"Your Majesty, it is indeed Ye Lingyue, this malicious woman who caused the death of my daughter. I beg Your Majesty to discern the truth and give my son justice, let Ye Lingyue pay with her life; Alchemist Lan Yingwu, who failed in teaching her daughter, should also be severely punished." Once General Nangong heard that the Black Medicine Powder was found, he immediately burst into a tearful accusation, as if injected with adrenaline.

"Your Majesty, the Black Medicine Powder was found in General Nangong's Mansion, and moreover, I have discovered nearly a thousand pounds of Black Stone Powder and a secret letter of collusion with the enemy state in a hidden chamber there," declared the leader of the Imperial Army sternly, presenting a letter.

When he heard this, General Nangong, who had been tearful moments before, was struck as if by lightning.

A thousand pounds of Black Stone Powder and a secret letter of collusion with the enemy state were found in a secret chamber of his mansion?

How could this be possible.

"Injustice, Your Majesty! I am being falsely accused. I have not colluded with the enemy state nor secretly hoarded a thousand pounds of Black Medicine Powder. These are all slander against me," General Nangong and Chief Chou were completely stunned.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Xia's expression drastically changed.

He took the letter from the eunuch's hand and glanced at it.

On the letter, it was clearly General Nangong's own handwriting, detailing how he had collaborated with Chief Chou to store a thousand pounds of Black Stone Powder, planning to ignite it at the imperial palace's year-end banquet and blow up the entire Imperial Palace.

It was fortunate that this was discovered early.

As Emperor Xia read, he broke into a cold sweat and became furiously enraged.

With a slap, he threw the letter onto General Nangong's face.

"General Nangong Jian, Chief Chou, you have the audacity to contemplate rebellion."

Chief Chou did not expect to be implicated as well.

What exactly is going on here? He just wanted to eliminate Ye Lingyue and Alchemist Mei, how did it suddenly turn into colluding with the enemy and scheming to rebel?

General Nangong, kneeling on the ground, kept kowtowing, but no matter how much he pleaded, Emperor Xia did not give him a chance to explain.

"Strip General Nangong Jian of his military power, hand him over to the Military Department for trial, effective immediately General Lan will assume the role of General of Army. Chief Chou is also to be locked in the Heavenly Prison, awaiting trial," Emperor Xia, vexed beyond measure, issued an imperial decree and then left the court.

Above the court, Sixth Prince and Alchemist Lan sighed in relief.

Crown Prince Hong and Crown Prince's Grand Protector Hong Fang, however, had faces full of gloom.

The entire matter unfolded like a sudden storm, from General Nangong's accusation to his dismissal and imprisonment in the Heavenly Prison—it all happened in a few moments, and they hadn't the chance to plead on his behalf.

Moreover, with Emperor Xia in such a raging fury, a thousand pounds of Black Medicine Powder was an astonishing number—if it were said that General Nangong was completely unaware, and that someone else had framed him, then that person's means were simply sky-high.

The loss of military power for General Nangong directly amounted to Crown Prince Hong losing a significant support.

Crown Prince Hong was seething with anger.

However, Grand Protector Hong Fang shifted his focus to another place in the Golden Throne Hall.

To Ye Lingyue, who had been kneeling there all along.

From being "framed" to being tried, the actions of one person greatly concerned Hong Fang.

Third-grade Princess Ye Lingyue.

As a girl of just fourteen, her calm demeanor amidst such a calamity was rather too composed.

She brought this upon herself, and could not be spared.

From beginning to end, Ye Lingyue, also hiddenly kneeling, just bowed her head.

Having knelt for a long time, her legs were starting to ache.

Just as she was about to rise, suddenly, two hands appeared before her.

The hands, both sculpted like jade, were slender and strong—one from Prince Feng, the other, however, came from Sixth Prince Xiahou Qi.

"Ling Yue?"

The same caring voice made Ye Lingyue slightly startled. She lifted her face and saw two equally concerned faces.

"Feng Xun, Sixth Prince, thank you both."

Ye Lingyue hesitated, rubbed her slightly numb knees, and stood up by herself.

The two men in front of her were equally outstanding and equally handsome, but she, filled with hatred, had no mind for frivolous romantic feelings at the moment.

Seeing this scene, Hong Fang, who stood not far away, was visibly moved.

So that's how it is. It seems that Prince Feng, who usually stays out of worldly affairs, did not come for the Imperial Hospital today.

This second young lady from the Lan Residence is indeed not simple.

Sixth Prince and Prince Feng, both are paragons among men.

Hiding the dimness in his eyes, Sixth Prince Xiahou Qi gave a smile.

Feng Xun and Ye Lingyue exchanged glances, and a mischievous light flashed in both of their eyes.

As soon as the carriage from the Lan Residence left the Imperial Palace, Lan Yingwu couldn't wait to ask.

"Ling Yue, what exactly is going on? How did Nangong Jian commit treason, and where did you get that one thousand kilograms of Black Medicine Powder from?" Lan Yingwu knew Ye Lingyue all too well.

Today, in the Golden Throne Hall, everything was certainly orchestrated by his clever adoptive daughter.

Lan Yingwu and Nangong Jian had been arch-enemies for many years. Although the latter's character was not that great, he was absolutely loyal to Daxia.

It was impossible for Nangong Jian to commit treason.

"Adoptive father, I just used their own methods against them. If they can bribe our servants, we can naturally bribe someone to secretly dig a tunnel in the secret chamber of the Nangong Residence," said Ye Lingyue nonchalantly.

"As for the tunnel and bribing, those are minor issues. But what about the one thousand kilograms of Black Medicine Powder?" Lan Yingwu, being a military man.

He knew well that one thousand kilograms of Black Medicine Powder was definitely not something the current Ye Lingyue could obtain on her own.

Even the alchemists at the Military Department might not have that much Black Medicine Powder.

"The one thousand kilograms of Black Medicine Powder, you should ask him," Ye Lingyue said as the carriage of the Lan Residence came to a stop.

Lifting the carriage curtain, Feng Xun was already standing in front of it.

Ye Lingyue had already started planning after receiving the secret report from Vice Chief Meng.

Both the secret tunnel and the spy in General Nangong's Mansion could be handled by the Ghost Sect.

However, Ye Lingyue had no means of procuring something like Black Medicine Powder.

She then sought out Feng Xun. Ye Lingyue's original intention was to have Feng Xun find a piece of Black Medicine Stone, but little did she know, Feng Xun would actually procure one thousand kilograms instead.

Prince Feng of Beiqing actually had access to so much Black Medicine Powder?

Lan Yingwu was shocked and alarmed.

"General Lan, you need not misunderstand, I've never had an interest in politics," Feng Xun said with a smile.

He simply thought, aside from Nangong Qinglin, General Nangong's Mansion would invariably keep an eye on Ye Lingyue. If that was the case, might as well be thorough.

It was fortunate that Prince Feng was a feeble, idle prince.

If he was strong and capable of martial arts, coupled with his cunning and decisiveness, Daxia might sooner or later be annexed by Beiqing.

This was the first time Lan Yingwu realized, Feng Xun truly lived up to being the former Prince Feng's son.

The marketplace is like a battlefield, and the techniques Feng Xun honed in commerce, when applied to politics, were equally effective.

He did not engage in politics simply because he did not wish to, not because he couldn't.