I only wished to take up my fiefdom, but my elder brother forced me to rebel.

Wu Yu turned around and saw the crown prince's robes on Lu Yuan's body; his legs immediately went limp.

"You...how did you get here?"

"Shouldn't you have been crippled?"

Ma Yuanqing, a senior official in the Ministry of Justice, kicked Wu Yu in the back of the knee.

"How dare you! You dare stand there in front of His Highness the Crown Prince?"

Wu Yu knelt down on the ground, then hurriedly got up.

"What prince?"

"He's clearly the Ninth Prince!"

Ma Yuanqing raised his hand and pointed at Wu Yu.

"Break his legs!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the two prison guards hardened their expressions, raised their wooden sticks, and walked towards Wu Yu.

Wu Yu turned pale with fright and quickly crawled toward the prison door.

"I am a Principal Officer of the Ministry of Rites!"

"My father is Wu En, an official in the Ministry of Rites!"

"You dare to torture officials appointed by the imperial court?"

Ma Yuanqing stood in front of the prison door and shouted sternly: "You colluded with the deposed prince, smuggled weapons, and framed the crown prince."

"Don't think that just because you're a minor official, you can't be protected even if you were the Minister of Rites."

Wu Yu raised his head.

"A deposed prince?"

Lu Yuan walked into the cell and looked down at him.

"Lu Cheng has been stripped of his title and removed from the imperial genealogy."

"By imperial decree of my father, I am hereby appointed as the Crown Prince of Dayong."

"The Second Prince's residence, which you relied on, is gone."

The color drained from Wu Yu's face quickly.

"impossible."

"His Highness said he would definitely depose you today."

"The Celestial Master will also identify you as a demon in the imperial court."

"The demon identified by Master Qin is Lu Cheng."

Lu Yuan gestured to Ma Yuanqing to unlock the chains binding the mother and daughter.

"Now you can tell me where the weapons came from."

Wu Yu crawled on his knees to Lu Yuan.

"Your Highness, spare my life!"

"This humble official was merely acting on His Highness's orders!"

"Those weapons are stored in the estate outside the city; they were given to me by the Second Prince."

"The cargo truck's inner lining was made by carpenters from the Ministry of Rites, and the seal was also given to me by Vice Minister Chen."

"This humble official acted in a moment of confusion; I beg Your Highness for mercy!"

Ma Yuanqing immediately ordered the clerk to record the confession.

Where is the village outside the city?

"Who else, Second Prince, is involved?"

Wu Yu dared not hide anything and directly gave a list of names, then took out Lu Cheng's warrant from his pocket.

Officials from the Ministry of Justice recorded each case.

After reading the warrant, Lu Yuan turned around and ordered, "Send men to seal off the manor."

"All those who confessed to Wu Yu have been detained."

"If Minister Chen dares to resist, arrest him on the spot and imprison him in the imperial prison."

Ma Yuanqing bowed and accepted the order.

When Wu Yu saw Lu Yuan about to leave, he hurriedly grabbed the hem of his robe.

"Your Highness, I have confessed everything."

"Please spare my life!"

"I'll spare your life, but what about the Zhao family's bodyguards who were tortured?"

"What will happen to the Ministry of Rites officials you falsely accused of treason?"

Lu Yuan pulled back his robe. "Wu Yu colluded with the deposed prince to smuggle military equipment, frame the crown prince, and force innocent people to give false testimony."

"The evidence is complete, and he has confessed without hesitation."

"He is sentenced to death by slow slicing."

"All members of the Wu family who knew about this were imprisoned, and those who participated were exiled to Lingnan."

"All of Wu's farmland, shops, and cash have been confiscated."

Wu Yu slumped to the ground and turned to look at Madam Zhao.

"aunt!"

"Please save me!"

"My father is your own brother, and I am the nephew you watched grow up!"

Madam Zhao's eyes reddened, but she did not speak up for him.

They were all family, yet he wanted to kill his own aunt and her entire family.

