Sitting on the high throne, the emperor looked at the letter presented to him by the palace maid and remained silent for a long time.

He Rufei's heart seemed to be tightly grasped by an invisible hand, which made him feel distressed. Now that things had come to this, he could be very sure that the thief who broke into the He family that night and stole the letter in the exquisite box was Xiao Jue. But...how did Xiao Jue know how to open the exquisite box? He entered and exited the He family as if no one was around. If there was no traitor who leaked the news, could it be...He looked at He Yan, and vaguely remembered that when he was dueling with this woman just now, she called him "big brother".

It contains a myriad of emotions, like a fierce ghost coming to collect debts.

Is she really...

"The real General Feihong was my classmate in Xianchang Hall," Xiao Jue said. "After the battle of Huayuan, I found that General He's identity was suspicious. After returning to Beijing, I went to Xianchang Hall. Someone set fire to the library in Xianchang Hall in an attempt to burn General Feihong's old notes." Xiao Jue said in a deep voice, "Fortunately, the fire failed. I compared the notes in Xianchang Hall with the military books that General Feihong had read, and the handwriting is the same. However, Mr. He's handwriting is not similar."

"How can this alone prove General Feihong's identity?" Xu Jingfu spoke slowly, staring at Xiao Jue with an unfathomable gaze. "A person's handwriting will not remain unchanged forever. It is not impossible that it will change over time."

He never thought that Xiao Jue went through so much trouble to talk about this matter, which sounded so absurd that it made people laugh.

He Rufei's cousin is the real Feihong general, and He Rufei is just a fake who took the credit and occupied the position? How is this possible? No one knows the name of He Rufei's cousin, let alone a woman, how can she have such great ability?

He thought Xiao Huai Jin was joking, but when he saw He Rufei's expression, he was shocked.

In an instant, many things that he had not understood in the past suddenly became clear. He Rufei was quite famous among the military commanders, and he did not rely on a civil official like him to support him. Even if he wanted to join the fight for the throne, he would not be in a hurry. Why did he rush to cooperate with him? It was as if he was using him to cover up something.

Although Xu Jingfu had doubts before, he had people investigate and found nothing, so he temporarily dispelled his doubts. Now it seems that what Xiao Jue said is probably true. Although he doesn't understand how Xiao Jue knows these secrets, if He Rufei really gets into trouble, it will be harmful to him. Thinking of this, no matter how reluctant he is, at this juncture, Xu Jingfu can only speak for He Rufei.

"This is just one of the evidences." Xiao Jue said calmly: "Bring a witness."

Someone was brought to the square by the guards. It was a woman. She was very timid. When she arrived at the square and saw so many people, she was so scared that she collapsed to the ground.

"Jiang," Xiao Jue said, "tell the emperor everything you know in front of him."

Xu Zhiheng's face was as pale as paper, and he was about to fall. He had been looking for Madam Jiang's whereabouts. He had already found out something, but the people he sent out came back empty-handed. Later, because of Fuwang, he thought that Madam Jiang was found by He Rufei, and He Rufei was planning to use Madam Jiang to capture him, but he never expected that Madam Jiang was found by Xiao Jue.

When Nanny Jiang saw the emperor, she was so frightened that she kowtowed repeatedly, tears almost falling out of her eyes: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty... I really don't know anything. I served the concubine of the Xu family. That day, the concubine said she wanted to kill the grandmother. It was the eldest master's idea... I could only watch from a distance. They pushed the grandmother into the water and suffocated her to death. I heard the concubine call the grandmother He Jiangjun... The grandmother's eyes were also blinded by them. I didn't do anything. I really don't know anything!"

"Oh my God! What does this woman mean? The grandmother Xu who drowned earlier was the real General Feihong. Are they killing people to silence them?"

"So, Master Xu also knows about this? But wasn't Master Xu deeply in love with his late wife?"

"This is not a passionate love, it's simply creepy!"

Lin Shuanghe murmured, "Brother He... is it Grandma Xu?"

Yan He couldn't hide the surprise in his eyes and wondered if he was dreaming.

Wei Xuanzhang was pushed by his colleague. "Mr. Wei, it turns out that the General He in your academy was actually a woman? Didn't you notice?"

