Tang Ning settled Princess Cheng and the others, while Xiao Yan and the Second Prince and his entourage entered the palace.
Emperor An was already furious when he was woken up from the bed of his new favorite concubine, and when he heard that Prince Cheng secretly stored military equipment and raised soldiers in the palace.
His shirt was open, and when the wind and rain from outside came in through the window, the cool air not only did not make him feel cool, but made him even hotter.
"You said that Prince Cheng secretly hid military weapons?" Emperor An said in a deep voice.
"Your Majesty, please take a look."
Marquis Wenxin bowed and handed over the crossbow he brought back from Prince Cheng's palace. After the crossbow was delivered to Emperor An, he continued, "This is a thunder crossbow developed by the Military Equipment Department. It has a long range, great lethality, and can fire ten shots in a row. However, the steel required for the crossbow is not easy to refine, so far, the garrisons in various places have only been equipped with a small number of them."
"There are only a few in the entire capital city, including the Imperial Guards and the Divine Feather Camp in the suburbs of the capital. They are usually used as a deterrent, but I have found more than 300 of them in Prince Cheng's mansion. In addition, his mansion also has other sharp weapons, including several ladders..."
"Ladder? Does he want to rebel?!"
The Thunder Crossbow is fine, but the Cloud Ladder is a siege weapon. No matter how high the buildings in the capital are, they cannot go over the palace walls. Where else in the entire capital can the Cloud Ladder be used except the Imperial Palace? !
Emperor An suddenly threw the short crossbow in his hand onto the table: "Where is King Cheng?"
"I have been arrested by this humble official."
Xiao Yan hadn't changed his wet clothes yet, and after standing for just a moment, a puddle of water had already formed under his feet. He whispered:
"Prince Cheng's previous dealings with people from aristocratic families were already suspicious. Later, when I investigated the Lu family's corruption, I discovered that Prince Cheng's palace was involved. He also had close contacts with people from the Ministry of War and the Armament Department. He also privately ordered people to mine minerals in the northwest and set up an iron smelting plant."
"I have long wanted to investigate Prince Cheng's mansion, but have never been able to get in. It so happened that Princess Cheng returned tonight, so I wanted to take the opportunity to investigate. Who could have expected that Prince Cheng had such a wicked ambition that I decided to silence him after I noticed something was wrong."
"Fortunately, I informed Marquis Wenxin in advance, and he and the Second Prince brought people to the scene in time. Otherwise, I would have been killed by those crossbows in Prince Cheng's mansion."
Emperor An rarely saw Xiao Yan in such an embarrassed state. He glanced at Marquis Wenxin and Wu Huai, and finally landed on the Second Prince: "Why are you with Marquis Wenxin?"
The second prince bowed his head quickly and said, "I went to the palace tonight to take care of the Empress Dowager. When I left the palace, I heard people talking about Marquis Wenxin mobilizing troops. Father did not issue any order, and there was nothing unusual in the capital. It is very unusual for the Beijing patrol camp to mobilize troops in the middle of the night."
He paused before continuing, "I dare not hide this from you, Father. I was not with Marquis Wenxin, but I followed him secretly..."
Marquis Wenxin heard this and said coldly: "The Second Prince brought his personal entourage and dozens of personal soldiers to follow me. I almost thought they were scoundrels and killed them directly."
"cough!"
The second prince's face turned red instantly and he couldn't help but cough softly, full of embarrassment.
Emperor An looked at his second son, who was always steady, with an embarrassed look on his face. He wished he could dig a hole in the ground and bury himself. The doubts that had just arisen in his heart were somewhat relieved.
He knew that each of his sons had his own thoughts, and that they had their own spies in the capital and the court.
The movement of the Beijing Patrol Camp could not be concealed. If the Second Prince said that he just happened to pass by Prince Cheng's Mansion tonight, Emperor An would still suspect that he had already had connections with Marquis Wenxin and others. But if it was his people who "find out" the news, and he secretly followed them to investigate, it would not be surprising if he ran into Prince Cheng's Mansion.
"How dare you say that." Emperor An glanced at him and pretended to be angry: "You dare to release people from the Beijing Patrol Camp. I think you are really bold!"
The second prince said hurriedly: "I dare not."
"What are you afraid of?" Emperor An's face was sullen, and it was hard to tell whether there was joy or anger in his eyes. "You want to interfere in the defense of the capital without authorization and investigate the military affairs? What do you want to do?"
The second prince's face turned pale instantly: "Father..."
"Bang--"
Emperor Andy slammed the table: "You are so brave!"
The second prince was so frightened that he knelt on the ground with a thump. Seeing Emperor An's rage, he said anxiously with a pale face, "I am not interfering in the defense of the capital, nor do I intend to investigate the affairs of the army. I just want to protect myself."
Emperor An looked at him coldly. The second prince whispered, "Father allowed me and my brothers to participate in government affairs and was very lenient and supportive of us. I can guess what his intention is. I am not like my fourth brother who has the protection of his mother's family and no one in the court to rely on. But I don't want to give in before I have tried it."
"This road is dangerous. I have no intention of hurting anyone, but we must always be on guard against others who may have the intention of hurting us. I do have my men in the Beijing Patrol Camp, but they are just there with no authority. Otherwise, I would not have to take the risk of bringing people with me tonight, and I would have almost been beaten to death by Marquis Wen Xin..."
Upon hearing this, Marquis Wenxin frowned and said, "Second Prince, I did not kill you."
The second prince said, "I know." He touched his arm, as if in pain, and said, "Thank you, Lord, for showing mercy."
After he finished speaking, he looked at Emperor Andy:
"I know I shouldn't go to the capital to patrol the camp and release the people, but I have no intention of disobeying you. I am just worried about your safety tonight. I hope you will understand."
Emperor An looked at his second son covering his arm with a curious look in his eyes.
He has many princes, and there are always some who try to please him. Compared with those who are sweet-mouthed and thoughtful, the second prince used to be particularly low-key and taciturn.
Emperor An had always thought that he was useless, but he never expected that he would have such thoughts. Most importantly, he actually had the courage to speak to him like this.
"You are quite honest." Emperor An said with an ambiguous tone.
The Second Prince lowered his eyes and smiled bitterly: "I dare not, but Governor Xiao and the others are here, I cannot hide it from my father."
"So what you mean is that you can hide it from me when they are not around?"
"Your son..."
The second prince was speechless.
Seeing his face turning pale and blue, and not knowing how to respond for a moment, Emperor An felt a little better. He didn't mind the prince having more thoughts. He had also come from their status and naturally knew what they wanted.
It is not a bad thing to be ambitious. Just as the second prince said, he has no protection from his maternal family and no one to rely on in the court. It would be really stupid if he did not know how to plan for himself.
"Okay, get up."
He did not pursue the matter of the Second Prince "planting" people in the Beijing Patrol Camp, nor did he accuse him of spying on the army. He just turned his head and looked at Xiao Yan.
"Investigate the matter of Prince Cheng thoroughly for me. Where did the Thunder Crossbow come from? The Arms Department, the Ministry of War, and anyone in the court who is related to this matter must not be let off."
"I obey your order, but there is one matter that I would like your majesty to decide on."
Xiao Yan whispered, "The old Concubine Dowager of the Prince's Mansion died a violent death, and the Prince of the Prince's Mansion is not the biological son of the Princess. If this matter were to be spread out, it would probably cause criticism. Would you like me to have people keep their mouths shut?"