Since things had come to this point, Xu Huaiyu decided to go all out. He ripped off his face mask and shouted, "It's me, I won't change my name or surname, what are you going to do about it?"

Nan Yi chuckled, her expression haughty. She braced herself with her sword, took a breath, and said with a slightly playful smile, "Are you scared now that I've captured you alive?"

"Afraid? You don't have the ability to capture me alive." Xu Huaiyu sneered, glancing at the sons of his enemies not far away, and mocked them maliciously, "A prince, hiding behind a woman, aren't you afraid of being laughed at by the world?"

"Provocation won't work," Nan Yi glanced at him indifferently, refuting the princes on their behalf. "There is a sequence to learning, and everyone has their own expertise. As sons of the imperial family, the princes learn the strategies of governing the country and practice the path of seeking the well-being of the people. Unlike you, who is like a rat living in the shadows, resorting to all sorts of underhanded schemes and tricks, even attempting to assassinate a prince of the current dynasty. And you still dare to speak so arrogantly. I'll beat you to a pulp."

Xu Huaiyu laughed in anger, and accused, "Rat, do you think I wanted this? If my whole clan hadn't been wronged and unjustly executed by that tyrannical Emperor Kangxi, I would be living in darkness. More than a hundred lives were lost, unjustly killed. Heaven is blind! They are the ones who deserve to die."

He raised his sword and angrily pointed it at the four princes, his expression cold and sorrowful.

Why should those who deserve to die live well and even be promoted, while his own father, who had been honest and upright all his life, was accused of treason and his entire family was executed? He was not reconciled.

He endured humiliation and lived for ten years, his only purpose in life being revenge.

Upon hearing his roar and hearing the sorrow in his tone, Nan Yi, influenced by Xu Huaiyu's emotions, was somewhat at a loss.

It wasn't that she lacked principles; she always had a clear sense of right and wrong. She wanted to help Fourth Master capture Xu Huaiyu, but in her eyes, Xu Huaiyu was a bad person who deserved to die.

What if he was innocent, and the assassination was merely an attempt to avenge his people?

According to him, Xu Huaiyu's family was wronged.

She definitely had to arrest him. Xu Huaiyu had organized a large number of people to assassinate several princes in succession, which was an unforgivable crime. She wasn't that naive, but... well, she didn't want to arrest him herself.

Nan Yi didn't move, and the others also stopped fighting, resulting in a standoff between the two sides.

Xu Huaiyu sneered, "Weren't you going to capture me alive? Why aren't you doing it now?"

Nan Yi pursed her lips, moved to Zheng Yong's side, and asked in a low voice, "Brother Yong, it seems like he has some unavoidable difficulties."

Zheng Yong curled his lips into a smile, "Can't bear it, pity him?"

“A little.” Nan sighed and started to discuss with him, “I’m afraid I’ll arrest the wrong person. Why don’t you go and I’ll take care of the rest of the henchmen?”

“A woman’s compassion. Whether Xu Huaiyu is innocent or not, he can’t escape death,” Zheng Yong said. Just as he was about to make his move, Xu Huaiyu suddenly spoke again, raising his voice to ask the Fourth Prince and others in the crowd, “Fourth Prince, Thirteenth Prince, do you remember the Xu family in Jiangnan ten years ago?”

Yinzhen's expression changed slightly, and he asked, "You are a member of the Xu family. I remember that the Xu family has no descendants."

"Of course I did. I was ten years old that year, and I escaped by hiding in a water vat." His gaze was distant and sorrowful, his thoughts lost in memories.

"My father had put in a lot of effort before the flood. The money allocated by the court was not enough, so he persuaded local wealthy merchants to donate money. Later, he gave away all his wealth, hoping to build a dike to protect the land he governed. Who knew that the damned Prince Yu's heir, oh no, he has now inherited the title and become Prince Yu."

