Chapter 104
After discovering the correct way to open the melon-eating system, the rulers and ministers of Dasheng utilized the system to its fullest potential.
Want to know if someone is trustworthy? Ask the system.
Want to know if there's a hidden secret? Ask the system.
Want to know how to deal with someone? Or ask the system.
The melon-eating system does not have the formal organization of the Dasheng court, but it is busier than many officials with formal organization.
Chu Huan was also worried that Dasheng would become too dependent on the system, and would not cherish what he had gained so easily, and would be lazy in training his own abilities. After her death, without the system, Dasheng would become a group of scattered sand with only a name but no ability.
It was at this moment that the system said aggrievedly: [The melon is gone, woo woo.]
The rulers and ministers of Dasheng: "..."
There are too many people eating melons. It is impossible to rely on the system to slowly practice questions and accumulate melons.
Considering that the system has only been working for two or three years since it was manufactured and is still a child system, they really can't do anything like allowing the system to accumulate melons so that it can be used crazily by itself - that would be too cruel.
They need to find another way to accumulate melon energy, such as mobilizing people to look for interesting or exotic melons outside, and then inform the system after they have collected them all, giving it free ready-made melons to eat.
This has several advantages. The system no longer needs to waste melon energy to eat many melons. This method can accumulate melon energy very quickly. It can also allow Chu Huan to have a basic understanding of the outside world, so that she will not be deaf to what is happening outside and not even know that Prince An has been captured.
Chu Huan suddenly looked up: [When did this happen?]
The Fifth Prince: “…”
Nangong Ling: “…”
Is this true? You don’t even know this?!
The two friends were surprised at first, but then they thought about Chu Huan's usual classes and her level of test scores. The system rarely asked her to join in the discussion, and the Chu family didn't bother her either. It was understandable that Chu Huan didn't know.
I eat melons every day, but I didn’t share such a big melon with my friends.
Tsk, dereliction of duty.
The fifth prince quickly shared this expired melon with Chu Huan, briefly mentioning the gossip about the Fugui Casino as a summary of the story.
"Xirong used the Fugui Casino as a channel to send money, people, and information to Prince An. However, Prince An accepted the money, people, and information but refused to deliver. Furious, Xirong sent evidence to the capital, hoping to use the court to deal with Prince An. Upon discovering this, Prince An sent his men after him."
"When you and Tong'er were eating melons, you mentioned where the troops from both sides had gone. The Jinyiwei rushed there overnight but were still a step too late. The Xirong people were killed and the evidence was destroyed."
Due to her identity, Nangong Ling only knew what was rumored outside, and didn't know as much as the Fifth Prince. She listened quietly to the details of the big news.
Chu Huan was speechless. How could such a good opportunity be missed? Was the Jinyiwei a bit lame?
The system complained bitterly in the private chat channel: [We gave them such detailed information about our location, hoping they would rush over and get rid of this cancerous Prince An sooner, but it turned out to be completely useless. The Dasheng court will be finished sooner or later!]
His tone was full of disappointment.
The Fifth Prince noticed Chu Huan's speechless and discontented expression. Although he was also dissatisfied when he heard this, it was ultimately his kingdom, so he quickly defended the court. "We didn't receive any existing evidence. The Imperial Guards followed the traces to the location of the fight and recovered some evidence from the bodies, which will allow us to conduct further investigations."
"The Western Rong lost such a large number of spies and money, and they were furious with Prince An. They used other means to send evidence to the Pacification Office. It turned out that the Western Rong spies were worried about accidents, so they only sent out part of the intelligence. Some of it was a transcript, not the original. They kept some information back."
"This time, Prince An hadn't received any advance warning, nor did he realize anything was amiss, so the evidence was delivered. It wasn't particularly complete, but it was sufficient. The court used the charge of 'collaboration with the enemy and treason' to remove the secret guards around Prince An."
Chu Huan expected that the charge of treason would bring down Prince An. After all, any official charged with this crime would at least have his entire clan exterminated. However, she did not expect that the first person to be brought down would be the secret guards left by the late emperor for Prince An.
"Can the secret guard be killed for this?"
