Chapter 1 "It is I, your son."

No one could have anticipated that at this moment, the one stepping forward to confess would be the Sixth Prince of Great Yan… Ji Chengjue.

Today's grand court assembly,

Today's golden palace,

All ministers and nobles knew before coming to court that it would be anything but peaceful.

Many, after returning home from last night's palace banquet and having a late-night snack, lamented to their children and nephews:

"Tomorrow is destined to be turbulent."

Then,

They would sigh thrice,

And stare at the flickering candlelight,

Trying to appear as inscrutable as possible.

Even if they couldn't play any real role in today's court assembly, they had to create the impression that they were caught in a dilemma at the center of the vortex, to appease their own sense of national concern.

However,

This wasn't just turbulence; it was a twist upon twist, each one breaking bones and tearing tendons, with the distinct sound of shattering bones audible.

The officials of the Crown Prince's faction were stunned.

What,

What was this?

The officials of the Sixth Prince's faction, however, had already let their shock show on their faces. At this point, these high officials couldn't maintain their composure; their facades completely crumbled.

The Crown Prince's hand still gripped the railing of the golden palace platform. Beside him was a golden dragon head, its eyes stern, glaring downwards. The Crown Prince's eyes were now as wide as the dragon's.

Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan Ji Changwang looked up, somewhat incredulous, at the Sixth Prince kneeling before him.

Marquis Zheng, after overcoming his initial shock, began to calculate rapidly in his mind.

Because a large part of his energy was taken up by military affairs, Marquis Zheng felt his political acumen was passable, but when it came to political maneuvering and the mastery of scheming, Marquis Zheng believed Ji Laoliu was definitely ahead of him.

There must be a deeper meaning to this.

The Crown Prince's expression and body language were close to collapse, so the Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan's arrow was bound to be aimed at the Crown Prince.

The Yan Emperor made a motion to suppress the arrow, but the Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan pushed back with a strategic retreat.

And when the arrow was released, Ji Chengjue suddenly stepped out and unhesitatingly blocked it.

Brotherly love?

Marquis Zheng didn't believe that even when it came to entrusting his family, Ji Chengjue would be in the mood to perform some brotherly affection.

Was he trying to sacrifice himself to take the fall for the Crown Prince?

Was he trying to show that he could easily defeat the Crown Prince, and then put on a show of being magnanimous and bearing the burden of humiliation?

Was he deliberately trying to show the Yan Emperor that his son was capable of both rising and falling?

No,

No,

Impossible.

Marquis Zheng shook his head slightly in his heart. It wouldn't be like this, and it couldn't be like this.

This was a final showdown. As a prince who had persevered in the struggle for the throne to the very end, Ji Laoliu could have retreated. He could have retreated with the Fourth Prince on the second floor of the roast duck restaurant. That way, he might have been able to preserve some goodwill and have a chance to live as a harmless prince in the future, or perhaps his sons and grandsons could live comfortably.

Not retreating at the roast duck restaurant meant there was no turning back.

There was no need for him to put on a show of blocking the spear at this time.

At the most crucial moment of the struggle for the throne, putting the blame on himself – wasn't that madness?

He wasn't the eldest, the fourth, the fifth, or the underage seventh prince. He was the Sixth Prince, who had persevered to the end and was even half a step ahead of the Crown Prince.

Womanly kindness wouldn't exist at this time. Ji Laoliu wouldn't make such a mistake.

Furthermore, any retreat at this time, any so-called showmanship, any brotherly love, any pretense of caring, would be irresponsible to the ministers who followed him. If he played like that, the team would inevitably become estranged, and once morale was lost, everything would collapse.

Marquis Zheng narrowed his eyes.

Because Ji Laoliu was kneeling there, face down, Zheng Fan couldn't see his expression at this moment.

Was it,

Was it necessary to do this,

Was there a reason to do this?

Zheng Fan moved his gaze away from Ji Chengjue, looked at the Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan, then at the Crown Prince, and finally, lightly swept over the Yan Emperor's dragon throne.

At this moment,

The Yan Emperor's voice rang out:

"Chengjue, you, say it again."

Ji Chengjue raised his head.

His face was calm:

"That young girl is my daughter. I have been immoral; I beg Father Emperor to punish me!"

His voice was clear and loud, and all the ministers in the golden palace could hear it clearly.

At this moment,

Zheng Fan suddenly noticed that the Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan, who was kneeling a little behind, had a complex, even fearful, look in his eyes.

