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

Just then, a steward-like man beside Xiao Xiangqing spoke up: "How dare you... What if you're hiding assassins inside? What if our Eighth Prince, the Emperor, encounters danger after going in?"

Mr. Qianlong didn't even look at the butler.

Instead, they stood still without making a sound.

It would be unrealistic for Xiao Xiangqing to say she wasn't afraid.

However, he was a smart man. After a moment of stunned silence, he reprimanded the butler beside him.

"How dare you! This man is my savior, how could he possibly harm me?"

With that, he walked straight into the carriage.

He then climbed into the carriage, and just as he lifted the curtain...

The scene before her eyes made Xiao Xiangqing gasp in shock.

Immediately following this was a shiver running through my body, followed by fear.

Then I was overcome by a surge of anger.

The so-called gift in the carriage was nothing other than...

That's Xiao Xiangqing's uncle, Diliti.

However, his uncle seemed particularly strange at this moment.

Because at this point, his hands and feet had been cut off, leaving only his torso and head.

"Someone come! Catch this man!"

Xiao Xiangqing misunderstood this time, thinking that all of this was done by this Mr. Qianlong.

At this moment, the soldiers standing nearby were already at their guard, drawing their swords.

Then he walked over to Mr. Qianlong.

At that moment, Diliti cried out, "No... Abbas! This gentleman is my benefactor..."

After hearing his uncle's words, Xiao Xiangqing asked, "Uncle, you weren't made to look like this, were you?"

Diliti said to Xiao Xiangqing, "Of course not... Abbas, this is my benefactor... Tell your men to stop."

As he spoke, Xiao Xiangqing quickly ordered his men to stop and then walked up to Mr. Qianlong.

"Mr. Qianlong, this is..."

Mr. Qianlong said calmly to Xiao Xiangqing, "Eighth Prince, do you perhaps wish to discuss this here?"

Xiao Xiangqing immediately waved his hand upon hearing this.

"of course not..."

As he spoke, Xiao Xiangqing first sent people to carry his uncle, who was now only a torso and a head, inside.

Then, he gestured for Mr. Qianlong to proceed.

The ministers had no idea what was going on.

However, some of the ministers were quite familiar with Dilit.

It's truly astonishing that Diliti has become such a bizarre place...

After all, in their minds, Diliti was the highest authority in the Western Regions.

It's unimaginable that things would turn out this way.

However, Xiao Xiangqing clearly did not want them to be involved in this topic.

Let them go and rest first.

These ministers also felt that these people had arrived at just the right time.

After all, no matter what, Xiao Xiangqing is busy with this matter, so she won't be in a hurry to go to the capital to die.

As long as they didn't go to Kyoto to their deaths, they felt that anything was fine.

If this matter is delayed for another three or four days, it will be too late for Xiao Xiangqing to go.

By then, the daylilies will be too cold.

After Xiao Xiangqing brought Diliti back to his room, he first asked the housekeeper to serve tea.

Then, unable to contain his anxiety, he asked Dili, "Uncle, what happened to you? How did you become like this? Who did it...? Also, I sent you so many letters, but you haven't replied. Is it because something bad happened to you?"

Diliti was only a torso, and even sitting down was difficult for him; he needed someone to help him.

Although he had miraculously survived, his wounds, while healed, were still plagued by recurring phantom limb pain, making his life a living hell...

Diliti listened to Xiao Xiangqing's series of questions and didn't know how to answer them for a moment.

Instead of answering Xiao Xiangqing's question, she answered at her own pace.

"I've fallen to this state... all because of Xiao Ce!"

Diliti spoke with a venomous look in his eyes.

Xiao Xiangqing was taken aback at first, then quickly asked, "Xiao Ce? Is it Xiao Ce, or Xiao Yang?"

Diliti said with a venomous look, "Of course it's Xiao Ce, whom you all consider the most useless! He really is a viper... We all underestimated him..."

Looking at Xiao Xiangqing's incredulous expression.

Diliti then began to recount the events that had occurred in the Western Regions over the past year.

