Only after Xie Wei’s reminder did Shen Lang seem to remember that this was the court assembly.

So he summoned Xiao Dingfei for an audience.

The gazes of all the assembled officials immediately turned in unison toward the entrance of the great hall—

This was the legendary Young Master Dingfei!

Who had saved the Emperor’s life.

And who still carried the bloodline of both the Xiao and Yan clans. Even though the Yan family had now fallen, just his status as the legitimate eldest son of the Xiao clan alone could stir up waves in the capital. That he had returned so coincidentally during the process of suppressing the Heavenly Teach was truly too intriguing.

“This guilty minister Xiao Dingfei comes to have an audience—may Your Majesty live ten thousand years!”

A resonant voice, suppressing excitement within grief.

Everyone’s hearts jolted.

Looking carefully, the man who walked in had a tall, slender figure with striking features. He wore a long robe of stone-blue brocade with gold thread trim. His brow and bearing truly bore some resemblance to Duke Dingguo Xiao Yuan standing in front, except around the lips and corners of his eyes there were a few traces of a rakish, unrestrained disposition, which also carried an air of nobility that couldn’t be underestimated.

From the moment he entered from outside, Shen Lang’s gaze had been fixed on him.

He looked him over from head to toe.

In that instant, his heart was already in tumult!

Only he had been sitting on the throne for over four years now, and moreover had long experienced all kinds of court intrigue during the struggle for succession in the previous dynasty. His emotions and anger were no longer easily shown on his face. Instead, he laughed with two “haha” sounds, appearing extremely pleased, and even that face which originally seemed somewhat gloomy due to a touch of illness now showed a bit of ruddiness. He said: “Twenty years, twenty years! I never imagined I’d still be able to see you! Quickly rise, quickly rise.”

This emperor was really fucking good at putting on an act.

Kneeling on the ground, Xiao Dingfei only felt his knees hurt. When he was with the Heavenly Teach, no one dared make him kneel, but coming to this bullshit court, there were rules everywhere. Only in the current situation, one misstep in the performance could cost him his head, so he only dared complain inwardly while his face showed complete emotion as he stood up.

Tears came at will.

The skill of playing pitiful that he’d learned over a decade ago when begging on the streets as a beggar hadn’t been lost at all. Right there in the great hall, he choked up with tears: “Twenty years gone, far from the capital, trapped in the Heavenly Teach, unable to rescue Your Majesty from danger, unable to serve the court loyally—this guilty minister, this guilty minister…”

Duke Dingguo Xiao Yuan stood right beside him. It could be said he’d watched Xiao Dingfei’s return all along, but felt he was like a stranger with whom he’d had no real contact.

How could he have expected that his prostration before the throne would be like this?

For a moment, he was completely stunned.

Shen Lang remained somewhat composed. His gaze flickered slightly with a very puzzled expression: “Why refer to yourself as ‘guilty minister’ out of nowhere?”

Xiao Dingfei had long since memorized his lines to perfection and opened his mouth to say: “When Prince Pingnan attacked the capital back then, this guilty minister and Your Majesty were both young—how could I dare let Your Majesty take such risk? Loyalty to the sovereign and love of country are a minister’s duty. When I went to face death, I never thought I could survive. When that dog thief Prince Pingnan saw me, he immediately sent someone to bring eunuchs from the palace to identify me. As this minister had been Your Majesty’s study companion since childhood, most palace eunuchs recognized me. However, just as the Empress—no, she should now be called the Empress Dowager—just as the Empress Dowager predicted, although those castrated men recognized me, they also knew who among the imperial nobility was the legitimate heir. Following the Empress’s instructions, before those eunuchs could open their mouths, this minister sternly addressed myself as ‘the solitary one’ and rebuked them. Those eunuchs indeed didn’t dare expose my identity, and Prince Pingnan believed I was the Crown Prince.”

Not many among the court and the realm knew about what happened back then.

For no other reason than twenty years ago when Prince Pingnan’s army entered the capital, he first killed all the civil and military officials clean—barely anyone survived at all. The officials promoted afterward were naturally much younger than before. If not for this, someone like Xie Wei among the civil officials, regardless of how great his merits, at barely thirty years of age, could never have been seated in the position of “Imperial Tutor to the Crown Prince,” one of the Three Preceptors of the court.

Hearing Xiao Dingfei’s account now, they couldn’t help but be alarmed.

Only then did they understand that the events of those years were thanks to the Empress Dowager presiding over the situation, coming up with a brilliant strategy, daring to use a substitution ploy, which preserved His Majesty’s life!

