Qin Xuan, who had just stepped into the tent, couldn't help but stop, almost unable to look directly into the other person's eyes.

Who is this person? !

Qin Xuan immediately felt something was wrong. This was the tent of the King of Nanyang. Why was this stranger sitting at the head? !

Qin Xuan glanced around the tent, his eyes fell on the purple-clothed young man in the wheelchair next to him. His pupils shrank sharply, and he blurted out: "Brother, why are you here?!"

As he spoke, Qin Xuan recalled the strange atmosphere in the camp when he entered it just now. There were many unfamiliar soldiers around him, and his heart sank. The ominous premonition became stronger, and the alarm bells rang loudly.

Qin Yao, who was sitting in a wheelchair, looked deeply at Qin Xuan, who was two or three meters away. Qin Xuan was his younger brother, who was only three years younger than him and had the same father and mother.

His eyes seemed to be looking at a stranger.

They were indeed strangers.

When he was eleven years old, his father asked for him to be named the crown prince. For this purpose, he went to the capital. Since then, he has stayed in the capital as a hostage. It has been seven years now. So although he is the crown prince of Nanyang, he has neither the support of the military nor the people in Nanyang.

He also gradually drifted away from his relatives.

During these seven years, he had never seen his younger brother. He only returned to Nanyang for the first time in April when he heard the news that his father was seriously ill... At that time, he was just worried about his father's condition, and never thought of all these things that would happen later!

Qin Yao's eyes flickered and his heart was surging, but his face was very calm, with a hint of a smile between his brows.

"Why shouldn't I be here?" Qin Yao asked back.

He said it lightly, and only he and Gu Jue knew the hardships he had gone through in the past few months.

From the time Gu Jue rescued him and brought him back to the capital, until they secretly left the capital without the emperor's knowledge.

Gu Jue took him to the north first, transferred an elite force from the northern army, and then rushed to Nanyang at full speed and launched a surprise attack on the Nanyang military camp.

Gu Jue has always been swift and decisive in employing troops. In just half a day, he took over the military camp with lightning speed and controlled Mu Lin, the old general who was in charge of military and political affairs in the Nanyang army.

Mu Lin is a close confidant of King Nanyang and the second-in-command of the Nanyang Army.

The King of Nanyang is dead. Although the Princess of Nanyang submitted a memorial requesting a title for her second son Qin Xuan, due to Gu Jue's interference, the new King of Nanyang has not yet been appointed. Therefore, the military affairs are temporarily presided over by Mu Lin.

Mu Lin was sitting at the lower left side at this moment, looking back and forth at Gu Jue, Qin Yao and Qin Xuan with a complicated expression.

An hour ago, the camp was surrounded by a cavalry unit, and countless crossbows were aimed at the soldiers in the camp.

Mu Lin originally wanted to fight to the death with the other party, but he found a familiar figure among the enemies——

Qin Yao, the prince of Nanyang who murdered his father and fled.

Mu Lin was surprised and angrily accused Qin Yao of being inhumane and unfilial and killing his father. However, Prince Gu Jue appeared with Qin Yao. He personally vouched for Qin Yao, saying that he believed he did not kill his father, and proposed to call the second son Qin Xuan for questioning.

Mu Lin considered it again and again and had no choice but to agree.

Firstly, the situation is stronger than people.

Prince Chen should have been in the capital, but he sent troops to raid the Nanyang military camp without anyone noticing. Now that Prince Nanyang is dead, the army's morale is in turmoil. The Nanyang army is now like a sick tiger, vulnerable to any attack.

The King of Chen's knife was already on their necks. If they did not respond, it would be an insult to the King of Chen, which would probably lead to a bloody storm, and the Nanyang Army would inevitably suffer countless casualties.

Secondly, Gu Jue asked him to summon the Second Young Master Qin Xuan, which was actually just a courtesy. Even if he did not respond, Qin Yao could still go find Qin Xuan, and by then, Qin Xuan's life might be in danger.

Thirdly, and this is the most important point.

The reputation of Prince Gu Jue is certainly significant in the army. Prince Gu Jue has always been strict in military discipline, clear in rewards and punishments, and sets an example himself. He is praised by everyone, both in the Da Qi army and among the people.

In the history of Da Qi, there is only one Gu Jue.

The reason why Gu Jue is famous throughout the world and intimidates Nan Hao is of course not just because of his surname and the late emperor’s love for him, but because of who he is.

His words are as good as gold and he never goes back on his words.

This matter was of great importance, so Mu Lin also called three other veterans as witnesses.

