At this moment, the atmosphere in the palace was serious.

Inside the imperial study, the atmosphere was heavy and the emperor sat behind the dragon desk. The eunuchs lowered their heads in fear, not daring to breathe.

In front of the dragon case.

On the left stood King Chen, the man stood with his hands behind his back, his face hard and cold, his whole body aura very cold.

On the right, sits the injured prince.

Zong Zhengyu was wearing white clothes today. After being injured, his face was pale, and his abdomen was wrapped in thick gauze. Blood seeped out, which was obvious and glaring against the background of the white robe.

He sat there weakly, coughing softly, his voice as hoarse as a dying cat:

"Seventh brother... cough..."

As soon as he opened his mouth, he started coughing non-stop, and more blood seeped into his abdomen, which was even more shocking.

“Seventh brother…” He panted, “You and I have been as close as brothers since we were young, and I have always been sincere towards you. I never thought, ahem… I never thought that you would be so intolerant of me…”

"If you want the position of Crown Prince, I will give it to you. There is no need to damage our brotherhood for a cold position..."

He covered his lips with his fist and kept coughing.

He speaks modestly and gently.

It was as if he was a generous, loving and kind brother, and Zong Zhengchen was a cold-blooded demon who killed his brothers for the position of crown prince.

The eunuchs buried their heads deeply, daring only to listen with their ears, not daring to hum a single word.

Zong Zhengchen glanced at the prince with cold eyes, looking him up and down, "I am relieved to see that big brother is safe and sound."

The voice is cold, neither hot nor cold, neither happy nor angry:

"A smart person like my elder brother should know my character. I am not stupid enough to deliberately leave such a large jade pendant as evidence when I plot to murder the crown prince."

Whatever he wants to do, he does it cleanly and efficiently without leaving any clues.

He raised his eyes to look at the person in the high seat, bowed and said:

"Father, this is a fraud. I have been wronged. Please give me three days to get to the bottom of this matter!"

The emperor frowned, looked stern, and had a gloomy expression.

"Ahem... Seventh brother, I want to believe you too." Zong Zhengyu said in a hollow voice, "But... ahem, your personal jade pendant is on Concubine Wei, how could it be fake?"

"Who else would get your personal belongings besides you?"

This alone cannot be explained.

If Concubine Wei were still alive, it would not be difficult to find out the origin of the jade pendant, but now she is dead and there is no evidence, so there is no place to check.

The emperor's sword-like brows furrowed even more.

He naturally believed in King Chen.

However, he is a father and the king of a country. He cannot act based on his personal preferences but must act based on evidence.

The assassination of the crown prince and the turmoil in the country are no small matters. Even if he wants to favor Prince Chen, how can he stop the gossips of the people?

"Seventh Brother, what's your explanation?" He tried to give King Chen a chance.

Zong Zhengchen said in a deep voice: "Father, please give me three days. If the truth is not revealed after three days, I will plead guilty and resign my post to return to my fiefdom. I will never come back unless I am summoned!"

The emperor was shocked.

Is this too serious?

A deep light flashed across Zong Zhengyu's eyes.

If he leaves the imperial capital forever and never returns, he will lose the qualification to compete for the position of crown prince. As long as Zong Zhengchen is gone, he can rest easy.

His thin lips lifted slightly, and he smiled kindly:

"Seventh brother, there's no need to make things so awkward between you and me, ahem..."

He coughed twice, "How about this, big brother, give in a little, you can investigate for the next three days, and you can also give in a little, and temporarily keep the Shadow Guards' military tokens in the palace, so that big brother can feel at ease, how do you think?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the imperial study suddenly became solemn.

Shadow Guard!

Military talisman!

This army is Zong Zhengchen's confidant. Over the years, the Shadow Guards have followed him in battles across the country, and have been invincible. Each of them can defeat ten enemies at once, and their abilities are extraordinary. They are an armed force comparable to the Imperial Guards.

Zong Zhengyu smiled falsely:

"Don't worry, Seventh Brother. I'm just injured and insecure. I'm worried that I'll be assassinated again, so I want the military token. I'll return it to you in three days when you've investigated the matter thoroughly."

He smiled deeply.

Or, give him the military token and he will give him three days' grace.

Or, plead guilty now and admit that you murdered the prince.

"Seventh brother, how is it?"

"No matter what!"

Suddenly, a clear female voice sounded outside the door.