The prince lowered his head slightly, and his expression did not change when he heard these words, as if he was just a serious bystander.

The second prince spoke earnestly and sincerely, and said in a clear voice: "Brother Crown Prince is extremely kind to me. He is wise and benevolent, and is a capable assistant to my father. I would never have such a rebellious idea."

"Sheng Mingcheng slandered me so much, I want to ask him whether he was instructed by someone and what his intention is!"

At this moment, the second prince even began to take the initiative.

Qiao Zhongguo stared at the handsome young man in front of him.

Despite such an unfavorable start, in such a short period of time, the Second Prince had come up with such a brilliant speech, with every word being brilliant and clearly organized.

But if you look into some things more deeply, you will find some loopholes.

For example, at the court yesterday, the second prince took the initiative to propose to pick up Tan Hanchi. You should know that the second prince would never take the initiative to speak in the palace.

Also, Sheng Mingcheng was so sure that the Second Prince knew the list, he must have received instructions from Duke Qing.

Sheng Mingcheng is a fool, he might misunderstand the Second Prince's meaning, but would an old fox like Duke Qing be confused on such a matter of life and death?

From what Sheng Mingcheng said, it seemed that Duke Qing was placing his bets on the Second Prince with absolute certainty!

Now, it all depends on the attitude of His Majesty.

If His Majesty is willing to investigate further, he will naturally be able to find clues that the Second Prince is plotting treason.

If His Majesty intends to cover up the crime, then even if the evidence is fed to him, he will push it away without batting an eyelid.

Emperor Yong pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke: "There are many doubts about this matter, and we cannot make a rash judgment at this moment."

When Qiao Zhongguo heard this, his heart suddenly sank, and then he heard Emperor Yong continue to say:

"Second brother, even if you are innocent, since Sheng Mingcheng has accused you, you have done something wrong."

"Otherwise, with so many people in the court, why would he throw dirty water on you?"

"Until this matter is clarified, you should stay in your Chonghua Palace."

This is what house arrest means.

When Qiao Zhongguo heard this, he felt like a basin of cold water was poured over his head and he was completely disappointed with Emperor Yong.

Just as Jiaojiao said, Emperor Yong loves Princess Yuliu to the core and protects her son to the utmost, even willing to hand over the Yong Kingdom to the Second Prince...

At this moment, standing in this magnificent imperial study, Qiao Zhongguo was extremely aware that the real enemy that led to the destruction of the Qiao family was the emperor on the throne!

"Alright, everyone, please leave. Huang Pei, you personally take Sheng Mingcheng to the imperial prison and have him tried thoroughly!"

Huang Pei took the order and quickly had the screaming Sheng Mingcheng dragged away.

The second prince knew how to put on a good show. He suddenly knelt down and said loudly:

"Father, Sheng Mingcheng has been arrested, but Miss Sheng... Miss Sheng is still hiding out. I want to ask for mercy for Miss Sheng!"

Emperor Yong looked at his son inquiringly and suddenly asked, "Do you really pity her?"

The second prince nodded without hesitation.

Emperor Yong showed a trace of embarrassment on his face. Sheng Xiu Ran was originally destined to be the prince's concubine, but now that Duke Qing was in trouble, Sheng Xiu Ran was no longer qualified to enter the royal family.

However, the second son in the family is a romantic person just like him.

He couldn't be with his beloved in this life, but he couldn't bear to let his second child suffer the same pain.

Thinking of this, Emperor Yong actually looked at the prince meaningfully.

The candidates for the Crown Princess and the Crown Princess have not been announced yet, and he just mentioned it to the Crown Prince. Presumably, the Crown Prince has no feelings for the young lady from the Sheng family, right?

The prince felt an indescribable chill in his heart. He was extremely intelligent, so how could he not understand the look in Emperor Yong's eyes? This meant that he wanted to give Sheng Xiu Ran to the second prince.

Naturally, he didn't care about Sheng Xiuran, but his father's blatant preference for his second brother broke his heart into pieces.

The prince nodded gently towards Emperor Yong. This small action seemed to have taken him a lot of effort.

Emperor Yong saw this and a look of satisfaction appeared between his brows. He immediately spoke:

"Sheng Xiuran is already the daughter of a criminal. She is absolutely not qualified to be included in my royal family. If you really want her, you can let her enter your Chonghua Palace as a concubine."

When the Second Prince heard this, a look of struggle immediately emerged on his face, as if he couldn't bear to see the woman he loved become a mere concubine.

But in a flash, he seemed relieved again, and said with gratitude: "Thank you, father, for your help!"

In this way, the play is complete.

Emperor Yong waved his hand, and the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and Qiao Zhongguo respectfully withdrew.

The second prince spoke sincerely in front of the crown prince, and the crown prince naturally looked forgiving and comforted the second prince in a gentle voice.

Qiao Zhongguo looked calm as he bowed to the Crown Prince and the Second Prince. Just as he was about to leave, he saw Eunuch Huang hurriedly returning from afar!

Qiao Zhongguo's eyes flickered slightly.

Eunuch Huang is the most useful person by the side of the emperor and has seen all kinds of storms. How could he look so panicked at this moment?

He had just been ordered by the emperor to take Sheng Mingcheng to the imperial prison. Was there anyone special in the prison?

Thinking of this, Qiao Zhongguo suddenly realized, could it be related to Di Zaiying?

According to Jiaojiao, Di Zaiying is Princess Yuliu's true lover!

It was a pity that Qiao Zhongguo could not stay for long. He passed by Eunuch Huang and walked out of the palace.

In the imperial study, Emperor Yong was staring at the wall in a daze.

"Yu Liu, Bai'er has grown up, and he has a sweetheart too. However, Miss Sheng is the daughter of a criminal, so she can only stay with Bai'er without any status or position."

"But it doesn't matter. There are countless beautiful women in the capital. I will pick a good girl with an impeccable family background and personality to match Bai'er."

"It's a pity that there is no girl of the right age in Qiao Zhongguo's family. Otherwise, with Qiao Zhongguo's ability and prestige, I would be very willing for Bai'er to have such a father-in-law to help her."

"Yu Liu, I am really conflicted. I want to give our child the best in the world, but the Crown Prince is very capable. I really can't find any fault with him as the crown prince for so many years..."

"Now Bai'er seems to have his own ideas. He wants to fight for it. Who should I choose..."

Emperor Yong murmured to himself, with an extremely conflicted look on his face.

At this time, Huang Pei's respectful and anxious voice came from outside the door: "Your Majesty, I have something important to report!"

Emperor Yong frowned slightly, showing dissatisfaction: "Come in."

Huang Pei hurried into the imperial study, walked to the side of Emperor Yong, and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, Di Zaiying seems to be dying."

Emperor Yong waved his hand impatiently, "Why report such a trivial matter?"

Huang Pei's heart suddenly tightened, and he suddenly knelt down on his knees and said carefully: "Your Majesty, it is really...it is really that Di Zaiying who is treasonous. He is unconscious and keeps shouting...shouting..."

"What do you mean?" Emperor Yong asked with a frown.

Huang Pei's heart trembled slightly, "Di Zaiying called out... Empress Yu Liu's maiden name!"