Xiao Dingfei sneered inwardly, but on his face he genuinely wiped away tears and continued: “Prince Pingnan, that treasonous minister and rebel, hated the late emperor to the extreme. He immediately had people bind me up, wanting to use me to threaten the late emperor. I then demanded they fulfill their promise and release those three hundred boys. Prince Pingnan laughed at the time, saying a great man’s word once given cannot be taken back by a team of four horses, and then, and then…”

At this point, he seemed unable to continue.

The fine pearl strings hanging from the twelve-tassel crown covered Shen Lang’s face with faint shadows, making it difficult for others to discern his expression. They only heard him ask: “What happened?”

Xiao Dingfei suddenly knelt back down on the ground and actually wailed with grief: “Then he killed them all! Three hundred small children—their corpses were all thrown down from the gate tower, piled outside the palace gates…”

The Golden Throne Hall immediately fell completely silent.

No one could imagine what kind of unbearable, tragic scene that must have been.

Xiao Yuan’s expression also darkened.

Xie Wei stood quietly in front, eyelids lowered, lashes also cast down, blocking the changes in his eyes beneath.

Shen Lang then sighed: “This is my fault, the court’s fault!”

Once these words were spoken, all the civil and military officials trembled with trepidation, but none dared respond.

Only Xiao Dingfei’s voice continued to come through.

He didn’t rise either, still kneeling as he said: “Seeing this, this guilty minister also had the heart to rush out and stop it, but alas, when others are the knife and I am the fish on the chopping board, I truly had no power to resist. Seeing I wouldn’t behave, Prince Pingnan had someone imprison me. Not long after, relief troops from the two great camps at Tongzhou and Fengtai arrived and counterattacked the capital to rescue the emperor. Prince Pingnan wanted to use me as leverage and bound me to the front lines between both armies, never expecting the relief forces already knew Your Majesty was safe and sound at the time, and attacked regardless. Only then did Prince Pingnan realize he’d been tricked. In towering rage, he raised his blade to kill me. That Wan Xiuzi from the Heavenly Teach slapped me twice and sternly asked who I really was. This guilty minister, born into a family of dukes and marquises, knowing the thieves’ momentum was spent, should die with dignity, so I said my name was Xiao Dingfei. Only then did Prince Pingnan and Wan Xiuzi learn this guilty minister’s identity. This minister thought I would surely die, but never expected these two thieves hadn’t given up their treacherous hearts. In their desperate situation, they actually bound this minister and took me to the city gate tower. At that time, the one leading the army was none other than the Duke.”

The moment those three words “the Duke” were spoken, everyone’s hearts jumped!

How could there be any reason in the world for a son not to call his father “father” and instead address him so distantly as “the Duke”?

Even Shen Lang, who usually remained impassive, couldn’t help but narrow his eyes slightly.

But Xiao Yuan didn’t notice. Perhaps because of Xiao Dingfei’s words, he was reminded of the scene from back then—his face showed a trace of ashen pallor, looking extremely uncomfortable.

Xie Wei still remained unmoved.

Gu Chunfang, who stood in the same row of civil officials, furrowed his brow and interjected: “Since Prince Pingnan and Wan Xiuzi discovered the young master’s identity, they likely harbored treacherous designs again and wanted to use the young master to threaten the Duke.”

Xiao Dingfei glanced at him.

Seeing he was a decrepit old man, he actually didn’t pay much attention, but noting his position stood even slightly ahead of Xie Wei, he knew this was likely an old fox. So he spoke with some respect: “My lord, you guessed correctly—that’s exactly what those two thieves intended. Although this guilty minister was young at the time, I understood the gravity of the situation and would never dare let the relief army fall into a dilemma. When Prince Pingnan challenged us to battle, whipping and cursing this minister, I clenched my teeth and didn’t dare cry out even once.”

That was a child not yet seven years old!

Pampered in silks and jade, a blessed child of heaven.

Being whipped and humiliated before two armies, yet able to clench his teeth and not make a sound—what kind of willpower and determination must that have been?

The court officials had all seen much, but hearing Xiao Dingfei’s words and imagining the scene at that time, they couldn’t help but feel somewhat moved with pity.

But Shen Lang’s gaze turned toward Xiao Yuan.

It had already been twenty years since those events.

Xiao Yuan couldn’t help but recall, speaking in a hoarse voice: “When the incident occurred that year, this minister was not in the palace. When I led troops to reinforce the capital, we did indeed face Prince Pingnan’s rebel forces in opposition beneath the city walls. The other side did indeed hold a small child from afar, claiming it was this minister’s legitimate son, but from such a distance, I couldn’t see clearly. First, that child didn’t make a single sound, neither crying nor making a fuss. Second, as a minister, one must devote oneself entirely until death—even if that truly had been this minister’s child, I couldn’t have concerned myself with it at the time. Therefore, after hesitating for a moment without paying attention, I charged straight into the city, intending to capture the two rebel leaders alive. Unfortunately, those two slipped away too quickly with oil on their feet, and in the end they still managed to escape…”

Put this way, the events of that year and all the details before and after actually matched up.

