My treasure bowl connects the past and present; I've won everything on my journey into exile.

Lu Hailong shook his head, "Even if you don't exchange anything for this, Prince Xu, I will give it to you honestly."

This was not my intention, and I knew nothing about this before today.

As he spoke, he turned to look at his trusted confidant who was holding a box covered with a red cloth, and nodded to him.

The trusted aide understood and immediately stepped forward, carrying the box and respectfully handing it over with both hands.

That's right, it's about having a respectful attitude.

"Return it to its rightful owner." Lu Hailong said with pity.

It's truly heartbreaking to see such a loyal minister fall to this state.

For some reason, Xu Wuyan suddenly felt a tightness and heaviness in his chest.

An indescribable sense of oppression washed over me.

Looking at the box covered with a red cloth, he hesitated to reach out and take it.

Lu Hailong sighed:

"Your Highness, please accept this. Prince Heng has gone too far and is extremely contrary to the principles of justice."

If I had known about this beforehand, I would have definitely stopped him.

It's a pity I only found out what he did today.

Xu Wuyan took a deep breath and then reached out to take the box, but his hand inexplicably began to tremble when he touched it.

When he received the box, he felt as if it weighed a ton.

Taking a deep breath, Xu Wuyan lifted the red cloth and slowly opened the lid.

When he saw the white skull inside, his heart pounded violently, and his hands trembled even more.

The scratch on the right cheekbone of that skull overlapped with the one in my memory.

Xu Wuyan's eyes instantly turned bloodshot, and a terrifying killing intent spread from his body.

"Was it done by Prince Heng?"

Xu Wuyan didn't look up, but his voice was terribly hoarse.

Lu Hailong nodded. "He brought it with him when he came."

I only found out this morning; please accept my condolences.

Condolences?

Xu Wuyan shook his head, then raised his head, staring at Lu Hailong with bloodshot eyes. "You're not innocent either."

Then he smiled maliciously, "Didn't I say I had some good news and some bad news for you?"

The good news is that Prince Heng, who came to your Kangping City, is dead; your people should have already informed you. Now, I have some bad news for you, shall I?

Seeing Lu Hailong's changed expression, Xu Wuyan said, word by word:

"You think that with Prince Heng dead, you've escaped his control?"

Xu Wuyan shook his head. "I'm telling you, this Prince Heng in Kangping City is a fake."

Then, under Lu Hailong's shocked gaze, Xu Wuyan turned away without hesitation:

"Xu Nan relayed my order: kill everyone who came from the capital with the fake Prince Heng, leave no one alive!"

"Yes!"

Xu Nan shouted angrily.

He also saw the knife mark on his cheekbone.

They deserve to die!

They actually dared to dig up the prince's grave and take his skull to threaten the young master! They all deserve to die!

"Brothers, they dug up the prince's grave and stole his skull, preventing him from resting in peace even in death. Don't they deserve to die!"

"Damn it!"

Should this grudge be avenged?

"revenge!"

……

Seeing the angry Xu family members, Lu Hailong couldn't help but smile bitterly after regaining his senses.

Prince Heng is foolish.

He should have tried to win over the Xu family by flattering them, but everything they're doing now is provoking the Xu family's bottom line.

What were they thinking when they dug out the head of the Prince of Anping to threaten Xu Wuyan?

Isn't this forcing Xu Wuyan to the opposite side?

Utterly stupid!

No, this is a fake Prince Heng.

No wonder they're so stupid.

Digging up someone's ancestral graves is an act of irreconcilable enmity, not to mention the character of Anping Wang.

Prince Anping was a good man and a good official, dedicated to the country and its people; no one could say a bad word about him.

The emperor ordered his head to be chopped off, but also instructed that Prince Anping be given a proper burial, with no room for negligence in terms of protocol.

When he was buried, his biological son, Xu Wuyan, did not attend the funeral.

However, countless people spontaneously came to see him off, forming an exceptionally large procession. This was because of the popular support for Prince Anping, which was also the reason why the emperor framed him and still wanted to get rid of him.

Now this fake idiot has actually dug up his grave.

Once this news gets out, Heng Wang will never have another chance to reach the top.

No one wants to follow such a treacherous minister who would dig up the graves of loyal ministers and steal their skulls.

Lu Hailong's eyes lit up.

Xu Wuyan will hold Heng Wang accountable. In that case, could I cooperate with Xu Wuyan?

Watching the Xu family members walk away, Lu Hailong felt regretful. Why hadn't he thought of that earlier? Otherwise, he could have had a good chat with the Prince of Yan.

People like Prince Heng are hardly fit for high society.

He has to find a way to protect himself!

Establishing friendly relations with the Xu family is the first step...

A cold glint flashed in Lu Hailong's eyes, and without saying a word, he immediately led his men back to the city.

When Lu Hailong returned, Zhang Rui immediately rushed forward with a look of anxiety:

"Lord Lu, my master has been murdered, and his head has been taken. Can you help me find his head?"