Now that they've lost power, they're coming over to bring up their family ties.

It made her want to vomit.

Seeing this, Wu Yu climbed towards Zhao Mingzhu again.

"Mingzhu, I just like you too much."

"I did all this to marry you!"

After hearing this, Zhao Mingzhu's pretty face turned red with anger, and she angrily shook off his hand.

"You like me, so you're willing to kill my parents and hundreds of members of the Zhao family?"

"You like me, so you force me to frame someone who saved the Zhao family?"

"The Zhao family can't accept this kind of affection!"

Seeing that his pleas were useless, Wu Yu turned to Lu Yuan and started cursing.

"It's all your fault!"

"If you hadn't taken Zhao Mingzhu away, how would I have ended up where I am today?"

"It's all your fault, it's all your fault!!!"

"Stubborn fool, still trying to frame His Highness the Crown Prince! I think your entire Wu family is beyond saving!"

Ma Yuanqing snorted angrily and then waved his hand.

Upon seeing this, the two prison guards immediately stepped forward and dragged Wu Yu away.

"Your Highness, spare my life!"

"Aunt, I am my father's only son, and the Wu family wants me to carry on the family line."

"You can't just watch me die!"

"Your grandparents will not forgive you."

Wu Yu's shouts gradually faded into the distance.

Madam Zhao leaned against the wall, her expression downcast, and large tears streamed down her face.

Zhao Mingzhu quickly went to her mother's side.

"Mother, he brought this on himself. You don't need to hurt yourself for him."

"My daughter knows."

Madam Zhao wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"It's not that I'm heartless, but I simply can't plead for him."

"Your uncle spoiled him rotten."

"If we let him escape today, he will harm even more people in the future."

"Moreover, he was so ruthless as to frame the crown prince."

"Who are we to plead for him?"

She turned to Lu Yuan and bowed.

"Your Highness handled the matter impartially, and I have no complaints."

"I only ask that when Your Highness exiles the Wu family, those unsuspecting women and children will suffer less."

Lu Yuan supported her arm.

"Madam Zhao, rest assured, I will only deal with those involved in the arms case."

"Those who are unaware of the situation will be left with some land so that they can survive."

"This humble woman thanks Your Highness."

Madam Zhao breathed a sigh of relief.

Despite experiencing such bad luck, she witnessed the affection between the Crown Prince and Mingzhu.

The Zhao family will surely rise to prominence because of this.

It was worth it.

As for her maternal family, the Wu family...

She's a daughter-in-law of the Zhao family now, so she can't control that much anymore.

After all the prison doors were opened, the Ministry of Justice released the Zhao family mother and daughter, along with the detained bodyguards.

Madam Zhao was in a hurry to return to the escort agency to appease everyone.

Lu Yuan then said, "Madam Zhao, please go back to your residence and rest."

"I have something to say to Miss Mingzhu alone."

Madam Zhao glanced at her daughter, a smile appearing on her lips.

"Mingzhu, accompany His Highness for a walk in the streets."

"Stop throwing your princess tantrums."

"mother!"

Zhao Mingzhu's ears burned.

She understood her mother's meaning perfectly well, but she was, after all, a grown woman.

How could I be so forward?

Madam Zhao did not linger and left with her bodyguards.

Lu Yuan then took her wrist and slowly walked out.

However, as soon as the two stepped out of the Ministry of Justice's main gate, Zhao Mingzhu suddenly put on a stern face.

"Explain yourself clearly."

"Are you really the Ninth Prince?"

"He is now the Crown Prince."

As soon as Lu Yuan finished speaking, Zhao Mingzhu grabbed his collar.

Why didn't you admit it yesterday?

"And you let me tie you up and put you in the woodshed!"

Lu Yuan suddenly looked flustered, raised his hand to cover her mouth, and pulled her aside.

"Keep your voice down."

He glanced warily at the officials at the entrance of the Ministry of Justice.

"Actually, I'm not a real prince; I'm an imposter."