Chen Huaixu rolled his eyes inwardly, but maintained a smile on his face. "My Lord, it's pointless if you say that. It's written in black and white, and you're denying it? My father, Marquis Xuanping, has been involved in treasonous activities, but up to now, not even a single letter has been found. Can he just use the excuse of 'not knowing' to get away with it?"

Marquis Zhenyuan's expression became increasingly grim, but he had already made up his mind before coming here, so he was not panicked.

"Your Majesty, I truly do not know anything about the witch, but General Meng has a concubine from the southwest. The person mentioned in the letter may be this woman. This woman is quite proficient in divination."

"Stupid!" The emperor's eyes were filled with anger. "How can an official of the imperial court trust the divinations of a person of unknown origin? This is simply ridiculous!"

The Marquis of Zhenyuan knelt down and said, "General Meng was simply confused for a moment... Your Majesty, please be lenient with me."

The Crown Prince, who was watching the show from the side, said in a cold tone, "So the matter of Marquis Xuanping was just Marquis Zhenyuan's conjecture based on what his subordinates said?"

It must be said that Shen Huaixu now liked the former King of Yan a little better.

"Your Majesty, the leakage of firearms is irrefutable!" a minister shouted.

The emperor said calmly, "The matter has been concluded. A craftsman involved in the firearms manufacturing has confessed that the Marquis of Zhenyuan bribed this person, causing the design of our military firearms to be leaked. We also have letters between the Marquis of Zhenyuan and this person preserved here. Shangguan Zhu, how do you intend to defend yourself?"

Shangguan Zhu's mind went blank. Wasn't this man already dead? His house was burned down...

Beads of sweat the size of beans fell to the ground from his forehead. His throat rolled for a moment, and it took him a while to find his voice. "Your Majesty, this is my fault. Compared to the Marquis Xuanping, I thought I was more qualified for this task, so I wanted to prove that I could also manufacture firearms... This led to a serious mistake. However, I only knew the shape of the firearms, not the formula. I hope Your Majesty will understand!"

The emperor stared at the prostrate Marquis Zhenyuan, his eyes filled with disappointment. After a long pause, he said, "I will not pursue this matter further."

Shen Huaixu frowned slightly. Is this old man confused?

Shangguan Zhu's body nearly collapsed, a breath of foul air stuck in his throat before he could exhale, when he heard the majestic voice continue to ask, "Are you aware of Meng Jue's secret correspondence with the King of Northern Qiang?"

Shen Huaixu raised her head abruptly, her eyes widening instantly, only to meet the prince's warning glance. She could only reluctantly lower her head again.

This time Shangguan Zhu was silent for a long time before he slowly said, "This old minister does not know."

"I don't know, I don't know, Marquis Zhenyuan, do you take me for a fool?" The emperor suddenly became angry and threw all the letters in his hand to the ground. You could hear a pin drop in the whole hall.

"Your Majesty, please calm down." Chang Xi hurried forward and gently stroked the back of His Majesty.

"Your Majesty!" Marquis Zhenyuan suddenly burst into tears. "Your Majesty—I, this old minister, have stood by Your Majesty's side for decades. The friendship we share is known only to heaven and earth, and Your Majesty knows it. I swear to heaven that I will live a life worthy of Your Majesty and the Great Jin. If I break this oath, may I be struck by lightning and die without a burial place!"

Shen Huaixu felt a pang of pain in his teeth when he heard these words.

Marquis Zhenyuan continued to confess, "Meng Jue has been busy and busy in the northern border for decades, but he was overshadowed by Qi Zhan, who came from a bandit family. It's inevitable that he would have other thoughts, but he never told me these thoughts, so I really don't know. If Your Majesty doesn't believe me, I am willing to die to prove my innocence!"

As he said this, he stood up quickly and planned to hit the pillar with his head.

Shen Huaixu really wanted to watch from the sidelines, but she was closest to Marquis Zhenyuan, and she wanted to get some words out of him.

So she stretched out her hand and grabbed the wide sleeve of Zhenyuan Hou.

Marquis Zhenyuan started too fast and was suddenly pulled back, falling flat on his butt.

The fall was so severe that he fainted.

Shen Huaixu suddenly let go of his hand, suspecting that the Marquis of Zhenyuan was pretending to faint. She gritted her teeth secretly, but said with an innocent look: "I'm sorry - Your Majesty, I wanted to save the Marquis."

Soon, the Marquis of Zhenyuan was helped up by the young eunuch. The emperor was touched by his old friend's words and didn't want to watch this farce anymore. He said directly: "Send him back to the Marquis' Mansion first. We will make a decision after he wakes up."

After Zhenyuan Hou was helped down, the emperor looked at Shen Huaixu with his big innocent eyes and said with a headache: "You should go down first!"

Just as Shen Huaixu was about to bow and leave, he heard a minister say, "Your Majesty, the Marquis of Xuanping has not yet been cleared of his guilt! The gunpowder formula in the firearm is the key. After eliminating the suspicion of the Marquis of Zhenyuan, the only suspect left is the Marquis of Xuanping!"

Shen Huaixu looked at the man. He had scowls, a mustache, and a long tuft of hair on his chin. His face gave him a melancholy look. She remembered that he was from the Ministry of War.

She said, "Your Majesty, I have something else to report."

"allow."

"On the night of the Northern Qiang's night attack, the Northern Qiang's firearms exploded for no reason. It was I who did it. Not only that, I also burned the Northern Qiang army's food and fodder." Shen Huaixu said in a resounding voice.

"You...are talking nonsense!"

Chen Huaixu pointed at the man's nose and cursed, "You're the one talking nonsense! If I remember correctly, you're from the Ministry of War? You look so dejected, so skinny as a monkey, you'd fall over at the slightest breeze! You have no evidence, nothing but conjecture. You're unworthy of being a minister!"

The man's face turned red and he almost fell over in anger. Just say it, what does appearance have to do with it!

What he hated most in his life was people talking about his appearance. Back then, he almost couldn't get into officialdom because of his dejected appearance!

He wanted to refute, but Chen Huaixu was very eloquent. "Your Excellency can't produce evidence, but I can. When the grain was burned, I left a string of red agate bracelets there. As a mark, I carved the word 'Chen' into the agate. Whether it is true or not, just send a letter to the northern border to verify it! Your Majesty, every word this subject says is true. Please investigate carefully."

"Did you burn the grain? Did you explode the firearms?" the emperor exclaimed. "Is there any witness?"

Chen Huaixu nodded, "Yes! I wasn't at the inn those two nights. My maids and guards, as well as the inn's waiter, all knew this. When I returned to the inn on the night of the raid, many people on the street saw me, including one of the hundred households in the army, named Fuyin. I discussed this with him before the raid, and he knew all the details."

"What is your relationship with this Fuyin? He only has a hundred households. How can he decide when the city gates will be opened?" asked the prince.

"Your Highness, I have planned everything I will do. Whether we can seize the opportunity depends entirely on how he maneuvers. I cannot predict the number of troops in the city, the preparation of firearms, or whether the city gates will be open. I do know one thing: a bad start and unsettling morale are the greatest taboos in battle."