His entire family perished in battle; he rose from the ashes to conquer the world.

The details were so precise that every single point matched the inspection records of the Grand Canal Transport Office, even the weather was recorded exactly as described.

The real confession wouldn't be so polished. Someone had written a script beforehand, and those two transport officials memorized it.

Mu Yuan closed the ledger and tapped the cover three times with his fingertips. He suddenly remembered what his third sister-in-law, Fang Yuyan, had said: "When the grain transport boat was halfway there, the checkpoints were suddenly staffed by different people. The old subordinates sent word that there were unfamiliar faces from the capital moving around along the route."

That wasn't a routine inspection.

Those were Prince Zhu Xu's men, who were setting up surveillance along the way, waiting for the Fang family's private salt ships to walk right into their trap.

Mu Yuan got up and walked to the window, looking at the first hint of dawn on the eastern horizon, a playful smile on his face.

Since the Crown Prince has set up such a grand scheme, then he will play along with this Crown Prince and put on a good show in the Golden Palace.

At 3:45 AM, outside Chengtian Gate.

Before dawn, the glazed tiles on the palace walls gleamed with a cold, bluish light.

Mu Yuan was dressed in the court robes of a third-rank military officer, with a sword hanging at his waist. This was a special privilege granted by His Majesty that the commander of the Western Army could enter the palace without removing his weapons.

He stood side by side with Zhu Qi in front of the palace gate.

Zhu Qi was dressed in a brand-new crimson python robe, a confident smile on his face. He glanced at the account book in Mu Yuan's arms and lowered his voice, saying:

"Did you memorize everything last night?"

"Your Highness, rest assured."

Mu Yuan lowered his eyes, his expression calm. "Not a single word is wrong."

Zhu Qi nodded in satisfaction and was about to say something when a series of orderly footsteps suddenly came from behind him.

The two turned around and saw Crown Prince Zhu Xu's entourage slowly approaching from the end of the long street.

Zhu Xu sat in the sedan chair, the curtain half-rolled up, revealing a gentle, smiling face.

His gaze swept over Zhu Qi and Mu Yuan, lingering for a moment on the account book in Mu Yuan's arms, and the smile on his lips deepened.

"Fourth Brother has arrived early." Zhu Xu alighted from his sedan chair and walked slowly to the two men, his tone as friendly as if he were chatting with family. "Today is not a day for the regular morning court session, so why did Fourth Brother specially submit his request to see Father? Is there something important?"

Zhu Qi gave a forced smile and cupped his hands in greeting: "Your Majesty will find out soon enough."

"Oh?"

Zhu Xu raised an eyebrow and turned his gaze to Mu Yuan, "Young Master Mu has also arrived."

These words were spoken lightly, but to Mu Yuan, every single one was like a barb.

He raised his hand in a salute, neither humble nor arrogant: "Your subject has been ordered by the Fourth Prince to enter the palace to report on an important case."

"A major case?" Zhu Xu's smile remained unchanged, but a cold glint flashed in his eyes. "Then I'd like to hear what kind of case it is that warrants you two disturbing Father Emperor so early in the morning."

Having said that, he stopped looking at the two of them and stepped into the palace gate first.

Zhu Qi stared at Zhu Xu's retreating figure, snorted coldly, and whispered to Mu Yuan, "Let's see how long he can remain smug."

Mu Yuan didn't reply, but simply gripped the account book in his arms tighter.

In the Golden Palace, the fragrance of ambergris rises gently.

Zhu Youzhen sat upright on the dragon throne. The emperor, who was over fifty years old, had graying temples, but his eyes were still as sharp as an eagle's.

He put down the memorial in his hand and his gaze swept over the three people in the hall with a deep look.

"Fourth Prince, you hand over the plaque and say there's a serious case involving corruption in the Grand Canal that needs to be reported?" Zhu Youzhen spoke, his voice not loud, but so quiet that a pin drop could be heard in the entire hall. "Speak."

Zhu Qi stepped forward, lifted his robe, knelt down, and held up a memorial with both hands: "Your Majesty, I have recently confirmed that Fang Bai, a salt merchant from the Fang family in Jiangnan, colluded with officials in charge of the Grand Canal to smuggle salt on a huge scale. The evidence is conclusive!"