The deceased King of Nanyang had been very kind to him, and he also did not want the prince to die in obscurity. He also wanted to see if there was really any hidden story behind the prince's death as King Chen said.

"Second Young Master," Mu Lin bowed to Qin Xuan and said politely but respectfully, "The Crown Prince said he wanted to see you, so I specially invited you to come over for a chat."

"..." Qin Xuan was a little panicked when he first saw Qin Yao, but now that he saw several veteran generals in the army including Mu Lin were there, he calmed down a lot and his eyes became more focused.

He raised his hand and pointed at Qin Yao in the wheelchair, raised his voice angrily, and asked: "Brother, you killed our father, and you have the nerve to come back?!"

His thoughts raced, thinking that the stranger sitting behind the general's desk in front of him must not be an ordinary person since he could sit at the top seat as a matter of course.

He pretended to be indignant, "Now that my father's body is still warm, you still don't repent, and you are still entangled with outsiders to plot rebellion, and you don't care about the lives of the soldiers and civilians in Nanyang."

"Brother, you really disappoint me!"

What he meant was that Qin Yao colluded with outsiders to rebel. Once the emperor believed that the Nanyang Palace and the Nanyang Army were rebelling, then the soldiers, officials and officers of Nanyang would be implicated, which would be a capital crime. In the worst case, their property would be confiscated and their entire clan would be implicated.

After Qin Xuan said this, all the generals nodded thoughtfully with serious expressions.

In addition to Mu Lin, there is another veteran with triangular eyes who also knows Gu Jue's identity. He thinks that Qin Yao is not only unfilial and patricidal, but also ambitious and acts too without measure.

Even if Qin Yao said he was wronged, shouldn't he stand up and let the emperor and the Dali Temple try the case? !

He is now directly using Prince Chen and the Northern Army to suppress them, which is a crooked way!

Qin Yao stroked his sleeves, curled his lips, and instead of being angry, he showed a cynical smile, and asked Qin Xuan meaningfully: "I thought Nanyang was already 'plotting a rebellion'?"

"..." Qin Xuan's pupils shrank slightly and his face turned three shades paler.

He had never expected Qin Yao to say that, and couldn't help but wonder if he knew something. He looked flustered for a moment, but soon calmed down.

"Brother, I don't know what you are talking about." Qin Xuan raised his chin and said in a rough voice, "Are you trying to turn the tables?"

Veterans such as Mu Lin were all confused and looked back and forth at the brothers.

Gu Jue and Qin Yao both noticed the subtle change in Qin Xuan's expression and looked at each other tacitly.

When people hear some news that is closely related to them, they will inevitably have some reactions. These reactions can be shown on their faces, such as frowning, sneering, curling lips, pouting, etc., or they can be shown in their body movements, such as trembling, clenching fists, weak legs, sweating, etc.

Even if these changes are extremely subtle, even if they only flash by, there are traces to follow.

Although Qin Xuan did not admit it himself, the shock and panic that he could not suppress at that moment said it all.

Qin Xuan really intended to collaborate with the enemy!

Gu Jue's eyes flashed, thinking about some details Qin Yao told him, and the knuckles of his left hand tapped lightly on the general's desk twice.

It seemed that everything was going as he expected.

Gu Jue's lips curled slightly, and he suggested: "There is a hidden story behind the death of Prince Nanyang. Why not open the coffin and conduct an autopsy to find out the truth!"

What?! Qin Xuan's eyes widened again, and he blurted out excitedly: "No! My father died unjustly, and he has died with his eyes wide open. Now that he has been buried, it is ridiculous to dig up my father's body and not even leave him a complete corpse!"

Mu Lin and other veterans looked at each other and felt that something was wrong.

Since ancient times, Han people have attached great importance to being buried in peace and leaving their bodies intact after death.

The prince devoted his entire life to the country and the people, but he could not rest in peace even after his death, which made the old people who had followed him for so many years feel unbearable.

He added in a calm tone, "Second Master Qin is wrong. I said I would open the coffin and examine the body, but I didn't say I would leave your father's body mutilated. Does Second Master Qin have something to hide?"

Qin Xuan: “…”

Qin Xuan clenched his fists and his face froze again. As the other party said, opening the coffin could also be used to examine only the surface of the body, which would not necessarily damage the body.

He wanted to explain that what he said was just human nature, but Gu Jue, who had already achieved his goal, didn't want to listen to his clever words and threw out the next sentence: "The reason why you don't agree to open the coffin for an autopsy is because you don't want others to discover the real cause of your father's death..."

The expressions of Mu Lin and others changed slightly again.

They were not present on the day King Nanyang died.

