Deposed Crown Prince: After three years of service on the frontier, the entire court knelt and begge

In Kyoto, a squad of over a hundred men in black armor followed a speeding imperial carriage out of the palace.

In the dragon carriage

"Father, with the help of Prime Minister Yin's daughter this time, let's see how Ninth Uncle can protect him?"

The young man in purple robes who spoke was none other than Xiao Yang, the second prince of the Great Xiao Dynasty and the most favored son of Emperor Xiao Dingbang.

Xiao Dingbang, who was standing to the side, nodded and said, "Yang'er, aren't you afraid that good-for-nothing Xiao Ce will really take your fiancée by force? You should know that Yin Pan'er is Prime Minister Yin's most beloved only daughter!"

Xiao Yang said with an indifferent expression, "Father, you don't know this. Although this plan was my idea, it was Prime Minister Yin who personally persuaded Yin Pan'er. He even threatened to kill himself to get Yin Pan'er to agree to put on this show."

"Your Majesty's original intention was to make that good-for-nothing Xiao Ce really do it. If he really does, that would be great! That way, Father Emperor can not only justifiably depose that good-for-nothing Xiao Ce."

"Moreover, as the future Crown Prince, I cannot marry such an impure woman as my principal wife. Therefore, I can openly and legitimately annul the engagement. That old fox Yin Weiyong will be unable to say anything at that time and will have to swallow this bitter pill. He originally wanted to use this marriage to manipulate me and my maternal family and strengthen his own power."

"What a pity! Xiao Ce is truly a useless piece of trash, and he's even a eunuch. But let's deal with this useless Xiao Ce first! As for dealing with the old fox Yin Weiyong, I'll devise a more detailed plan later."

Xiao Dingbang nodded in satisfaction: "Yang'er, you truly are the child I have chosen! Today, as long as we catch him in the act, we can cripple that good-for-nothing. I want to see how the Prince of Zhen will protect him this time."

"However, the borders are unstable and the court is in turmoil. You still need to keep Yin Weiyong in check. Otherwise, even if I want to support you, you will still need Yin Weiyong's support if you want to secure your position in this country!"

Xiao Yang nodded and said, "Thank you for your teachings, Father."

"Have you informed the King of Zhen?" Xiao Dingbang asked.

"Your Majesty, that's for sure. If Uncle Jiu doesn't see it, our whole charade would be meaningless! But, Your Majesty, Uncle Jiu has always treated Xiao Ce as his own son. He wouldn't insist on protecting Xiao Ce, would he?"

Xiao Yang said that on purpose.

The King of Zhen was the emperor's ninth brother, a highly decorated prince who led troops to victory three times, routing the Turks.

When the Queen was captured by the Turks, it was the Prince of Zhen who rescued her. Rumors circulated that the two had an affair on their way back to the capital.

After that, the Empress became pregnant with the Crown Prince.

This period of time led the emperor to constantly suspect that the crown prince was not his biological son. Furthermore, after the empress's difficult childbirth, the Ninth Prince never remarried and treated the crown prince as his own.

However, the emperor, mindful of the numerous military achievements of the Ninth Prince of Zhenwang, did not reveal the truth.

Therefore, over the years, they have tacitly allowed these princes to frame Xiao Ce, but under the protection of the King of Zhen, none of their attempts have succeeded.

Xiao Dingbang's eyes sharpened, a hint of ruthlessness in them: "He wouldn't dare! I'm still the Emperor! Besides, the Ninth Prince wouldn't do that; he's been upright his whole life! He can't tolerate any injustice! This time, if we really catch them in bed together, not only is she the Prime Minister's only daughter, but she's also your fiancée! Let's see how the Ninth Prince tries to protect her!"

...

After a short while, the door to the Crown Prince's bedroom was kicked open with a bang.

Xiao Yang followed a group of guards in black armor as they rushed inside.

Emperor Xiao Dingbang and Prince Xiao Dingshan followed closely behind.

"Xiao Ce, you are worse than a beast! Pan'er is my betrothed, how could you do this..."

Xiao Yang saw the scene inside the room, and his prepared speech came to an abrupt halt.

in the room.

Xiao Ce lay on the bed, fully clothed, fast asleep.

Yin Pan'er sat down on the edge of the bed, her clothes neat and proper.

Looking at the people rushing in.

Yin Pan'er bowed to the visitor.

"Pan'er, you...you...weren't you bullied by that beast?... " Xiao Yang asked, his brows furrowed slightly.

Yin Pan'er bowed and said, "Second Prince, what are you saying? His Highness the Crown Prince did not bully me."

Seeing that Yin Pan'er hadn't kept her promise, Xiao Yang kept winking and making faces at her.

Yin Pan'er, however, ignored it.

Xiao Dingbang saw through the situation and said sternly, "Yin Pan'er, has this beast threatened you? You don't need to be afraid of him. Even if he is the Crown Prince, if he dares to do anything improper, not only will I not forgive him, but the King of Zhen will not spare him either!"

Yin Pan'er simply lowered her head and remained silent.

Seeing this, Xiao Dingbang pointed at Xiao Ce, who was fast asleep on the bed, and said, "Men, drag this beast off the bed and wake him up! What are you pretending for!"

The black-armored guards stepped forward and dragged Xiao Ce to the ground.

He took a ladle of water from the side and splashed it on.

