"Young Prince, something has happened. The Second Prince is dead."
Qi Yuze froze upon hearing this, and whispered, "Bring me over."
Walking into the forest, Qi Yuze saw Qi Yuming held in Ming Duan's arms. As he approached, he saw that Qi Yuming's eyes were wide open, as if he had died with unfinished business.
Ming Guang knelt on the ground with a thud, weeping uncontrollably.
"Your Highness, Your Highness..." A Ling helped Qi Yuheng up. Qi Yuheng slowly regained consciousness and asked, "What has happened to this Highness?"
"Your Highness, you are injured," A Ling replied.
"Why are Ming Duan and Ming Guang crying?" Qi Yuheng soon noticed something was amiss.
Upon hearing this, A Ling quietly said, "The Second Prince..."
Qi Yuheng couldn't believe it and shook his head. "Impossible, impossible. You are lying to this Highness." Da Feng Novel Network
"Your Highness, A Ling is not lying to you."
Qi Yuheng shook his head, tears streaming down his face. "Second Brother wouldn't die, he wouldn't die. A Ling, you are deceiving this Highness, and this Highness will punish you for your offense."
"Your Highness, A Ling is not lying to you. This is true," A Da said.
"Impossible..." Qi Yuheng roared. He was injured and couldn't stand. He could only crawl step by step to Ming Duan, who was holding Qi Yuming, and cry, "Second Brother, you are tricking third brother, aren't you? You are tricking me, aren't you?"
Everyone turned their heads away, unable to bear watching the scene.
Suddenly, Qi Yuheng pointed at Qi Yuze and said angrily, "It's you, isn't it? It's you, the Young Prince of Nanping."
"Your Highness, one can eat anything, but one cannot speak carelessly. Why would our Young Prince kill the Second Prince?" Qi Yuze's subordinate spoke up for him, feeling indignant.
"Didn't you repeatedly say that the Second Prince would likely not survive to return to Qi?" Qi Yuheng questioned.
Qi Yuze never imagined that this sentence would become the evidence for Qi Yuheng to accuse him of murder.
"Third Highness, the Young Prince would absolutely not do such a thing."
"This Highness does not know if it was him, but when we return to Qi, this Highness will definitely not let this matter rest," Qi Yuheng said through gritted teeth, word by word.
"As you wish!" Qi Yuze turned and left.
Zhao Yanluo quickly followed and said in a low voice, "I don't think the Third Highness is joking. Why doesn't the Young Prince cut the grass and remove the roots?"
Qi Yuze stopped upon hearing this and looked at him coldly. "You also think that Qi Yuming was killed by this King?"
Zhao Yanluo said, "Does it matter if I think so? What's important is that the Third Prince believes you are the murderer. When the Young Prince returns to Qi, I'm afraid you won't have peace."
Qi Yuze replied, "His Majesty is wise and will give this King justice."
"Wise? How did you come to Xingjiu Kingdom, and you still think the Emperor of Qi will let you off the hook?"
Qi Yuze frowned and said coldly, "Young Marquis Zhao, if you don't leave, the Empress might think you are colluding with me."
Zhao Yanluo stomped his feet in anger. "Young Prince, I am helping you based on our past relationship. Don't mistake kindness for ill will."
"Let's go!" Qi Yuze turned and said coldly.
Zhao Yanluo gritted his teeth, mounted his horse, and left.
On a high mountain not far away, Xue Xingyue watched everything happening below. Xue Lian beside her was stunned. "Your Majesty, you didn't intervene. Who are those people?"
"You'll know soon," Xue Xingyue said. As her voice fell, there was a *thump*, and a man in black landed at Xue Xingyue's feet.
Wu Hen appeared before Xue Xingyue. She kicked the man in black in the face and said, "Your Majesty, their skills are truly impressive. If they hadn't encountered this servant, they would have truly escaped."
"Who are you?" Xue Xingyue crouched down and asked coldly.
The man in black refused to answer. Wu Hen applied more force, and the man's face was almost deformed, yet he still refused to speak.
Xue Xingyue said, "I know who you are."
The man in black was startled, but he refused to believe that the other party knew who he was.
"You are someone from the Third Prince, aren't you?" Xue Xingyue asked.
The man in black was stunned. In that brief moment of distraction, Xue Xingyue confirmed her guess was correct. "Kill him," Xue Xingyue commanded.
Wu Hen stomped on the man in black's head, crushing it. Xue Lian couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty, how did you know he was from the Third Prince?"
"You just need to know who would benefit most from this incident to know who did it," Xue Xingyue explained.
Xue Lian's eyes widened. "Wouldn't it be most beneficial to the Young Prince of Nanping?"
"Why not the Third Prince? The Emperor of Qi only has these two princes who are truly capable. Others either have mothers of low status or are incapable of handling important tasks. Therefore, the throne will ultimately fall into the hands of either the Second Prince or the Third Prince. With the Second Prince dead, there will be no one left to contend for the throne with the Third Prince."
Xue Lian nodded. "So that's how it is."
"Your Majesty, this servant also saw the Young Marquis Zhao just now," Wu Hen said.
"It's not surprising that he appeared there," Xue Xingyue replied.
Wu Hen said, "Something he said made this servant a little concerned."
Xue Xingyue looked at Wu Hen. Wu Hen was never one to gossip, so it was likely that Zhao Yanluo's words had deeply concerned her. "Speak," Xue Xingyue instructed.
Wu Hen nodded. "The Young Marquis Zhao said, 'If it weren't for our past relationship, you wouldn't mistake my kindness for ill will.'"
Xue Xingyue was taken aback. Wu Hen continued, "Does this sentence imply that the Young Marquis Zhao and the Young Prince of Nanping know each other?"
"Wu Hen, send people to investigate what Zhao Yanluo has been doing these past few years and whom he has met," Xue Xingyue ordered.
Wu Hen nodded. "This servant will do it right away."
The Second Prince of the Emperor of Qi died on the way back to Qi. Upon hearing the news, the Emperor of Qi was greatly shocked. When Qi Yuze returned to Qi, the Minister of Justice was waiting for him, and Qi Yuze was imprisoned.
The King of Nanping heard the news and sighed, "Yuze is still too young."
"Your Highness, what should we do now? All the evidence points to the Young Prince, and there is also the witness from the Third Prince. It will be difficult for the Young Prince to get out."