But there happened to be several women from the general's mansion there that day. When they and the princess heard the noise and came to the door of the outer study, they saw the King of Nanyang lying on the ground with a dagger stuck in his chest, and the Crown Prince Qin Yao standing next to the body. The second son arrived just one step earlier than the princess and the others, and was the first to denounce the Crown Prince for being cruel and ruthless, being unfilial and killing his father, and then ordering someone to take the Crown Prince down.

At that time, so many people witnessed it with their own eyes, and Qin Yao "fled for fear of crime", so no one suspected that there was anything fishy.

Afterwards, Mu Lin and others also examined the body of King Nanyang. There was no doubt that the dagger had killed him with one blow.

But now Gu Jue said that the cause of King Nanyang’s death was not because of this, which made Mu Lin find it unbelievable.

Fine beads of sweat oozed out of Qin Xuan's forehead. He took a step forward angrily, but at the same time avoided Gu Jue's gaze, which was so sharp that it seemed to see through everything.

He turned to look at Mu Lin and the others, and angrily said, "General Mu, are you just going to let him talk nonsense here?"

"There is no doubt about the cause of my father's death. He was stabbed in the chest with a dagger!"

"Did I ask you to speak?" Gu Jue raised the corner of his eye.

The corners of those narrow and long eyes were slightly tilted upwards, and the pupils were clear and wise, just like the bright moonlight falling on the water, creating a hint of silver light.

“Bang!”

The next moment, a clear slapping sound resounded throughout the tent, so loud and so crisp.

A gray shadow appeared in front of Qin Xuan. His face was twisted to one side by a blow, and a clear five-finger mark appeared on his left cheek.

His cheeks were visibly swollen and he looked very miserable.

Mo Chen glanced at Qin Xuan coldly, his eyes as cold as a knife.

The prince is speaking, and there is no room for him to interrupt!

"You dare to hit me!!" Qin Xuan widened his eyes in disbelief, his handsome features looked embarrassed and ferocious, and his voice was slightly broken.

He actually dared to hit himself. In his entire life, no one had ever hit him in the face except his father!

Mu Lin and others frowned slightly and remained silent.

Qin Xuan has not yet inherited the title of King of Nanyang, nor is he a crown prince. He is only the second son of the palace. As the King of Chen, it is only natural for him to want to teach a junior who has spoken rudely a lesson.

Seeing that Mu Lin and the others turned a blind eye, Qin Xuan's eyes seemed to be spitting fire, with a flash of anger and resentment.

Gu Jue naturally noticed it as well and curled the corner of his mouth nonchalantly.

He turned his right hand, and a dagger appeared between his fingers as if by magic. Then he slowly pulled the dagger out of the sheath, and the silver blade gleamed with cold light.

Everyone present was an expert. They knew at first sight that the dagger was forged from hundred-fold tempered steel and was extremely sharp, able to cut through hair with a single blow.

Qin Xuan wanted to say something, but as soon as he moved his mouth, he felt a sharp pain in his left cheek.

He looked at the dagger that was flipping flexibly in Gu Jue's hand, his eyes fixed on the blade, feeling a little nervous, as if the dagger would be thrown at him in the next moment.

He had a wild intuition in his heart: this man in front of him can do anything!

Gu Jue continued to speak slowly: "The real cause of your father's death was a poison called orchid grass."

"This orchid is extremely rare. It is colorless and tasteless, so you put it in your father's food or tea without him noticing."

"Lanze grass is a chronic poison that will eat away at your internal organs bit by bit. Ordinary doctors would only think your father has been suffering from a long-term cold."

If it was a doctor like Chu Qianchen, perhaps he could discover something strange and save King Nanyang's life. Unfortunately, there is no "if" in this world and the dead cannot be resurrected.

All they can do is seek justice for the dead and clear the grievances of the living.

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

Gu Jue turned the dagger again and stroked the blade with his fingertips.

There was an oil lamp lit on the general's desk. The light sprinkled on the blade, reflecting a dazzling light that just happened to shine into Qin Xuan's eyes, making him lower his eyes and his gaze wander.

Gu Jue continued, "Your father was seriously ill, so you used this as an excuse to coax Qin Yao back to Nanyang, and then put the blame on Qin Yao for the murder of his father."

"You killed your father with a dagger. It was not an impulse, but a long-planned plan to cover up the real cause of your father's death."

With every word Gu Jue spoke, Qin Xuan's face turned visibly pale, and more cold sweat appeared on his forehead and back. Before he knew it, his clothes were almost soaked with sweat.

Mu Lin and the others were all stunned.

