Use a substitute on your wedding night to scatter the ashes of your entire family

"Your Highness, our people are watching. The two princes haven't made any moves. Since Hu Zhenfang's family got into trouble, the princes have been closed to visitors these days. But the fourth prince, Prince Heng..."

Ling Yao waved his hand and said, "Why mention him? He is a loser. He is a prince, but he is still complacent about being a mere sixth-rank official in the Ministry of Rites. He thinks that a ritual for the ancestor emperor is worthy of him living in the White Horse Temple. What a fool. If he hadn't married Li Shuangwan, he would be nothing."

If he were to say, since he had married a beautiful wife, he should sleep with her in his arms in his house. He should serve her well. With the support of the general and hundreds of thousands of Li's army, it would be better than being a small official of the sixth rank.

"Yes." The guard swallowed what he wanted to say.

The aide glanced at Ling Yao and the guards twice, then lowered his head and said nothing.

Speaking of this, Ling Yao slammed his fist on the table. Li Shuangwan was also blind. None of their brothers were better than Ling Heng, the hypocrite, but they just ran away and married him.

"How is Hu Zhenfang now?"

Guard: "It is said that the person was abducted by the bandits in Liangshan. I have not found out whether he is dead or alive. However, more than a dozen people from the Hu family's branch died on the spot. The emperor has issued a secret order to the governor of Liangzhou, requiring him to wipe out this gang of bandits within a month."

Ling Yao frowned: "Father wants to save Hu Zhenfang's family?"

"No, the emperor wants to see the person alive or dead. It doesn't matter whether we can save the person or not. The most important thing is to wipe out the banditry completely."

This was a blatant defiance of the imperial court and the emperor, and Emperor Jingzhang certainly could not tolerate it.

Ling Yao thought this was very fatherly.

The guard lowered his voice and said, "Not many people know about this. The news was reported four days ago, but the emperor suppressed it. This morning, the prince was summoned to the imperial study by the emperor. Except for Zhang Desheng, all the others were sent out. His Royal Highness stayed in there for an hour before coming out. When he came out, his Royal Highness's face was swollen, as if he had been slapped a few times by the emperor."

Ling Yao sneered and swept the things on the desk to the ground.

As expected, in order to protect my eldest brother's position as the crown prince, my father would rather pretend to be deaf and blind than issue an order to depose the crown prince. Such a fool, just because he was born a few years earlier than me, can be protected by thousands of people.

This was true for my father, my mother, and even more so for my grandfather, Duke Dingguo.

Why? Why should he do that?

"Is his left hand really useless?"

The guard shook his head and said, "The Divine Doctor Qiao has been driven out of the East Palace by the Crown Prince. He should be useless. The Emperor has issued a gag order, so there is no way to find out more."

The aide said, "Your Highness, you haven't had a meal with the Queen for a long time."

Ling Yao smiled sinisterly. That's right. If you want to know how Ling Ji's hand is, you can just have a meal with the queen mother and you'll find out.

He has not entered the palace for nearly half a month, ever since his mother slapped him in the face, suspecting that he had assaulted the crown prince.

But now, it's okay.

The guard continued, "Early this morning, our people found a body in the mass grave. It was Lu Cheng, the eunuch who used to be with the prince."

The cold light in Ling Yao's eyes suddenly deepened, and he gave these instructions to the guards.

The staff were also shocked when they heard this.

The guard's expression changed drastically: "Your Highness, this, this is going to..."

Ling Yao nodded at him: "Make sure to do it secretly."

He just didn't believe that once this happened and everyone in the court knew about it, his father would be determined to depose that idiot Ling Ji.

The ministers' spit and overwhelming memorials were enough to force my father to issue an order to depose the crown prince.

The staff stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, once this happens, our people must lie low."

Ling Yao paced back and forth for a few steps: "Yes, sir, you are right. I will make them shut up during that time."

He turned to the guard and waved, "Go ahead."

The guard cupped his hands, his face showing some anger: "Yes, Your Highness."

Not long after the guards left, someone came from the palace and the emperor summoned Lingyao into the palace.

The staff hurriedly handed a bag of silver to the young eunuch and said, "Young eunuch, do you know why the emperor summoned His Highness to the palace?"

The young eunuch grabbed the purse, stuffed it into his sleeve hastily, and whispered a few words: "Master Zhang from the Ministry of Justice is in the palace."

After saying that, he hurried outside to wait.

Ling Yao's face turned grim.

Ministry of Justice?

Zhang Maozheng?

Could it be that the emperor suspects that he was the one who kidnapped Hu Zhenfang?

Oh, does the Emperor think that he is as foolish as the Crown Prince?

Ling Yao turned his head to look at his staff.

The staff member's face was very ugly. He stepped forward and whispered in Ling Yao's ear: "Your Highness, there are two things related to the Ministry of Justice. One is that Hu Zhenfang's family was abducted in Liangshan, and the other is that the prince was assassinated more than half a month ago."

"Hasn't the case of the Crown Prince's assassination by the Jinyiwei been closed? He stole someone's wife and forced someone to death. Mo Yu was looking for an opportunity to take revenge. The witnesses and evidence are all there."

The aide shook his head, "Snake venom! Your Highness, it is impossible for the Emperor not to suspect that a poor scholar got the snake venom from Zhao State. The Jinyiwei closed the case on the surface. This matter involves the private life of the prince, which is not glorious. It is understandable that the Emperor suppressed it. But secretly, he asked Zhang Maozheng of the Ministry of Justice to secretly investigate it. It is not impossible."

Ling Yao's face suddenly changed. Yes, there was also snake venom. It was he who asked Cai Jin to give the snake venom given to him by the man in black to Mo Yu!

As for Cai Jin, early this morning, his servants came to report that he had been hanged with a rope under the locust tree in the backyard.

Ling Yao felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He had been tricked.

Who is that man in black?

The staff licked his cracked lips and said, "Don't panic, Your Highness. The situation is far from over. Anyone can buy that kind of snake venom on the black market if they can afford it. Although Cai Jin is your chief historian, he has his weaknesses. When he has weaknesses, he can be bribed by others and betray his master."

"What is Cai Jin's weakness?"

"He has an older brother."

Ling Yao's eyes lit up: "Yes, Cai Jin's elder brother is in the East Palace!"

"So, Your Highness, someone used Cai Jin's elder brother to force him to betray you, hoping to kill two birds with one stone. Or maybe Cai Jin's elder brother was humiliated by the crown prince in the East Palace, and he felt resentful, so he conspired with Cai Jin to poison the crown prince. Both are possible. As for which possibility it is, it is not something we need to consider."

Ling Yao was overjoyed: "Sir, you are right. I am lucky to have you by my side. Please rest assured, sir, after I enter the palace, I will insist that this matter has nothing to do with me."

The aide bowed deeply and said with a smile, "Your Highness, don't forget to accompany the Queen for dinner."

"Good, good, good."

In the evening, when Ling Yao came out of the palace happily, many people saw him.

Ling Heng, who was far away in the White Horse Temple, just smiled faintly after listening to Si Po's report.

What a great way to escape unscathed.

Of course, if Ling Yao was really that weak, he would be useless and would not be in his eyes.

My father is a suspicious person. He may believe Ling Yao on the surface, but now that the thorn has been pierced into his body, he will not remove it easily.

This is the effect he wants.

After all, his current strength is not enough, it is not the right time yet.

Ling Yao's escape without any injury this time was also a plan he had planned in advance, so that he could beat him with one blow and make him unable to get up completely.