Wei Xuanzhang did not speak, his mind was full of disbelief. He disliked He Rufei very much. If it were not for the teacher's plea, he would not have allowed He Rufei to enter the academy in the first place. The boy was diligent and studious, but unfortunately he had no talent in academics. He was not outstanding in martial arts. Xianchang Academy cultivated the future talents of the Great Wei. Ordinary people like him should just go to an ordinary academy.

But later, when He Rufei led the Suyue Army to fight against the Western Qiang people, he was impressed. Those who can protect their country are all good men.

Now that I think about it, He Rufei had already shown a different side from other teenagers when he was in Xianchang Hall. For example, he always wore a mask and was always alone. The gentlemen had always thought that he was inferior because of his ugly appearance, but now they understood everything.

It turns out that the boy who was always clumsy and hardworking was actually a girl. She was afraid of being discovered, so she always stayed alone.

He couldn't tell what he felt. Wei Xuanzhang had always believed that women should stay at home to take care of their husbands and children and not show up in public. Women are all short-sighted, but now, he could no longer say a harsh word. He only felt that the dead General Feihong was respectable and pitiful.

The fifth prince Guangji quietly pulled Guangshuo beside him and said, "Fourth brother, why don't I understand what they are saying? What happened to General Feihong?"

Guangxio suppressed his surprise and said, "Nothing." Looking at He Rufei kneeling in front of the emperor, he sighed in his heart.

He remembered He Rufei, who had become famous in the battle of the Yue army. Later, it was discovered that he was the eldest son of the He family, and everyone in the court praised him. It takes courage for a son of a well-born family to go to war. Moreover, the heroic demeanor of General Feihong was widely known among his subordinates, and he admired him very much. But now Xiao Jue revealed the truth of the matter. The brave general who rushed to the battlefield without caring about his own life was actually a weak woman under the armor.

After the victory, she didn't get any credit, praise, or even status. She was killed by her own family, and it makes people feel that God is cruel.

The emperor looked at the civil servants with a solemn look, "Xu Zhiheng, are you also aware of this?"

"No...no...I was wronged!" Xu Zhiheng's legs went limp and he fell to the ground. "It was this bastard who slandered me! I didn't do anything...it was her master! Her master He Wanru was jealous of the lady and secretly harmed the lady, causing her to drown. After I knew about this, I killed He Wanru to avenge the lady, but I never knew that the lady was General Feihong! I really didn't know!"

He was in tears, and spoke with great sincerity. Anyone who saw him would think that this man was innocent. He Yan looked at Xu Zhiheng's pretense with cold eyes. Suddenly, he felt that this soft-headed man in front of him was not at all similar to the young man in blue clothes he met at the hunting ground that year.

The prince could not help but speak up: "Commander Xiao, you are not going to convict General He based on a few notes and a few casual words from a servant. This is General Feihong of the Wei Dynasty. Besides, the truth you said is a little too unbelievable. Is a woman so powerful?"

Guangyan had no dealings with He Rufei, but he knew a little that He Rufei seemed to have some relationship with Xu Xiang. He spoke up for He Rufei at this moment, not for He Rufei, nor for Xu Xiang, but to shut Xiao Jue up. After all, Xiao Jue was an enemy, not a friend, to him.

"It is impossible to convict Mr. He based on these alone. Besides," he said with a mocking look in his eyes, "Mr. He's crimes are not limited to these."

Guangyan was stunned, and Xu Jingfu thought to himself that something was wrong. Xiao Jue said, "He Rufei was a traitor. In order to avoid being exposed, he secretly communicated with the Wutuo people during the battle of Huayuan, and even sacrificed the lives of our Wei soldiers in exchange for the Wutuo people's leniency."

Manning was watching a good show from the sidelines, and he never expected that the fire would suddenly burn in front of him. He was so frightened that his face changed slightly.

No one spoke.

The cold wind in the square blew through the flying flags, like the souls of the innocent dead on the battlefield finally arriving at the desk to appeal for justice.

"He Rufei," Xiao Jue sneered, "You are so stupid."