They all noticed that Qin Xuan's reaction was not right. Could it be that...

Qin Xuan endured the severe pain in his cheek, knowing that he could no longer remain silent, and retorted: "Nonsense!"

"You are clearly favoring my eldest brother. In order to clear him of any involvement, you are making up nonsense and trying to pin the crime of patricide on me!"

"Where's the evidence? What evidence do you have?!"

That’s right, everything the other party said was actually speculation, he had no evidence at all!

When Mu Lin and the others heard this, their expressions varied. Some frowned tightly, some looked at each other, some were surprised and doubtful, and some seemed to be thinking about something.

They also realized that there might really be some hidden story behind the death of King Nanyang as King Chen said, but Qin Xuan was right. King Chen had no evidence at all, and what he said was just speculation.

Gu Jue smiled slightly and looked at Qin Yao beside him again. They were waiting for Qin Xuan to say this!

Qin Yao clenched his right fist, his eyes deep.

Gu Jue stared at Qin Xuan, who had a sinister look on his face, and said, "So, open the coffin."

The topic returned to the beginning.

Qin Xuan seemed to have thought of something, as if someone had grabbed his vitals, or like a fish thrown ashore by a huge wave, gasping for breath.

"The net of heaven is vast and wide, and nothing can escape it. In this world, everything you walk on and everything you touch will inevitably leave traces, and this is true for people and things. The poison of the orchid grass cannot be found in a person's life. Only a slight orchid fragrance can be smelled in the person's mouth and nose. However, after death, it will leave undisguised evidence on the body."

"Your father's body will not decay. It will remain intact at the moment of his death."

"We only need to open the coffin and do an autopsy to verify this."

Qin Xuan's whole body began to tremble, like a fallen leaf in the autumn wind.

After Gu Jue's voice fell, the whole room fell silent.

Mu Lin and others were dumbfounded.

Qin Xuan grew up in Nanyang. He had a reputation for being intelligent, studious, gentle, and courteous. Over the years, the King of Nanyang often brought him with him, and it was obvious that he loved this legitimate second son very much. Qin Xuan lived up to the King of Nanyang's expectations and made several military achievements. These old people also watched Qin Xuan grow up, and instinctively had a natural liking for him, thinking that he must be a good child;

Qin Yao has not returned to Nanyang for more than seven years. Both when he was a child and later in the capital, he had a reputation as a playboy.

To be honest, they once thought about proposing to King Nanyang to make Qin Xuan the crown prince.

After hearing the truth, Mu Lin and others were unable to react, as if they had never known this familiar yet strange boy in front of them.

Thinking back on what happened after King Nanyang's death, they realized that everything was not without signs.

After the death of King Nanyang, the old generals had originally proposed to keep the body for 49 days, but Qin Xuan was eager to bury the body, saying that the weather was getting hotter and he was afraid that the body would rot and stink...

At this moment, Qin Yao suddenly moved and threw the object in his right hand towards Qin Xuan, as fast as lightning...

Qin Xuan subconsciously tried to hide, but was tripped by the carpet under his feet and staggered.

And that thing fell in front of his short boots. It was a jade pendant engraved with a Qilin. The Qilin on the jade pendant stared with eyes like copper bells, revealing a ferocious look.

These eyes overlapped with another pair of eyes in his memory that died with their eyes open.

Mu Lin and others all recognized this jade pendant. Qin Xuan often wore it on his body. He had one, and Qin Yao also had one. The two brothers each had one.

At this moment, Qin Yao's Qilin jade pendant was still on him, so it was obvious that this one belonged to Qin Xuan.

After being silent for a while, Qin Yao spoke again: "Qin Xuan, do you know that Lan Ze grass is a secret treasure of the royal family of Lin State, used to preserve the bodies of royal family members. When the royal family of Lin State is on the verge of death, they will start taking Lan Ze grass in order to prevent their bodies from decaying after death."

"In order to obtain the title of King of Nanyang, you colluded with the Lin Kingdom, but your father found out. Although he loves you, he also has a sense of justice and knows what is right and wrong, so he put you under house arrest."

"From that moment on, you wanted to kill your father..."

In late April, he heard the news that his father was seriously ill and hurried back to Nanyang. He was not on guard against his relatives, and everything happened too fast. He only had time to take the jade pendant belonging to Qin Xuan from his father's hand. He was chased by Qin Xuan's men before he could do anything else. Two fists were no match for four hands. His legs were seriously injured. It was his servant who risked his life to rescue him. Later, Gu Jue found him...

This time, before he and Gu Jue set out for Nanyang, they thought things over carefully.

