Chapter 161 The Secrets of the Fifth Prince

Chapter 161 The Secrets of the Fifth Prince

The words of the officials weighed on Shen Minghan like huge boulders, and he finally understood why the emperor had not exposed his secret of hiding troops.

It turns out that it was to clear the Second Prince's name and make him bear that infamy for all time.

Ha! What a brilliant scheme!

The moment Xie Yan saw the imperial edict, he guessed what the emperor was planning to do.

Now that everything fits together, the next step is for him to come out and provide evidence to turn the tables on the Fifth Prince.

In the end, he was implicated by Grand Commandant Shen and was also arrested.

The fifth prince thought the emperor favored him, but little did he know that he was also a pawn being used.

"Grand Commandant Shen, I never expected this, I never expected that you would dare to collude with the Cangjue," the Emperor said, pointing at Shen Minghan with great distress, "How can you face me?"

"I did not collude with the Cangjue, and I do not admit it."

Shen Minghan knew that it would be pointless to say anything more at this moment, but he still insisted on proclaiming his innocence. He refused to admit to the crime of treason and collusion with the enemy, even if it meant his death.

The Emperor leaned forward, pressing his body against his abdomen. "If Grand Commandant Shen doesn't acknowledge it, then it must be someone else from the Shen family?"

Shen Minghan looked up, his heart filled with resentment.

The Emperor is forcing him to admit it, otherwise he will shift the blame onto Shen Nanzi and his child.

This makes their chances of escaping even smaller.

Shen Minghan gritted his teeth, thinking of the emperor's scheming behind the scenes, and also of Xie Yu's serious injuries, and lowered his head.

"Your Majesty, considering that I have served by your side for more than ten years, could you allow me to bear this responsibility alone?"

"You dare to negotiate with me? You have committed one of the ten unforgivable crimes: treason!"

The Emperor's tone was stern, but in Shen Minghan's eyes, the Emperor had already achieved his goal, and he would turn a blind eye.

As for the others, there will be others who will go and fight them.

In the lull between these campaigns, we can buy them time to get to the border.

The emperor did indeed think so; in his eyes, everyone else was not to be feared and would die sooner or later.

Shen Minghan: "Your Majesty is benevolent and has a deep affection for you as a subject. It is by taking advantage of this that I dare to make this request to Your Majesty."

"It can be considered that His Majesty prayed for the Sixth Prince and did not pursue the crimes of the others from my Shenmen."

These words struck a chord with the Emperor, for Xie Yu was indeed his most beloved son.

He possessed the qualities he longed for: he didn't crave power, he was kind-hearted, and their relationship was purely that of father and son.

It's the image of someone who wants to live but can't seem to live.

He wanted his son to live.

The Emperor's brow relaxed, and he snorted coldly, "How dare you use my Yu'er's good fortune as an excuse! Take Shen Minghan out and behead him immediately!"

Behead him immediately!!

Convicted without a trial?

The Emperor knew his days were numbered and feared unforeseen events, so he wanted to see Shen Minghan brought to justice with his own eyes.

It is against the rules for some officials to come out and oppose the emperor.

However, upon further reflection, Shen Minghan had committed the crime of treason and collusion with the enemy.

There are accounts to prove it, and he himself is willing to confess. If they come out to help him, wouldn't they be accomplices?

Moreover, at a time when imperial power is about to change hands, it is really not appropriate for him to be the first to step forward.

Shen Minghan's staff all saw him gently waving his hand behind his back, signaling them not to be implicated because of him.

No one dared to object to this, and guards immediately came to arrest Shen Minghan.

Xie Yan, who seemed to be deep in thought, then stepped forward. "Wait a minute!"

Everyone was slightly surprised, wondering why Prince Jing had come out at this time.

Although he appears to be related to Shen Minghan by marriage, everyone knows that Xie Yan doesn't actually treat Princess Jing as his legal wife.

This led to Princess Jing switching sides to the Sixth Prince's side.

They were true political rivals.

The Emperor frowned. "What does Prince Jing intend to do?"

Xie Yan proceeded along the path laid out by the emperor as he wished. "Your Majesty, before executing Grand Commandant Shen, I hope Your Majesty will also have the Fifth Prince executed!"

