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

After the man in black removed the veil from his face.

Even Xiao Tao and Cai Man, who were prepared, were somewhat surprised.

Wu Wenjin exclaimed in surprise.

"Empress Hui!"

The person who came was none other than Xiao Yang's birth mother, Consort Hui, Cai Hui.

Cai Hui smiled faintly: "She's no longer Consort Hui, but rather the Dowager Consort Hui."

Xiao Tao smiled and looked at the person behind Cai Hui.

"Eunuch Lu, you may take it off as well."

Upon hearing Cai Hui's words, one of the people behind her immediately removed the cloth covering her face.

After Lu Yao's face was revealed.

These people did not know him.

Seeing everyone's bewildered expressions, Cai Hui smiled and said, "You probably don't know him, right? Let me introduce you. He's Lu Yao, the confidant of the current Empress Dowager Yunfei, also known as Eunuch Lu!"

Xiao Tao and the others still greeted each other politely.

However, after exchanging greetings, their expressions of confusion deepened.

After all, how did Consort Yun's confidante end up associating with Cai Hui?

Although they were puzzled, they naturally wouldn't ask.

Xiao Tao politely asked them to sit down.

He then said, "Consort Hui..."

Before Xiao Tao could continue, Cai Hui interrupted, "It's Consort Hui!"

Xiao Tao smiled and quickly corrected himself, "That's right... Consort Hui, Consort Hui! What brings you here this time..."

Cai Hui said to Xiao Tao, "Your Highness, I've come here for two reasons. First, to bring you good news. Second, I believe we can cooperate!"

Xiao Tao was stunned after hearing Cai Hui's words.

He wondered what kind of day it was.

They had all arranged to come and seek cooperation with him.

When did I become so sought-after?

Xiao Tao thought this to himself, but naturally kept his expression hidden.

"Oh? What's the good news? And how can we cooperate? I'm afraid we don't have any cooperation between us!"

Cai Hui said, "Since I'm here, it's natural that I have something to discuss with you!"

Xiao Tao looked at Cai Hui with a puzzled expression, but didn't respond.

Just then, Cai Hui continued, "I have some good news for you! You can now enter Kyoto openly and legally!"

Xiao Tao asked in confusion, "Your Highness, Consort Hui, what does this mean?"

"Your Highness, you should be a smart man. So, you all don't actually believe that notice Xiao Wenqin posted. It's a trap, you didn't see that, did you? Their goal is to lure you in and then capture you all at once."

Xiao Tao was somewhat surprised by Cai Hui's directness.

But she still smiled and said with a surprised expression, "Oh? Is that so?"

Upon hearing Xiao Tao's words, Cai Hui's face darkened: "Fourth Prince, I'm being honest with you... but you don't seem so honest! Do you really not know? If so... it seems I misjudged you!"

As she spoke, Cai Hui stood up.

At this moment, Cai Man quickly said, "Consort Hui, please don't be angry... We didn't mean anything by it! After all, we've heard all sorts of rumors! And even though you've said all that, you haven't shown any sincerity, don't you think?"

Cai Hui glanced at Cai Man and then said, "Cai Man, what is your relationship with our Cai family?"

Upon hearing Cai Hui's words, Cai Man bowed and said, "Reporting to Consort Hui, there is nothing wrong with it."

Cai Hui nodded and continued, "Next, it's time to show my sincerity!"

"First, let me tell you some good news: Xiao Wenqin and the Empress Dowager have both been poisoned in the same way the late Emperor... They are likely to die soon! Once they die, the capital will surely descend into chaos! When that happens, it will be the best time for you to go and take advantage of the situation!"

Cai Hui's very calm remark left everyone present looking completely astonished!

I was utterly shocked.

However, after a brief moment of surprise, they calmed down.

After all, they had heard about Xiao Yang and Xiao Ce.

Now, as Cai Hui tells him these things, they don't think anything of it, but they do feel that there might be something fishy going on.

Xiao Tao felt that Cai Hui was setting a trap for him, so he didn't react much.

Now it was Cai Hui's turn, and she was a little confused.