"The Fang family?" Zhu Youzhen frowned slightly. "Is it the Fang family of Jiangnan?"

"Indeed." Zhu Qi raised his head, his voice firm and resolute. "The Fang family, relying on their century-old status as salt merchants, bribed checkpoints along the Grand Canal to smuggle government-owned salt for profit. Your Majesty has already seized account books and confessions, implicating three Grand Canal officials, two of whom—"

He paused, then turned his gaze to Crown Prince Zhu Xu standing to the side, a cold smile playing on his lips: "From the Crown Prince's residence."

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the hall changed drastically.

The eunuchs standing by lowered their heads even further, holding their breath.

Zhu Youzhen's gaze slowly turned to Zhu Xu, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger: "Crown Prince, are you aware of what the Fourth Prince said?"

Zhu Xu showed no sign of panic, but rather a perfectly timed expression of surprise. He stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, I know nothing of this matter. However—"

He straightened up, looked at Zhu Qi, and said frankly, "Since Fourth Brother has found the evidence, why not present it and confront me in front of Father? If such a scoundrel truly exists in my household, I am willing to accept the blame for my oversight."

This statement was perfectly watertight, both absolving himself of any responsibility and projecting an image of utter selflessness.

Zhu Youzhen nodded, his gaze returning to Zhu Qi: "Where are the account books and confessions?"

Zhu Qi quickly gestured to Mu Yuan.

Mu Yuan stepped forward, holding the account book high above his head: "Your Majesty, last night I verified each of the account books examined by the Fourth Prince. The amount of silver involved, the ship numbers, and the time of arrival are all recorded. Please take a look."

The eunuch stepped forward, took the account book, and presented it to the emperor's desk.

Zhu Youzhen opened the account book and read through it page by page.

The main hall was so quiet that only the sound of turning pages could be heard.

Zhu Qi knelt on the ground, his smile becoming increasingly difficult to conceal.

He glanced at Zhu Xu furtively, only to see that Zhu Xu was still standing ramrod straight, with even a faint smile on his face.

That smile suddenly made Zhu Qi feel uneasy.

wrong.

The crown prince's reaction was remarkably calm.

Just then, Zhu Youzhen closed the account book.

He didn't look at Zhu Qi or Zhu Xu, but instead turned his gaze to Mu Yuan, who was kneeling in the hall.

"Mu Yuan," Zhu Youzhen spoke, his voice as calm as a deep pool, "you are the commander-in-chief of the Western Army, and also related to the Fang family by marriage. I ask you, do you trust these account books?"

Mu Yuan raised his head and met Zhu Youzhen's gaze.

In that instant, he felt Zhu Qi's gaze burning his back like a branding iron, and he also felt Zhu Xu's seemingly gentle but actually cold gaze slowly sweeping over him from the side.

The entire weight of the Golden Palace rested on his shoulders.

Mu Yuan took a deep breath and kowtowed, saying:

"Your Majesty, I do not believe it."

"What?!"

Zhu Qi turned his head abruptly, his face filled with disbelief.

Mu Yuan didn't look at him and continued:

"Last night, I repeatedly examined the account books and found many suspicious points."

"First, the testimonies of the two canal transport officials were too detailed. They even remembered exactly where they drank three years ago, on a certain day, at a certain time. This is not normal."

"Secondly, the Fang family has been operating in Jiangnan for a century, with trusted confidants all along the salt route. Why go to such lengths to bribe two complete strangers from the Crown Prince's household?"

"third--"

He raised his head and looked directly at Crown Prince Zhu Xu:

"Your Highness, I dare to ask what positions these two transport officials hold in your residence? And who recommended them for these positions?"

Zhu Xu's smile froze for a moment.

That moment was so brief that most people in the hall didn't even notice it.

But Mu Yuan saw it.

Zhu Youzhen also saw it.

"Mu Yuan, continue." Zhu Youzhen's voice remained calm, but his fingers were already tapping lightly on the armrest of the dragon throne.