After the soldiers finished praising their achievements and the twins celebrated their third day of mourning, the emperor finally had the heart to deal with Prince Cheng, who was imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice's death row.

The Emperor visited Prince Cheng in the Ministry of Justice prison.

It's not that the Emperor wants to condescend, it's just that Prince Cheng can't enter the palace.

King Cheng had his collarbone pierced.

Xie Jingyan and his men were escorting Prince Cheng back to the capital when, on the way, some fearless individuals attempted to break into the prisoner's carriage.

The men who came were all wiped out before they could even get close to King Cheng's prison cart. This angered Xie Jingyan, who then pierced King Cheng's collarbone in a fit of rage.

Although the chances of Prince Cheng escaping are almost nonexistent, Xie Jingyan went to great lengths to capture him, so even the slightest possibility must be nipped in the bud.

On the way back to the capital, Prince Cheng was pelted with countless rotten vegetable leaves and rotten eggs.

Wherever he went, everyone thought that King Cheng deserved to die. As the emperor's younger brother, he had everything he wanted in the court, yet he was still not satisfied and colluded with Xiliang to attack Da Chu. Such a person deserved to be torn to pieces.

Those whose husbands and sons died on the battlefield especially hated King Cheng to the bone. They couldn't even get enough of smashing rotten eggs and vegetables; they had to throw stones at him. The soldiers responsible for escorting him were unlucky and suffered countless implicated consequences.

The Ministry of Justice's prison is dark and damp, which might harm the Emperor's health. The prison guards have been extremely busy these past few days, cleaning the prison inside and out. It can be said that the Ministry of Justice's prison has never been this clean since its establishment.

King Cheng was imprisoned in the deepest death cell, and Xie Jingyin was imprisoned with him, and both of them had their collarbones pierced.

Upon seeing the Emperor, Xie Jingyin's eyes flickered, and a mocking, bitter smile appeared on his lips.

I used to hate my father for favoring Xie Jingyan, but now I'm not even his son.

Prince Cheng was tied to a frame and had his collarbone pierced. He was so emaciated from the ordeal on his way back to the capital that even the Minister of Justice would not have recognized him if he hadn't known it was Prince Cheng.

Upon seeing the Emperor, Prince Cheng gave a bitter laugh, "Kill me or torture me, just give me a quick death!"

The Emperor waved his hand, and Eunuch Yuan immediately invited Xie Jingyan to leave.

Xie Jingyan frowned slightly, then turned and left.

Even Xie Jingyan wouldn't be allowed to stay, let alone the Minister of Justice and others, so they quickly took their leave.

Yuan Gonggong himself took seven or eight steps back, and fearing he was getting too close, he took two more steps back, trying to make sure he couldn't hear what Prince Cheng and the Emperor were saying.

But its ears perked up involuntarily; it wouldn't listen.

Xie Jingyan left the Ministry of Justice prison. Although the prison had been cleaned up, the chilling atmosphere still lingered. Stepping outside and being bathed in sunlight, his mood instantly brightened.

The Minister of Justice invited Xie Jingyan to the main hall for tea while he waited, but Xie Jingyan did not go. Instead, he waited outside the prison cell, and the Minister of Justice accompanied him.

The Emperor did not stay in the Ministry of Justice's death row for long; he came out in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. He was unsteady on his feet when he came out, and he was so angry that even the Minister of Justice did not dare to look at him.

Upon seeing him, the Emperor declared, "At noon tomorrow, Prince Cheng will be beheaded and his head displayed to the public!"

The Emperor left after saying this and returned to the palace. Xie Jingyan looked at Eunuch Yuan, wanting to know what Prince Cheng and the Emperor had said that had angered the Emperor to such an extent.

When Eunuch Yuan thought of the words that Prince Cheng had said to the Emperor, he couldn't understand why the Emperor had left the palace to seek this torment. Prince Cheng had betrayed the country and should have been executed directly. Why did he have to come here and suffer?

The Emperor was so angry that he wanted to kill Prince Cheng with his own hands. Eunuch Yuan dared not tell Xie Jingyan what Prince Cheng had said.

It can only be said that King Cheng was too insatiable; human greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant.

The royal family loves the eldest son, while the common people love the youngest son. This has been the case in every dynasty. As the eldest son of the previous emperor, the emperor was destined to inherit the throne from birth. It was only right that the previous emperor valued him more, as it was a responsibility to the ancestors and to all the people. The emperor had taken Prince Ling by his side since he was a child and taught him carefully, which can be considered as a continuation of the lineage.

The Empress Dowager favored Prince Cheng more, and Prince Cheng was jealous of the late Emperor's high regard for the current Emperor. However, this was not obvious at the time. Eunuch Yuan even suspected that Prince Cheng liked Consort Chen more, or that he enjoyed the feeling of competing with the Emperor.

He can't win the throne unless the emperor is gone. Even if Prince Cheng is ambitious, the Empress Dowager will not allow him to compete with the emperor for the throne. But Consort Chen is different. He can rightfully ask the Empress Dowager to help him get the emperor to give up on Consort Chen so that he can get what he wants.

Prince Cheng told the Emperor that he knew that Empress Wei and Duke Mao were plotting against Consort Chen. He rushed to the Yan residence to save Consort Chen, but he did not expect that Empress Song had given Consort Chen an aphrodisiac. He had only two things he wanted most in his life: the throne and Consort Chen.

Consort Chen was under the influence of an aphrodisiac and was in a daze. She couldn't even see him clearly; the person she saw was the Emperor.

She called him "Your Majesty".

King Cheng's rationality collapsed in that instant.

He drove Consort Chen to her doom, ruined the entire Yan family, and also drove himself into a corner.

Although Consort Chen did not implicate him, he was afraid that the Emperor would find out the truth, so he had to make two preparations.

He supported his son Xie Jingyin to the throne, but because the Empress Dowager favored the eldest prince, she did not dare to support him too obviously. If Xie Jingyan had not repeatedly ruined his plans and secretly advised the eldest prince to suppress Xie Jingyin, he would not have been forced to seek refuge with Xiliang.

He pinned his hopes on Xie Jingyin, but he also kept a backup plan: he recruited soldiers in his fiefdom and secretly colluded with Xiliang, so that if things really came to that, Xiliang could secretly help him.

But despite all his calculations, Prince Cheng never expected that Xie Jingyan's broken leg could be healed and that he would be so intelligent and brave. He shouldn't have spared Xie Jingyan's life, because no one dared to mention Consort Chen, except for Xie Jingyan. As long as Xie Jingyan lived, the Emperor would never forget Consort Chen's "betrayal" of him.

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