The most credible reason was that during this eastern campaign against the Yao Kingdom, it was Xiao Yan who accompanied the Wei King. If this person had framed Xiao Yan, the evidence would likely have been destroyed immediately, never reaching the Crown Prince’s hands.

Xiao Yan believed that if the Crown Prince had been the one accompanying the Wei King, the person being framed would probably have been Xiao Yan instead. Over the years, he had recommended many talented individuals to the Wei King, and quite a few of them were among the royal army on this journey.

Among these people, was there also someone like Xu An, constantly prepared to sacrifice his life to falsely accuse him?

He dared not dwell on this thought but was determined to uncover this person’s identity.

The mastermind behind the scenes didn’t choose based on stance or preference but only observed the current situation. If this assumption was correct, then the culprit was likely from abroad, an enemy of the Wei Kingdom.

However, though the murderer wasn’t the Crown Prince, he had prepared ample evidence for Xiao Yan: first, Xu An and the letters found on his person; second, the “Qianyuan Precious Records” in the Crown Prince’s study that documented the complete Dragon Assassination Plot. Just by placing these two pieces of evidence side by side, the Crown Prince’s murder charge could essentially be established.

But Xiao Yan had promised the Wei King never to attack the Crown Prince first.

What could be done? The only option was to make the Crown Prince take up arms first.

The story that “the killer of Xu An’s son fled into the Eastern Palace, and the imperial guards searched the study and found the Qianyuan Precious Records, making it public” was false.

Yun Ya had intercepted the communication method between Empress Zheng and the Crown Prince, mixing false intelligence to make the latter believe he had already become the public enemy of the Wei Kingdom, that he was condemned by thousands, and that the Wei court had mobilized a large army, just waiting for him to walk into their trap when he entered the capital…

Apart from the death of Xu An’s son, the Wei court had been peaceful for that month and a half.

But how could the Wei Crown Prince know? He was thousands of li away, rushing toward the royal capital day and night. It was already difficult for him to maintain intelligence exchanges with Empress Zheng, let alone gather information from other channels.

Thus, he believed it to be true, not only halting his steps but also raising his sword toward the Wei capital.

His actions were even more excellent than Xiao Yan had predicted! After all, if the Wei Crown Prince hadn’t followed his script, the most embarrassed would have been Xiao Yan himself.

The Wei Crown Prince had first lost the demonic bird, then suffered from Empress Zheng’s “friendly fire,” which completely cost him his competitiveness for the throne.

With these two coincidences overlapping, Xiao Yan believed this was heaven’s will.

Of course, the key to this plan’s success lay in Yun Ya’s intervention.

Xiao Yan looked at Yun Ya and said regretfully, “It’s a pity you’re not fond of drinking; this would be the time to raise a big cup.”

After months of recuperation, the State Preceptor’s complexion had improved, even showing a slight flush.

Yun Ya smiled faintly, “Drinking harms the body; better not to indulge.” He raised his teacup, “Why not substitute tea for wine?”

“Good.” Xiao Yan raised the strong tea in his hand, “I toast to you!” As he brought the hot tea to his lips, about to drink heartily, he suddenly remembered the pain of swallowing scalding tea the last time. His hand paused, and then he cautiously took a small sip.

Yun Ya gave a hint of a smile, “Is this how you toast me?”

Xiao Yan laughed dryly, “This time there’s no beauty to offer medicine; getting burned would be in vain.”

The smile on Yun Ya’s face immediately dimmed a bit.

Xiao Yan knew he had misspoken and took a sip of tea to cover it up. He had long known about the disappearance of Yun Ya’s maid on the battlefield and had once lamented it for quite a while.

Such beauty was rare; no wonder the State Preceptor was somewhat depressed. Xiao Yan would have liked to send him more beauties, but unfortunately, the other showed little interest.

He quickly changed the subject, “Everyone with eyes knows that Empress Zheng was behind my injury this time. Among the royal court, there were originally some who doubted me, but now they’ve fallen silent. Empress Zheng has shot herself in the foot this time.”

Speaking of Empress Zheng, Yun Ya’s lips curved in amusement, “Counting Xu An’s son, this isn’t her first time.”

Xu An’s only son, Xu Shen, was thrown into the imperial prison and died before questioning. Those who feared he might reveal some hidden truths were naturally from the Crown Prince’s faction. But if Empress Zheng hadn’t acted so early, Xu Shen’s testimony might have benefited the Crown Prince.

After his death, Xiao Yan sent people to investigate Xu An’s hometown and learned from an old village doctor that Xu An’s wife had indeed passed away early, leaving behind a posthumous son who was sickly and followed his mother within two years. That year, the old village doctor had been called for emergency treatment but couldn’t save him.

As for whether Xu An had remarried or had more children afterward, he wasn’t sure.

With this lead, Xiao Yan asked Yun Ya to use magic to summon Xu Shen’s soul from the netherworld. After questioning, the truth was revealed.

Regicide was a crime that implicated nine generations of family. Which court official with a family would dare to gamble so greatly?

Yet Xu An dared.

When recommended to the Wei King by the Crown Prince, his family was small: an elderly mother of sixty above, a ten-year-old son below, his wife had died early, and he kept two concubines. According to royal court requirements, he moved all his family members to live in the capital. After two years in office, his elderly mother passed away. He observed the three-year mourning period but didn’t remarry afterward, continuing to live with his son.

The dead soul couldn’t speak but could nod. Through a question-and-answer method, Xiao Yan learned that Xu Shen was indeed an adopted child of Xu An, but the father and son had never mentioned this experience to others.

No one knew how Xu An truly treated his adopted son, but he allowed him to squander money freely.

Xu An himself was known for spending lavishly, as most ministers in the Wei capital knew. The Wei King didn’t mind, believing that those indulging in sensual pleasures were easier to control.

Now it seemed Xu An’s extravagance was not surprising: if you lived each day as if there might be no tomorrow, you wouldn’t value external possessions much either.

So Xu An’s home in the Wei capital was just a facade; his real family wasn’t there. The so-called constraints and concerns didn’t exist for him.

When Xu An assassinated the Wei King, he was free from attachments.

But here lay a huge flaw:

The Crown Prince’s recommendation of Xu An was nearly ten years ago, and Xu An had to plan to arrange a fake son for himself beforehand, pushing the timeline back to eleven or twelve years ago.

Twelve years ago, Xiao Jing was just in his early twenties and wasn’t yet the Crown Prince. How could he possibly have planted an assassin beside the Wei King and begun preparations for rebellion?

If Empress Zheng had been patient enough to wait a day or two, Xu Shen would certainly have confessed all this. With this testimony, she might have exonerated the Crown Prince, washing away the stain of patricide.

Unfortunately, there are no “ifs” in the real world. Xiao Yan couldn’t help but laugh heartily, “This is what’s called heaven helping me.”

Yun Ya folded his arms across his chest and waited until he finished laughing before reminding him, “As long as the Wei Kingdom is without a ruler for a day, I cannot allocate elemental power for a day. You must act quickly.”

Xiao Yan couldn’t help but scratch his head, “About that…”