Xu Huaiyu laughed sarcastically, "If he hadn't ignored my father's advice, misjudged people, and allowed his subordinates to embezzle the money allocated for flood control and switch the materials used for building the dikes, after the flood, he would have relied on his connections in the court and, fearing he would be implicated, instructed people to shift all the blame onto my father. The emperor didn't believe it and sent people to investigate. The details were reported to the emperor, but my father, in order to protect that person, disregarded the truth and executed my entire clan."

"Three clans, more than a hundred people, only I escaped and have survived to this day." Xu Huaiyu seemed to be crying and laughing at the same time, his expression like that of a madman, determined to kill and pay with his life.

"If you want revenge, why don't you go after the people who framed your family? You've got the wrong target, aren't you stupid?" Nan Yi suddenly said.

"What do you know?"

Xu Huaiyu roared, "If it's a frame-up, their father clearly knows the truth, so why doesn't he clear my father's name? Instead, he exterminates my entire clan. Is this the behavior of a wise and enlightened emperor? Tell me!"

Nan Yi was stunned. He had met with Grandpa Kang several times, and he didn't seem to be someone who couldn't distinguish right from wrong. Could there be some misunderstanding?

"Stop talking nonsense." Yinzhen shouted sternly, "There are clearly other things going on with the Xu family's affairs. Don't spout such nonsense. Father Emperor is a wise and sagacious ruler. How can you slander your sovereign and father like this? What should your punishment be?"

"I'm the only one left in the Xu family. Do you think I'm afraid of death? I've long since disregarded life and death," Xu Huaiyu roared angrily.

Thirteen was furious. "Fourth Brother, there's no need to waste words with this madman. Once we catch him, let's see if he can still be so presumptuous."

“I agree. Capture him alive and hand him over to the Ministry of Justice for proper treatment,” the Eighth Prince said with a stern face.

“I think I can tell you why,” Zheng Yong suddenly interjected.

As a secret agent of the Imperial Household Agency, he knew countless secrets. The Xu family case from ten years ago was recorded in the Ministry of Justice's files, and he happened to remember it.

He looked at Xu Huaiyu with disdain, his eyes flashing coldly.

"You think your father is innocent, but little do you know, he is incompetent, stubborn, and doesn't handle relationships with his colleagues well, to the point that his subordinates are outwardly compliant but inwardly disobedient. Saying he is wise and that he squandered his fortune on building the dike is only half the reason. The real reason is..."

Zheng Yong paused, his face filled with disdain, and then continued, "At that time, Lord Xu took a fancy to the concubine of a certain official's son. This official's son sent the concubine to the Fei family. For the sake of his beloved, Lord Xu offered half of his family fortune as compensation. This angered Madam Xu, who sold off all the family property in a fit of rage, claiming that it was to build a dike. Of course, Madam Xu was resolute and did donate half of the proceeds to the government. The whereabouts of the other half are unknown. I suppose Madam Xu secretly left it to you, young master Xu."

"Nonsense, you're talking nonsense. My father is upright and wise, and he is definitely not the kind of person who is infatuated with women as you claim."

Xu Huaiyu was furious. He simply didn't believe the truth Zheng Yong told him, or perhaps he didn't dare to believe it. Otherwise, his faith and perseverance of more than ten years would have become a joke.

Zheng Yong coldly stared at Xu Huaiyu, who was overreacting, and said indifferently, "Whether it is true or not, do you dare to come with me to the Ministry of Justice? The case file has it all recorded. You'll see what the truth is."

Xu Huaiyu hesitated for a moment, but his maidservant became anxious and grabbed him, saying, "No, be careful, it might be a trap. If you can get into the Ministry of Justice, can you get out? They just want to arrest you and use these lies to deceive you. Young master, please don't believe them."

“I’m not worth lying to you. You can ask the other princes to come out. But if you’re lying, I’ll personally plead for your pardon. If it’s true, you know what will happen to you.” Zheng Yong said again.

Then we absolutely cannot go. Whether it's true or not, young master must not walk into a trap. The maid grabbed her young master's hand and threw several thunderbolts from her sleeve.

"Watch out!" With a loud shout, Nan Yi was lifted up by Zheng Yong and leaped back to a safe area.