"Give me an explanation?! I still want an explanation!"

The pent-up anger finally erupted, He Huaiyuan shouted loudly and kicked a large rock on the side of the road.

After the old emperor passed away, he assisted the young emperor and served as the prime minister for many years, second only to the emperor himself. Of course, he was not a vegetarian.

He immediately calmed down his irritable mood, paced around the empty yard for a few times, and then ordered in a deep voice:

"Hundreds of mansions in the capital were emptied overnight. This is definitely not something that an idle force can do. I guess the guards of the capital of Nanqi are not worth mentioning in the eyes of the other side at this moment!"

"Pass it on, and mobilize 200,000 soldiers from the capital camp to surround the gates of the capital and wait for orders!"

"Order the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards, Yang Fei, to lead the remaining 10,000 Imperial Guards to defend the Imperial Palace to the death and ensure the safety of the Emperor and the Empress Dowager!"

"Immediately impose strict security on all streets in the capital and prohibit the people from walking outside! Instruct the Jinwu Guards to work with the Jingzhao Yin to thoroughly investigate the thefts in all mansions. If any suspicious persons are found, they must be arrested immediately!"

“…”

As orders were issued one after another, teams of guards rushed to various directions of the capital with seals. The capital also began a more stringent full alert.

Not long after, several important officials and staff from the uncle's faction arrived at the mansion.

Several officials who used to be very powerful in the court now all looked unkempt and dishevelled.

Apparently none of them escaped the fate of being looted.

He Huaiyuan looked at the secret room in the ancestral hall that had been ransacked and now wide open, and he was so angry that his heart, liver, lungs and kidneys were about to break.

But I also know that this is a critical situation and not the time to act on emotion.

I had to suppress my emotions and start discussing business with several colleagues.

"Humph! The army has been dispatched to surround the capital. Until the thief is caught, the capital will not be released!"

"Even if that thief had extraordinary abilities and could steal such a huge fortune in such a short time, there is no way he could leave the capital with so much stuff!"

At this point, He Huaiyuan's tone softened a bit, he sneered, and continued:

"The thieves have been dealt with, but we have made so much preparation to eliminate the power of the King of Qin, and we cannot give up now."

"Oh! You really underestimated Sheng San, the Beijing girl! He must have seen through Sheng Dehai's plan a long time ago, and he took advantage of it and tricked us today!"

"You knew that the people in the Qin Palace were not easy to deal with. So, you and Mr. Qi prepared something else for them."

He Huaiyuan smiled grimly, looked at the man in the bamboo hat sitting next to him, took out a secret letter from his arms and spread it out in front of everyone.

"This is a secret report sent from the border a few days ago. It records detailed evidence of the battle of Tianlang Valley a few months ago, in which King Qin Sheng Jinghai buried prisoners and killed them, and condoned the rape and abuse of his soldiers."

"After this official, together with the Dali Temple, the Ministry of Justice, and the Censorate, we have confirmed that the evidence is conclusive..."

Having said this, He Huaiyuan paused deliberately and put on an evil smile on his face.

There was no need for him to continue, as several officials from the uncle's faction understood what he meant and smiled knowingly:

"I thought our plans were all ruined by the idiot Sheng Dehai today, but I didn't expect that the Prime Minister still had a trick up his sleeve and turned the situation around in an instant!"

"It is said that those who take one step at a time are mediocre, those who take one step at a time and think three steps ahead are genius, and those who take one step at a time and think ten steps ahead are extraordinary. Your Excellency is so meticulous, he is truly a role model for our generation!"

"I am truly ashamed of myself!"

“…”

All the officials began to flatter He Huaiyuan. Even though the fake smiles on their faces were extremely stiff because their homes had just been robbed, the flattery they said was very effective.

He Huaiyuan's face flushed, and he pretended to be humble. His tone was full of emotion:

"Look, the beast trapped in the iron cage will end up in the same end no matter how hard it struggles. Just like the Qin Palace today, no matter how hard it tries, it cannot escape the fate of being exiled."

"As for Sheng Dehai...he's still of some use. We can just find a scapegoat to help him get away with it when the time comes!"

"inappropriate."

The cloaked man's voice rang out at this moment, interrupting He Huaiyuan's words:

"When the imperial guards went to search the Prince of Qin's mansion, Sheng San deliberately made a big noise, making the matter known to everyone. If we really exonerate Sheng Dehai now, wouldn't it confirm Sheng San's accusations?"

"Besides..."

The cloaked man looked around the bare-walled Prime Minister's Mansion and said in a playful tone:

"Mr. Prime Minister, don't you think the timing of the Qin Palace being in trouble and the entire capital being emptied is too coincidental? I will never believe you if you say there is no connection between these two events."

"We have never underestimated the power of the Qin Palace. But I'm afraid that this time, we have underestimated them."

The cloaked man's words were very convincing. For a moment, everyone present fell into deep thought.

But he continued:

"In my opinion, it is better to go with the flow. Sentence the second branch of the Sheng family to be exiled to the northern border as well."

"When the time comes, you will meet with Sheng Dehai in private and ask him to closely monitor the whereabouts of the eldest wife during her exile, and use this to make up for her mistakes."

"This way, we won't leave any evidence in front of the world, and we can also plant a hardworking and uncomplaining insider in the exile team. Isn't this the best of both worlds?"

He Huaiyuan frowned and thought for a moment, then revealed an expression of sudden enlightenment:

"Mr. Qi is indeed great. I am ashamed of myself."

…

The young emperor neglected state affairs for decades, and all government affairs during these years were controlled by his uncle, the prime minister.

As soon as He Huaiyuan sentenced the first and second wives of the Prince of Qin's Mansion to exile, the imperial edict was quickly passed to the Prince of Qin's Mansion, which was surrounded by the imperial guards.

Sheng Dehai, who had been jumping around and scolding Sheng Yichen for making random accusations against his elders, was stunned when he heard such a cold imperial edict.

In just a few seconds, the old face full of stains changed several expressions. From the original astonishment, disbelief, to the grievance, unwilling roar:

"Impossible! Those things were clearly buried in the yard by someone to frame you!"

"How could the uncle of the king convict you?! You want to see the uncle of the king! You want to see His Majesty!"

Sheng Dehai was about to rush out of the palace with his dirty body, but was kicked back by the imperial guards guarding the door:

"It is clearly written in the imperial edict that the decision was made by the Prime Minister in collaboration with the three-division committee. How could it be possible that they wrongly accused you?! Be quiet! You are now guilty and have no qualifications to see the Prime Minister!"

“Ouch—”

Sheng Dehai was kicked several meters away, and his back was burning with pain.

Seeing that he couldn't get through with reasoning, he suddenly had an idea, and a calculating light flashed in his eyes. He jumped up and rushed out, shouting in desperation:

"Get out of the way! I want to see the Prime Minister! I have something important to report!"

"You know a shocking secret of the first wife of the Prince of Qin's mansion. Get out of the way! You want to see the Prime Minister!"