed by the desolate mountain and thought it over. I decided to help my third brother and sent Tuoba Lie to him."

"Who would have thought that the besieged soldiers would tell me that my third brother had escaped all by himself?"

Ran?

The court was in an uproar.

Are you kidding me?

The Northern Xia army surrounded the desolate mountain, and even 50,000 people couldn't escape. How could you, a pampered third prince, possibly escape by yourself?

Unless there's a spy for the Third Prince among the Northern Xia people!

Of course, whether he was an inside agent or a traitor is still uncertain!

Zhou Rui's expression had darkened.

"Third brother, what exactly happened?"

Zhou Tianze remained calm and spoke in a composed manner.

"Before I went to Northern Xia, I had already planted spies in the Northern Xia military camp. With the help of the spies, I disguised myself as a Northern Xia person, which is how I escaped this calamity."

Zhou Rui's eyes grew even colder.

This statement is simply treating everyone like fools.

Of course, even if this claim is true, would those 50,000 people have been given away to Northern Xia for nothing?

No matter what, the Third Prince was in the wrong first!

"Your Highness, what about the fifty thousand men? What will become of them?"

Zhou Tiancheng cupped his hands in greeting.

"The Northern Xia army disregarded Tuoba Lie's presence and marched directly up the desolate mountain. Fifty thousand soldiers bravely sacrificed their lives, and Tuoba Lie also died in the chaos of battle."

Now all the civil and military officials understood.

It was impossible for an army of 50,000 to kill Tuoba Lie if they wanted to survive, while the Northern Xia people were completely unscrupulous and clearly had their sights set on Tuoba Lie.

So the truth of the whole thing is that the Third Prince went to steal the credit, and the Crown Prince then handed over the troublemaker, Tuoba Lie, to the Third Prince.

If the Third Prince hadn't run so fast, he probably would have died on that unknown, desolate mountain.

Of course, that's not how it can be said officially.

Even the historians only recorded that the Third Prince wanted to share the Crown Prince's burdens, while the Crown Prince wanted to share the credit with the Third Prince. The two brothers were harmonious and set a good example!

Zhou Rui looked calmly at Zhou Tianze.

"Alright, the first charge is completely fabricated. On the contrary, it was you, Third Brother, who caused the deaths of 50,000 soldiers. You were in the wrong first!"

"You are to be fined one million taels of silver to compensate the families of the fallen soldiers. Do you have any objections?"

Zhou Tianze gasped in pain, but he did not refuse. He nodded in agreement and then began to recount Zhou Tiancheng's second crime.

"Shifting the blame eastward has cost the lives of 50,000 soldiers in the northern frontier and chilled the hearts of soldiers across the land."

Zhou Tianze paused for a moment when he said this.

"This clause is invalid."

Zhou Tiancheng smiled.

"Third brother, how come it's off? How come I didn't know I'd shifted the blame?"

"Could you explain it to me in detail?"

Zhou Tianze gritted his teeth and forced himself to speak.

"Your Highness, I do not know the details of Northern Xia. I only heard that the Imperial Guards who were chasing you went to attack the desolate mountains, which is why I made this wrong judgment."

"I misunderstood you, and I apologize."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Tianze bowed deeply.

Zhou Tiancheng's smile froze on his face and slowly disappeared.

Zhou Tianze is a proud person, how could he possibly apologize so sincerely?

In short, Zhou Tianze has evolved; he's no longer the innocent boy who wore his heart on his sleeve.

This makes them even more difficult to deal with.

Even Zhou Tiancheng became much more serious.

This is now the third charge.

"To humiliate the Emperor Emeritus of the Great Qian Dynasty is unfilial."

Zhou Tianze looked at Zhou Tiancheng.

"Your Highness, you saved your grandfather, which is certainly a merit, but as his grandson, was it really appropriate for you to kidnap him all the way to the capital?"

"Isn't this a form of filial impiety?"

Zhou Tiancheng spoke calmly, his excuse already prepared.

"Third brother, I didn't know at that time whether he was my royal grandfather or not; his identity still needs to be confirmed."

Zhou Tianze smiled.

"The Northern Xia has confirmed the identity of the Emperor, and all the officials in the court have also verified the Emperor's handwritten letter."

"Besides, Instructor Lin Tong was sent to the Northern Frontier by the Emperor himself. He has met the Emperor. Why don't you confirm it?"

"It's obvious you've already confirmed it, but you don't take Grandfather seriously at all!"

Zhou Tiancheng sighed, looking preoccupied.

Under the tense gazes of the civil and military officials, he spoke with great difficulty.

"There are some things that I simply have to say."

"These matters concern the dignity of the royal family."

"But since my third brother insists on an answer, I have no choice but to give it to you."

"Third brother, do you know what a scene I witnessed when I led my troops into Xinshi City?"

This moment.

Zhou Tianze inexplicably broke out in a cold sweat.

He had a premonition that what was about to happen would be detrimental to him!