"Commander-in-Chief Xiao, don't speak carelessly before you make things clear," said Xu Jingfu.

Xiao Jue remained unmoved and ordered his men to present the evidence to the emperor.

"There was a theft at the mansion of Mr. He. It was said that antiques and cultural relics were stolen. It was just a small amount of foreign money, but the He family panicked and went all over the city to find the thief." Xiao Jue said calmly, "Why is this so? Because Mr. He himself knows that if the stolen items are made public, he will definitely be ruined."

He Rufei gritted his teeth and said, "You..."

"Three letters," the young man turned to the emperor, "two are from Wutuo people, and one," he glanced at Xu Jingfu, his lips curled, "was received from Prime Minister Xu."

Emperor Wenxuan raised his eyes suddenly.

If the previous incident with He Rufei only gave him shock and disbelief, then Xiao Jue's last words made him feel extremely angry and a huge sense of betrayal.

Xu Jingfu...and Wu Tuoren?

He was a mediocre emperor who liked to be a hands-off manager, but that didn't mean he liked being played around by others. This was trampling on the dignity of the royal family, how could he tolerate that?

Xu Jingfu was stunned, and kneeled down subconsciously, saying, "Your Majesty, I have no second thoughts. I don't know where Commander Xiao got the forged letter to slander me like this. The world can see my heart for Your Majesty!"

He didn't know where Xiao Jue got the letter from, nor did he know when He Rufei hid the letter. He didn't think too much about He Rufei, a tyrannical general, and it was not worth worrying about him. But it was his carelessness that pushed himself into the fire pit. He Rufei actually kept a letter from somewhere and didn't destroy it. And it was discovered by Xiao Jue!

Emperor Wenxuan looked at the letter in his hand. The more he read, the gloomier his expression became. In the end, he no longer had any expression.

He already knew whether the letter was genuine or not. For so many years, Xu Jingfu had been by his side, but he had turned a blind eye to it, just because he remembered Xu Jingfu's assistance when he first ascended the throne. He thought he was a humane emperor, different from the previous emperors, but now it seemed that the relationship between the monarch and his subjects was not worth mentioning in the eyes of some people. He gave Xu Jingfu power and status, but he was still not satisfied.

As soon as the words "collaboration with the enemy and treason" came out, he looked at Xu Jingfu without any more affection as before.

"Commander Xiao," Yan He, one of the generals, suddenly asked loudly, "Did He Rufei really abandon the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers in the battle of Huayuan just for his own selfish desires?"

Xiao Jue said nothing and just looked at him calmly.

Yan He's eyes suddenly turned red.

Military generals are different from literati. They go to the battlefield and carry swords and guns. The feelings of brothers and comrades who go through life and death on the battlefield are different from those of others. When the military generals are fighting, they wish to save as many people as possible. What they hate most is meaningless sacrifices. However, there are such beasts who betray their own people and watch them go to die. What they want is nothing more than their own lives.

Yan He took a deep breath, stepped out of the line, and knelt down in front of Emperor Wenxuan: "Your Majesty, please severely punish He Rufei! Avenge the innocent soldiers who died in the battle of Huayuan!"

The generals were stunned at first, then fell silent. Finally, they took off their swords and spears and knives, then knelt down, "Your Majesty, please punish He Rufei severely and avenge the innocent soldiers who died in the battle of Huayuan!"

The shouting was deafening. Ma Ningbu thought to himself that something was wrong. He then looked at Emperor Wenxuan, who also looked shocked.

Xiao Jue said in a cold voice: "The Wutuo people secretly colluded with officials in the court, causing the battle of Huayuan to be a disaster, and soldiers died in vain. Now they are pretending to seek peace, but in fact they have evil intentions. Your Majesty," Xiao Jue bowed and saluted, "The ambitions of the Wutuo people are obvious. Your Majesty, please withdraw your order to seek peace. As for opening a market in Wei, it is even more absurd. The most urgent task now is to find out which officials in the court are in collusion with the Wutuo people."

Xu Jingfu scolded: "Xiao Huaijin, you are slandering me!"