Only Shen Lang still felt somewhat uncertain…

That glance back from the child who had studied alongside him before leaving, like ruins revealed when water recedes, slowly emerged in his now very hazy memory, overlapping with the pair of eyes of Xiao Dingfei below at this moment, gradually becoming clear.

Could it be he had misunderstood?

Was Xiao Dingfei truly a loyal minister? When he went in his place back then, had there been no resentment at all, while his mother the Empress had kept Lady Yan in the palace as a hostage as a precautionary measure, which was actually needless worry?

Shen Lang rested his hand on the pure gold armrest cast with two dragons playing with a pearl, slowly saying: “But later when the city was breached, you weren’t found. At that time, the Duke was also very worried about you, but in the pile of frozen corpses stacked like a mountain before the palace gates, they only found your clothes and jade pendant from that time. Did they not kill you?”

Xiao Dingfei said: “This is precisely this minister’s crime!”

He kowtowed again to the ground: “When this minister clenched my teeth and made no sound, Prince Pingnan was already enraged to the extreme and wanted to take this minister’s life. But that Heavenly Teach leader Wan Xiuzi said keeping this minister alive had great use. At the time, this minister wanted to end my own life, but that Wan Xiuzi moved too quickly, intercepted this minister, then actually bound me all the way out of the capital, fleeing to Jiangnan where they imprisoned me. Unable to die and wanting to know what they were planning, I feigned compliance after enduring for a time. After many years of gaining their trust, I accidentally overheard that the reason this old thief Wan Xiuzi kept this minister alive and wanted to win over my heart was so that one day, given the opportunity, he could have this minister return to the capital, restore my identity, and then legitimately control the military forces of the two great camps at Fengtai and Tongzhou, making me their puppet. Moreover, this minister’s death would inevitably bring discord between the Xiao and Yan clans. Lady Yan is this minister’s birth mother, and Yan Mu is this minister’s uncle. If they lured them with news that this minister was still alive, they might well be able to win over the marquis manor.”

All the civil and military officials felt a chill in their hearts, and hearing this, every one of them thought of the previous case of the Yongyi Marquis Manor secretly colluding with rebels!

At the time, word spread that letters had been found showing correspondence with Prince Pingnan, the Heavenly Teach, and other rebel factions.

One of those letters said that the Young Master Dingfei from back then was still alive.

When everyone had deliberated in the Southern Study, they all believed this was bait deliberately used by the Heavenly Teach to lure the Yongyi Marquis Manor. Who would have thought it was actually true! Thinking back on the marquis manor case, suddenly all the inconsistencies from before and after became clear and transparent.

Someone immediately let out a long sigh: “Alas, treasonous ministers and rebels are truly detestable—how deep their calculations, how extensive their schemes, truly outrageous! Only the former Yongyi Marquis Manor was also truly too confused. No matter what, they shouldn’t have had dealings with such people! Even if Young Master Dingfei had died back then, it would have been a loyal death. For the marquis manor to act this way—could they actually have dared to harbor resentment toward His Majesty?!”

The fingers hanging at Xie Wei’s side quietly clenched tight.

A surge of sinister energy raged and rampaged in his chest, yet it was locked up tightly, unable to find a single outlet for release, instead battering his flesh until it was covered with bleeding wounds!

Kneeling on the ground, Xiao Dingfei’s line of sight could only see Xie Wei’s hanging sleeves and robe hem. Even though he couldn’t see his expression, hearing a minister say such words, he couldn’t help but feel chilled and shuddering. He glanced toward this person and directly drew an X over his head in his mind, treating him as already dead.

Shen Lang asked again: “So this time you were actually in Tongzhou…”

Xiao Dingfei then said: “After the Heavenly Teach heard that Gongyi Cheng had been captured by the court, they were terrified he couldn’t withstand torture and would reveal many of the Heavenly Teach’s secrets, so they dispatched heavy forces to raid the prison. Moreover, if they could rescue Gongyi Cheng, they could have him plan the matter of sending this minister back to the capital. Therefore, they sent this minister along. Only then, through this coincidental twist of fate, this fortuitous chance, was I rescued by this Lord Xie, able to escape the Heavenly Teach, and come alive to have an audience with Your Majesty to explain the circumstances.”

Everyone listening felt there were no problems.

Shen Lang also sighed: “So that’s how it was.”

Only Zhang Zhe, standing below, lifted his eyelids and suddenly asked coldly: “If it’s truly as Young Master Dingfei says, when the young master was in Tongzhou and learned that among those who returned from the prison raid there were court personnel mixed in, your heart should have been extremely happy. Why then, in that critical moment, did you instead expose to the Heavenly Teach rebels that Zhang was a person planted by the court?”