"Your Highness, aren't you surprised?"

Xiao Tao said to Cai Hui, "Consort Hui, what kind of cooperation do you want?"

Cai Hui was somewhat surprised by Xiao Tao's attitude.

He said to Xiao Tao, "It seems you don't trust me! Looks like I misjudged you..."

As she spoke, Cai Hui got up again, preparing to leave immediately.

Actually, if Xiao Tao had met Cai Hui first, he might not have had this attitude.

However, Xiao Tao met Xiao Xiangqing first, so it seemed that Cai Hui was colluding with his son to set him up.

Therefore, his attitude at this moment would naturally not be very good.

Seeing that Cai Hui was about to leave, before Xiao Tao could speak...

Cai Man waved his hand dismissively: "Consort Hui, this isn't a place you can come and go as you please! If you don't make these things clear today, you might not be able to leave!"

Upon seeing this, Cai Hui's face turned extremely sinister.

"What do you mean? I originally intended to cooperate with you? I came here with sincerity, but you showed little interest... In that case, I won't cooperate with you!"

Cai Man's face hardened, and he said to Cai Hui, "Consort Hui, this is not up to you... Today, you either explain things clearly... or you can forget about leaving here alive!"

Xiao Tao then chimed in, "Consort Hui, that's right! I'm telling you very clearly, don't take me for a fool! Since we're already here, I'll make myself clear. I understand everything that's going on in the capital!"

"Your son is being controlled by Xiao Ce. Now you've come here to trick me into going to the capital, isn't that right? You're saying this was Xiao Yang's idea?"

Before Cai Hui could speak, Xiao Tao waved his hand and said, "No, no, no... It definitely wasn't Xiao Yang's idea! Your puppet son is brainless, it must have been Xiao Ce's idea. They're ruthless enough, not caring about your safety at all... using you as bait... If you want to save your life, you'd better listen to me obediently! Otherwise, let me tell you, you're dead."

Cai Hui's face, which had been ashen, immediately relaxed after hearing Xiao Tao's words.

Then he burst into laughter: "Hahaha! I knew it... I knew I hadn't misjudged you..."

Cai Hui then said to Lu Yao, "Eunuch Lu, I told you I wouldn't make a mistake in choosing the right person."

As Cai Hui spoke, she sat back down in her seat on her own.

Xiao Tao frowned slightly, now also somewhat confused about what Cai Hui was up to!

An expression of quietly watching your performance.

After Cai Hui sat down, she said to Xiao Tao, "Your Highness, now that you know, I can save myself a lot of trouble! So, I'll just repeat what you said!"

“I did place all my hopes on my son, but that good-for-nothing! He was controlled by that good-for-nothing Xiao Ce. After being controlled by him, he was willing to be his dog. Being a dog is bad enough, but he even enjoyed it.”

“From that moment on, I knew. My son was dead... He could only ever be Xiao Ce's dog! I could never rely on him in this lifetime!”

"So I kept trying to find a solution on my own. I was burning incense and praying when I met my 'benefactor' who gave me guidance! That's when I realized I had to rely on myself!"

"I also learned that the late emperor intended to pass the throne to Xiao Wenqin, and that calling Xiao Wenqin back was to cultivate his power base... Therefore, I cannot allow Xiao Wenqin to gain a firm foothold. My 'benefactor' gave me a plan, and I secretly drugged the late emperor without him knowing..."

"My goal was to throw the entire Xiao Kingdom into chaos, and then I'd take the opportunity to see which prince to support... I thought my good-for-nothing son wouldn't come back, but I didn't expect him to return. Although Xiao Ce didn't!"

"However, I know very well that my good-for-nothing son returned on Xiao Ce's orders! And after my good-for-nothing son returned, he did not openly try to seize the throne, but instead began to advise Xiao Wenqin. Although I do not know their true purpose... I know very well that they are definitely not up to any good."

"His appearance disrupted my plans, and I couldn't let them succeed... So, before he could succeed, I poisoned Empress Dowager Yunfei and Xiao Wenqin first... Now they've taken the poison and won't be long before they die!"