The Fifth Prince said, "Grandfather's decision to leave the Secret Guard to Prince An is actually a violation of the law. The Secret Guard's job is to protect successive emperors and obey their orders. For example, protecting you is an order given by our father to the Secret Guard."
System supplementary explanation: [Mainly doing dirty work, protection missions are rare and are generally reserved for royal children. Sister Huan, you are a special case. Okay, continue.]
Everyone in the Chu family: "..."
The fifth prince was almost choked to death by the system. There are many things that everyone knows but just won’t say out loud, and the above content is one of them.
But he had already started talking, so he couldn't give up halfway, so he could only continue: "The secret guards can ignore other things, but the crime of treason is too serious. The will left by the emperor's grandfather cannot protect Prince An."
This is too simple!
The system disdained it for a second before adding another explanation: [Prince An's actions over the years have become increasingly outrageous. The Secret Guards are human, not machines. They have their own standards. After seeing those disgusting things, some are unmoved, while others are constantly wavering between "Secret Guards must obey orders" and "Do we really want to follow such a master?"]
For the secret guards, obeying orders and completing their missions were paramount. Often, they were expected to set aside their own emotions and cognition. Their reason and feelings collided back and forth, and over the years, they wavered, increasingly concluding that a master like Prince An was unworthy of following.
Once the Imperial Guards dispatched by the Emperor produced evidence of Prince An's treason, the Secret Guards had a legitimate reason to step aside. Without the protection of both the Secret Guards and the Emperor's will, Prince An could no longer cause any further trouble.
This was a bit unexpected for Chu Huan, and she sighed, "I thought there would be a fierce battle."
"Me too!" Nangong Ling and Chu Huan shared the same opinion. "So many people sent by the imperial court over the years have been killed. Those secret guards were so loyal. I thought they would fight to the death before they could capture Prince An."
Nangong Ling became excited as she spoke: "I even thought that Prince An might escape from Zhouzhou under the sworn protection of the secret guards, and the two sides would stage a chase and escape, with many hardships in the middle, and finally catch the man."
[That's right!] The system couldn't agree more. It was waiting to see an ancient version of Fast and Furious, but in the end, there was nothing. They just arrested the person directly. It was very disappointing to the system.
Chu Huan pointed out the key point: "A man without moral integrity will find few supporters. For a loyal secret guard to make such a decision, it seems there is still much about Prince An that we don't know."
The fifth prince heard a lot of information from the emperor and shared it with his friends in a mysterious tone: "He made a dragon robe in private."
"Hiss—" Chu Huan and Nangong Ling were so frightened that they almost bit their tongues.
[Hiss——] The system was also startled, and its baby voice instantly soared into a tenor, [I, the dignified melon-eating system, actually didn't get to eat this melon!]
A hint of smile flashed across the Fifth Prince's eyes. He knew the system would be shocked! It was worth mentioning this topic today.
"In any dynasty, privately making a dragon robe was a serious crime. It was irrefutable evidence that Prince An was plotting to usurp the throne. He knew the severity of his crime, so he hid it in a secret room and wore it occasionally for pleasure, never wearing it openly for anyone to see. And precisely because he hid it in his study, he couldn't deny it."
Even if Prince An tried to exonerate himself by saying that he was framed by others, he could not explain it even if he had ten mouths because the dragon robe that was exactly the right size for him was placed in such an important place in the study.
Chu Huan knew that there were people who loved to commit suicide, but she didn't expect that there would be someone who would commit such a suicide.
"With Prince An's status and starting point, if he stays in Zhouzhou as a prince, what rich and luxurious life can't he live?"
Nangong Ling also gained new insights: "...Maybe everyone has their own aspirations."
The fifth prince glanced at Chu Huan, then glanced again. Hasn't the system finished eating the melon yet?
Chu Huan noticed something was wrong with the Fifth Prince. After a little thought, she knew why he mentioned Prince An today. But she was a little confused: If he wanted to know more, why didn’t he just ask the system directly?
Are you worried that this topic is a bit sensitive and that you’ll be scolded by the emperor?
"When was Prince An captured?"
