"Whether it is, what Uncle says doesn't count, what this Prince says doesn't count, it counts what the witness says."
Prince Nanping frowned and looked at the Third Prince, coldly saying, "What does Your Highness the Third Prince mean by this?"
The Third Prince chuckled lowly, "Nephew fears Uncle is being deceived, so I specifically went to Yazhou and brought one of Uncle's wife's clansmen here. If he says these people are, then they are. Otherwise..."
He did not finish his sentence, but anyone could understand the meaning behind his words.
Prince Nanping's expression became much uglier, "Your Highness the Third Prince, are you not believing my words?"
The Third Prince, Qi Yu Heng, said, "Uncle, please do not be angry. Those criminals are insidious and cunning. If Uncle makes one wrong step, every step will be wrong. Nephew merely does not want Uncle to follow in others' footsteps."
Prince Nanping's gaze turned cold. The Third Prince's words were telling him not to meddle, otherwise, Qi Yu Ze's fate might become his own.
"Several of you, if you confess obediently now, perhaps this Prince can leave you with an intact corpse." Qi Yu Heng was full of confidence at this moment, as if he had already determined that Xue Xing Yue and the other two were criminals.
Zhao Yan Luo was the first to feel guilty. He looked at Xue Xing Yue, as if asking, "Are you confident?"
Qi Yu Heng sneered, "It seems you will not shed tears until you see the coffin. Guards, bring the people up."
Soon, an elder was brought in. Prince Nanping looked at the elder, his gaze deepening considerably, for this elder was none other than an elder from his wife's clan, Feng Chang Shan, a prestigious noble from Yazhou.
Upon seeing Prince Nanping, Feng Chang Shan cupped his hands slightly and said, "Prince Nanping."
Prince Nanping stepped forward and bowed, "Elder, why have you come?"
Feng Chang Shan replied, "The Third Prince said someone was impersonating the Princess's clansmen, so this elder came to see for himself."
Prince Nanping's expression turned somewhat unsightly. It seemed Zhao Yan Luo and the others were bound to be exposed. If they were ordinary people, he could ask for leniency, perhaps even induce them to lie, but how could the highly respected clan elder Feng Chang Shan lie?
Prince Nanping felt that this time, he had not only been set up by Zhao Yan Luo but also given the Third Prince a pretext.
"Feng Chang Shan, are these people your clansmen?" the Third Prince asked, pointing at Xue Xing Yue and the others.
Feng Chang Shan glanced at Xue Xing Yue, his expression turning cold. "Xiu Yue, why are you here? Did I not tell you to cultivate in the mountains?"
Xue Xing Yue bowed her head upon hearing this, "Elder, Brother Ze has been wrongly accused. Xiu Yue... wanted to come out and save Brother Ze."
"Nonsense! Are you two also accompanying her in this foolishness?" Feng Chang Shan said sternly.
If Zhao Yan Luo had not known that he was the young Marquis Zhao of the Xing Jiu Kingdom, he would truly have believed that he was a member of the Feng family, because what Feng Chang Shan said was so natural, with no room for suspicion.
Prince Nanping was stunned, and the Third Prince was stunned.
Prince Nanping was, after all, Prince Nanping. He quickly regained his composure and said, "Elder Feng, I am truly sorry. Xiu Yue had this intention, and I did not stop her. It is my fault. Please do not scold her; the young lady is shy."
"Shy? This old man sees her as having a thick skin, otherwise how would she know to come here to find the Prince?"
"Feng Chang Shan, you recognize her?" the Third Prince asked.
Feng Chang Shan nodded, "How could this old man not recognize his own clansman?"
"Feng Chang Shan, are you sure you are not lying?"
Hearing the Third Prince's question, Feng Chang Shan became displeased. "Your Highness the Third Prince, what do you mean by this? Are you implying that this old man could mistake his own clansman?"
The Third Prince saw Feng Chang Shan getting angry and quickly changed his tune, "This Prince does not mean that. This Prince merely hopes Elder Feng has not mistaken the person."
"This old man's eyes are not so dim as to mistake someone. Your Highness can rest assured!"
"Your Highness the Third Prince, since the matter is clear, should the guards you've stationed around this Prince's manor be withdrawn?"
The Third Prince looked at Prince Nanping for a long moment, gritting his teeth, "Withdraw!"
With that, the Third Prince led his men away from Prince Nanping's manor.
After they left, Prince Nanping hastily invited Feng Chang Shan to the honored seat and bowed respectfully, "I am deeply indebted to you, Old Clan Chief, for today. Please accept this bow from this Prince."
Feng Chang Shan chuckled upon hearing this, "To express thanks, Your Highness should not thank this old man, but rather this young lady Leng. She is the mastermind of this entire affair."
Prince Nanping was taken aback. He raised his eyes and looked at the young maiden, unable to help but say, "She?"
Feng Chang Shan nodded, "It was this young lady Leng who sent someone to notify this old man, allowing me to prepare in advance. This old man admires such a capable woman from the Leng family."
Prince Nanping looked at the maiden. He had to admit that she was both brave and resourceful. Perhaps she truly could rescue Ze'er?
"Your Highness, I wonder if I have passed your test?"
Prince Nanping heard this and asked, "Why do you wish to see Ze'er?"
Xue Xing Yue replied, "There are some matters I wish to ask her."
"Very well, this Prince will arrange it for you tomorrow," Prince Nanping said.
Leaving Prince Nanping's manor and returning to the inn, Zhao Yan Luo could not help but exclaim, "Your Majesty, you... you were too close to disaster today. Could you not have informed this humble subject beforehand? So that this humble subject could have been prepared?"
"If you had known, it would have been too deliberate and would have made Qi Yu Heng suspicious. Your performance today was excellent."
Wu Hen, who was beside them, could not resist pouring cold water, saying, "Yes, it was excellent, so excellent that anyone could see you had a problem at a glance."
Zhao Yan Luo: "..."
"Your Majesty, does the Third Prince truly believe it?" Wu Hen asked.
Xue Xing Yue shook her head, "He probably doesn't. He will continue to test our identities. Zhao Yan Luo, keep your mask on properly. If you ruin this matter, I will settle old and new accounts with you."
Startled, Zhao Yan Luo quickly put on the human skin mask he had just removed, "No, no, this humble subject will absolutely not reveal himself."
Prince Nanping was true to his word. As soon as dawn broke, he sent servants from his manor to inform Xue Xing Yue to come to Prince Nanping's manor.
Upon arriving at Prince Nanping's manor, Prince Nanping looked at Zhao Yan Luo and Wu Hen and said, "Miss Leng, today only you and this Prince can go. Any additional person means an additional risk."