"As expected, they're now suspicious of my good-for-nothing son. They might have already arrested him!"

Cai Hui began to speak slowly and deliberately.

After listening to Cai Hui's words, Xiao Tao and Cai Man listened very attentively.

“So, you are perfectly capable of being independent... why did you come to me?” Xiao Tao said to Cai Hui.

Cai Hui gave a bitter laugh: "Self-reliance? What a joke! After being worn down by Xiao Ce, I have no one to rely on... My family has been almost completely depleted by Xiao Ce! My good-for-nothing son has also sided with him... So, I want to find a suitable one among these princes!"

"And Your Highness, Fourth Prince, you are undoubtedly the best candidate... without exception! Because your mother died early, and you are smart enough! I think you are capable of securing this position! If you need someone to rely on, you are undoubtedly the best choice!"

Before Xiao Tao and Cai Man could speak, Wu Wenjin, who had been listening from the side, said, "Consort Hui, you're probably mistaken about your plan... You want to find a puppet, but our Fourth Prince is clearly not one!"

Cai Hui quickly waved her hand.

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Tao interjected, "Yes, if all you need is someone to rely on, why not ask your son? Even if your son is Xiao Ce's dog, he's a dog Xiao Ce trusts. Protecting you will definitely not be a problem!"

Cai Hui nodded and said, "Logically speaking, that's true! However, I know Xiao Ce is ruthless! After all he's done, do you think he'd let my son sit on the throne? As the saying goes, 'When the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked; when the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away!'"

"Once my useless son loses his usefulness... what will be the consequences? Your Highness, you should know better than I do."

Xiao Tao listened and nodded, saying, "You've said so much, but I still don't understand why I can't live without you... You've done everything you could... You seem to have no further use!"

Before Cai Hui could speak, Cai Man said, "If I'm not mistaken, your greatest reliance is that 'benefactor' you mentioned, right? What can he give us?"

Cai Hui nodded: "That's right, as expected of a member of the Cai family, you are indeed very clever... Since you mentioned a benefactor, he will definitely be able to give you things you can't even imagine!"

Do you know why Xiao Ce is so powerful?

Xiao Tao nodded: "I know! It's because he has advanced weaponry..."

Cai Hui thought Xiao Tao wouldn't know.

As a result, Xiao Tao spoke frankly.

Cai Hui was somewhat surprised: "That's right... I knew I hadn't misjudged him! That's right, my 'benefactor' can provide us with the same weapons as Xiao Ce!"

Upon hearing Cai Hui's words, Xiao Tao and Cai Man's expressions became quite interesting...

"Oh? Do you have any samples?"

Cai Hui glanced at Lu Yao, who nodded and then casually took out some weapons.

Upon seeing the weapons Cai Hui had taken out, Xiao Tao and Cai Man immediately abandoned their plans.

They initially thought these weapons were from the same batch as those belonging to Xiao Xiangqing and his group.

But looking at the styles they were holding, it was clear that they weren't...

Cai Hui said to the two people, "This is the first time I've seen these things either. We got them from our 'benefactor' and wanted to show them to you!"

Alternatively, we could have Lu Yao test it out.

Lu Yao was clearly not as skilled as Xiao Xiangqing and the others had been; he was quite unfamiliar with the task.

However, in terms of power, they are evenly matched.

Moreover, judging from their appearance, the weapons they were holding seemed to be superior.

"If you are willing to cooperate... then I will give you all the resources that my 'benefactor' gave me! I will help you unify them, and even ultimately eliminate Xiao Ce."

Xiao Taoguang listened to Cai Hui's rosy promises, which did indeed sound very tempting...

However, Xiao Tao also understood very well that there's no such thing as a free lunch.

Before Xiao Tao could speak, Cai Hui said, "Of course I'm not without conditions! If I'm going to help you, I naturally have my own conditions!"

Xiao Tao wasn't afraid of Cai Hui having demands, he was afraid of Cai Hui not having demands at all. He smiled and said, "Of course, I'd be scared if you didn't have any conditions!"