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

When Xiao Yang saw his mother, she remained completely still, as if she hadn't heard what he said.

Xiao Yang noticed that his mother had become much thinner and wanted to speak, but Consort Hui made a shushing gesture.

Xiao Yang obediently kept quiet and waited.

He waited for more than two hours, trying to speak to his mother in between.

His mother silenced them all with a gesture of silencing.

Xiao Yang had lost all patience, so he went out and asked the eunuchs and palace maids.

They asked them how long his mother usually continued chanting once she started.

The eunuchs and palace maids nearby saw Xiao Yang randomly hitting people.

They dared not be negligent: "Your Highness, Consort Hui usually gets up every four hours, and sometimes she doesn't sleep all night... It's no use for anyone to disturb her during that time!"

Xiao Yang's eyes widened: "What the heck? Didn't sleep all night? Didn't eat or drink? Isn't that going crazy?"

The eunuchs and palace maids standing nearby looked embarrassed and dared not respond.

Xiao Yang continued, "None of you are new here, are you?"

The eunuchs and maids nodded respectfully: "That's right... After His Majesty contracted the strange illness, all the eunuchs and maids in Consort Hui's palace were driven away. Later, when the Thirteenth Prince, the new Emperor, met Consort Hui, it didn't seem right that there was no one to serve her here, so he transferred us over."

Xiao Yang looked at them with suspicion, then said, "Oh? So, you are the emperor's people?"

The palace maid shook her head and said, "Your Highness, it wasn't before... but it should be now, shouldn't it..."

Xiao Yang's gaze sharpened, and he revealed a fierce expression: "It is or it isn't... what do you mean by 'it's okay'?"

The palace maid, terrified, knelt on the ground: "Your Highness, I wasn't originally from the new emperor's residence or Consort Yun's palace. Now that the new emperor is on the throne, everyone in the palace is considered his person, so naturally we are also considered his people..."

Xiao Yang was satisfied with his answer.

"Alright, at this rate, I don't know when she'll finish... I'll be going now. After he finishes chanting the sutra, tell him I'm back, in my residence outside."

The palace maids and eunuchs nodded.

Xiao Yang did not go to the mourning hall again, even though his performance was very realistic.

However, it wasn't that he couldn't bear to see the dog emperor die.

He hated the dog emperor with a vengeance, even though that dog emperor had said nice things before.

In the end, the throne was given to someone else.

He wished he could drag out that damned emperor Xiao Dingbang and whip his corpse...

After returning home, his steward, Fuyao, was pacing anxiously at the gate.

They saw Xiao Yang come out of the palace.

Fuyao hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Your Highness...Your Highness, you've finally come out...I was worried you wouldn't be able to get out. Are you alright? Did the new emperor make things difficult for you?"

Xiao Yang smiled and said to Fu Yao, "No, Xiao Thirteen was very polite to me! It's alright, look how scared you are. Even if he wanted to mess with me, he wouldn't have chosen this time... He invited me here, and he still wants to mess with me... Isn't he just contradicting himself?"

Fu Yao saw that Xiao Yang was talking freely and without any inhibitions at the palace gate.

He quickly said to Xiao Yang, "Your Highness, they said it in the carriage... they said it in the carriage..."

Xiao Yang didn't waste any words and got into the carriage.

After boarding the carriage, Fuyao asked Xiao Yang, "Your Highness, how is Consort Hui?"

Xiao Yang then recounted the events that had just occurred...

Fuyao exclaimed in surprise, "What? Consort Hui has become a nun? Did she say anything to you?"

Xiao Yang shook his head helplessly: "No... she wouldn't listen to anything I said... she just kept chanting scriptures... I don't really understand what's going on... but I saw it was getting late... so I came back first! She doesn't seem to have any problems... she doesn't seem to be imprisoned... but I still don't understand what's going on!"

Fuyao nodded: "That's right, you're not here! I've tried all sorts of ways to contact Consort Hui, but I can't get through at all..."

Xiao Yang nodded to Fu Yao: "Alright, my mother might have her own plans... let's ignore her for now..."

Fu Yao nodded, then asked Xiao Yang, "Your Highness, they didn't make things difficult for you when they summoned you here, did they...?"

