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

Xiao Ce did not deny it, somewhat surprised: "Has it already spread among the people?"

Yin Weiyong nodded and began to speak.

Rumors are circulating that Xiao Yang has brought some Turkic shamans from the Turkic Kingdom.

These shamans can summon spirits. Xiao Yang arranged the funeral for the town king in order to summon his spirit.

Then we will be able to find out the truth about the death of the King of the Town.

Some even go so far as to say that shamans can bring people back to life.

After Yin Weiyong finished speaking, he asked Xiao Ce, "Son-in-law, do you want to use this rumor to lure out the real culprit?"

Xiao Ce nodded: "Not bad, I didn't expect Qian Dafang to be so quick. Father-in-law, do you think this matter is unreliable?"

Yin Weiyong shook his head, indicating that the people were all superstitious.

Moreover, there were indeed many famous Turkic shamans and doctors in the Xiao Kingdom.

"My dear son-in-law, do you still think there's something fishy about the death of the King of Zhen?"

Xiao Ce nodded: "Don't you think his army's defeat was abrupt, and that no one was found alive or dead? And Uncle Jiu's reaction after being captured was also very unusual... Although he is unyielding, he wouldn't commit suicide. I believe he was forced, or that he was threatened with something?"

"I'm doing this to see if anyone can't resist coming out. If we find something, that would be great! If not, we can spread some rumors that Xiao Yang has learned the truth about Uncle Nine's death. Then we can see who tries to assassinate Xiao Yang, and then we can follow the clues."

"Even if there are no problems, we've at least taken care of Uncle Jiu's funeral arrangements."

Yin Weiyong nodded: "My dear son-in-law, what a brilliant plan! But you must be careful."

Xiao Ce waved his hand and said, "Father-in-law, I was hiding behind Xiao Yang, letting him shield me. If anyone's going to die, it should be him..."

Yin Weiyong smiled and nodded, then stood up: "My dear son-in-law, it's getting late. I'm afraid many eyes are watching me here, so I should be going! Hearing about your situation puts my mind at ease; I can help you as much as I can..."

"Then thank you very much, Father-in-law. You don't need to worry. If one day you really can't stay here anymore, you can go to the Northern Desert..."

Yin Weiyong laughed and said, "Haha, not bad. After giving it my all at this age, I can finally enjoy my retirement... By the way, son-in-law, what are your plans for the future?"

Xiao Ce leaned close to Yin Weiyong's ear and whispered a few words.

Although Yin Weiyong was surprised, he cupped his hands and said, "My dear son-in-law, I will definitely help you!"

After exchanging a few pleasantries, he had his men see Yin Weiyong off.

After Yin Weiyong left.

Xiao Yang knelt upright beside the coffin of the King of Zhen.

Xiao Ce didn't call him, even though he was a staunch atheist.

However, Xiao Yang kneeling there could be considered as him fulfilling his filial duty.

He had a room prepared for him so he could rest.

Xiao Yang rushed over and said that a group of strangely dressed wizards had come from outside, saying that he had been looking for them.

He was about to ask Fuyao to drive them away, but Fuyao said that the wizards were insisting that it was this way.

Fuyao then asked Xiao Yang to inquire with Xiao Ce.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ce realized that he had forgotten to tell Xiao Yang, the person in question.

“Fuyao is indeed meticulous. That’s right, these wizards are the ones you found,” Xiao Ce said with a serious expression.

Xiao Yang was dumbfounded: "I found this?"

Xiao Ce then recounted the whole story to Xiao Yang.

Xiao Yang nodded with a look of sudden understanding: "Brother, I understand. I'll go and invite them in right away."

As he spoke, Xiao Yang suddenly remembered something: "Brother, do those people really know witchcraft?"

Xiao Ce laughed and said, "What do you know? It's all people Qian Dafang hired to impersonate them..."

Xiao Yang then went to bring the person in.

Xiao Ce watched from the shadows on the side. Those Turkic shamans really did look quite convincing.

What Xiao Ce didn't know was that he had Qian Dafang find some people with clean backgrounds and trustworthiness to impersonate him.

However, Qian Dafang remembered a task that Xiao Ce had arranged for him, and he messed it up.

Therefore, the Turkic witch doctors that Qian Dafang found this time were genuine.

Fortunately, there are quite a few witch doctors in Kyoto.

Seeing these shamans and witch doctors busily working around, Xiao Ce went back to rest.

After a night of fermentation, this rumor became a household name.

Even the emperor, deep within the palace, heard the news.

