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

When they came out, the guards specially washed Mad's face and shaved his beard.

"Uncle, look at his face, who does he look like?" Nangong Wu asked.

Emperor Mingde suddenly stood up, walked around the imperial table, and stood in front of Ma De, staring intently at his face.

"Who is he?" This face looks so much like someone else, at least seven-tenths like him.

"He is..." Sima Ji began with difficulty, "He is the biological father of Nangong Qi and Nangong Chen."

"What did you say?"

Sima Ji's words struck Emperor Mingde like a thunderbolt, causing him to take a step back, his eyes filled with shock.

He thought he must have misheard; how could Uncle Wang's two sons be someone else's children?

He looked at Nangong Wu and asked, "Do you know what you're talking about?"

"Ru Ning, I know you have a falling out with Nangong Qi's family, but you can't just bring in someone who looks like Nangong Qi to slander Consort Min."

There are so many people in the world who look alike. This person must have been deliberately found by Nangong Wu so that she could kill Nangong Qi and Nangong Chen.

He was somewhat disappointed. "Ru Ning, you are now the Prince of Zhenyuan, and I have also given titles to my three children. Nangong Qi and Nangong Chen can no longer threaten you. Why do you have to put them to death before you are satisfied?"

If you truly cannot tolerate them, then I will grant them mansions and allow them all to move out.

"Your Majesty!" Sima Ji spoke again, "What the Prince of Zhenyuan said is indeed true. Those things back then were all done by the Prince at my request."

"What? Uncle Wang ordered you to do this?" Emperor Mingde shook his head in disbelief. "How could this be? Do you know that if even half a word you say is false, it's a capital offense?"

"Uncle, General Sima's words are absolutely true. Only my grandfather, General Sima, and this Ma De know what happened back then."

"My grandfather has passed away, and General Sima has also gone into seclusion. This secret could have remained unknown to the world forever, but..." Nangong Wu pointed to Ma De.

"He revealed the secret himself. When I first heard the news, I didn't believe it and thought he was just talking nonsense."

But this matter concerns the royal bloodline and reputation, and we absolutely cannot allow anyone to make baseless accusations and slanders against us. So I had this person arrested! She took out Ma De's statement from that day and gave it to Emperor Mingde.

"This is Ma De's confession. Every word on it was spoken by Ma De himself. I felt that this matter was of great importance, so I went and invited General Sima over."

Emperor Mingde carefully read through these confessions, page by page.

The image of Uncle Wang speaking to him alone before his death flashed through his mind.

But why didn't Uncle Wang tell him the truth?

"You speak," Emperor Mingde declared, declaring that Ma De should speak for himself. "If you lie, I will execute your entire family!"

Upon hearing that his entire family would be executed, Ma De's ashen face immediately turned pale, and he kowtowed to Emperor Mingde.

"Your Majesty, Nangong Qi and Nangong Chen are indeed my children, but I was forced into it and absolutely did not have any affairs with the two concubines."

Upon learning that both of his concubines were pregnant, this humble subject left for distant lands, but later…”

Ma De paused here, "Later... that scoundrel of a commoner secretly went to see Consort Min again."

But my family knows nothing of these things. It was my greed that led me astray; I deserve to die. I only beg Your Majesty to spare my family…”

Upon hearing Ma De's confession and with Sima Ji's testimony, Emperor Mingde had no choice but to believe it, and the confession fell from his hand.

"It's actually true! It's utterly absurd!"

He would rather this secret remain a secret forever, and never let the world know it.

Thinking about this, I seemed to understand what Uncle Wang had done.

Suppress the scandal forever, and don't give those two bastards any titles. If they want wealth and honor, they can only do so through their own abilities.

"General Sima, tell me, why did the Prince do that?" Emperor Mingde really didn't understand why the Prince would have a stable boy consummate the marriage with his two concubines.

I remember those two concubines were assigned to him by the Empress Dowager. Although they were just concubines, they were both of good family background and appearance. Why did he have to ruin the Empress Dowager's favor?

"Your Majesty, it was not long after the Princess Consort passed away, and the Prince was still immersed in grief, spending his days guarding the Princess Consort's memorial tablet."

When the Empress Dowager saw that the Princess Consort had passed away, she wanted to find a second wife for the Prince.

But the prince refused to marry her no matter what, and even argued with the Empress Dowager, saying that if the Empress Dowager hadn't always interfered in the affairs between the prince and the princess, the princess wouldn't have died so young.

In the end, the Empress Dowager relented and did not force the prince to remarry. Instead, she bestowed two concubines upon the prince and issued an imperial edict that the prince must consummate his marriage with the two concubines until they became pregnant. She also sent two nannies to keep an eye on them.

The prince did not want to consummate his marriage with his two concubines, but he could not disobey the Empress Dowager's decree, so he asked his subordinates to find someone, and they found this Ma De.

What happened next is all in that confession…” Sima Ji truthfully recounted what happened back then.

Emperor Mingde slowly walked back to the dragon throne and sat down. He watched as Eunuch Hu picked up the confession and placed it in front of him, and remained silent for a long time.

Ma De looked as if his spine had been removed, limp and powerless, like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

Sima Ji remained kneeling there, and Nangong Wu remained silent.

Everything has been clarified. What should we do now? We're just waiting for the Emperor's word.

After a long while, Emperor Mingde finally looked up at Nangong Wu.

"Ru Ning, since neither Nangong Qi nor Nangong Chen are of the Prince's blood, then send them both out of the Prince's residence!"

Nangong Wu's face turned cold. "Uncle, do you mean to just expel them from the palace and let the matter drop?"

"Runing?" Emperor Mingde's voice deepened slightly.

"Although Nangong Qi and Nangong Chen are not the Prince's biological sons, that is a grudge between the previous generation. They did nothing wrong. There are more than a dozen people involved. Even if they are to be executed, there must be a crime. Do you want me to kill innocent people indiscriminately?"

Moreover, this matter concerns the face of the royal family and cannot be publicized. I will grant them a residence and allow them to move out of the palace. Royal affairs will no longer concern them. Later, I will find another fault for them and demote them all to commoners.”

Emperor Mingde felt that this was the best way to handle the situation.

"Uncle, you may not know, but Nangong Qi has committed many evil deeds," Nangong Wu said through gritted teeth.

"Besides, Consort Min later had an affair with Ma De, and the two remained entangled. Nangong Qi probably knew about this as well. How can they be innocent?"

"Hmm?" Emperor Mingde looked at her. "What else did Nangong Qi do?"

"The kidnapping of my brother at the full moon was orchestrated by Consort Min and Nangong Qi."

That mother and son spent a fortune hiring the underground assassination organization, the Nine Nether Gate, to steal my brother.