Zhou Mingwei, the Imperial Censor, held the position of supervising all officials. He was a well-known loyal minister of the Great Xiao Kingdom, upright and incorruptible in the court, and deeply trusted by the emperor. His greatest hobby was playing chess.
Xiao Xiyou was intelligent and, from the moment he began to plan, he intended to win over Lord Zhou. He diligently practiced his chess skills and often sparred with Lord Zhou.
Today, Xiao Xiyou specially arranged for someone to impersonate him and appear at the corner of Liuli Alley, leaving a paper airplane-shaped mark on the back of the night watchman's neck to remind Zhou Zhizhi and guide the eldest prince and others to come.
The purpose was to get the Inspector to testify for his absolute innocence and to provide clues so that he could impeach the Third Prince.
Xiao Liang, who had rushed in from outside, saw Xiao Xiyou open the door and quickly told him what was happening at the door.
"Your Highness, two squads of armored soldiers have arrived at the gate and surrounded the palace. They told me that they are here to search the palace on the orders of the Empress and the First Prince."
After hearing Xiao Liang's words, Xiao Xiyou pretended to be very surprised and turned to Zhou Mingwei.
"The Empress and the eldest prince have come in such a menacing manner. I don't know where I have offended them. I have always been law-abiding and dare not do anything out of line. I hope Lord Zhou will understand."
After Xiao Xiyou finished speaking, he immediately bowed to Zhou Mingwei, looking like a weak and pitiful little white flower, which aroused Zhou Mingwei's sympathy.
"Your Highness, please rest assured. If there is indeed a misunderstanding, I will certainly do my utmost to uphold justice for the people. As an imperial censor, I have the duty to supervise all officials and will not allow anyone in power to suffer an injustice," Zhou Mingwei said firmly to Xiao Xiyou.
He and Xiao Xiyou had been friends for years, and they always only talked about things related to chess. No matter what grievances Xiao Xiyou suffered in court, he would never use their personal relationship to his advantage. He kept public and private matters separate and never asked Xiao Xiyou to say a good word for him in court to gain benefits or the emperor's attention.
Although they are more than ten years apart in age, Zhou Mingwei believes that they have long since become rare confidants through countless games of chess.
Xiao Xiyou took the initiative to let him uphold justice this time, probably because he was afraid that the Empress and the First Prince would join forces, and he would be weak and alone and would eventually be at a disadvantage.
After all, Xiao Xiyou is still a child and needs protection.
Seeing the emotional look in Zhou Mingwei's eyes, Xiao Xiyou knew that his years of planning had come in handy at this moment.
Xiao Xiyou's face was filled with gratitude, and he said to Zhou Mingwei in a voice that was both anxious and grateful, "Thank you, Lord Zhou. Please come with me."
Zhou Mingwei looked at Xiao Xiyou and nodded, "Okay."
As the two were preparing to head to the entrance of the Prince's mansion, the soldiers surrounding the entrance rushed in before them.
The leader pulled out his token and flashed it in front of Xiao Xiyou. "Your Highness, Second Prince, please forgive my rudeness. We are here to search on the orders of the First Prince."
As Xiao Xiyou watched the group of people freely enter and leave his room, searching it wantonly, his voice tinged with anger, "I have always acted uprightly and honestly. I don't know where I have offended my eldest brother, that he would humiliate me like this!"
"Second brother, calm down." Xiao Dongyang's voice came from the doorway, but the contempt and arrogance in his tone revealed his good mood.
Xiao Dongyang only wanted to use this opportunity to get rid of his greatest enemy, the Third Prince Xiao Nangua, but he did not expect the Empress to be so persistent and insist on involving the Second Prince as well.
If we can use this incident to strike at both Xiao Nan Gua and Xiao Xi You, wouldn't that be killing two birds with one stone?
His mother, Consort Lan, and his uncle, General Lan Yuanlong, are trying to help their father break free from Eunuch Cao's control. As long as their father can return to court, the position of Crown Prince will surely be passed on to him, and after the emperor's death, he will become the emperor of the Great Xiao Kingdom.
"Your Majesty, I fully trust you, but this matter is of great importance, and we cannot let any suspect go unpunished."
Xiao Dongyang came to Xiao Xiyou and spoke in a grand and respectful manner, but in his heart he really hoped to find something.
"Your Highness, we have made a discovery." A soldier respectfully approached the Crown Prince with a secret letter in his hand.
"What does the letter say? Let me see it." The eldest prince said impatiently, snatching the letter away.
The envelope was addressed to Xiao Xiyou in large characters, and the contents inside were simple: letters between Xiao Xiyou and Xu Cang.
The eldest prince read the letter without waiting and burst into laughter.
"Your Excellency, Grand Preceptor Zhou, both of you are loyal ministers of the Great Xiao Kingdom and are present today. Please bear witness and do not say that I have wronged my third brother." Xiao Dongyang respectfully handed the letter in his hand to Zhou Mingwei.
When the Empress heard Xiao Dongyang's words, she was startled. Why did the information she had gathered from the Second Prince point directly at Xiao Nangua?
The eldest prince noticed the empress's confusion and stepped forward to explain.
"Your Majesty, these are the correspondence between the Second Prince and Xu Chang. The letters clearly state that Xu Chang revealed to the Second Prince that by following the Prince, he could obtain money and status that he could not obtain from him. The Prince of Xiaonan forbids him from having any further contact with the Second Prince, and therefore writes this letter to inform him."
Xiao Dongyang paused for a moment, then continued, "And this man named Xu Cang is one of the Third Brother's men, who is specifically responsible for luring young men to become the Third Brother's personal soldiers."
The Empress was furious upon hearing this, "Nonsense!"
Xiao Dongyang had already guessed the Empress's reaction. "This matter is of great importance. I have just handed the letter to the Inspector General and the Grand Preceptor Zhou. With them both present, I would never dare to lie."
At this moment, Xiao Xiyou also stepped forward and knelt before the Empress, saying, "Your subject greets Your Majesty the Empress."
After bowing, Xiao Xiyou continued, "I have been without a mother since I was a child. I am all alone in the palace, with no one to talk to or keep me company. Xu Cang does not look down on me because I am a down-on-his-luck prince. He often plays with me and we regard him as our best friend."
As he spoke, Xiao Xiyou raised his head, his eyes red, which made everyone present feel pity for him.
"But you can't judge a book by its cover. I never knew Xu Cang despised me so much. He stole all the valuables from my house, as well as some of my clothes, and went to live with my third brother." Xiao Xiyou said sadly, his voice filled with dejection.
"Second brother, did you really only lose some money and clothes?" The eldest prince asked with a wicked smile, holding the jade pendant he had just taken from the night watchman.
"This is a jade pendant we just found from someone impersonating the Second Prince. Judging from the patterns and material, could it be the one that my second brother had?"
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