The Crown Prince also knelt down at this time.

When a younger brother pleaded guilty, it was only natural for the older brother to stand up for him, kneeling together to beg for mercy. But to others, it seemed like he had suddenly released the breath he had been holding during the most intense struggle, and his entire body had collapsed.

The Yan Emperor ignored the Crown Prince and wasn't in a hurry to punish Ji Chengjue.

Instead, he looked at the Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan, his uncle, who was kneeling behind him.

"Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan."

"Your subject… is here."

"You said earlier that your evidence was very detailed. I ask you, does that evidence truly point to Chengjue?"

"Your subject…"

Sweat began to seep out of the Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan's face.

The position of clan leader was generally held by the person with the highest seniority. In fact, the Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan was old, but only a little older than the Yan Emperor.

After all, it wasn't unusual for emperors to have sons of widely varying ages.

But at this moment, the Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan's face began to turn pale.

Finally,

He gritted his teeth,

And said:

"Answering Your Majesty, no."

"Hiss…"

This time, many people audibly gasped. This twist after twist after twist was truly overwhelming.

What in the world was going on?

The Sixth Prince's faction launched a thunderous attack on the Crown Prince.

Then,

The leader of the Sixth Prince's faction personally came forward and blocked the attack himself.

Logically speaking,

The leader had already taken responsibility in this way,

But the one launching the attack wasn't following the leader's path?

Everyone was a veteran of the officialdom, and even those nobles who had inherited their titles had been influenced by what they had seen and heard since childhood. So everyone knew that this couldn't be a matter of coordination. No matter how uncoordinated they were, as long as they had a little bit of brains, this situation wouldn't have occurred.

The cold sweat on the Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan's face became more and more profuse.

Grand Counselor Zhao Jiulang still stood there, immovable as a mountain.

Those ministers of various departments and the real powerhouses of the court, such as the left and right vice ministers and the minister of the Department of State Affairs, might have been inclined towards a certain prince, but that was only because they agreed with that prince's policies and ideas. At their level, they could turn a blind eye when necessary, or push the boat along the water without leaving a trace when needed. They wouldn't personally enter the fray; it was beneath them.

When a hunter wanted to bite someone, how could he open his mouth himself? He could just release the dog. Once they became big shots, which one didn't have a group of dogs under their command?

Of course, this didn't mean that they were now posing as experts who "saw through everything." In fact, they were also frequently exchanging glances and shaking their heads slightly, obviously just as confused about the situation as everyone else.

However, Marquis Zheng keenly noticed a detail.

When His Majesty questioned the Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan,

He first pointed out:

Since the evidence was detailed.

These words were first said by the Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan himself.

Then, His Majesty asked again.

So,

The Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan couldn't change his words at all. His arrow was initially aimed at the Crown Prince, so it must be aimed at the Crown Prince. It could even be said that the arrow clearly had a line of words engraved on it: This arrow is specially made to kill the Crown Prince!

Unless the Yan Emperor deliberately erased this line of words and everyone became confused, then he could just find another prince to be the cheap father and give him a beating.

But the Yan Emperor's tone was,

He wanted to see the evidence,

He wanted to see,

The evidence you investigated, the evidence you prepared!

With his excellent complexion today, the Yan Emperor's temper also flared up.

This matter had been twisted and turned several times, and the Yan Emperor was already tired of it. He himself blocked the Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan's path, forcing him to move forward.

"Then, who exactly is it?"

The Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan kowtowed heavily on the ground,

Almost with a crying tone,

He shouted:

"Your Majesty, your subject, dares not say, dares not say!"

Ji Chengjue was still kneeling there, motionless.

The Crown Prince had already stood up, but his eyes were closed.

At this moment,

The Yan Emperor's gaze fell on the first person in the first row on the left.

The monarch and his minister had supported each other for so many years that it had become almost an instinct.

Even without looking up to understand His Majesty's gaze, Zhao Jiulang knew that it was time for him, the Grand Counselor, to step forward.

Zhao Jiulang stepped forward,

And said:

"Your Majesty, your subject has something to say."

"Grand Counselor, please speak freely."

"The bloodline of the imperial family is related to the foundation of our Great Yan's country, and no carelessness or mistake can be tolerated. The Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan holds this position, and previously spoke with certainty, but now he speaks vaguely and dares not speak clearly.

