The reborn girl always wants to escape, but the abstinent marquis hugs her and coaxes her!

Chapter 167 Every man is innocent, but he is guilty

In the sky prison, Duan Chuanchao finally got a moment of rest.

He has been locked up in the water dungeon for over a month, and every day he lives has been worse than death.

Only when he is brought to trial will he be released from the water dungeon and taken to the interrogation room.

Although the interrogation was accompanied by harsher punishment, it was better for him than the torture of waterboarding, which was like being unable to live or die.

It wore down his resolve moment by moment.

At this moment, he was kneeling in the dark and claustrophobic interrogation room, with the wall behind him covered with bloodstained torture instruments.

He lowered his head and fell to the ground. The Third Prince Wu Tianxiao stood before him. Even at this moment, he still had an incredible feeling -

This person was indeed Duan Yunchao, the private wine waiter who delivered wine to his house every day two months ago.

Yinyin liked the clear wine he made, and he also asked the guards in the mansion to investigate. This person's identity was safe. He was brewing wine alone in the capital and got along well with his neighbors.

So he allowed this person to enter and leave the mansion.

At first, he didn't take it seriously, until one day when he passed by the back room, the conversation between this man and the servants in the mansion caught his attention.

At that time, Duan Yunchao was talking to someone about wine. A jar of tribute wine from Fanwai was worth a hundred gold coins in the capital, but in Fanwai, a set of porcelain from the Great Zhou could be exchanged for ten jars of wine.

He said that if the Great Zhou could reopen border trade, everyone in the country would be able to taste it.

His words resonated deeply with her, so she went into the back room and chatted with him for a long time, gaining a lot from it. However, he had used a fake identity and had other motives for entering her mansion...

What is there for the third prince to plot for when he has a favored elder brother, spoiled younger siblings, a mother who died young, and no one from his mother's family to protect him?

Yes, what can I do if a private wine shop owner is staring at me?

"Tell me, who asked you to keep an eye on me?" Wu Tianxiao asked in a deep voice.

Duan Chuanchao raised his head: "Yes...it's the Second Prince."

"Second brother?" Wu Tianxiao frowned, "Why is he staring at me?"

"The Second Prince wants to know if you've joined forces with the Crown Prince... The Second Prince's influence in the court has always been comparable to that of the Crown Prince. His only disadvantage is that he lacks the Emperor's favor. Therefore, he first set his sights on the salt mines in Jiangxia, intending to bring down the Crown Prince. However, it's unknown how the Crown Prince learned of this in advance and cleared himself of responsibility in front of His Majesty. Afterwards, he instigated the flooding of Jiangnan in an attempt to eliminate Chang Jing. He knew that without Chang Jing's support, the Crown Prince would have no one to trust."

"The Crown Prince's downfall is imminent, but before that, he wants to know if any of the princes are colluding with him. So, he asked me to find out the truth under the guise of delivering wine to the Third Prince's mansion."

"Is that all?" Mu Rong asked with a sneer.

"Every word of what the grassroots say is true."

"Then was it also the Second Prince's order to add something cold to the wine sent by the Third Imperial Concubine?"

Duan Chuanchao shuddered almost imperceptibly.

Wu Tianxiao turned and looked at Mu Rong, his eyes full of shock: "What did you say!"

"Third brother, you don't know yet? This person took advantage of Third Sister-in-law's preference for his brew and added a lot of cold ingredients to it."

Duan Chuanchao raised his head and looked at Mu Rong: "How do you know?"

Before he could finish, Wu Tianxiao kicked Duan Chuanchao in the chest.

He used all his strength in this kick, and Duan Chuanchao flew up and hit his back hard against the wall.

He fell to the ground with a thud, and a mouthful of blood gushed out of his mouth.

Wu Tianxiao was still not satisfied and kicked him hard in the face: "Thief! How dare you murder my wife!"

Mu Rong waited until he had finished venting his anger, then reached out and held him back: "Don't worry, Third Brother, let's hear what else he did."

His voice was so cold that it made Duan Chuanchao shiver all over.

Mu Rong smiled and said, "I have already said that I know all about what you did in the Third Prince's residence. Today, I just want His Highness to hear it in person."

He then asked, "What else did the Second Prince ask you to do? If you conceal anything, I will make you live in a water dungeon for the rest of your life." "Yes." Duan Chuanchao knelt again. "The Second Prince knows that the Third Prince has always wanted to reopen border trade, so he asked me to talk about trade with others while I was in the Third Prince's mansion to get his attention."

Wu Tianxiao was stunned. What he thought was a pleasant conversation turned out to be an arrangement with ulterior motives?

"What else?" Mu Rong continued to ask.

"The Second Prince told me to quickly gain the Third Prince's trust. He said the Third Prince is most concerned about the people's livelihood. I come from the common people and understand commerce. If I can please him, he will definitely entrust me with important tasks... In this way, I can sow discord between the Third Prince and the Emperor, and also try to alienate him from the other princes."

"Why is this happening? I can understand that my second brother wants to deal with the prince, but why is he doing this to me?"

Duan Chuanchao wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "The Second Prince said that although the Crown Prince is favored by the Emperor, he is a weakling and not a concern. Moreover, he is surrounded by greedy people who will eventually hinder him in every way. But you are different. Your political views are consistent with the Emperor's, and you have many strategies that benefit the people, which makes you very popular with the Emperor. If the Crown Prince falls, the Emperor will most likely favor you. Therefore, before the Crown Prince is deposed, you must be eliminated first."

"You must not bear children... Therefore, if the Crown Prince becomes incapacitated, my first priority will be to tamper with the Third Consort's diet, making it difficult for her to conceive."

"As for why he wants to alienate you from the other princes, it's because... the Second Prince wants everyone to know that you are dissatisfied with the royal family. Once the facts become clear, everyone will believe it..."

"What do you believe in?" Wu Tianxiao said coldly.

"I believe you want to force the palace to rebel."

Wu Tianxiao was stunned.

"By then, His Majesty will be furious, and none of the other princes will speak up for you. You'll inevitably rebel. And then... we'll just need to ambush assassins in the midst of the chaos, and we'll be able to eliminate you completely."

Wu Tianxiao stared at Duan Chuanchao in disbelief: His second brother was actually forcing him to rebel?! Mu Rong leaned aside, pursing his lips. "In his previous life... Duan Chuanchao did it. He forced the Third Prince to rebel, and His Majesty, enraged, ordered a crackdown."

He could still vividly remember the tragic scenes of that life.

……

Riding on the road back home, the surroundings are filled with the joy of the New Year.

When acquaintances meet and greet the New Year, it is full of new ideas.

Wu Tianxiao seemed to have lost his soul.

Mu Rong followed behind him quietly.

Wu Tianxiao paused, muttering, "Second brother... I treated him with utmost sincerity, why would he do this?"

"Third brother, have you heard of 'An innocent man is guilty of possessing a treasure'? Third brother's talent is a threat to the other princes." Mu Rong looked at Wu Tianxiao quietly. "When we were in the Eastern Palace, when the Crown Prince learned that the Jiangnan officials we suspected had died in accidents, he first suspected Third brother." "Heh..." Wu Tianxiao laughed. "Second brother is like this, the Crown Prince is like this, but I just want to be a peaceful prince and a minister in the future."

Mu Rong looked at him and asked, "Third brother, do you really believe that everything Duan Chuanchao said was arranged by the Second Prince?"

Wu Tianxiao was stunned.