A collective gasp rippled through the hall. Prince Jing was truly audacious; he actually dared to threaten to execute the Fifth Prince!

Xie Heng's eyes darkened, and his body trembled slightly. The person he feared most was Xie Yan.

This person has come out; it can't be anything good.

"What do you mean? Why behead the fifth prince?" The emperor was clearly unable to bear it any longer, and he held his forehead with one hand.

Xie Yan chuckled inwardly; wasn't this exactly the result the Emperor wanted to see?

"Your subject accuses the Fifth Prince of murdering the Sixth Prince, as well as my Queen Consort."

Upon hearing this, all the officials looked at the Fifth Prince. It turned out that the Sixth Prince's ambush was related to the Fifth Prince!

Although everyone had a feeling that the sixth prince's injury was definitely related to the struggle for the throne.

"Bring me the evidence." The Emperor had lost his patience.

"Bring the witness to the court," Xie Yan ordered.

Immediately, a guard brought in a young man dressed entirely in black.

He was seventeen or eighteen years old, with a youthful air about him.

His attire was clearly that of an assassin.

It facilitates concealment and movement, especially at night, as it almost blends into the darkness.

Xie Heng looked at the man in black and scoffed inwardly, thinking, "What kind of evidence do you think this is?"

The Emperor looked intently at Xie Yan, gesturing for him to speak.

Xie Yan cupped his hands in greeting, “These are some of the archers who assassinated the Sixth Prince that day. After they were captured, they all bit their tongues and committed suicide.”

"Only he survived having his jaw dislocated immediately after being arrested."

It turns out the assassins were all suicide squad members.

Xie Yan stared at the boy and asked, "Tell me, whose assassin are you?"

The boy knelt down in fear, remembering that Prince Jing had rescued his sister and given him a new identity.

He was given a sum of money, and as long as he told the truth, he could live and live a normal life.

He longed for such days, and trembled as he addressed the man on the throne: "I am the Fifth Prince's bodyguard."

Everyone was shocked. Almost every faction had its own group of assassins. This was the first person Xie Yan had captured who could confess to it.

Because there are generally only three types of assassins.

First, the families of the assassins were all placed under the control of their masters. If an assassin betrayed his master, his family would be implicated.

The suicide squad would choose to kill themselves immediately to protect their families.

Secondly, some of these assassins were death row inmates or wanted criminals. Their masters helped them escape punishment and gave them new identities. If they betrayed them, their masters would revert them to their original forms.

Thirdly, there is the shackle of gratitude, accepting that everything is a gift from the master, and making repaying the master's kindness a lifelong belief.

Xie Heng had countless assassins around him, and he didn't remember this boy at all.

"Prince Jing, you just grab someone at random, dress them in black, and then falsely accuse them of being my assassin?"

"You want to convict me?"

Xie Yan knew he wouldn't admit it. "He's the younger brother of your youngest son's wet nurse. He's been raised on the estate since he was eight years old, as a reserve assassin."

"You don't know him, but you definitely know his sister. She's currently working as a servant in the Fifth Prince's residence."

The fifth prince's face darkened slightly; how could he not recognize the wet nurse of his youngest son?

He has an unspeakable habit: because he was physically weak as a child, he would get sick as soon as he was weaned.

The emperor then invited a wet nurse to the palace, and because his mother was worried about him getting sick, he was unable to wean for a long time.

The emperor reprimanded him for this, saying he was incompetent.

However, he still fell ill every time he was weaned, and his mother had no choice but to secretly feed him.

He appeared to have broken off relations, but in reality, he hadn't.

As I grew up, I developed an addiction; I felt uncomfortable if I didn't drink it for a day.

He wouldn't drink from the bowl; he insisted on drinking it himself.

The requirements for a wet nurse who personally drinks the water are extremely strict; she must be a new bride.

She also needs to be fair-skinned, beautiful, and have plenty of milk to serve this precious prince.

He secretly kept several wet nurses in the mansion, who took turns supplying him.

After the marriage, those wet nurses were ostensibly there to feed his children, but in reality, eight or nine out of ten of them ended up in his mouth.

This was a secret, unknown even to the Fifth Imperial Concubine.