The chubby orange prince hated the sound of cicadas. When he was still a prince, he specially hired a group of people to catch cicadas in the height of summer so that their chirping would not disturb his peace.
But cicadas are only present during the height of summer. For the rest of the year, we can't just let these people sit around collecting their salaries, can we?
So Big Fat Orange sent them to gather intelligence. Gradually, the group Xia Yi led, called the Sticky Pole Bureau, was actually the Flying Guillotine.
He was tasked with gathering intelligence on the previous dynasty for the sake of the fat orange king, doing all sorts of dirty work and eliminating dissidents.
Su Peisheng bent down even further, his head bowed, his entire body etched with the word "humility."
Thinking about what Big Fat Orange had just said, the imprisoned Eighth, Ninth, and Fourteenth Princes were nothing compared to that. But that Prince Dun...
Su Peisheng secretly wondered if the Emperor had reached his limit and wanted Xia Yi to lead men to assassinate Prince Dun.
No, if Prince Dun were so easy to deal with, why would the Emperor have tolerated him for so long? He is, after all, a prince with real power and considerable influence. Taking his life is easy, but dealing with the aftermath is difficult...
Forget it, there's no point in trying to guess the emperor's thoughts; he'll never figure them out anyway.
Su Peisheng said, "This servant obeys. I will go and bring Xia Yi to His Majesty immediately."
"Your Majesty, you haven't had dinner yet. This servant will go and prepare some late-night snacks for you. Would that be alright?"
He was so angry he was full; how could he possibly eat anything!
The chubby orange cat said, "Never mind, I don't have an appetite."
"Go down."
Su Peisheng replied helplessly, "Yes."
Before long, Xia Yi arrived at the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation. This time, Su Peisheng did not go inside to serve him, but let Xia Yi go in alone. He himself stayed at the entrance and took on the job of guarding the gate.
"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor!"
Big Fat Orange said, "I called you here so late at night, there's no need to be so reserved, get up."
Xia Yi said, "This servant thanks Your Majesty for your grace. I wonder if Your Majesty has summoned this servant at this time because you have something to instruct me on?"
Big Fat Orange sat on top, its face half-bright and half-dark in the dim light. Adding to the woes, a strong wind was howling outside.
Even though Xia Yi had seen countless deaths and never believed in ghosts or gods, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy at this moment.
The emperor summoning him in the middle of the night must be something serious. Who knows who, and how many, will lose their heads this time...?
Big Fat Orange's voice was not as strong as usual; it revealed weakness, exhaustion, and hidden anger, all of which terrified Xia Yi.
"I summoned you here to ask you, having monitored Prince Dun for so long, have you discovered any wrongdoing on his part?"
Xia Yi lowered his head and replied, "Your Majesty, since the late Emperor's passing, this servant has been sent to monitor him on Your Majesty's orders."
“Prince Dun was hot-tempered and easily angered, and had a rough and unruly nature. In the Prince’s Palace, he made disrespectful remarks about the Emperor, but he only said them to those close to him and did not spread them around.”
"Furthermore, he allowed his relatives, stewards, and others to bully men and women and seize hundreds of acres of other people's land."
"His confidant lent out money at exorbitant interest rates, lending out at least forty or fifty thousand taels of silver, causing many families to be ruined and people to die. It is just unknown whether this was Prince Dun's idea or the work of that confidant in private."
The chubby orange cat said, "This is utterly disrespectful to me..."
"Have you noticed whether he has sent people to fabricate rumors about me, such as that I was illegitimate in ascending the throne, to spread slander against me?"
Xia Yi thought for a moment and said, "Please forgive me, Your Majesty, this servant did not discover these things. However, Prince Dun did privately express his extreme dissatisfaction with Your Majesty's ascension to the throne."
"They believed that the late emperor was old and senile and was deceived by others, which is why they rejected the person in the Imperial Clan Court and made the current emperor the heir apparent."
"His Majesty, mindful of brotherly affection, has been tolerant of Prince Dun time and time again. Prince Dun not only fails to appreciate His Majesty's kindness but also repeatedly provokes him, deserving of death."
The chubby orange cat looked at Xia Yi standing below and continued to ask, "Does Prince Dun still have contact with the Eighth and Ninth Princes?"
Although he had imprisoned the eighth and ninth princes in the Imperial Clan Court and forbade others to visit them, loopholes were inevitable as long as someone was in charge.
Given the tenth prince's status, it wouldn't be impossible for him to bribe someone who had been dismissed. He could easily find a way to communicate with the eighth and ninth princes.
Xia Yi said, "The Imperial Clan Court is heavily guarded, and both of them are wanted criminals. Anyone who could get in touch with these two criminals was someone arranged by me."
"Moreover, there were other people watching them. Therefore, although Prince Dun had this intention, he was never able to succeed and never actually made contact with the two criminals."
The chubby orange said, "Although they didn't succeed, this action shows they haven't given up and are still dreaming!"
“Each and every one of these offenses is a capital offense. Since you had already discovered them, why didn’t you tell me sooner, instead of waiting until I asked you?”
Big Fat Orange's voice was still the same as when he came in, filled with exhaustion and weakness.
But the anger contained within, and the meaning behind the words, made Xia Yi aware of it.
If he mispronounces even a single word, he can forget about leaving the Hall of Mental Cultivation unscathed.
The pressure suddenly shifted from Prince Dun to him. What to do?!
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