The officials in the court gradually left. The Third Prince, Li Chengyan, stood there, still somewhat dazed. He stared at the empty court in disbelief, his heart filled with confusion and dissatisfaction.
Is this the end? As for the illegal salt trafficking incident, the Emperor had actually decided how to handle it so easily? This was far too lenient for the Crown Prince! He had even thought that the Emperor would use this opportunity to depose him!
After retiring from court, the Crown Prince did not return to the Eastern Palace. Instead, he anxiously headed straight for the Prime Minister's Residence. When he entered the residence, Prime Minister Li Mingfu was sitting there in a daze, his face expressionless.
"Father-in-law..." the prince asked impatiently, but was interrupted as soon as he opened his mouth.
"I know what you want to ask!" Li Mingfu snorted coldly, then threw a thick account book in front of the prince.
The prince quickly picked up the account book and began to leaf through it. However, the more he read, the paler his face became. Finally, he asked in a trembling voice, "Why is this account book in my father-in-law's hands?"
Li Mingfu's eyes were filled with disappointment and anger. He sternly said, "I once warned Your Highness the Crown Prince not to get involved in this dangerous business! But not only did you not listen, you even dragged Mingjie into it! Do you know the consequences of this? Losing your head would be the least of your worries! This will wipe out your entire family!"
The prince shuddered at these words. He knew he had made a grave mistake, but now it was too late to regret. He looked down at the account book in his hands, his mind in turmoil. He had thought his plan could be concealed, but now it was exposed. Faced with his father-in-law's questioning, he was speechless and could only bear the blame silently.
The prince's eyes were like deep black holes, emitting a frightening aura: "I know that my third brother is investigating this matter, but as long as the account book is not in his hands, all the accusations are nothing but empty words!"
Li Mingfu stared intently into the prince's eyes and said firmly, "This account book was personally delivered to me last night by your Majesty's Chief of the Secret Guard! If I fail to relinquish my position as Yuqing Governor today, your Majesty will punish the Li family's branch members severely!"
The Crown Prince felt as if he had fallen into an abyss: "How did this account book fall into the hands of the Emperor?"
Li Mingfu slowly lowered his eyes and replied in a low voice, "According to Mingjie, it was your followers Xuanhu and Xuanbao who personally went to take it away, holding the East Palace token!"
The prince clenched his fists tightly, an angry look on his face. "What a despicable Li Chengyan! He actually ordered others to steal the East Palace token from Caiwei!"
Li Mingfu sighed deeply and said in a heavy voice, "Now that things have come to this, the only thing we can do now is to have Huang Zhirui act with caution and not give anyone else any leverage! Jiangnan is of vital importance and must not be lost. After all, it's close to Nanyi, and the future of the Xiao family army is still uncertain."
The Crown Prince pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke, "Father-in-law, Yuewu and Beiliu have both sent envoys, and with them came the princesses of their respective countries. From what I've seen, it seems they're here for a marriage!"
Li Mingfu smiled slightly, his lips curled up, and he said confidently, "Your Highness, there's no need to worry! As long as these princesses are successfully married to our princes, then the princes who marry foreign princesses will automatically lose their eligibility to compete for the throne!"
The Crown Prince raised his eyebrows and asked in a questioning tone, "Is Father worried that the future royal heir's bloodline might not be pure enough?"
Li Mingfu smiled faintly and replied in a firm tone, "Of course! There is a deep-seated feud between Yuewu Kingdom and my country, Dazhao. War could break out between the two countries at any time. Chu Chengyan is overestimating his own capabilities and actually trying to rely on Yuewu Kingdom's Huyan royal family to strengthen his own power. He is simply asking for trouble! Let's just sit aside and wait and see!"
The prince quickly agreed, "Father-in-law is indeed very thoughtful!"
Li Mingfu stroked his beard and continued thoughtfully, "Your Highness, after the other princes have their principal wives selected, you should also begin preparing for the selection of the Crown Prince's concubines. This time, you must choose a woman from a military family!"
The prince couldn't help showing a worried look after hearing this, and asked softly: "But Jingshu..."
Li Mingfu's face straightened, and he said solemnly, "She will definitely understand and support your great cause, Your Highness!"
After a period of recuperation in Jiangnan, An Junyuan had fully recovered and received an order to return to Beijing.
An Junyuan led a team of personal guards and set out on the journey back to Beijing with Luo Lingfeng and his party.
After leaving Nandu, their troops marched north along the official road. Although the troops were numerous, they moved in an orderly manner and in neat formations, demonstrating good military discipline and training.
As the team was about to leave the mountainous area of Yuqing, suddenly, a sharp arrow pierced the air like lightning and shot into the general's carriage with a strong wind. The arrowhead embedded deeply into the wall of the carriage, making a crisp sound.
This sudden attack startled everyone. The guards immediately became alert, drawing their swords and searching for the person who had shot the arrow. However, all around them was silent, with only the sound of the wind blowing through the forest, and no other unusual movement.
An Junyuan calmly ordered the team to stop and sent people to check whether the carriage was damaged and whether there were any injuries. After an inspection, it was found that only the carriage had minor damage and no casualties had been caused.
Luo Lingyue was quick-witted and pulled Xiao Jinghan into her arms. The next moment, a dense barrage of arrows rained down. Without hesitation, Luo Lingyue kicked open the car window, tightly grasping Xiao Jinghan's waist, and flew out, landing steadily on her horse.
Just as they left the carriage, the entire carriage was riddled with holes from countless arrows, like a giant hedgehog.
Luo Lingyue suddenly felt a surge of blood in her chest, and a mouthful of blood spurted uncontrollably onto Xiao Jinghan's back. It turned out that the poison she'd contracted in the secret passageway of Huang Zhirui's mansion had caused her internal energy to become chaotic whenever she used her internal energy.
Xiao Jinghan smelled a strong smell of blood, and his heart tightened. He asked anxiously: "Luo Lingyue! What's wrong with you? Were you hit by an arrow?" His voice was full of concern and worry.
Luo Lingyue gently wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, a bitter smile appeared on her face, and she said sarcastically: "Isn't it what you want if I die? In this way, Prince Xiao can live with his sweetheart forever without any worries!" There was an indescribable sadness in her words.
Xiao Jinghan's brow furrowed tightly, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes. He then leaped up like a flash of lightning, landing lightly behind Luo Lingyue. He stretched out his arms, holding her tightly in his embrace, as if he was afraid she would be hurt in the slightest.
Xiao Jinghan then took out another pill and fed it to Luo Lingyue. He whispered in her ear, "Quickly adjust your internal energy!"
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