Xiao Xiangqing was shocked as he listened. In fact, Nie Bing, who was the Mr. Hidden Dragon, had mentioned this matter to Xiao Xiangqing before, telling him not to underestimate Xiao Ce.

However, the various things that happened to Xiao Xiangqing later made him stop believing it.

Even now, he still can't believe it...

However, Diliti had escaped from the Western Regions. When Xiao Ce ordered Diliti to have his hands and feet cut off and be thrown into the street, Diliti was...

He thought he was going to die, but in the end, Mr. Qianlong's men saved him.

Diliti was doomed, since he was still infected at the time.

However, Mr. Qianlong used various methods to snatch him back from the brink of death.

After hearing this, Xiao Xiangqing still couldn't accept it: "So, you mean... this alliance in the Western Regions was orchestrated by Xiao Ce? In other words, the true behind-the-scenes ruler of the Western Regions Federation is Xiao Ce!"

Diliti nodded.

Then Xiao Xiangqing continued to ask, "So Xiao Yang is also a puppet? Then are the rumors about Xiao Ce true? Is Xiao Ce the one who truly unified the Northern Desert?"

Mr. Qianlong nodded: "Not only the northern desert, but also the Turkic Kingdom! Its current strength has far exceeded your imagination... What is most terrifying is not its military strength, but its military equipment. They have developed some firearms. Those firearms have extremely powerful destructive power."

Then, Mr. Qianlong described the firearms that Xiao Ce had the Western Region Federation army use...

Xiao Xiangqing felt completely bewildered and even found it hard to accept.

After all, a born waste suddenly becomes an extremely powerful god descended to earth.

In people's understanding, it's never that easy to accept something.

Xiao Xiangqing listened and said, "Then... according to what you said, are they still in the Western Regions or have they come? I heard Xiao Yang has already returned... but I haven't heard any news about Xiao Ce..."

Mr. Qianlong said with great certainty, "Of course, I've heard about it along the way! Judging from the current tactics, it's obvious that they came from Xiao Ce."

Xiao Xiangqing's eyes widened: "Sir, are you saying that Xiao Wenqin's abdication... was orchestrated by Xiao Ce?"

Mr. Qianlong said calmly, "Of course, is that so hard to understand? It's actually quite simple. If Xiao Wenqin had these methods after the emperor's death, he certainly wouldn't have allowed you to escape the capital..."

"As soon as Xiao Yang returned, Xiao Wenqin came up with this plan. You should know better than me what kind of idiot Xiao Yang was before. Based on what I told you before, you should know... Xiao Yang is just a puppet of Xiao Ce, so it's very simple... The plan that Xiao Yang came up with was definitely Xiao Ce's idea."

"As for Xiao Ce in the Western Regions, they've already achieved their goal... Given his personality, he definitely won't stay there any longer... Xiao Ce has done so much, reclaiming the Western Regions and the Northern Desert; he's been accumulating power. And what is he planning to do with that power? Need I even guess? He wants that huge piece of meat—the Xiao Kingdom..."

“Before, he didn’t have the ability. Now, his situation… is quite clear, he has the ability.”

"Now, he has used Xiao Wenqin's hand in Kyoto to dig a huge pit and set a trap for you brainless traitors, so that you will fall into his trap... Obviously, some people have already taken the bait! If I'm not mistaken, you are also itching to join in."

Xiao Xiangqing nodded and said, "Mr. Qianlong, that's right. Actually, if any of us weren't fools... wouldn't we all see that it's a trap? But, aren't there many things we can't do? Like in this situation, if we don't go... wouldn't that be clearly giving up this opportunity? Would they really accuse us of betraying the king?"

Mr. Qianlong sneered, then said, "Hmph...naive...so what if you betray the king? Throughout history, it's always been a winner-takes-all era...you can say whatever you want after you win. Just like when they from the Western Regions conquered the Kingdom of Uz, they won, and they said they saved the Kingdom of Uz..."

"Now, you are in the same situation... If you die, you will be considered traitors to the king! But as long as you live, do you have an imperial edict in your hands?"

Xiao Xiangqing nodded: "That's right..."

“You should do nothing! And definitely don’t go. You should send someone to join forces with the other two princes… How long have they been gone?” Mr. Qianlong asked.