The Fifth Prince said, "It happened seven or eight months ago. He is a prince after all. All the crimes committed in Zhouzhou must be investigated and sorted out, and then submitted to the Imperial Clan Court. That's why it's been delayed for so long."
At this time, the system came back after eating the melon and said, "It must be said, this Prince An is really bold."
Here it comes! The fifth prince straightened up, and he knew that there was something even bigger going on with Prince An.
The Chu family listened intently. Could there really be a greater crime than privately making a dragon robe and collaborating with the enemy and treason? It was hard to imagine.
System: [Prince An was doted on as a child, often visiting the late emperor in the imperial study. After the late emperor finished his duties at the imperial court and the imperial harem, he even went so far as to offer Prince An his education. He was the only prince to receive such instruction and calligraphy from the late emperor; even the current emperors don't receive this treatment.]
Prince An was curious and wanted to see the imperial seal, so the late emperor didn't hesitate, handing it over to his son. This really shows how special Bai Yueguang's son was to the late emperor. No wonder he was given such a good fiefdom and protected by secret guards and imperial edicts, only to find he turned out to be such an ungrateful person.
After Prince An put on the dragon robe, he felt that this local emperor was still not quite what he wanted. He remembered the dragon throne that the previous emperor had held him on, and the jade seal he had seen as a child. He drew a picture of it and asked someone to make it.
Everyone:!!!
What is a bolt from the blue? This is it.
The old Grand Tutor was originally walking slowly, and was happy because he had eaten the melon earlier than the old Grand Master. He was thinking of showing off to the old Grand Master later. But when he heard about the dragon throne and the jade seal, he immediately sprinted a hundred meters to the study.
"System, did Prince An really make the imperial seal?"
[Yes.] The system's clear, baby-like voice echoed in everyone's ears, making their heads buzz.
Nangong Ling's eyes almost popped out of her head, and she blurted out: "Is he crazy? How dare he do that?"
The old master's legs went weak and he held onto the study door to avoid sitting down. His eyes and face were filled with horror.
The Fifth Prince found that things were a little beyond his expectations: "I haven't heard of a dragon throne."
System: [The Dragon Throne was too ambitious. Prince An's plan to find someone to build it was discovered by his staff. They took turns trying to persuade him, ultimately destroying the half-finished throne.]
The old tutor held onto a last glimmer of hope and asked anxiously, "What about the imperial seal? Is it destroyed too?"
Seeing that the old tutor looked frightened despite his age, the system was worried that he would faint after learning the truth, so it did not dare to speak for a while.
Chu Huan and Nangong Ling helped the old tutor sit down on the chair, "Teacher, don't worry."
"How can I not be anxious?" The old tutor knew that his student had good intentions and was worried that he would be overwhelmed by anger, but he couldn't help but be anxious. His heart was burning with anxiety. "The Jinyiwei didn't find the jade seal in Prince An's mansion. If the jade seal hadn't been destroyed, it would have fallen into the hands of others. It would have been disastrous."
Seeing that she couldn't persuade the old tutor, Chu Huan quickly called out to someone, "Jia Yi, come and show it to the teacher."
Jia Yi, who was guarding the door, moved when he heard the sound, took the old tutor's pulse for a while, and nodded to Chu Huan.
Even at this point, the system still hasn't responded, which clearly indicates a positive result.
The old tutor already knows half of it and has not reacted in any other way. He can hold on until he knows the final result.
He knew what was going on and patted the back of Chu Huan's hand. "It's okay, I can handle it. You can tell the system."
Chu Huan nodded: [Tong'er, go ahead.]
The system's speech slowed down: [The imperial seal has been made. His staff advised Prince An to destroy the evidence, but he refused to listen.]
The only thing he listened to his staff was to hide the imperial seal somewhere where it would never be discovered.
The old master asked, "Where?"
Everyone is guessing where that place that will definitely not be discovered is.
The Imperial Guards must have searched Prince An's mansion several times, but they couldn't find it. Could it be hidden outside the mansion? Or perhaps it's somewhere they wouldn't normally think of hiding something.
The system's voice was weak and brimming with a hint of unconscious disdain: [Toilet.]
Old Master: “…”
Chu Huan and others: "..."
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