"Your Highness, I helped you back then!" Xu Yan tried to evoke the prince's pity by mentioning that she had helped him.

At this moment, Suo'etu understood where Xu Yan's sense of superiority came from. It turned out that he felt he had done a favor for the Crown Prince. Xu Yan was being too arrogant and demanding repayment for his kindness. One should not be too greedy.

"Helped me? Was it my request? You requested it yourself. Even without you, it wouldn't affect my plans!"

Xu Yan couldn't believe the Crown Prince could be so heartless. Her face turned pale as she looked at him. "Your Highness, aren't you worried that I'll spread what happened back then? I wonder what will happen to the Crown Princess then!"

The Crown Prince's angry voice came from above Xu Yan's head, every word filled with rage, "Do you think I will let you live past today?"

"If you dare to spread this around, I will kill as many people as you know!"

"Your Highness, please forgive me! This servant has failed in his duty!" He Zhu ran over and knelt before the Crown Prince.

"Take him away. If you still can't handle this, you might as well end your own life!" the Crown Prince said coldly.

"This servant will never let such a thing happen again!" He Zhu immediately ordered his men to gag Xu Yan, and then, ignoring Xu Yan's struggles, quickly took her away.

Xu Yun watched as Xu Yan was taken away, then closed her eyes helplessly. She couldn't let Xu Yan implicate the rest of the clan, nor could she tarnish her brother's lifelong reputation.

"Your Highness, I know my sister deserves her punishment. I beg Your Highness to allow me to give her a proper burial!" This was the last thing Xu Yun could do for Xu Yan.

"Granted!" the Crown Prince said. "You are smarter than Xu Yan, and I hope you can maintain this intelligence and not implicate the deceased Xu Nanping!"

"This servant understands, thank you Your Highness!" Xu Yun replied. Xu Yun understood the Crown Prince's meaning; if she and Xu Yan were to court death, no one could save them.

As the crown prince was leaving, he said to Songgotu, "Prime Minister Songgotu, do not forget what I said!"

"This servant will certainly obey His Highness the Crown Prince's wishes!" Soetu said.

The Crown Prince then left satisfied. The reason he forced Suo'etu to do this was so that Suo'etu could die peacefully. If Kangxi found out, Suo'etu would certainly not have a good end.

As Suo'etu watched the Crown Prince's retreating figure, he murmured to himself, "This is the last thing I can do for you, Your Highness. It's for the best, so that the Emperor won't take his anger out on you when the truth comes out."

Hopefully, after this incident, the Emperor will have even more faith in you!

When the Crown Prince returned to Yuqing Palace, he first went to see He Xue. Seeing that He Xue was alright, he then returned to his study.

When the Crown Prince learned that Suo'etu had told Kangxi about the matter, Kangxi would definitely be furious. However, the Crown Prince had to find a way to protect Suo'etu, as Suo'etu had genuinely cared for him and was truly good to him.

Later, he may have been blinded by money, which is why he turned out this way and forgot his original intentions.

After dinner, the Crown Prince accompanied He Xue for a walk in the courtyard.

"Brother Crown Prince, why are you frowning? Is something wrong?" He Xue noticed that the Crown Prince's brows hadn't relaxed since he returned.

"It's nothing, don't worry, I'll handle it!" The Crown Prince forced a smile as he looked at He Xue.

He didn't press the matter further after hearing what Crown Prince Xuejian said. She couldn't offer any substantial advice on matters of the previous dynasty, as her modern education was probably inferior to that of Emperor Kangxi in educating the Crown Prince.

The two continued walking forward when suddenly they heard the sound of a zither.