His master was killed, and his body was incomplete. Even if he doesn't die when he gets back, he'll be severely injured.

Therefore, we must retrieve our master's head.

"Do you know who did this?" Lu Hailong looked at him casually.

Seeing him shake his head, Lu Hailong raised a mocking smile, knowing that the other party had guessed it but was just not admitting it.

He shook his head. "Xu Wuyan."

Zhang Rui's expression changed drastically; it really was him.

He didn't even dare to guess.

After all, no one but him could have lured them away and then taken the opportunity to kill their master.

And most importantly, he took his master's head, which is almost impossible to get back.

"Isn't he afraid of being investigated by the Emperor?" Zhang Rui's voice was somewhat bitter.

"Your Majesty?" Lu Hailong suddenly laughed and shook his head:

"If he really is Prince Heng, perhaps the Emperor will investigate."

Unfortunately, he was just an imposter, so why would the emperor investigate?

Would the real Prince Heng dare let anyone know he was dead?

Upon hearing Lu Hailong's words, Zhang Rui's expression changed drastically. He stared at Lu Hailong in horror. He knew? How did he know?

"besides……"

Lu Hailong suddenly moved, and when he reappeared, he was already standing in front of Zhang Rui.

The color drained from Zhang Rui's face instantly. He looked at Lu Hailong, who was standing right next to him, with disbelief, and then looked down at his abdomen.

A dagger was stuck in his abdomen, and blood was flowing down rapidly.

"you……"

Zhang Rui staggered back two steps before falling to the ground.

He looked at Lu Hailong, his face deathly pale:

"You intend to betray Prince Heng?"

"Him? Does he even deserve my surrender?" Lu Hailong looked down at him, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

"He's just a shameless scoundrel. I'm not afraid he'll betray me after he's served his purpose and use me as a pawn in the end."

Anping was a loyal minister, but even after his death, Heng wanted to desecrate his grave.

This kind of person is not worth following.

Zhang Rui moved his mouth a few times, then fell silent, his eyes wide open.

At that moment, several screams echoed around the city lord's mansion.

Lu Hailong took out a handkerchief and wiped his hands.

As he threw away the handkerchief, he said coldly:

"Men, drag all these people away and bury them."

Who would dare to pledge allegiance to a shameless scoundrel who would dig up the remains of a loyal minister to threaten others?

Rather than betting on someone like that, he'd be better off becoming a loyal subject.

Lu Hailong's eyes were terrifyingly gloomy.

He needs to think carefully about what to do next.

The commotion from Lu Hailong's side quickly reached Xu Wuyan's side.

At this moment, Xu Wuyan was kneeling in front of the box.

It was his lack of filial piety.

He wasn't present when his father was buried after his death.

Now that he is incompetent, even his father cannot rest in peace after death, and his grave has been desecrated.

"Young Master?" Xu Nan asked with a worried expression.

"After Lu Hailong went back, he killed all the people that the fake Prince Heng brought. What do you think he was planning to do?"

Are you trying to frame us?

Xu Wuyan looked up, shook his head coldly, and said, "He wouldn't dare."

He realized that Prince Heng was unreliable and that following him would surely lead to death.

His purpose in doing this was to show us his attitude and stance: he would not collude with Prince Heng.

A hint of mockery appeared in Xu Nan's eyes. "This Lu Hailong is quite shrewd. As soon as he saw that the situation was not in his favor, he immediately changed his tune."

You can't trust this kind of person at all.

At this point, he looked at Xu Wuyan:

"Young Master, what should we do next?"

What should we do about this grudge?

Those who dare to dig up the prince's grave must not be spared.

Xu Wuyan looked up, a bloodthirsty glint in his eyes. "One by one."

Send a message to those in the capital: I want to hear before the New Year that Fu Yuanming has died and that the entire Fu family has been raided and exiled.

Xu Nan nodded, "Okay, I'll go and send the message right away."

After saying that, he immediately turned and left.

Xu Wuyan remained kneeling on the spot, his eyes fixed on the wooden box in front of him.

He had always wanted to ask his father.

Loyalty to the emperor and love for one's country—is loyalty to such an emperor even useful?

He devoted his entire life to the cause, only to end up like this. Did he have any regrets when he died?

Xu Wuyan closed his reddened eyes.

He would never allow himself to repeat his father's mistakes and end up with his head chopped off.

After a long while, Xu Wuyan finally opened his eyes.

The moment he opened his eyes, his gaze became unusually firm.

Father, I will not follow the principles of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism that you taught me. Will you blame me for being rebellious?

And right now.

Xu Pingan arrived, covered in dust from his journey.

"Master!"

Xu Pingan's eyes reddened. That's wonderful!

Young Master is alright!

Xu Wuyan looked at him, "Ping An, how many people did you bring?"

"Ten!" Xu Pingan pursed his lips:

"They are all experts, with immense strength, and each one could easily take on ten opponents."

"Very good!" Xu Wuyan slowly stood up from the ground:

"Bring me the map!"

……