Xiao Ce feigned a shiver, putting on a bewildered expression as if he had just woken up: "Father, you...you've come..."

Before the emperor could speak, Xiao Yang pointed at Xiao Ce and said, "Xiao Ce, you piece of trash! You forcibly took and bullied my fiancée? Tell me, why are we here?"

"Forced possession? Abused your fiancée? Second brother, what makes you say that?"

Xiao Ce looked at Yin Pan'er to the side and said, "Miss Yin, you...you...how did you get here? I didn't even know you were here..."

"Say something! Prove my innocence! I didn't even know you got here."

Xiao Yang said from the side, "You're still putting on an act! Just now, Yin Pan'er's servants heard her pleading for help and said that you only came to me for help before you bullied Yin Pan'er!"

Xiao Ce put on a full performance, looking at the silent, dark-faced King Zhen with an expression more wronged than Dou E: "Ninth Uncle! You must stand up for me!"

The King of Zhen, his face dark, said to Xiao Ce, "Crown Prince, did you do the things the Second Prince mentioned? If you didn't, I will clear your name. If you did, I will certainly not tolerate it!"

Xiao Ce prostrated himself on the ground: "Ninth Uncle, I'm innocent!"

Upon seeing this, the King of Zhen stepped forward and looked at Yin Pan'er: "Miss Yin, what exactly is going on? Why are you at the Crown Prince's palace? Why did someone say you were calling for help?"

Yin Pan'er bowed slightly and said in a trembling voice, "Reporting to the Ninth Prince, His Highness the Crown Prince drank too much during the banquet. The Second Prince was worried about His Highness's health, so he asked me to accompany him to prevent any accidents from happening to His Highness. That's why I've been taking care of him the whole time, while His Highness has been soundly asleep and hasn't done anything out of line."

Xiao Yang's gaze was sharp, and his voice carried a hint of threat. "Yin Pan'er, are you sure he didn't take liberties with you? No matter what he did, you are my fiancée, and I will remain faithful to you until the end. But, your father is here. If you don't tell the truth, you are committing the crime of deceiving the emperor!"

Yin Pan'er's expression shifted slightly as she said, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince really didn't touch me at all."

The King of Zhen then said to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, this matter is very clear. Even Miss Yin has said so! It is clear that someone is deliberately framing His Highness the Crown Prince."

Xiao Yang's gaze turned cold as he said, "Ninth Uncle, don't jump to conclusions. Pan'er cares about her reputation! Go and fetch the servant who came to ask for help from Yin Pan'er!"

As they were talking, a trembling servant was brought up.

Yin Pan'er looked at the servant boy, and her expression turned much uglier.

"You servant, what did you see? What did you hear? Answer truthfully! If His Majesty is here and you utter a single lie, you will be guilty of deceiving the Emperor. I, the Prince, will have you torn apart by five horses!"

The servant knelt and said, "Reporting to Your Highness, Second Prince, I just heard Miss begging for mercy, and the sound of her clothes being torn. And...and...the sound of the bed shaking..."

Xiao Yang listened to the servant's report and looked at Yin Pan'er's evasive eyes and blushing face.

He vaguely guessed what was going on. He feared that Yin Pan'er had really been taken advantage of by Xiao Ce, and that she hadn't cooperated with him to protect her reputation.

Thinking of this, Xiao Yang became somewhat excited: "How did Miss Yin beg for mercy?"

The servant boy trembled as he repeated what Yin Pan'er had just said.

Xiao Yang asked again, "You also said you heard the sound of Miss Yin's clothes being torn?"

The servant nodded tremblingly.

Seeing Yin Pan'er's face turn red to the roots of her ears, Xiao Yang became even more certain of what he was thinking.

She noticed that Yin Pan'er's clothes were different from those at the banquet and asked, "Pan'er, why are your clothes different from those at the banquet? Did this good-for-nothing force you to say this?"

Yin Pan'er's expression changed drastically. She stammered and couldn't say anything, tears welling up in her eyes.

Xiao Yang then looked at Xiao Ce and said sternly, "Xiao Ce, what do you think? Why did Yin Pan'er change her clothes?"

Xiao Ce trembled, like a startled rabbit, and subconsciously glanced under the bed behind him: "I...I don't know."

Xiao Yang saw his action.

Following Xiao Ce's gaze, Xiao Yang bent down and looked under the bed.

I immediately noticed a set of torn clothes.

I glanced at the bed instinctively and immediately noticed the bright red plum blossoms on the sheets.

"Pan'er, are these your clothes?"

Then, pointing to the red plum blossoms on the bed, she asked, "What about the fallen blood on this bed?"

Before Yin Pan'er could speak...

Seeing this, Xiao Yang understood perfectly and said, "Father, Ninth Uncle! Now we have both witnesses and evidence! It's clear that Pan'er was threatened by this beast, which is why she dared not tell the truth!"

Sitting to one side, Xiao Dingbang didn't give Xiao Ce a chance to explain at all.

With a dark expression, he picked up the teapot on the table and threw it at Xiao Ce, shouting angrily, "You beast! You didn't even spare your own sister-in-law! You deserve to die! Guards! Take this piece of trash away and throw him in the death row!"

Xiao Ce couldn't dodge it in time, and the teapot smashed solidly onto his head.

A gash appeared on his forehead, and blood flowed down his forehead.

He lay trembling on the ground, crying out that he was innocent, but a triumphant smile appeared on his lips.