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

The servant, his face pale with fright, nodded repeatedly.

Without wasting any words, Xiao Xiangqing hurriedly went out, got into the carriage, and headed straight for Fu Man Lou.

Gou An looked at Xiao Xiangqing with some anxiety from inside the carriage.

"Your Highness, there's no need to be in such a hurry. Now that Mr. Qianlong is here, he certainly won't be leaving today."

Xiao Xiangqing's face darkened: "What I'm worried about now is why this Mr. Qianlong didn't show up earlier or later, but of all times!"

Gou An asked with a puzzled look, "Eighth Prince, what do you mean?"

“We’ve been looking for this Mr. Qianlong for at least a month. We’ve been unable to find him. Now that Xiao Yang has returned, Mr. Qianlong has arrived right after! Is this really just a coincidence?” Xiao Xiangqing asked worriedly.

Gou An didn't dare to respond for a moment.

Xiao Xiangqing added with a cold gaze, "If that good-for-nothing Xiao Yang achieved such results in the four prefectures of Mobei, I would never believe it without the guidance of a master. And if the person behind this is Mr. Qianlong, then so be it!"

As Xiao Xiangqing was speaking, he suddenly remembered something and stopped the carriage.

Gou An looked at Xiao Xiangqing with a puzzled expression: "Eighth Prince, what's wrong?"

Xiao Xiangqing's face revealed murderous intent: "Gou An, go back and summon our guards! They will lie in ambush at Fu Man Lou and await my orders! If he cannot become one of my men, then he will not be allowed to leave alive!"

Gou An nodded: "Should we report this to Consort De?"

Xiao Xiangqing's gaze turned slightly cold: "These matters are still within my control. If we go and report to the Empress Dowager now and wait until we receive the information before taking action, it will be too late! You should hurry up and get on with it."

Gou An looked at Xiao Xiangqing's solemn face and dared not say anything more.

He knew very well that Xiao Xiangqing had been provoked by Xiao Yang in the palace just now.

"Eighth Prince, I'll go right away. And you…"

"Your Highness, go meet him first!"

As soon as Xiao Xiangqing arrived at Fu Man Lou, a waiter rushed over to greet her.

"Eighth Prince, are you entertaining guests or meeting friends?"

Xiao Xiangqing asked bluntly, "Friend, wasn't there someone wearing a monk's robe and a bamboo hat, with a young pageservant beside him, just now?"

The waiter nodded without hesitation: "That's right. Eighth Prince, do you wish to see him?"

Xiao Xiangqing nodded.

The waiter said awkwardly, "Eighth Prince, didn't you two make an appointment? That monk booked a top-class room here, stayed for a short while, and then left. He hasn't returned yet."

Xiao Xiangqing frowned immediately: "What? Are you sure?"

The waiter nodded.

Xiao Xiangqing then asked the waiter to take him to see.

The waiter dared not delay and led Xiao Xiangqing to the top-class room on the third floor.

The waiter knocked on the door, but no one answered.

Before the waiter could stop her, Xiao Xiangqing pushed the door open and entered.

The antique-style room was very clean, with no signs of anyone having been there.

Xiao Xiangqing searched inside but found nothing!

Do you know where that monk went?

The waiter scratched his head and said, "I don't know. All I know is that the monk was riding in a carriage and headed east of the city."

Xiao Xiangqing frowned upon hearing this: "East of the city? Are you sure?"

The waiter nodded very affirmatively.

Xiao Xiangqing went downstairs without saying a word, her face dark.

Without saying anything more to the waiter, he left Fumanlou.

On the way back, they saw Gou An leading a group of guards rushing to Fu Man Lou.

Xiao Xiangqing stopped them and told Gou An that they had come up empty-handed.

"They headed east of the city? Isn't the Second Prince's residence in the east of the city?" Gou An said.

Xiao Xiangqing nodded with a dark face: "That's right... So, you've planted spies on Xiao Yang's side, haven't you?"

Gou An nodded.

"Go keep an eye on it! Even if a fly flies in, you have to follow my instructions! Then send people throughout the city to find that Mr. Qianlong."

Gou An nodded again.

...

Xiao Ce was very comfortable staying at Xiao Yang's residence.

That son of a bitch Xiao Yang enjoys the emperor's favor and lives a life of luxury here.

Compared to his previous residence as the Crown Prince, this was so much better, so much better.

The only regret is that I didn't bring a few seasonal maids to serve me.

Looking at Da Lei standing to the side with a serious expression on his face.

"Da Lei, relax...you don't need to be so tense."

Da Lei said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, do you really believe this Xiao Yang? Before, his obsequiousness was partly due to his relationship with Ye Mao, and partly because it was your territory. Now, we are on his territory. He is a despicable person, and I don't trust him!"

Xiao Ce smiled and said, "Da Lei, you're right. But after following me all this time, do you still think I'm the kind of person who likes to place my hopes on others? Of course I know that Xiao Yang is a villain, and he'll definitely cry and go to his mother when he enters the palace this time."