Xiao Yang waved his hand: "Perhaps it's because it's our first meeting, and my relationship with this little thirteenth isn't very good! So, it's all just polite formalities..."

"They just discussed some funeral arrangements..."

Fu Yao said to Xiao Yang, "Your Highness, aren't you going to keep vigil?"

Xiao Yang waved his hand and cursed, "Guard my ass... I saw that old bastard's coffin and wanted to kick it over. Damn it, I thought he was really doing it for my own good..."

"After I met my elder brother, I realized what it truly means to be good for you... A person who truly cares for you is someone who points out your problems, helps you correct them, and genuinely offers you assistance."

"Although my royal brother is quite ruthless and tortured me half to death, you can also see that I am different from before."

After listening to Xiao Yang's words, Fu Yao nodded: "That's right, Your Highness, you have changed quite a bit."

"That dog emperor was trying to kill me by praising me. He made me so arrogant and domineering, and made me look down on everyone... All for the sake of making it easier for him to get rid of me later."

"I really don't understand, what kind of bewitching potion did that bastard Xiao Wenqin give the emperor... to make him like this..."

Although Xiao Yang was cursing loudly inside the carriage, he still scared Fu Yao half to death.

"Your Highness...be careful what you say...be careful what you say..."

Xiao Yang listened to the advice and stopped talking.

As Fuyao was speaking, he suddenly remembered something and stuck his head out from behind the carriage curtain.

Seeing that there were no carriages following them, she dared to speak to Xiao Yang.

"What are you doing, acting all mysterious? The carriage is moving, are you afraid someone will eavesdrop?"

Fuyao smiled awkwardly: "Your Highness, this is a matter of great importance. Your Highness, you don't know yet, do you?"

Xiao Yang was completely bewildered by Fu Yao's seemingly random remark.

"What? You don't know? What do you know? Explain yourself clearly, you're just rambling on..."

Fu Yao lowered his voice and whispered in Xiao Yang's ear, "Your Highness, the King of Mobei has come to the capital!"

"What?! My royal brother is here!"

Fu Yao lowered his voice, but Xiao Yang exclaimed in surprise.

This startled Fu Yao so much that he covered Xiao Yang's mouth.

Xiao Yang realized he had lost his composure and covered his mouth.

Then, with an excited look on her face, she said to Fuyao, "Fuyao, where did you get this information? Is it reliable? My brother didn't say he was coming with me."

Fu Yao smiled at Xiao Yang and said, "Your Highness, it's someone from the Qian Family Trading Company who came to deliver a message to me. There's no mistake. After you come out, go to their hot pot restaurant to find them."

Hearing Fu Yao's words, Xiao Yang quickly said, "Then what are you waiting for... let's get going!"

Fuyao nodded.

Xiao Yang asked, "By the way, aren't you worried about others finding out? Also, what's that hot pot restaurant you mentioned? Is it the same one that my brother treated us to?"

Fu Yao nodded: "That's right, this hot pot restaurant is called Qian Family Hot Pot. It seems the King of Mobei gave them the recipe. Qian Family Hot Pot has become the most popular place in the entire capital, frequented by high-ranking officials and nobles..."

"The King of Mobei chose that place for the meeting to avoid suspicion. After all, Your Highness, you are someone who enjoys novelty and trying new things... so it's not surprising that you would choose a place like that! No one will think much of it. Besides, that's Qian family territory, so there won't be any spies there..."

Xiao Yang nodded: "That's right, the place my royal brother arranged must be good. Let's set off immediately."

...

At this moment, in the palace of Consort Yun.

A eunuch was reporting to Consort Yun about Xiao Yang's every move since entering the palace.

Consort Yun listened to the report from her eunuch and nodded gently.

I kept hearing about it until after I went to Consort Hui's palace.

Consort Yun said, "Consort Hui, you still haven't said a word to Xiao Yang?"

The young eunuch bowed to Consort Yun and said, "Your Majesty, that's right... After Xiao Yang beat up a eunuch over there, Consort Hui ignored him when he knocked on the door... Xiao Yang simply broke down the door, but once inside, Consort Hui did acknowledge him..."

