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

As soon as he finished speaking, a man dressed in a monk's robe and wearing a bamboo hat walked in.

If Xiao Ce and Nie Bing saw this person's attire...

They will definitely recognize it.

Isn't this person dressed like Mr. Qianlong?

However, just by looking at this person's figure, it was clear that this was not the Mr. Qianlong they knew.

"My benefactor!" Lou Yao stood up excitedly, her eyes filled with tears.

Lou Yao took a few steps and was about to say something.

But the man in the monk's robe raised his hand and said, "You don't need to say anything. From what I've seen along the way, I certainly know more than you do!"

Lou Yao asked the man in the monk's robe, "My benefactor, didn't Wu Wei, Lin Bang, and that instructor take action? Did they betray us?"

The man in the monk's robe shook his head at Lou Yao: "Yes and no..."

Lou Yao listened to the man in the monk's robe, looking puzzled, and asked, "My benefactor, what does this mean? Does it mean yes or no? It means no... it's neither yes nor no, it's..."

The man in the monk's robe said to Lou Yao, "After they went to find Xiao Ce, he didn't even see them..."

"Clearly, Xiao Ce was not satisfied with their actions. So, the instructor, Wu Wei, and Lin Bang didn't even get to see Xiao Ce."

Lou Yao asked sharply, "Did we leak some information?"

The man in the monk's robe shook his head and said, "Of course not... it's simply that Xiao Ce is not simple. Empress Dowager, I was wrong. I shouldn't have let him go in the first place..."

Seeing the monk admit his mistake, Lou Yao waved her hand and said, "My benefactor, this has nothing to do with you... it's my fault..."

Before Lou Yao could speak, the man in the monk's robe interrupted, "Mother, now is not the time to assign blame!"

Lou Yao gave an awkward smile: "My benefactor, we now have at least 100,000 troops! How could we possibly turn the tide... Not to mention, their weapons are far superior to ours, and their numbers are even greater!"

The man in the monk's robe sat down to the side and poured himself a full cup of tea.

He downed his drink in one gulp: "Mother, I've told you before, the martial world is never just about fighting and killing; it's about human relationships and social graces..."

Lou Yao's face darkened. "You mean, we should go and talk to them? How are we supposed to talk about this?"

The man in the monk's robe said, "Why can't we negotiate? We can't negotiate with the Western Regions Alliance, but isn't there a Xiao Kingdom in the east?"

Lou Yao asked with a hint of confusion, "People from Xiao? Aren't those people from Xiao Ce's confidants?"

The man in the monk's robe chuckled and shook his head, saying, "That's right... Xiao Yang was at most subdued by Xiao Ce! And it was through various means that he was made to obey... Xiao Yang was only forced into submission by Xiao Ce's tyranny. As long as someone offers him enough incentive to rebel, he will definitely rebel..."

"If Xiao Yang rebels, his hundreds of thousands of troops, along with enough weapons to rival Xiao Ce's forces, will be no match for the Western Regions Alliance."

"Most importantly, I know their weapons were all transported from Xiao Kingdom, and specifically, through Xiao Yang's group. Once Xiao Yang cuts off their ammunition supply, they'll be surrounded..."

The monk's slow, deliberate words made Lou Yao's expression instantly become quite interesting.

He was well aware that once the monk in the robes uttered those words, it meant that the monk in the robes had gained sufficient confidence.

"My benefactor, does what you're saying... mean we have a better chance of winning?"

The man in the monk's robe nodded: "Empress Dowager, that's good... However, you'll need to go and find out about this yourself..."

Lou Yao nodded: "Now that the nation is facing a life-or-death crisis, I will naturally step forward without hesitation! I just don't know what to do!"

Seeing this, the man in the monk's robe said, "Very good, I will tell you how to do it. Come here... I'll follow your instructions."

Lou Yao nodded respectfully and then went up to him.

...

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Xiao Ce still had someone bring the instructor and the other two over.

And they secretly deployed many assassins.

If they make any strange moves, they can kill the three of them immediately.

Hu Yidao walked over with three people.

As they walked over, the three of them tried to ask Hu Yidao what Xiao Ce's purpose was in sending them there.

However, Hu Yidao remained silent, no matter what they asked.

Hu Yidao remained silent.

After arriving at Xiao Ce's residence, Hu Yidao led them inside.

Once they went inside, they immediately spotted Xiao Ce.

Xiao Ce looked much more energetic than before.

After seeing Xiao Ce, the three people bowed to him.

After the three people knelt down, Xiao Ce did not speak.

They lay prostrate on the ground.

The three men also displayed remarkable composure; without Xiao Ce uttering a word, they remained prostrate on the ground, motionless...

After a full cup of tea's time had passed, Xiao Ce slowly said, "Do you know why I didn't see you before?"

"Your Highness, you must be angry with us!" Wuwei spoke first.

Xiao Ce nodded: "That's right, that's one reason. You're all smart people, so you should know that the person I hate most is someone who betrays me..."

Lin Bang then chimed in, "Your Highness, we also have our own unavoidable difficulties...we..."

Xiao Ce waved his hand and said, "No matter what your reasons are, they are not a reason for you to betray me. Alright, stop talking nonsense, what brings you here this time?"

The instructor bowed to Xiao Ce and said, "Your Highness, you are right... No matter the circumstances, there is no reason for betrayal. None of the three of us are afraid of death... We have our reasons for doing this."

"Your Highness, the King of the Northern Desert, you must have heard about our situation in Uzbekistan. We are truly desperate now. It's not that we're afraid of death... but we beg you to save the old Queen and the Prince's son."

Xiao Ce was indeed surprised to hear the instructor say this.

"Save the old princess? And the prince's son? Isn't Lou Yao the queen mother now? Isn't her son the emperor of Uz? They are both at the pinnacle of their positions... Why do they still need our help?" Xiao Ce asked.

