On the day of the execution, hundreds of people knelt in the snow with ashen faces. No one came to see them off; those who gathered to watch were all brave local people.

Xie Shuli knelt in the last row, looking at his relatives staring at him with resentful eyes. He didn't know whether he was afraid or relieved.

After his tongue was cut out and his hands were crippled at the Prince Kang's residence, he was thrown into prison.

Not long after, his family members were locked up.

The most terrifying thing is that Xie Ming told these people that he had revealed the truth about his mother and the imperial concubine poisoning him.

That's not how it works. Xie Ming knew someone wanted to seize power. He wanted to tell everyone, but then he discovered he was unable to speak or write.

After that, every day felt like he was living in hell.

Before he could think any further, he saw his trembling relatives being dragged down one by one by the executioner's axe, their bodies severed from their heads, blood splattering everywhere.

Despite making countless preparations, Xie Shuli still couldn't accept such a scene.

No way! He is the supreme ruler, the emperor of a prosperous dynasty, he is...

Before he could even finish adding the titles, he was pushed forward by the bailiffs behind him. Xie Shuli let out a scream of extreme fear, his teeth chattering. He glanced up and saw Xie Ming, sitting on the execution platform, giving him a cruel smile.

Before he could think, excruciating pain struck. His last sight was of his body twitching a few times before going still.

"This is the best we can do for now," the Crown Prince said suddenly, with a sense of helplessness.

Xie Ming's act of "selling" some of the chosen heirs back to the families of his clan under the pretext of not meeting his expectations caused chaos in many households. In addition, the treatment of Xie Shuli's family had already aroused the vigilance of the gentry.

Fortunately, some children were still at the Prince Kang's Mansion, keeping them in suspense; otherwise, it would have been another headache.

"Your subject is willing to eliminate the scourge of the Great Sheng Dynasty for the Crown Prince." Xie Ming turned away from the scene below and looked seriously at the Crown Prince.

"Nonsense! Stop having inappropriate thoughts and stay in the manor to rest!"

"Your Majesty, I am the most suitable person in the entire capital to make this trip, for the sake of the dynasty's long-term stability and the well-being of the people."

"Give me a break!"

After saying this, the crown prince turned and left, regretting bringing up the topic.

Xie Ming pursed his lips. His older brother was somewhat similar to the father he had once met. It really felt good to be favored!

But this time he had no choice but to go. Most of the country was in the hands of the aristocratic families. If no drastic measures were taken, the Great Sheng Dynasty would not last much longer.

So by the time the Crown Prince learned that Xie Ming had left the capital to seek immortality after the first month of the lunar calendar, it was too late.

But Xie Ming still left a letter, which basically said: Brother, Father agreed to what we discussed last time. He even gave him the position of Inspector and a bodyguard. Don't worry, I will write to you often.

The crown prince gritted his teeth, finished reading the letter, and shouted, "Baoqing, come in here!"

Baoqing bowed and entered the study, standing before the desk awaiting his master's instructions.

"Go and send dozens of people to protect Prince Kang."

Baoqing looked up in surprise. He Shijin was one of the leaders of the Black Feather Army. Asking him to prepare manpower meant selecting people from the elite of the Black Feather Army.

The Black Feather Army is the emperor's last line of defense, and it is not deployed in extraordinary circumstances. Now that the crown prince has issued an order, it has two meanings.

First, Prince Kang left the capital on another mission. Second, the emperor had completely handed himself over to the crown prince.

If the emperor had simply handed over the Black Feather Army to the crown prince, Baoqing might have thought it was a test of the crown prince.

But the fact that the Crown Prince assigned the Black Feather Army to another unit for the first time shows that this private army of the emperor is truly in his master's hands.

Then the Crown Prince was already the emperor of the Great Sheng Dynasty in name only. Baoqing was immediately filled with passion and shouted, "Yes, sir!"

"No! I have to go to the palace. Quickly, get me dressed!"

For some unknown reason, the Crown Prince got up from behind his desk and walked into the inner room.

That evening, news of the Crown Prince's argument with the Emperor in the palace quietly spread throughout half of the capital.