"Xiao Yang waited for two whole hours while chanting scriptures. During that time, he tried to talk to Consort Hui, but she didn't say a word to him. Finally, Xiao Yang got impatient and left."

"After leaving the palace, Fuyao from the mansion picked him up and they eventually went to Qian's Hot Pot restaurant!"

After listening to the little eunuch's words, Consort Yun's gaze sharpened.

"Very well! I'd like to see what this Consort Hui is really up to."

Then, he asked the young eunuch, "By the way, what did the Emperor and Xiao Yang say?"

The young eunuch bowed and replied, "His Majesty and Xiao Yang discussed Xiao Ce's matter and the issue of the Western Regions..."

The young eunuch relayed the two men's words almost verbatim.

"What do you mean by the unification of the Western Regions? When did that happen?"

The young eunuch said, "It happened in the past year, and according to the report from the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict, it should be true... They are now called the Western Regions Federation! They no longer use the title of Emperor, but President. Currently, Nanxi of Shanshan is the President."

"Nanxi? Shanshan Kingdom? Is that the country where Xiao Ce was held hostage?"

Seeing Consort Yun ask this question, the little eunuch nodded: "It seems that Consort Yun and His Majesty have the same idea!"

Consort Yun asked in confusion, "What? Did His Majesty also ask about Xiao Yang?"

The young eunuch nodded: "Your Majesty also suspects that Xiao Ce might be involved in this matter..."

What was Xiao Yang's response?

The young eunuch bowed: "Xiao Yang belittled Xiao Ce to the point of worthlessness... followed by repeated denials. Consort Yun, do you also think Xiao Ce is not simple?"

Consort Yun nodded: "The main thing is that there have been some rumors coming from the Northern Desert... saying how prosperous the Northern Desert is now... even our Prime Minister said he was going there to recuperate, but then someone said that they saw our Prime Minister Yin also go to the Northern Desert!"

The young eunuch shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, perhaps this is a tactic used by Mobei to lure people there... Besides, Mobei is indeed very prosperous, and it probably has nothing to do with Xiao Ce."

"After all, Xiao Ce didn't stay in the Northern Desert for very long... I think Xiao Yang's pacification of the Northern Desert is more reliable..."

Consort Yun nodded: "Did Xiao Yang mention his troops in the northern desert?"

The young eunuch shook his head: "This wasn't mentioned..."

Yunfei nodded: "Alright! Go and keep an eye on them. Go and see if Xiao Yang really wants to help us... or if he has some other intention."

The young eunuch nodded: "Then Your Majesty... are there any other matters that you should inform His Majesty about?"

Consort Yun shook her head and said, "Forget it. There are too many things he shouldn't get involved in... Let him be a clean emperor. Since I've already gotten involved, I'm already not clean..."

"Keep an eye on whether the distinguished guests I invited have arrived in Kyoto yet..."

The young eunuch bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have already sent people to keep an eye on things. There will be no problem!"

Yunfei nodded: "Very good! So, the other families haven't made any moves, have they?"

The young eunuch nodded: "Your Majesty, those people are all talking. We've sent many scouts to monitor their movements, and it's clear they're planning to carve out their own territory... They're all hoping the other side will start a war with us..."

Consort Yun sneered, "Fine... then let them wait... once our distinguished guests arrive, it will be their death day!"

The young eunuch didn't respond to the question, but continued, "By the way, Your Majesty, after Xiao Yang returned, he cried in the palace for an hour, which caused many civil officials to change their opinion of him. They all praised him for being loyal and righteous!"

Consort Yun said with a disdainful look: "These pedantic scholars... it doesn't matter! It seems that Xiao Yang has no intention of rebelling... If he can be obedient, with his talent for leading troops, it would be good to let him guard the border and be our watchdog! And if he does anything wrong, we will put him under house arrest in the palace."

"Even the King of Zhen, who had a distinguished military record, was trapped in the capital by the late emperor, wasn't he? Not to mention him... Three-legged toads are hard to find, but finding a two-legged general who leads troops is easy, isn't it?"

"My father has many generals who are well-versed in military strategy, and they are no less capable than those roughnecks!"

At this moment, Consort Yun had completely lost her previous aloof, serene, and unassuming demeanor.

She exuded a strong, gloomy, and chilling murderous aura.