At daybreak, the Liang residence carried out corpse after corpse and wounded person after wounded person, placing them at the Liang family’s main gate.

People talked among themselves while the Liang family’s servants said: “These are Western Kingdom traitors. Because our master and young master have meritorious service defending the border at the frontier cities, these Western Kingdom traitors hate our master and young master to the bone. Unable to harm our master and young master, they actually wanted to harm the female family members in our residence. They truly deserve death!”

People from the Western Kingdom looked fierce and menacing, and these assassins were either fierce-looking or tall and imposing, so the neighbors believed without doubt.

The Fifth Prince had sent out one hundred twenty people—they were completely annihilated. Forty died, and the rest were all wounded.

Several tried to commit suicide, but suicide wasn’t so easy.

Some drew a blade across their necks, blood spattering on the spot, but they didn’t die. When they tried to make another cut, Liang Zhe’s people came and took away the blade. Some swallowed poison pills—they had just swallowed the pills when several people pried open their mouths and poured in a ladle of excrement, making them vomit the pills three feet away…

Although the Fifth Prince had long anticipated that Liang Zhe wouldn’t make no arrangements, he hadn’t expected him to even think of the escape route, pinning the crime of being Western Kingdom traitors on these people.

In his study, the Fifth Prince rarely showed anger: “That scoundrel Liang Zhe! Treacherous and cunning—how dare he!”

Liang Zhe was actually so audacious, lying with his eyes wide open right under the Son of Heaven’s feet!

Several trusted subordinates were terrified, wiping cold sweat from their foreheads. They instantly understood the reason for the Fifth Prince’s fury.

Liang Zhe had deliberately made the fact that these people were Western Kingdom traitors known throughout the city to establish this as fact. If it were later discovered that these people had connections to the Fifth Prince, wouldn’t that represent that the Fifth Prince had dealings with the Western Kingdom?

At that time, even if they said these people were jianghu folk, who would believe it?

First impressions matter.

One advisor said: “Your Highness, these people clearly aren’t from the Western Kingdom, yet he insists they are. His Majesty sees all clearly—how could he be easily deceived by him?”

The Fifth Prince was stunned, the coldness in his eyes deepening, but he didn’t answer.

Father Emperor?

Father Emperor only had the Crown Prince as a son in his eyes—he probably wished for him to make mistakes!

After pondering for a moment, the Fifth Prince said: “Let this matter rest for now. Withdraw all the people watching the Liang family.”

Several days later.

A habitual thief was captured, and quite a few precious jewelry and jade artifacts were found on him. These jade pieces were clearly from wealthy families, worth more than a thousand gold pieces. The prefecture office didn’t dare neglect this and immediately reported the matter to higher authorities.

When the prefect saw them, he was also startled, because the jade artifacts clearly bore a tiny “Rong” character.

The matter of Qin Shuying making a great show of bringing out the Rong family’s jade artifacts had already shocked the capital, and the matter was related to defending against enemies. The prefect didn’t dare neglect this and immediately brought the habitual thief for personal interrogation.

After asking a few questions, the prefect felt something was wrong. Weren’t these jade artifacts Qin Shuying’s? How did this habitual thief say he stole them from Duke Chen’s residence? Moreover, this habitual thief also said that he had run away in panic at the time and hadn’t taken some things—there were still many more.

The prefect thought it over and, after imprisoning the habitual thief, sent people to the Liang and Chen families respectively to probe.

After all, although Qin Shuying had many Rong family jade artifacts, that didn’t mean other families didn’t have any.

As a result, those who returned said that the Qin family’s chief steward had a very strange expression and seemed somewhat panicked. The Chen family’s people were the same—strange and flustered.

The prefect knew there was a problem here, but to this day, no one had filed a complaint, and whether it was the Chen family or the Liang family, he couldn’t afford to offend either one.

What to do?

The prefect hesitated.

Two days later.

During court audience, Censor Zhang stepped forward to impeach Duke Chen Jing, who was Zhou Li’s blood uncle: “…stealing the precious jade artifacts that Liang Qin Shi registered with the Ministry of War, living in extravagant excess… Third Master Chen actually gave these items as gifts to male courtesans at pleasure houses… Liang Qin Shi’s jade artifacts are registered with the Ministry of War and will be donated as military resources in the future. Duke’s actions—where do they place the safety of our Great Zhou? The old Duke Chen was also an old general who defended the borders for many years. How is it that in the current Duke’s hands, the safety of Great Zhou’s people is less important than pleasing a courtesan?”

This Third Master Chen referred to Chen Jing’s third brother. Although he was also very capable, he was by nature romantic and often lingered in pleasure quarters. Despite Chen Jing’s repeated rebukes, he couldn’t change this habit.

The Fifth Prince stood solemnly throughout, not speaking.

Duke Chen’s expression appeared very angry, and he stepped forward: “Your Majesty, this subject did not steal Liang Qin Shi’s possessions. Please, Your Majesty, investigate clearly!”

Censor Zhang had always been famous for his integrity. Before Emperor Delong could speak, he pointed at Duke Chen again: “Since Duke Chen defends himself, I have something to ask you. Did your household suffer from thieves three days ago?”

Duke Chen was stunned. “We did not.”

“Hmph!” Censor Zhang pulled out a small booklet from his sleeve. “Please, Duke, see for yourself!”

Duke Chen took the booklet handed to him by someone else, furrowed his brow and looked for two glances, then immediately fell to the ground with a “thud,” crying out: “Your Majesty, Censor Zhang is… this is… grasping at shadows, creating something from nothing!”

Censor Zhang took the booklet from Duke Chen’s hands. Duke Chen actually gripped the booklet and wouldn’t let him take it. Censor Zhang used force to snatch it away and held it high: “Your Majesty, this is evidence for this subject’s impeachment of Duke Chen!”

Duke Chen’s face was ashen, looking at that booklet with extreme terror. A eunuch came down to take the booklet and present it to Emperor Delong.

This small booklet was layered and folded. When unfolded, the ministers saw the silhouette of an extremely large diagram.

Emperor Delong only looked for a moment—who knows what exactly he saw—but he actually raised his hand and struck the arm of the eunuch holding the diagram, angrily shouting: “Outrageous!”

The eunuch staggered and immediately knelt on the ground.

The ministers looked at each other… not knowing whether he was scolding Censor Zhang, Duke Chen, or the eunuch. Whatever was drawn on the diagram that Censor Zhang had submitted had actually made Emperor Delong so furious.

Subsequently, the ministers heard Emperor Delong say something unbelievable: “Zhao Quansheng, personally lead one thousand Imperial Guards and thoroughly investigate the Chen family!”

The Fifth Prince suddenly raised his head, looking at the lofty Emperor Delong with extreme shock.

At this moment, he could no longer care about so much and immediately stepped forward: “Father Emperor! The Chen family has been loyal for three generations. Father Emperor’s actions might cause misunderstanding…”

Emperor Delong wouldn’t let him finish, pointing at the eunuch kneeling beside him: “Let him see what’s written on it!”

The eunuch lowered his head and trotted to the Fifth Prince’s side, holding the diagram above his head.

The Fifth Prince only glanced at it once before his pupils contracted violently and his breathing became rapid. “Father Emperor, this, this… this is completely coincidence, this, this…”

Even though the Fifth Prince never showed his emotions and was always shrewd and capable, the words he spoke at this moment were stammering and incoherent.

This wasn’t any memorial at all—this was a painting!