My Lord, the princess doesn't want you anymore.

Zhuang Xiang's face suddenly changed when he saw the news about Eunuch Fu. "The one Concubine Wan was talking about was the Eunuch Fu who was with the late emperor."

Cui Hongjing nodded, "It seems that I must go to the Dali Temple dungeon tonight."

"But, Your Majesty, the army will set out tomorrow. What if something goes wrong at this critical moment?..."

Cui Hongjing gritted his teeth and said, "Perhaps he is the only one who knows the truth about the death of my grandfather. After so many years, my father still didn't kill him. Instead, he secretly locked him up in the Dama Temple. It must be that my father hasn't gotten what he wants yet."

The death of his grandfather has always been a thorn in his heart. Over the years, he has never given up on finding out the truth.

He secretly visited the relatives and friends of those court officials who had retired and those related people who died in unclear circumstances, but found nothing.

And this eunuch Fu is the person closest to the truth.

As everyone knows, after the death of the previous emperor, this eunuch Fu was so sad that he hit his head against a pillar and died, and was buried alive with the emperor.

I never expected that he was still alive.

He was also imprisoned in the Dali Temple by the current emperor for fifteen years.

I don’t know how much torture he has endured over the years.

Thinking of this, Cui Hongjing felt a pain in his heart.

He remembered that when he was a child, this eunuch Fu loved him no less than his grandfather did.

Just for this reason, he also had to find a way to rescue Eunuch Fu.

Although calculated in age, this eunuch Fu is now over fifty years old.

But if it could allow him to live in the sunshine in the last few years of his life instead of dying in a dark, damp dungeon where he never sees the sun, Cui Hongjing would be willing to take the risk.

His heart suddenly moved, and he inexplicably had a very bad premonition...

"How did Concubine Wan know such confidential information? Zhuang Xiang, don't you find it strange?"

"...Your Highness, do you mean that this is a trap set by the Emperor?"

"Besides, the current Dali Temple Minister is my man. If Grandpa Fu is really imprisoned in the dungeon, there will definitely be news of it coming back."

Zhuang Xiang shuddered, "Could it be that he betrayed the prince... No, that's impossible. The prince saved the lives of his entire family..."

Cui Hongjing shook his head. "I don't doubt his loyalty. Either he didn't know that Grandpa Fu was imprisoned in the dungeon. Or, this news is false. Father deliberately took advantage of Aunt Wan's concern for me and let her spread this news. His purpose is to test me."

"If that's true, the emperor will know immediately if there's any movement here, and he'll also know that the Chief Justice of the Dali Temple is our man. This chess piece will be broken." Zhuang Xiang took a breath.

The emperor used the thing that the prince cared about most as bait. If the prince took a wrong step tonight, the army of Zhanchang State would probably never wait for their commander to appear tomorrow.

This was Cui Qimo’s last and most fatal test before he handed over 300,000 elite troops to Cui Hongjing.

But Cui Hongjing couldn't just do nothing.

First of all, Cui Qimo was certain that after Cui Hongjing learned that Eunuch Fu was still alive, it was impossible for him to not take any action, and he would definitely not wait until the army returned to the capital before taking action.

After all, once this war starts, it may last for three to five years, and any number of variables may occur by then.

If Cui Hongjing did nothing and pretended that he had never seen the note sent by Concubine Zhang Wan, Cui Qimo would think that his son either already knew the truth and did not need to risk entering the dungeon at this moment, in which case Cui Hongjing must die immediately. Or, his son was too smart to see through his plan and endured and paid the price of his father-in-law to save himself. In this case, Cui Qimo would think that Cui Hongjing was very patient and would be more afraid of him, and might even let someone take his life on the battlefield.

If Cui Hongjing broke into the dungeon to rescue Eunuch Fu, he would be openly defying the emperor and courting death. Cui Qimo must have deployed people inside and outside the Dali Temple, waiting for him to die.

If things go wrong, even the Chief Justice of the Dali Temple might be defeated.

In short, no matter what choice you make, it will be a fatal question.

In short, this is what Zhuang Xiang thinks.

"No, I guess that father is just testing me. At least he won't take my life tonight. He still needs me. But the result of this test can determine whether I will die on the battlefield without anyone knowing. What we need to find out now is whether Grandpa Fu is still alive and whether he is imprisoned in the dungeon of the Dali Temple." Cui Hongjing rubbed his brows and paced back and forth in the room for a long time, not knowing what he was thinking.

He suddenly stopped and lowered his voice, "Don't we have a ready-made spy for our father in our mansion..."

"Your Highness is right. I have tolerated him for a long time. The palace has raised him for so many years, but he still betrays me. Now it's time for him to serve Your Highness..."

It was getting dark.

The wall of Dali Temple is much higher than the surrounding buildings, framing the dim sky in a square patio.

Even in broad daylight, the guards patrolling outside the dungeon were non-stop. The neat and monotonous footsteps seemed desolate yet fraught with danger in the drizzle.

In front of the Dali Temple gate, Cui Hongjing and the Dali Temple Minister were facing each other.

"The Dali Temple dungeon holds serious criminals. Your Highness does not have the Emperor's order, and you are not an official who is trying the case. I am afraid I dare not let Your Highness enter, and I am not allowed to visit you." The Dali Temple official said slowly, "Please understand that I have a duty and I dare not fail the Emperor's grace."

"Humph, what a responsibility. I'll remember what happened today." Cui Hongjing gritted his teeth and swung his sleeves fiercely, "Zhuang Xiang, let's go!"

Dali Temple: "Hey, Your Majesty..."

"Just like that, he left?" Cui Qimo was a little surprised when he heard the guard's report.

"Yes, Prince Jing went to the Dali Temple in the name of visiting a prisoner. The man he mentioned who was imprisoned in the Dali Temple dungeon did have some friendship with Grand Secretary Dong in the past, but the friendship was not deep. Prince Jing has never visited him in all these years."

"His purpose is not to visit, but to confirm whether the eunuch is in prison." Cui Qimo snorted coldly.

He had arranged everything. If Cui Hongjing persisted a little longer, the Dali Temple Minister would put him in the dungeon. Then, there would indeed be a eunuch named Fu imprisoned in the dungeon, but the surrounding cells were full of secret guards disguised as prisoners.

He was hoping that Cui Hongjing could talk to that eunuch Fu. Unexpectedly, he just left like that.

What exactly is he up to?

"Your Majesty." Eunuch Li hurried in, whispered something in his ear, and then left.

Cui Qimo waved his hand and sent everyone away.

Then he looked at the man in the big hood who was kneeling on the ground, "Speak!"

"Your Majesty, before Prince Jing left the palace, he had a long secret conversation with Zhuang Xiang in the study. I didn't dare to get too close, so I heard some of the content intermittently. They talked about the late emperor, saying that the late emperor had left something for Prince Jing..."

"What is that?" Cui Qimo's pupils constricted.

"From the tone of their voices, it doesn't sound like a will. It sounds more like they are talking about a batch of very valuable property, as if they are talking about the private vault of the late emperor."