This is truly treating the imperial majesty and laws as a child's plaything.

Your subject,

Requests that the Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan be punished for dereliction of duty;

Your subject,

Requests that the Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan be punished for disgracing the imperial family;

Your subject,

Requests that the Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan be punished for great disrespect!"

As soon as Zhao Jiulang's voice fell,

Immediately,

The big shots of various departments all stepped forward,

"Your subject agrees!"

"Your subject agrees!"

The Minister of Justice even said directly:

"Your Majesty, the Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan still dares not speak frankly in the golden palace of the court. Does this not mean that there is no room for him to speak the truth in this magnificent hall?

This is a crime of disrespecting the laws of the country and the Son of Heaven!"

With this series of crimes coming down, although no one was so blind as to say words like "execution" to the emperor's uncle.

But looking at the current indifference of the Son of Heaven towards the imperial clan, everyone knew that with the Grand Counselor personally endorsing it, not only would the Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan lose his position, but his title might also be lost. This was more uncomfortable for the close imperial relatives than death.

The Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan closed his eyes,

And said:

"Your Majesty, what your subject has found out is that the young girl is the Crown Prince's child!"

The Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan finally said it, said the answer that everyone had already understood.

"Oh?" The Yan Emperor said, "Crown Prince."

The Crown Prince knelt down again, without saying a word.

The Yan Emperor didn't question the Crown Prince, but instead pointed to Ji Chengjue, who was kneeling below, and said:

"Chengjue, what is going on with you?"

"Answering Father Emperor, it is indeed I who has been immoral; it has nothing to do with the Crown Prince."

Ji Chengjue continued to insist.

"Hehe, this is quite interesting, interesting indeed. I have been recuperating in the back garden for a while, and after returning, it is truly a sight of brotherly love and respect. Even this crime of immorality, brothers are actually fighting to take it upon themselves.

The two of you,

Truly make me feel gratified."

"Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan, I, ask you one more time, who does the evidence you have investigated point to?"

"Your Majesty, it is the Crown Prince, it is His Highness the Crown Prince."

"Chengjue, I will also ask you one more time, who has been immoral?"

"Answering Father Emperor, it is your subject himself."

The Yan Emperor shook his head,

And finally,

His gaze fell on the Crown Prince,

And said:

"Crown Prince, who exactly is it?"

"Father Emperor… Your son…"

The Crown Prince knelt even lower.

"Good, good indeed."

The Yan Emperor reached out and patted the dragon throne,

"I have made all of you laugh."

In the next moment,

Marquis Zheng immediately followed everyone's actions, bowed to the dragon throne,

And said in unison:

"Your subjects dare not."

"Your subjects dare not."

"But since this matter has already reached this point, then I want to see it clearly, and I also ask all of you, my beloved ministers, to see it clearly with me.

Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan,

I ask you,

Where are the mother and daughter now?"

"Answering Your Majesty, they are in the Court of the Imperial Clan."

"Wei Zhonghe."

"This servant is here!"

"Go and bring the people. Bring the physical evidence as well, so that everyone can see it clearly."

"This servant obeys."

Eunuch Wei immediately walked down the high platform of the golden palace, passing by the Crown Prince, then by Ji Chengjue, then by the Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan, and then, under the watchful eyes of all the officials, walked out of the golden palace.

"I will give the three of you one last chance." The Yan Emperor swept his gaze over the three kneeling below, "In a moment, when Wei Zhonghe brings the people over, I will not show any mercy."

Crown Prince, Sixth Prince, Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan,

The three of them all continued to kneel there, no one recanting.

"Good."

The Yan Emperor slowly closed his eyes,

And said:

"Let us see."

………

The Court of the Imperial Clan was a large government office. It managed many people. The marriages and funerals of the Ji imperial clan had to go through here. But its government office wasn't actually that big.

Because this government office was filled with trivial family matters. Everyone knew each other, and they were all related.

And since this generation of the Yan Emperor ascended the throne, he had transferred the power over the Ji clan's money and food that was originally managed by the Court of the Imperial Clan to the Imperial Household Department. If they didn't manage the money and food, then regardless of whether they were poor or rich relatives, they really didn't want to bother with you.

However, the structure of this government office was still there.

And at this moment,

In the courtyard厢房 behind the Court of the Imperial Clan's government office, A Rou was handing a shortbread to the girl in front of her.

The girl held the shortbread with both hands, took a bite,

And smiled:

"Mother, sweet."