Wuwei, with a grim expression, recounted the truth of the matter.

“Your Highness, we initially thought so too. But after we arrived, Lou Yao met with us alone... After meeting us, they didn't waste any words and went straight to the point, telling us that she wasn't Lou Yao, and that the real Lou Yao and the old prince's son were in her hands!”

After Wuwei got to this point, Xiao Ce interrupted, "You mean that fake?"

Wuwei nodded.

From there, Xiao Ce could guess what was going to happen without Wu Wei even having to say anything.

"Is it that fake person who's controlling the old princess and the old prince's son, forcing you to listen to him and do his bidding?"

Wu Wei was not surprised when Xiao Ce guessed it.

Xiao Ce's gaze sharpened: "Do you believe it? Have you gone to verify it?"

The instructor gave a bitter smile and shook his head, saying, "Your Highness, the old prince's dying wish was for Lou Yao and her child to be safe. We made our request, but the initiative is not in our hands! We made the request, but that imposter only said that we just need to listen to her... and not worry about anything else."

"Furthermore, she said that the old prince is such a wise man that he wouldn't have done this without sufficient certainty. We thought about it and realized that made perfect sense. We dared not say anything more. If anything happened to them because of us, then we would be sinners!"

The coach spoke very sincerely...

Xiao Ce listened to their explanation, and it aligned with their thoughts.

"So, you suffered a crushing defeat, but did they harm Uncle Nine's wife and children?"

The coaches were taken aback; they hadn't expected such an answer.

Because they really didn't expect Xiao Ce to ask that question.

He was speechless for a moment.

Xiao Ce smiled faintly: "Were those words you just said taught to you by that fake? All that acting over there was just to put on a show for me, wasn't it? Alright, tell me, why did she send you here?"

As he spoke, Xiao Ce's expression changed, and he said to them with a sinister look, "I've already given you one chance. Don't try to fool me... If you try to fool me, the only thing that can happen is that you yourselves become the fools!"

The people looked extremely embarrassed.

Wu Wei frowned and said, "Alright... I knew I couldn't fool His Highness the King of Mobei... Let's just be frank with you. Telling you might give us a glimmer of hope."

"That fake wanted us to tell you the truth to gain your trust. After gaining your trust, we'd figure out a way to get rid of you. Once we succeeded, they'd let us meet the old princess and the old prince's son."

After Wuwei revealed everything, the instructor and Lin Bang stopped wasting words.

They all nodded in agreement, saying, "That's right, they're right!"

Seeing this, Xiao Ce nodded: "Instructor, you used to be a member of the Imperial Guard, so you must know a lot about what's going on in the capital."

The coach nodded: "That's right...we are indeed very clear about the situation there..."

"Did you search within the palace?"

The instructor nodded: "I've already searched, not only in the palace, but also in the capital. Since the old princess and the old prince's son are both from Xiao, they should stand out quite a bit here, so finding them shouldn't be difficult..."

"But we didn't find it!"

Xiao Ce pondered for a moment, then said, "The three of you should all be intelligent people, haven't you considered one possibility? That is, they are already dead?"

The instructor, Wuwei, and Linbang all looked extremely grim.

Clearly, judging from their expressions, they may have considered it.

However, none of the three of them dared to even think that way.

"That can't be right. These two are the counterfeiter's trump cards... He'll definitely take good care of them. Besides, the old prince must know the old princess very well."

"The old prince must have been certain they were still alive before he obeyed that fake's orders. Otherwise, with the old prince's wisdom, why would he risk his life?"

Xiao Ce nodded: "What is the purpose of that counterfeit?"

The instructor said, "This woman has great ambitions. They plan to unify the Western Regions within six months, then occupy most of the Xiao Kingdom's territory within a year, and ultimately annex the Xiao Kingdom!"

After listening, Xiao Ce sneered, "Her ambitions are really quite large."

Xiao Ce paused for a moment, then continued, "Alright...so were you all planning to do as instructed from the start?"

All three of them answered very directly, nodding: "Your Highness, that's right... that's what we intend to do... However, we know the chances are slim, and we may not be able to do it. But the fact that you haven't seen us for a while has given us time to think things through..."

Then the instructor asked Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, during this time, has that fake guy contacted you since we haven't heard from him?"

Xiao Ce shook his head: "I'm almost able to conquer Uzbekistan! According to what you've said, given the situation, they should know my purpose and have already sent someone to find me and negotiate this matter!"

The three instructors were taken aback when they heard Xiao Ce's words.

Then, with an expression of utter disbelief, he asked, "Your Highness? What did you say?"

"You're saying you've almost conquered Uzbekistan? It's only been a short time... less than a month, and you... you..."

Looking at their expressions, Xiao Ce smiled and said, "I might be exaggerating, and we didn't actually take them all! We only managed to take about two-thirds! Their regular army is only around 50,000 now! In total, they probably have about 100,000 troops. Taking them wouldn't be too difficult for us!"

"According to what you've said, given the situation, she should also know about my relationship with Master Wang. They're in such dire straits, yet they haven't come to me! What does that mean? First, she doesn't have any leverage at all. She knows very well that she can fool you, but she can't fool me!"

"Secondly, she might have leverage. But she doesn't think I'll compromise!"

After Xiao Ce got to this point, the expressions on the faces of the three of them became very unpleasant.

"We've also suspected that the real son of the old princess and prince might not exist! But..."

Just then, Hu Yidao overheard a few words spoken by a crew-cut assassin possessing him at the door.

After listening, Hu Yidao said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, there is new information..."

Xiao Ce knew that Hu Yidao would interrupt them, so he must be quite anxious about this news.

Xiao Ce beckoned to Hu Yidao, signaling him to come over.