Xiao Xiangqing nodded, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Two days at the fastest, one day at the slowest..."

Mr. Qianlong said, "Listen to me now. You go there yourself first to find the Fourth Prince Xiao Tao, and then send someone to persuade Xiao Zhan to stay!"

Upon hearing Mr. Qianlong's words, Xiao Xiangqing said awkwardly, "If I had that ability, I would have done it long ago... Xiao Tao is a very cunning and calculating guy, but he's completely impervious to reason. And Xiao Zhan is even more arrogant. If I went to them, they could easily kill me... and they wouldn't listen to me anyway..."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Qianlong said calmly, "Now, haven't I arrived?"

Xiao Xiangqing then said to Mr. Qianlong, "Sir, are you willing to help me?"

Mr. Qianlong said to Xiao Xiangqing, "Of course... otherwise, what do you think I came here for?"

Seeing Xiao Xiangqing hesitate, Mr. Qianlong spoke up, "So, if you trust me... let's set off now. Of course, if you don't trust me... I think Xiao Tao is also a good choice... he's a smart man... I chose you entirely because of Dilit's sake, and also because of the instructions from your predecessor, Mr. Qianlong..."

Diliti quickly said to Xiao Xiangqing, "Abbas, don't hesitate. Mr. Qianlong is extremely capable... You won't go wrong trusting him. This might be your last chance..."

Xiao Xiangqing did not hesitate: "Mr. Qianlong, of course I am willing to believe you... So, is this Mr. Qianlong an organization? Not a specific person?"

Mr. Qianlong nodded: "That's right, we have many Mr. Qianlongs. However, all of us Mr. Qianlongs need to undergo many rounds of certification and assessment before we can serve... It's not something just any Tom, Dick, or Harry can do..."

Xiao Xiangqing nodded: "Mr. Qianlong, then I am willing to believe you... Otherwise, according to what you said... I'm afraid I am no match for Xiao Ce at all. Even if I have an army of 150,000, I am still no match for him?"

Mr. Qianlong said, "That's right, the Western Regions are a cautionary tale... Your only chance of survival now is to stick together... If you fight individually, you're doomed!"

Xiao Xiangqing nodded: "Then, Mr. Qianlong, what do you think... we should do?"

“Let’s set off first to find Xiao Tao, and then send a letter to Xiao Zhan! Tell him to wait for you a moment… We need to stop them first. The enemy of my enemy is my friend…” Qianlong said.

Xiao Xiangqing nodded and went to give orders to his subordinates.

Qianlong said, "Let's travel light and let Diliti stay here too."

Xiao Xiangqing asked with some concern, "No problem, sir, should we bring more people with us?"

Mr. Qianlong said calmly, "Travel light. With me here, you'd have a hard time dying even if you wanted to."

Xiao Xiangqing stopped talking nonsense and nodded repeatedly with a smile.

I'll make the arrangements.

...

Meanwhile, Xiao Yang went to Qian's Hot Pot restaurant.

This time, it was Xiao Ce who came to him.

Xiao Yang waited in the private room, just like last time.

He was somewhat uneasy, after all, Xiao Ce had said before that they should not meet unless there was something important.

Not many days later, Xiao Ce found Xiao Yang again.

It's obvious that something's up; otherwise, they wouldn't have sent him over at this particular time.

However, after waiting for quite a while, Xiao Ce still didn't come over.

Seeing Xiao Yang pacing nervously, Fu Yao spoke up, "Your Highness, don't be nervous...it won't be anything serious. If there's anything urgent, just let me know..."

Xiao Yang gave an awkward smile: "Never mind me... this is just a conditioned reflex!"

Fu Yao continued, "I heard that the Fourth Prince Xiao Tao and the Ninth Prince Xiao Zhan were both tricked... and now they've come. His Highness the King of Mobei must have come for this matter."

Before Xiao Yang could answer, the sound of a door opening came from the entrance.

Immediately afterwards, Xiao Ce entered with a dark face and a serious expression.

Looking at Xiao Ce's face, Xiao Yang's heart skipped a beat, and he guessed that something must have happened!