"What a show of power! Even the Crown Prince can't sneak into the Imperial Guard's camp at night, can he?"
The Second Prince's voice suddenly came from outside, followed by more than a dozen experts, clearly indicating that he was prepared for conflict at any moment!
"Where did this dog come from? Barking so enthusiastically..."
Li Zhu retorted directly!
"Li Zhu, are you looking for death?"
The second prince glared at Li Zhu in anger and embarrassment. For some reason, he couldn't suppress his anger whenever he saw Li Zhu these past two days!
"How dare you threaten the Crown Prince Regent? Even if you are the Second Prince, this is courting death, do you understand?"
Li Zhu didn't tolerate the other party's retort at all!
The conversation immediately reached a stalemate, with both sides exchanging heated words!
The second prince suppressed his anger, not wanting to argue with Li Zhu over a trivial matter...
"Li Zhu, you broke into the Imperial Guard camp at night. Do you know your crime?"
The Second Prince didn't want to get too involved with Li Zhu, so he took the initiative to steer the conversation back on track, speaking in an extremely arrogant tone!
"I'm here to purge those who betray their country and collude with the enemy. What crime have I committed? On the contrary, it's you who have repeatedly obstructed my efforts to quell the rebellion. I think you're in cahoots with these traitors..."
Anyone can frame someone, and Li Zhu now strongly suspects that these Jie people who haven't shown their faces are the same ones from outside the city. Perhaps the Yellow Path Heavenly Book is on them; how can he let these people off so easily…
"Treason and collusion with the enemy? These people are just merchants from the Jie tribe's caravan. Which eye of yours saw Xie Yuanlong treason and collude with the enemy?"
The second prince coldly questioned!
"During the day today, the Jie people went on a killing spree in the city. I suspect these people are with them. Xie Yuanlong is not only protecting these criminals, but also colluding with them. Doesn't such a person count as treason? Then tell me, Second Brother, what exactly constitutes treason?"
Li Zhu also questioned him without any politeness!
"Where's the evidence?"
The second prince stared intently at Li Zhu, determined to teach him a lesson today!
"Evidence? These Jie people are the evidence..."
Li Zhu said coldly!
"Following your logic, do I now have reason to suspect that you, the crown prince, are also a traitor?"
The Second Prince, Li Ke, retorted without hesitation!
"Second brother, be careful with your words. You and I are both sons of the Emperor. No matter how bad the rumors are, as the Emperor's son, you cannot doubt that his bloodline is that of a foreigner. Do you think the Emperor, as the current ruler, is also a foreigner? What are your intentions in slandering the Emperor like this?"
Li Zhu spoke with such force and conviction that the Second Prince was stunned and didn't realize for a moment that something was wrong. He completely forgot the words of accusation he had prepared before coming!
"You're talking nonsense, I'm not like you..."
The Second Prince, Li Ke, said subconsciously!
"Aren't you Father's son? Otherwise, how are we different?"
Li Zhu looked at the Second Prince with a feigned look of horror, as if he had discovered some incredible secret!
"How dare you speak ill of my father like this, Li Zhu? What are your intentions?"
The second prince's mind raced, trying to gain the upper hand in the conversation filled with both open and covert attacks!
"You're the one who said we're different. I'm certain I'm Father's son. You're so openly saying we're different, doesn't that mean there's something wrong with your identity?"
Li Zhu teased the Second Prince, saying that he didn't believe he couldn't outwit his younger brother with this kind of brain teasing conversation!
"My identity is not a problem..."
"Your identity is fine, my identity is fine, so is it Father Emperor's identity that's problematic? Are you trying to reveal some earth-shattering secret?"
Li Zhu interrupted the Second Prince and continued, each word of which was a capital offense, making everyone around him tremble with fear!
"Li Zhu, what nonsense are you spouting? I'm not here to argue about your identity. You broke into the Imperial Guard's camp at night; do you know that's a capital offense?"
Seeing that he couldn't win the argument with Li Zhu, the Second Prince could only change the topic to one that was more favorable to him and continue to put pressure on Li Zhu, hoping to regain some of the face he had lost in this confrontation!
"Aren't you also in the Imperial Guard's camp? You can come to the camp as you please, but for me to come here is a capital offense. What kind of logic is that? Besides, I am the Crown Prince Regent, so it's understandable for me to come and go from the Imperial Guard's camp. How can you, a prince, move freely in the Imperial Guard's camp? This is something to seriously consider. Has the Imperial Guard already sided with you, the Second Prince? Have you already made plans to seize the throne by force?"
Li Zhu's words were like a fatal blow to the heart; hearing them, the Second Prince's heart pounded wildly, almost bursting from the strain...
"Li Zhu, stop talking nonsense! I'm here to confront you. Your unreasonable behavior shows you have a guilty conscience. I'll take you back for questioning and see what else you have to hide..."
The second prince clearly wanted to force a confession through torture. Even if there were no problems in the end, being arrested and interrogated as the crown prince would be a great blow to his prestige and would make him lose face!
“You’re right. As a prince, your sneaking into the Imperial Guard camp at night is highly suspicious. I suspect you’re plotting rebellion, patricide, and regicide. You must be arrested and interrogated rigorously…”
Li Zhu turned around and agreed with the Second Prince's words for the first time, but what he wanted to do was to capture the Second Prince, while the Second Prince wanted to capture him!
"Nonsense! When did I commit treason?"
The second prince was furious; this was clearly an attempt to smear him!
"You led men to trespass into the military camp; isn't that treason? Surely you didn't come here to catch up with Xie Yuanlong? For a prince to have private dealings with the Imperial Guards is also treason..."
Li Zhu spoke with a resounding voice, startling the Second Prince into a state of bewilderment. He couldn't respond to this question; any answer would be wrong. He was the one who came to question the guilty, so how could he end up being the one who was guilty?
"Li Zhu, stop talking nonsense! I followed you here; I didn't intentionally break into the camp. You deliberately infiltrated the military camp at night; that's the crime of treason..."
The Second Prince finally figured out the root of the problem and realized he wasn't being led by the nose by Li Zhu!
Li Zhu was also somewhat surprised. He didn't expect this guy to be able to react. After all, with such a huge accusation leveled against him, anyone would be confused!
"Tracking the Crown Prince who is overseeing the state—what else is this but treason?"
Li Zhu thought to himself, "You little brat, you're messing with me? I'll make you pay. No matter what, you're guilty of treason!"
"As the Crown Prince, your every move is under scrutiny. How could you possibly conceal such a serious matter as breaking into the military camp at night? I'm here to question your suspicious behavior as the Crown Prince, yet you're turning the tables and accusing me. This is enough to show that you have malicious intentions and are distorting the truth..."
The Second Prince said to Li Zhu through gritted teeth!
"You know I am the Crown Prince. You, as a prince, have framed the Crown Prince, coveting the throne. What is this if not treason? Moreover, for the throne, you actually turned against me with swords, killing your own brother. You have absolutely no bottom line..."
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