However, after hearing Xiao Yang's explanation yesterday, he decided not to worry about it anymore.

After Xiao Ce woke up, he changed into a set of clothes for court.

After all, the emperor had already said that he needed to attend court.

He had no choice but to go.

Moreover, if the emperor wanted to harm him, he had to cooperate.

Otherwise, his future plans may not be able to be implemented.

After they went outside, Xiao Yang was already waiting.

"Your Majesty, do you have any instructions?"

Xiao Ce shook his head: "It's alright, just do as we say. Be careful how you treat me, don't let anyone see that you're afraid of me."

Xiao Yang nodded.

The two of them rode in a carriage to the palace.

When they arrived outside the main hall, Xiao Ce's appearance drew pointing and whispering from the civil and military officials.

"Isn't that the First Prince, the King of the Northern Desert? He really came?"

"What eldest prince? He's nothing but a dog of the second prince. Didn't you see how obsequious he was?"

"I remember when we went to the four prefectures of the northern desert, he still dared to go against the Second Prince... Now he has no temper at all."

"He almost died in the northern desert. If it weren't for the Second Prince's intervention, he would probably be dead... Moreover, times have changed. The First Prince's biggest backer, the King of Zhen, is already dead... Now it seems he has recognized the Second Prince as his patron."

"What a pathetic sight... Look, when Prime Minister Yin went over just now, he didn't even glance at him..."

"Hahaha, why would Prime Minister Yin bother with him? Prime Minister Yin probably wants to kill him. If it weren't for that good-for-nothing taking his only daughter... he would be the Second Prince's father-in-law now..."

...

The officials standing nearby spoke in hushed tones.

However, Xiao Yang heard it very clearly, and his expression was extremely unpleasant.

After all, if he could hear it, Xiao Ce behind him certainly could too.

He was afraid that Xiao Ce would take his anger out on him if these people said anything.

Xiao Ce remained calm, and he was very pleased to hear these words.

The reason is simple: it shows that the persona he created was excellent, and the information about the four prefectures in the northern desert was kept very secret.

He thought that Xiao Xiangqing would definitely make a few sarcastic remarks after seeing him arrive.

To his surprise, after Xiao Xiangqing arrived, she simply stood at a distance, glanced at them, and did not step forward to mock them.

In fact, after being reprimanded by the emperor yesterday, Xiao Xiangqing went to see Mr. Qianlong again.

Mr. Qianlong was not surprised by this result.

And he told Xiao Xiangqing that if Xiao Ce was so easy to deal with, then there was no need to use him at all.

Xiao Xiangqing thought this made sense.

Moreover, Mr. Qianlong analyzed the situation with him and found that another force was targeting them.

This allows Xiao Xiangqing to do nothing for now and remain unchanged in the face of all changes.

After all, with the Western Regions Alliance delegation coming, as long as he remained calm, the emperor would inevitably come looking for him.

...

With Lu Banban's order to go to court.

Everyone went inside.

Xiao Dingbang sat on the dragon throne and immediately saw Xiao Ce, who was following behind Xiao Yang timidly. His eyes were full of disdain.

Looking at his appearance, he couldn't help but feel even more contemptuous. He couldn't understand how anyone could think that Xiao Yang's actions in the Northern Desert were the work of such a useless person.

After everyone shouted and bowed in worship.

Xiao Dingbang said, "It has been a long time since our court has been so well-gathered. All of you have seen that the First Prince Xiao Ce has also returned!"

"Xiao Ce, the Second Prince said that his great victory in the Northern Desert was inseparable from your help. I will also remember your contribution!"

Xiao Ce feigned a fearful expression: "Father, I... dare not... it's all thanks to His Highness the Second Prince. If... if it weren't for him... I... I'm afraid I would... have been killed by the Turks..."

Xiao Ce's acting skills are absolutely worthy of an Oscar.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Dingbang's eyes were filled with deep contempt.

Xiao Xiangqing, who had witnessed Xiao Ce's true colors, felt a chill run down her spine.

Xiao Ce's acting is truly superb.

If he hadn't seen Xiao Ce's true appearance, he probably would have thought Xiao Ce was a good-for-nothing.

“You don’t need to be modest. The credit is yours. Now that you’re back, stay here a little longer. It’s a good time to leave after the Western Regions delegation departs,” Xiao Dingbang said, quite reluctantly.

Xiao Ce naturally knew that Xiao Dingbang did this so that it would be easier for him to be a hostage in the future.