"However, they have no choice now. They can only obediently listen to me! Besides, I've already told Xiao Yang that as long as he obediently serves as my dog, I can support him to become the crown prince. I've explained the pros and cons to him clearly throughout the journey. Unless they're completely stupid, they should know what to choose. Even if he does act foolishly, I have a way to deal with it. No matter how much he jumps around, he can't escape my grasp!"

Looking at Xiao Ce's confident expression, Da Lei nodded calmly: "Your Highness, that is true. However, I cannot let my guard down."

Xiao Ce looked at Da Lei and nodded with a smile.

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Yang's voice came from outside the door.

"Brother, it's me!"

Xiao Ce walked to the door and glanced inside. Xiao Yang was being stopped at the door by several guards.

Seeing Da Lei's delighted expression, Xiao Ce ordered the guards at the door to let him through.

Looking at Xiao Yang's radiant face.

"Good news?"

After Xiao Yang followed Xiao Ce back into the house, he began to boast excitedly.

"Brother, you are truly amazing! You are a living god! All the things you taught me have come in handy in the palace. I even saw Father..."

At this point, Xiao Yang paused, then immediately changed his words, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive me, I have met Xiao Dingbang, and he has agreed to everything you said!"

Xiao Ce wasn't surprised: "He promised to provide money and grain?"

Xiao Yang nodded and recounted what had happened in the palace.

After listening, Xiao Ce showed a satisfied expression.

That dog of an emperor, Xiao Dingbang, really didn't disappoint him; he didn't even want to see him.

Moreover, at present, this dog emperor, Siu Ting-pong, does not need to come forward to accuse Siu Ting-shan.

This means that the emperor won't bother him during this time, and he has plenty of time to do his own thing.

Looking at Xiao Ce's smiling face, Xiao Yang cautiously asked, "Brother, are you satisfied?"

Xiao Ce said meaningfully, "Is there anything else I didn't tell you?"

When Xiao Yang was asked this question by Xiao Ce, his heart skipped a beat. He forced an awkward smile as he looked at Xiao Ce.

"Wha...what?"

Xiao Ce's smile gradually faded: "You call me a living god. Then I know there's nothing you can hide from me?"

Xiao Yang's face twitched, and he forced a smile as he said to Xiao Ce, "Brother... I... I already told you, didn't I?"

Xiao Ce saw that Xiao Yang was still being stubborn, but his micro-expressions had already betrayed him.

This also confirmed Xiao Ce's suspicions that Xiao Yang had something to hide, further solidifying his own conjecture.

Xiao Ce, with a cold expression, said to Xiao Yang, "Then let me remind you, what did you say to your mother? Have you forgotten? Do you need me to help you recall?"

As soon as Xiao Ce said this...

Xiao Yang could no longer stand. Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, his legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground with a thud.

He started kowtowing repeatedly, begging for mercy and shouting that he would never do it again.

This time, Xiao Ce did not stop him, but watched coldly from the side.

Although Xiao Ce was confident that he could keep Xiao Yang firmly under control, it did not mean that Xiao Yang could resist.

Before long, Xiao Yang's head was covered in blood and gore, but even so, he didn't dare to stop.

He became increasingly certain that Xiao Ce possessed extraordinary abilities; otherwise, he wouldn't have known.

He was filled with regret.

Xiao Ce sat down at a table, slowly sipping a cup of tea.

Seeing that Xiao Yang's kowtowing speed gradually slowed down due to the pain.

Did I tell you to slow down?

Xiao Yang, his face contorted with pain and covered in blood, said, “Your Majesty…I…I’m worried…worried…about how I will explain my head injury to Xiao Dingbang.”

Xiao Ce said with a forced smile, "If this is all the attitude you have for admitting your mistake, I don't think you'll ever have a chance to see that dog emperor again..."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yang's face turned deathly pale, and he trembled uncontrollably.

Xiao Ce simply said, "Continue if you don't want to die!"

Xiao Yang nodded and then began to bang his head against the wall forcefully.

Xiao Ce said, "Xiao Yang, this is the first time I'm giving you a chance to kowtow and admit your mistake. Next time, you won't have that chance, understand?"

Xiao Yang nodded through his tears, but after a few moments of kowtowing, he kowtowed too hard and passed out.

Xiao Ce said to Da Lei beside him, "Go check if it's an act."

After examining Xiao Yang for a while, Da Lei said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, I've checked. He's not faking it! He really fainted."

Xiao Ce nodded: "Alright, let Lu Shu come and treat his head."

Da Lei nodded and went out to call for help.

Lu Shu is one of the Twelve Fiends, mainly responsible for treatment. In any case, Xiao Ce thought his medical skills were extremely impressive.

His acupuncture skills, in particular, were superb. In fact, Xiao Ce had met many traditional Chinese medicine masters who were given the title of national teacher in later generations, but in front of him, they were just novices.

Lu Shu examined the wound and began treating and bandaging it, finishing in no time.

He bowed to Xiao Ce and said, "Your Highness, the Second Prince is alright and will wake up soon."

Xiao Ce nodded and said, "Alright, let him lie here like a corpse."

After saying that, he turned to look at Da Lei: "Da Lei, it's our turn to set off now."