With a warehouse full of supplies, I stood alone as king in this chaotic world, gun in hand.

"Amitabha!" Abbot Minghai chanted a Buddhist prayer to Prime Minister Yu. "My lord, I never lie. If I dare to say something, then I must have evidence."

"Someone, turn this jade Buddha over," Bei Chenyan ordered his attendants.

"Yes!" The attendant put down the box he was holding and went to move the jade Buddha.

"Go and help quickly," Prince Ji of the Eastern Jin Dynasty said to his guards.

"Yes..." The guard hurried to help.

Seeing Abbot Minghai's unwavering resolve, Nangong Chengkun's face paled even further.

The two people carefully turned the heavy jade Buddha over, revealing its base.

Those watching nearby couldn't help but peer over and discover that the base of the jade Buddha was also very smooth, without a single character on it.

There's nothing there!

Nangong Chengkun secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "Your Highness, Abbot, this base has nothing on it. What does that prove?"

"Your Highness, please don't rush." ​​Abbot Minghai remained calm and unhurried. He reached out and pried at a small, round indentation in the center of the jade Buddha's base, uncovering a layer of something resembling a candle, revealing three small characters.

Then he said to Emperor Mingde and Nangong Chengkun, "Your Majesty, Your Highness the Crown Prince, this is the evidence."

When Emperor Mingde and Nangong Chengkun approached, they saw three small characters "Longhua Temple" in the small round depression. The father and son's faces immediately turned pale.

"This jade Buddha is a hundred years old. To prevent theft and to prevent someone from stealing and denying responsibility like the prince, the abbot had these three small characters carved on it by the craftsmen during the carving process."

"So the Jade Buddha really is from Longhua Temple!"

Faced with irrefutable evidence, no one raised any further questions.

Emperor Mingde looked embarrassed and felt utterly ashamed.

On the Empress's birthday, the Crown Prince presented her with a stolen treasure as a gift. This not only brought shame to the royal family, but also disgraced the entire Western Yan Kingdom.

"Your Highness, what were your men doing? They actually stole the jade Buddha from Longhua Temple! How could you not have discovered such a serious matter? This is utterly outrageous!"

Nangong Chengkun knelt down with a thud. "Father, it was my oversight that I failed to manage my subordinates properly. It is all my fault. I will definitely apologize to the abbot and give Longhua Temple some compensation."

"Your Highness, don't try to absolve yourself of all responsibility," Bei Chenyan said coldly.

Emperor Mingde spoke up, "Your Highness, Abbot, it is indeed true that the Crown Prince was wrong in this matter, and the Crown Prince has admitted his mistake. I will do my best to compensate Longhua Temple."

"Nangong Chengkun, are you sure you don't know where this jade Buddha came from?" Bei Chenyan asked him again.

Seeing his aggressive manner, Emperor Mingde was secretly annoyed. "Crown Prince Nangong, what do you mean by that?"

Bei Chenyan ignored him and called out again towards the entrance of the main hall, "Bring the person up."

"..." Emperor Mingde's face darkened instantly when he saw him taking the initiative.

Is his palace just for show? How could the emperor not know that Bei Chenyan brought in so many people?

Two people were brought into the main hall and brought before Emperor Mingde and Nangong Chengkun.

"Your Highness, do you still remember these two people?" Bei Chenyan asked Nangong Chengkun.

Nangong Chengkun was deathly pale, but he wouldn't admit it. "Your Highness is joking. How could I possibly recognize these two bandits?"

"Is that so?" Bei Chenyan walked up to the two people. "You two, go ahead and say it!"

The two men kept their heads down and neither of them spoke.

"You won't talk, huh? Have you thought about your families?" Bei Chenyan warned them.

Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Yu immediately said, "Crown Prince of Southern Qi, are you saying you arrested their family members to force them to give false testimony?"

Bei Chenyan sneered at him, "Prime Minister, these two people stole the jade Buddha from my Longhua Temple. I, the Crown Prince, don't care which country they are from. Anyone who dares to steal from my Nanqi Kingdom should have their family punished. If they tell the truth, their family can be spared the death penalty."

But the two people remained silent with their heads down.

A hint of smugness flashed in Nangong Chengkun's eyes.

Bei Chenyan added, "Don't worry, as long as you reveal who's behind this, I, the Crown Prince, can send your families to Nanqi Kingdom where they won't be threatened."

"Really?" someone looked up.

Bei Chenyan glanced at them and said, "Your families are already within the territory of my Southern Qi Kingdom. You can only trust me, the Crown Prince."

"Then I'll tell you everything, I beg the Crown Prince to spare my family."

The two of them kowtowed to Bei Chenyan repeatedly.

"Then tell the truth." Bei Chenyan's gaze was cold.

"He ordered us to do it! We were originally the Crown Prince's secret guards," the man on the left pointed at Nangong Chengkun and explained everything:

"The Crown Prince bribed some notorious bandits, who sold the treasures they stole from various countries to the Crown Prince at low prices, and the Crown Prince then resold them at high prices."

Those notorious bandits who stole the jade Buddha from Longhua Temple were also ordered by the Crown Prince.

"So that's how it is!"

Another uproar erupted in the main hall.

Nangong Wu was also shocked.

I never expected that Nangong Chengkun would be so audacious in secret.

"The emperor has truly raised a fine crown prince," Nangong Xiao sneered.

"You're spouting nonsense!" Nangong Chengkun's eyes were red with anger. "Who bribed you to slander me?"

"Your Highness, everything we have said is true. Please forgive our family."

"Our families know nothing of what we've done. We are willing to atone with our lives, and we beg Your Highness to spare them!"

The two guards kowtowed and begged for mercy again.

"Very well, I, the Crown Prince, will ensure their survival in the Southern Qi Kingdom." Bei Chenyan agreed, looking at Emperor Mingde and his son, his entire being exuding a chilling aura.

"Your Majesty, the evidence is overwhelming, and there is no room for your rebuttal."

"This is impossible!" Empress Su couldn't believe her son would do such a thing. "The Crown Prince must have been framed. These people's words are not to be trusted."

"Your Majesty, we are the Crown Prince's secret guards. If it weren't for the Crown Prince's orders, how could those stolen goods have gotten through the gates and into the palace?"

In order to protect their families, the two bodyguards insisted that it was Nangong Chengkun.

Emperor Mingde looked at his son and felt disappointed in him for the first time.

He had been devoted to the people since he ascended the throne, but he never expected that the successor he had personally groomed would collude with bandits and scoundrels, utterly disgracing him.

"Crown Prince of Nanqi, Abbot Minghai, whoever stole the Jade Buddha, now that it has come to my palace, it is my fault, and I will make amends." Emperor Mingde bowed and apologized to the Abbot and Beichen Yan.

"I hereby apologize to the Southern Qi Kingdom, to Abbot Minghai, and to Longhua Temple! It is all my fault for failing to properly educate the Crown Prince."

"Father, no..." Nangong Chengkun tried to argue, but Emperor Mingde sternly rebuked him: "Shut up!"