A Rou reached out and gently stroked the girl's head.

At this time, she was wearing a slightly old but very clean padded jacket. She looked like a peasant woman, but the sophistication that came from living in the palace for half her life couldn't be concealed.

They weren't in a prison, nor could they be thrown into a prison. Instead, they were being watched in a 厢房, and someone was specially responsible for their three meals a day.

At the door, there were many yamen runners from the Court of the Imperial Clan standing guard.

A Rou just watched the girl eating,

She remembered,

When she was very, very young, she was taken into the Min family by the people from Miss's family. The first food she got was peach shortbread.

She still remembered the sweetness that she chewed out in her mouth at that time.

In a blink,

So many years had passed.

At this moment,

A group of people wearing the uniforms of the Secret Agency rushed into the backyard 厢房 courtyard.

The leader took out his waist牌 and shouted to the yamen runners from the Court of the Imperial Clan who were guarding here:

"By order of Eunuch Wei, come to take people. Quickly hand them over."

The yamen runners immediately made way when they saw that they were from the Secret Agency.

A Rou heard the commotion outside, got up, and hugged the girl.

The girl raised her head and asked A Rou very innocently:

"Mother, are we going to see Daddy?"

A Rou didn't answer,

But gently stroked the girl's face.

However,

Just as the people from the Secret Agency were about to open the 厢房 door, suddenly, an iron staff swept across, stirring up a gust of wind!

The two Secret Agency spies who were planning to open the door were directly knocked to the ground.

At the door,

There appeared a tall monk holding an iron staff.

"Bold!"

"Outrageous, who are you!"

The monk smiled,

And answered:

"Second Guardian of the Ning'an Escort Agency, Bald-headed Monk - Zhou Chang."

"Hahahaha……"

At this moment, three more figures appeared on the roof above the 厢房.

A man in a black robe, a woman in a purple dress, plus a hunchbacked old man holding a wine gourd.

The black-robed man shouted:

"Great Guardian of the Nanwang Merchant Guild, Black-faced Ghost - Liu Mingyang."

The purple-clothed woman smiled:

"Third Guardian of the Mountain and Sea Association, Wu Ying."

The old man took a sip of wine,

And shouted to the bottom;

"From Jin Prefecture, Qin the Hunchback."

All four of them had made famous names for themselves in the martial world. The most terrifying thing was that all four of them were Fourth Rank experts!

Moreover,

Only one person could gather so many Merchant Guild guardians in Yanjing City at once,

That was,

Back then, when that person got married, the major Merchant Guild managers personally came to Yanjing to pay their respects to the young master.

These experts couldn't be bought with money. It was based on favor!

The leader of the Secret Agency wasn't afraid. All the spies around him drew their swords and stood guard. He even shouted directly:

"This is the capital city. How dare you be so presumptuous? Quickly make way, or the Secret Agency's law will be merciless!"

Four Fourth Rank experts were powerful, but they weren't at the point where they made the Secret Agency afraid.

As long as they dared to be presumptuous here, Secret Agency experts would be dispatched in an instant, and at the same time, the Imperial Guards would immediately surround and capture them.

"Haha, this old man is drunk, but I heard the words clearly just now. Come to take people on Eunuch Wei's orders?

Alright,

Where is Eunuch Wei's waist牌? The seal is also acceptable.

The few of us are law-abiding citizens. As long as the rules are right, we guarantee that we won't stop you at all."

"Presumptuous, what right do you have to see it!"

"Aiya, then there's no way. The East House has instructed us that without an imperial edict or Eunuch Wei's waist牌, these people can't be taken away by irrelevant people.

Otherwise, the East House will blame us, and we'll have our wine money deducted."

Inside the 厢房 below,

A Rou, who had been paying attention to the commotion outside, immediately showed a look of anxiety in her eyes,

Then,

She suddenly looked down at the girl in her arms,

And then,

Reached out and pulled a hairpin from her hair.

"Buzz!"

A stream of green aura directly struck A Rou's wrist, and the hairpin was knocked away.

Then,

Eunuch Zhang flashed out from the inner room of the 厢房,

One hand grabbed A Rou's wrist,

And the other hand directly slapped A Rou's face.

"Pa!"

A Rou was slapped so hard that blood spilled from the corner of her mouth. She stared at Eunuch Zhang in disbelief.

Eunuch Zhang sneered,

And cursed:

"Bitch!"