Eunuch Wei thoughtfully reminded him, "Your Majesty, perhaps you should leave for a moment. In case there are indeed poisonous insects or snakes hidden in the box, it's better to be cautious."

The emperor frowned, clearly unwilling to avoid the situation, so Wei Zhong could only have the guards move the box further away.

Just as the guards were about to smash the box, several men in black descended from the sky and scattered a large amount of white powder, obscuring everyone's view.

Once the powder disappeared, the box also disappeared.

"Chase!"

Chen Yunniang watched the box disappear and visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems the Third Prince still cares about her and didn't leave her to face all of this alone.

As long as the dragon robe isn't discovered in public, no one can punish her.

Su Yujiao also breathed a sigh of relief. Those people dared to make a move in full view of everyone, so the dragon robe must be hidden in that box.

However, the subsequent inspections cannot be taken lightly. What if this is a ploy by the Third Prince to lure the tiger away from the mountain?

The Emperor's face turned ashen: "Crown Prince Nan, what is the meaning of this?"

Nan Sheng's expression was also not good. He came to Da Ming Kingdom this time only to urge the Holy Maiden to take the Dragon Serpent Jade. He did not tamper with the Holy Maiden's dowry in any way.

Who knew that so many strange things would happen today?

That damned poisonous flower and snake is one thing, but someone actually set fire to it in public. Who is framing the Southern Frontier Kingdom?

"I don't know."

"I also ordered people to chase after it. I also want to see what secrets are hidden in that box."

"I'd like to see who dares to frame my Southern Frontier Kingdom."

"Since the Great Ming Kingdom is deliberately making things difficult and is not sincerely interested in a marriage alliance, in my opinion, it would be better to call off the marriage now!"

Chen Yunniang was taken aback; in fact, she also wanted to give up.

Her main purpose in forcing the marriage was to bring the imperial robe into the Lu family through the dowry, thereby accusing the Lu family of treason and helping the Third Prince eliminate the Crown Prince's biggest ally.

Since the plan had failed, there was no need for her to continue with the wedding ceremony.

In order to avoid the reputation of her second marriage spreading and affecting her status as the mother of the nation.

Therefore, she nodded on her own initiative: "Since the Great Ming Kingdom cannot accommodate this Holy Maiden, then this Holy Maiden will not stay."

"Wait, the matter hasn't been investigated yet. Why are the Crown Prince and the Holy Maiden in such a hurry? Are they feeling guilty?" An official from the Emperor's side blocked their path.

Soon, Mo Shu, Mo Hua, and the other guards returned, carrying the blackened, burnt box in their hands.

"Your Majesty, the box has been found, and the corpses of those assassins have also been brought back."

"However, the body of their colleague who committed suicide spontaneously combusted, and no clues were found."

Su Yujiao frowned. The Third Prince was really ruthless. Did such a person deserve to be the emperor?

The Emperor's gaze was dark, and his voice was authoritative: "Open the box."

"yes."

With a single stroke, Mo Shu cleaved the box open, revealing a dazzling bright yellow hue.

Everyone craned their necks to look into the courtyard. Mo Shu dared not be careless. He used his spear to pick out the bright yellow cloth from the hidden compartment of the box and shook it out in front of everyone.

"This is... a dragon robe?"

Someone exclaimed in surprise, and the next second everyone knelt down, too nervous to even breathe.

The emperor's face was ashen, his gaze fixed on the dragon robe.

The Empress swayed and nearly fainted. If this dragon robe were brought into the Lu family and used to frame her elder brother, the consequences would be unimaginable.

The Lu family members looked increasingly grim, clearly realizing the seriousness of the situation.

Zhou was so frightened that her face turned pale. If her daughter-in-law hadn't been supporting her, she would have fainted long ago.

Su Yujiao visibly breathed a sigh of relief; she had escaped this ordeal.

"Your Majesty, someone is trying to frame my Lu family. I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly. This person deserves to be punished!" The Empress said angrily.

"Crown Prince of the South, how do you explain this matter?"

"And the Holy Maiden, what were your true intentions in obstructing us in every way before?"

"Qian'er said that you forced this marriage. What is your purpose?"

"No one is leaving until this matter is thoroughly investigated."

Facing the domineering Empress, Chen Yunniang appeared somewhat flustered and guilty.

Nan Sheng, on the other hand, was so angry that she couldn't even smile anymore. This Da Ming Kingdom was simply going too far, colluding to put on a show just to make trouble for him.

"That's exactly what I was thinking too. I won't leave until this matter is thoroughly investigated."

"I'd like to see who dares to frame my Southern Frontier Kingdom."

"The Great Ming Kingdom must give me an explanation for this matter, otherwise I'm afraid we'll only be able to meet on the battlefield."

The Emperor's face turned ashen. He ordered the Vice Minister of Justice to investigate the case thoroughly, and also ordered his personal guards to secretly uncover the truth.

In the end, Chen Yunniang's dowry was confiscated, the marriage was called off, and the Southern Crown Prince, Chen Yunniang, and others were placed in the imperial palace and closely monitored.

After the Emperor and Empress's entourage left, the Lu family finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Everyone was supporting each other, and their legs were still weak from fright.

They were so close, so close to being wiped out.

"Jiaojiao, come to my study." Lu Jingming remained relatively calm.

"Um."

Lu Ziqian went along too; today's events were far too dangerous.

If it weren't for Jiaojiao's intervention, the Lu family would be finished.

"Did you know that there was a dragon robe in the box?"

Now, recalling Su Yujiao's animated movements in the study, he finally understood what was going on.

She made a movement that she couldn't hear, and then she made a running motion.

He couldn't understand it at first, and thought she was just pretending to be crazy to stop the wedding.

Now I understand: if you can't hear, you're deaf; if you're running, you're running; running while deaf equals wearing a dragon robe!

Lu Jingming sighed helplessly. Even if he had ten brains, he still wouldn't be able to guess that "Deaf Runner" was actually the dragon robe!

Su Yujiao didn't speak, but instead called out to the door, "Someone come here."

The Wei sisters suddenly appeared at the door, pushing a person who was tied up.

“Madam, while everyone was searching the dowry, this person sneaked into the study and put these things in a secret room.”

Lu Jingming's expression changed: "A secret room?"

He had no idea that there was a secret room in his study.

Wei Yingzi walked to the bookshelf, turned one of the vases, and the bookshelf slowly opened, revealing a hidden world behind it.

Lu Jingming and Lu Ziqian entered the secret room with grim expressions. Inside, they found countless gold and silver treasures.

"What did he put in?"

Su Yujiao handed over the letters, and the Lu family father and son were terrified after reading them.

First the dragon robe, then the framed letter—who wants to destroy the Lu family?

"Father, did you really write these articles?"

Lu Jingming's face turned ashen. These letters were a mix of truth and falsehood; some were written by him, and some were not, but the handwriting was unmistakably his. If they were discovered, he would have no way to explain himself.

Seeing his father's tacit expression, Lu Ziqian asked anxiously, "Father, what's wrong?"

"These few are written by me, these are not."

“In the first few years after he was stripped of his military power, my father was indeed resentful.”