Gu Jue asked him to recall some details of his time in Nanyang. He recalled that he smelled a faint scent of orchid from his father's mouth and nose. At that time, he just thought it was the scent of incense and didn't think much about it.

At that time, Gu Jue suspected that Qin Xuan had poisoned the King of Nanyang, which was why the King of Nanyang, who was in his prime, suddenly became seriously ill. For this reason, Gu Jue once privately asked Chu Qianchen what kind of herbal medicine could cause such a reaction in the King of Nanyang.

Chu Qianchen told him that there was a kind of herb called Lan Ze grass in Lin State, which was only possessed by the royal family of Lin State and was also their secret treasure. It was difficult for the common people of Lin State and foreigners to obtain Lan Ze grass.

From that time on, Gu Jue and Qin Yao suspected that Qin Xuan had colluded with Lin Guo.

It is true.

He still couldn't believe that Qin Yao knew everything. It was as if his every move was under his watch, as if he could see through his heart.

He had obviously done it perfectly, and the evidence was conclusive. There was no way Qin Yao could turn the tables. How could Qin Yao have discovered the truth!

The title of King of Nanyang was clearly only one step away from him and within his grasp, so how did things develop to this point?

Qin Yao continued, "You must have evidence of your collusion with Lin Guo hidden in your study. We just need to send someone to search for it. This is irrefutable evidence!"

Qin Xuan's heart sank even lower. He felt like he was trapped in a cold swamp. The smelly muddy water in the swamp had already reached his lips.

It’s over, it’s all over!

He felt extremely chilled, sweating profusely, and felt as if he had just been fished out of the water.

Anyone who saw Qin Xuan's look would know that he was guilty, not to mention that the veterans present had been in the army for decades and had seen countless people, and they all had sharp eyes.

Mu Lin clearly understood that there was really something wrong with Qin Xuan!

Mu Lin couldn't help but said, "Second Young Master, you...why are you so stupid!"

His words carried a hint of reluctance as an elder.

The other three veterans also had complicated expressions. On the one hand, they felt a little guilty towards Qin Yao, and on the other hand, they really didn't expect that Qin Xuan, whom they had grown up with, would be so cruel as to kill his father and commit treason.

This step was completely wrong for him, and it was a mistake that could not be reversed or made up for.

Seeing that he had become the target of public criticism, Qin Xuan became afraid.

He recalled his father's disappointed expression when he found out that he was colluding with Lin Guo. At that time, his father also said something similar: "Xuan brother, why are you so stupid!"

At that time, his father severely beat him with a stick and locked him up, and only told others that he was sick.

His father concealed the fact that he was collaborating with the enemy. After all, this matter concerned the safety of the entire Nanyang Palace.

From that moment on, he knew that he would never be able to become the crown prince, even though he was better than Qin Yao, even though he was the one who had been with his father since childhood...

All this was forced upon him by his father.

It was only his fault that he was not careful enough. He should not have arranged for people to witness "Qin Yao killing his father". He should have announced "Qin Yao killing his father" after killing Qin Yao. By then, there would be two corpses and no evidence, so he would have the final say.

But he let Qin Yao escape, but Qin Yao was rescued and returned to Nanyang again...

No matter what he thought in his heart, he certainly couldn't admit it on his face.

He knelt down with a plop and said, "General Mu, General Cheng, I did not collaborate with the enemy. It was the Lin people who coerced me."

He spoke with tears in his eyes, saying that he was captured by Lin Guoren when he was leading troops on patrol last year. Lin Guoren asked him about military secrets and made him write a letter of surrender in his own handwriting and put his fingerprints on it.

He spoke with a weeping look about how he had no choice but to say that it was a Lin person who drugged King Nanyang and it was also a Lin person who killed King Nanyang.

In short, he had no choice.

Mu Lin and the other four veterans had different expressions. Some looked cold, some were skeptical, and some were a little moved, like General Cheng.

General Cheng hesitantly grasped the armrest of the chair.

Crown Prince Qin Yao had been a hostage in the capital for many years and was unfamiliar with these generals in Nanyang.

He originally thought that the second son Qin Xuan was useful, and was determined to support him as the new prince. He also made a lot of efforts for this, and even arranged for his grandson to marry into Qin Xuan's future Yue family...

Many people in Nanyang have long regarded him as the second young master's confidant.

If Qin Xuan was convicted of treason, others would probably suspect whether he also collaborated with Qin Xuan and that he was responsible for the death of King Nanyang.

Just thinking about it made General Cheng feel his scalp tingling.

(End of this chapter)