Xiao Ce still nodded and agreed.

Xiao Dingbang then became unwilling to continue talking to Xiao Ce and began to discuss other matters.

Many officials began to report on the current situation in Xiao Kingdom.

After a winter of suppression, the rebels had been mostly subdued.

However, natural disasters have struck one after another, with this year's winter lasting far too long.

If the weather is still very cold when it is time to sow, the yield will be greatly reduced.

Moreover, even after the start of spring, this place is plagued by floods, droughts, and locust plagues, making the entire Xiao Kingdom quite unsettled.

The situation is pretty much as Xiao Ce predicted; it seems the Xiao Kingdom is about to enter a Little Ice Age.

After a group of officials reported, Yin Weiyong stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, we are already struggling to take care of ourselves. Moreover, this year has been plagued by natural disasters, and we cannot afford to launch a war that would burden the people and waste resources. Therefore, we should be extremely cautious about the Western Regions Alliance."

Xiao Dingbang sat on the dragon throne and nodded: "That's one aspect! It's also one of the reasons why I agreed to let those small countries in the Western Regions come to negotiate! And then there are the successive natural disasters, how should we deal with them? We need to find a solution! Last year there were already a series of natural disasters, and today's situation is even worse. If it's the same next year, what should we do? Are we just going to sit and wait for our doom?"

At this moment, all the civil and military officials in the court lowered their heads.

All they knew was that when there was a disaster, they should provide relief, but they didn't know how to deal with such a natural disaster.

How can man fight against nature?

Seeing that no one answered, Xiao Dingbang snorted coldly: "All of you go back and think about it carefully!"

He then announced the end of the court session.

A group of ministers left, whispering among themselves.

After leaving the palace, Xiao Yang and Xiao Ce got into the carriage.

Seeing Xiao Yang staring at him intently, Xiao Ce asked, "What's wrong? You want to know how to solve this?"

Xiao Yang gave an awkward smile and said to Xiao Ce, "Brother, didn't you say you wanted to put me on the throne as crown prince? If you can provide a good solution, wouldn't that be another great achievement?"

"How do you know I have a way to solve this?" Xiao Ce said with a half-smile.

Xiao Yang smiled ingratiatingly: "Brother, you handled that wretched place in the four prefectures of the northern desert with just a few simple tricks. Here, these matters can be resolved with a little effort, can't they?"

Xiao Ce smiled slightly: "I do have a way, but there's no rush!"

Seeing that Xiao Ce didn't want to talk about it anymore, Xiao Yang didn't press the matter.

The conversation turned.

"By the way, Your Majesty, what did you talk about with Prime Minister Yin yesterday? It sounded like he was hinting at wanting to negotiate peace with the Western Regions..."

Xiao Ce said with a smile, "If they don't negotiate, how could they let the dog emperor take advantage of the situation and use me as a hostage?"

Xiao Yang's eyes widened in surprise. "Your Highness, do you really intend to go to the Western Regions as a hostage?"

Xiao Ce nodded: "That's right. When the time comes, I'll find out what's going on within their ranks. You'll be in charge of the troops. We'll attack them from both inside and outside, and crush them in one fell swoop!"

A glint of excitement flashed in Xiao Ce's eyes as he looked at Xiao Yang: "Are you thinking that when I'm gone, you'll be free too? Isn't that right? If I die in the Western Regions, you'll be even better off, you'll be completely free from my clutches, won't you?"

Xiao Yang was so frightened that he knelt down on the ground with a thud, his heart filled with shock.

Because, he had indeed thought that way just now.

He became increasingly convinced that Xiao Ce was a deity.

He lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to argue.

"Brother...please forgive me..."

Xiao Ce said calmly, "Alright, if that's how you think, I don't mind... because you'll see when the time comes that you're nothing without me!"

Xiao Yang lay prostrate on the ground, saying he dared not, and looked as if he was about to slap himself.

Xiao Ce stopped him, not because he was reluctant, but because he was afraid that Xiao Ce would slap him so hard that his head would be swollen, which would inevitably cause some trouble.

As they were talking, the carriage arrived at the town's royal residence.

As soon as they got out of the car, the scene before them stunned Xiao Yang and Xiao Ce.

The once quiet entrance is now filled with horse-drawn carriages.

Many civil and military officials went inside to offer their condolences.

Xiao Yang saw this scene and subconsciously wanted to ask Xiao Ce what was going on.

Before he could speak, seeing the large crowd and the intrusive nature of the area, Xiao Ce stopped him with a look...