"The innocent are innocent. Why should Prime Minister Xu get excited?" Xiao Jue was reluctant to give him a look. He looked directly at Emperor Wenxuan and said, "Your Majesty, please withdraw your order."

Emperor Wenxuan suddenly felt tired.

Having been the emperor for so many years, he didn't have many easy days. Most of the time, he was tired. But there was never a time like today when he felt that he was really old. He was so old that even sitting on this position felt too high and too cold.

"Father," the fourth prince Guangshuo, who had been silent all this time, finally stood up and spoke to Emperor Wenxuan, "regardless of whether what Commander Xiao said is true or false, at this moment, the issue of establishing friendly relations with the Kingdom of Wutuo must be renegotiated. As for Master He and Lord Xu... we cannot let them go until the truth comes out. The matter of General Feihong is of great importance. If what Commander Xiao said is true, all those involved in this matter are implicated."

This statement also includes Xu Jingfu.

Xu Jingfu felt a sweetness in his throat, and felt a suffocation in his chest, which made him want to vomit blood. The fourth prince Guangshuo had always been well-behaved. Although he supported the crown prince Guangyan and was wary of Guangshuo, in Xu Jingfu's heart, Guangshuo had no courage to fight for the throne. If he had, he would not have dragged it on until now. Guangshuo's temperament was similar to that of Emperor Wenxuan, with a little useless kindness of the imperial family, so he was destined to be inferior to Guangyan.

And Guangshuo's opening at this moment will be the last straw that breaks the camel's back.

Sure enough, Emperor Wenxuan glanced at Guangshuo. At this juncture, he did not hate Guangshuo's meddling in political affairs. Instead, he felt that Guangshuo's words seemed to provide a solution to the current situation, which made him sober up from the feeling of betrayal.

Xu Jingfu looked at Emperor Wenxuan's face and thought to himself, if Emperor Wenxuan spoke at this moment and accepted Guangshuo's words, then He Rufei would have no chance to turn things around. If He Rufei had no chance to turn things around, the letter would become evidence to nail him to death. He couldn't be taken away here at this time, leaving only Guangyan outside. Guangyan, that idiot, had no way to get him out, and Xiao Huaijin would not let go of this opportunity. After today, he would have no chance of turning things around!

"Your Majesty..." Xu Jingfu burst into tears, "I feel wronged. I think that what Commander Xiao said is not true. It is all fabricated nonsense. It is said that General Feihong and General Fengyun have always been at odds with each other. Now it seems to be true. But I don't know how General He provoked Commander Xiao to make him do such a heartbreaking thing!"

Even at this point, he still didn't give up.

"Commander-in-Chief Xiao did not lie!" A woman's voice suddenly rang out, sharp and piercing.

He Yan was startled and looked back. He saw a woman stumbling in the crowd. Her clothes were dirty and she looked like she had rolled around somewhere. She appeared out of nowhere. Her hair was also messy, but her face was pretty.

It turned out to be Mrs. He Er.

He Yan was stunned. He wanted to go forward, but was afraid of being discovered, so he had to stand still.

Xiao Jue was also surprised. He Rufei was shocked. Madam He didn't even look at the others. She threw herself to the Tianxing Terrace and prostrated herself in front of Emperor Wenxuan. She said loudly, "I can testify, Your Majesty, I can testify. He Rufei is not a Feihong general at all. He is just a fake. He Rufei was born with my daughter, but he was weak. The doctor said that He Rufei would not live more than three years old. In order to protect his title, my husband and elder brother asked my daughter He Yan to dress up as a man and exchange identities with He Rufei."

He Yan's hands were shaking slightly.

Madam He Er crawled forward two steps, "My daughter went to the battlefield at the age of sixteen, and fortunately she won military merit. When she returned to the capital, He Rufei had recovered. When His Majesty was rewarding and selecting generals, He Yan and He Rufei had already returned to their respective positions. This was nothing," she took a breath, pointing at He Rufei not far away with hatred, "but they were so crazy! In order to prevent their identities from being exposed, they fed my daughter poison, first blinding her eyes, and then drowning her in a pond."

"Commander Xiao did not lie to you, Your Majesty," Madam He Er shouted, "My daughter He Yan is the real General Feihong!"