"The reason why the Fourth Prince died was because he overheard someone plotting to eliminate the Crown Prince by Yuhua Lake!"

"He wanted to go back and warn the prince, but accidentally exposed his whereabouts and was drowned in the lake to silence him!"

"Master Qiao, last year during the Dragon Boat Festival, I actually followed the Second Prince and heard with my own ears the conspiracy between him and Concubine Yu!"

"At that time, there was a strange noise in the bushes. I was afraid of being discovered, so I ran away in a hurry. It was obvious that the person hiding in the bushes was the Fourth Prince."

"But for some reason, the Fourth Prince did not drown as I saw in my dream, but survived safely."

"I didn't dream about some details, but I can probably piece together a truth with the help of dreams and reality."

"I think the Second Prince must have asked someone to tell the Crown Prince that His Majesty already knew the real cause of the Fourth Prince's death."

"It was only because the matter involved the Second Prince that His Majesty was partial to him, so he lifted him up high and let him go lightly, causing the Fourth Prince to die in vain without any clear reason!"

"The Crown Prince was already brooding over the Fourth Prince's early death. Now that he has learned that the Fourth Prince was murdered, and that His Majesty favored the Second Prince and allowed the Fourth Prince to die in vain, he has almost lost his mind!"

"Master Qiao, the emperor and empress have long since left their hearts. Do you know how the fourth prince came about?"

"The fourth prince was born after His Majesty got drunk and forced the Empress to be Princess Yu Liu!"

"The Queen was also unable to speak out her pain until she lost the Fourth Prince and was so grief-stricken that she let it slip."

"Master Qiao, can you imagine how guilty, self-blaming and desperate the prince felt when he learned everything?"

"It was under such circumstances that His Majesty met with the Crown Prince. After the meeting, His Majesty's first question was to ask why the Crown Prince coveted Princess Yu Liu and defiled the harem!"

"Even the Second Prince's informant didn't hear the details of the subsequent confrontation between the Emperor and the Crown Prince."

"I think that even a calm and intelligent person like the prince would find it difficult to remain rational in such a situation."

"I'm sure the Crown Prince must have spoken harshly that night, and was willing to disobey His Majesty in order to speak up for the Fourth Prince and seek justice!"

"After the meeting that night, the Crown Prince returned to the East Palace and was found dead on his bed the next morning..."

"Master Qiao, I think even if the above statement differs from the truth, it should not be a big deviation."

Qiao Zhongguo's face turned pale when he heard this. He had been holding on for so long, and now the fatigue and exhaustion from fighting all night came flooding back.

He took several steps back until his heels touched the table and he was able to stand.

"How...how could this be..."

Qiao Zhongguo covered his face with his hands, his eyes were sore, and he could hardly continue acting in front of Meng Guxue.

He knew that the prince's sudden death was true, and he also believed in Meng Guxue's current character, so what Meng Guxue had just said should be the extremely cruel truth!

What a gentle and kind crown prince he is! He respects the emperor and loves his father, is friendly to his brothers and respectful to his younger brothers, is deeply benevolent and has a broad mind.

Such a crown prince who could have become a wise ruler and brought benefits to the world actually died at the hands of his own father and died as a result of the scheme of a wolf-hearted villain!

There has always been a secret medicine in the palace that can make people die silently without any abnormalities being found.

The Emperor must have been so furious that he gave the Crown Prince poisoned wine that night!

Then...what kind of mood was His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in when he drank that cup of poisoned wine?

Afterwards, no one in the Eastern Palace was harmed, and the Queen was not implicated. Before the Prince died, did he reluctantly ask for a chance to live for everyone?

The road from the Imperial Study to the Eastern Palace is so long. What was the Crown Prince thinking about when he was walking alone on the palace road...

Thinking of this, Qiao Zhongguo was already in tears.

He spent half his life in the military, fighting bloody battles to defend the northern border, and witnessed countless Yong Dynasty men being buried forever on that land.

The territory they fought so hard to defend was handed over by the emperor to the hands of the northern villains!

Your Majesty, Your Majesty!

I, Qiao Zhongguo, didn't know you well enough and had no sense of guarding against others. I deserve to die!

But how can you be worthy of the millions of heroic souls who fearlessly died on the battlefield!

Meng Guxue saw the tears rolling down Qiao Zhongguo's chin and was extremely shocked.

Lord Qiao, do you believe what she said?

"Master Qiao, are you...are you okay?"

Qiao Zhongguo calmed down for a while, raised his sleeve to wipe his face, and when he put his arm down again, he smiled as if he was relaxed.

"Princess, your story is so touching that I was completely entranced by it."

Meng Guxue hurriedly explained, "It's not a story! Master Qiao, this is true—"

"Princess, no matter what, I will pay attention to your words." Qiao Zhongguo added solemnly.

Meng Guxue was slightly stunned, but when she saw Qiao Zhongguo's serious expression, she suddenly felt relieved.

She already has a filter of "benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness" for Qiao Zhongguo. In her heart, Qiao Zhongguo should be the most upright person in the world.

"Master Qiao, shall I... continue?"

Upon hearing this, Qiao Zhongguo nodded hurriedly.

Meng Guxue knew that once she went to Nanli Country, she would probably never see Qiao Zhongguo again in her life, so she no longer concealed it!

"Master Qiao, you also saw that all of the Second Prince's men were from the North in the battle last night."

"King Jinyu of the Northern Kingdom is sincere to the Second Prince. King Jinyu is weak and has no heirs, so the Northern Kingdom is already experiencing internal strife."

"So King Jin Yu has always wanted to take the second prince back and train him to be his successor."

"But the Second Prince was determined to stay in Yong Dynasty and refused to leave. Finally, Prince Jin Yu had no choice but to compromise and handed over all the people trained in Yong Dynasty to the Second Prince, hoping to support him to become the co-leader of the two countries!"

"It's just that the situation has changed drastically now, and the Second Prince has suffered repeated setbacks, so I think..."

Qiao Zhongguo raised his eyebrows and took over the conversation.

"So Princess thinks that the Second Prince is very likely to flee to the Northern Kingdom after realizing that things are hopeless?"

Meng Guxue nodded heavily, "That's right!"

Qiao Zhongguo's heart suddenly popped up. If the Second Prince was really allowed to go to the Northern Kingdom, it would be like letting a tiger return to the mountains. He was afraid that the war between Yong Dynasty and the Northern Kingdom would break out again!

The northerners are still determined to do evil, and this war will have to be fought one day, but Qiao Zhongguo believes that there is still room for improvement in the northern royal court.

Even if this war has to be fought, he hopes that the Yong Dynasty will pay the smallest price!

Last night, the second brother had taken blood at Jiaojiao's instruction. After returning, they planned to join forces with the crown prince to attack the second prince!

If it is confirmed by then that the Second Prince is not the emperor's bloodline, wouldn't that be the end of his road?

Thinking of this, Qiao Zhongguo suddenly became awed.

No matter what, we must cut off the Second Prince's retreat!