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

Based on Mu Yuan's speculation, Qin Hongxiu pondered for a moment and then offered her own opinion: "According to you, Prince Ning's actions are intended to make an enemy of Duke Liang, Lan Shi?"

Mu Yuan shook his head and said:

"It's not that simple. You and I both know it was Prince Ning who did it, but what's the evidence? Without any proof, even if Lan Shi gets wind of it, what can he do to Prince Ning?"

Sometimes, even when you know who the real culprit is, you're hampered by a lack of evidence.

Even if you want to retaliate, without evidence, you are acting without a legitimate reason. Being too impulsive could lead you into a trap set by the other party.

Prince Ning had Lan Que made into a human pig that could not speak, see, raise its hands, or walk.

The methods were extremely cruel.

On the surface, he was indeed after Lan Que's father, Lan Shi.

Logically, if Lan Shi knew about this, he would be furious and regard Prince Ning as an enemy.

But Prince Ning dared to do that.

This means he has already made preparations.

It's not just a simple feud with Blue Stone.

Lan Shi was a Duke and a close confidant of the Crown Prince, while Prince Ning worked for the Emperor and they also had a familial relationship.

Therefore, Prince Ning used the act of turning Lan Que into a human pig as a pretext, ostensibly aiming for Lan Shi.

In reality, his target was the person behind Bluestone.

—The current Crown Prince!

Qin Hongxiu recalled what Mu Yuan had told her about the current situation of the court on the way back, and combined this with what was happening now, she quickly realized what was going on and noticed the clues:

"You mean, the Prince of Ning wants to get rid of the Crown Prince?"

"Not bad," Mu Yuan nodded.

Qin Hongxiu tilted her head, her eyes showing not relief but rather confusion:

"Prince Ning is merely a prince, with neither troops nor power. How dare he challenge the powerful and well-equipped Crown Prince? Is he relying solely on the support of the aging Emperor?"

Qin Hongxiu applied this knowledge to other situations, and Mu Yuan smiled with satisfaction.

"That's the crux of the problem!"

Qin Hongxiu stared straight at Mu Yuan, her eyes filled with anticipation.

Mu Yuan slowly said, "Because Prince Ning is backed by the Emperor, the matter of Lan Que being turned into a human pig will most likely be directed at us next."

Qin Hongxiu, who was initially only half-understanding, was instantly plunged into deep confusion after hearing Mu Yuan's words.

"What does this have to do with us?"

Mu Yuan didn't rush to explain, but instead patiently guided him: "Where is Lan Que right now?"

"The southwest region," Qin Hongxiu replied.

"Who is behind Prince Ning?" Mu Yuan asked again.

Qin Hongxiu answered truthfully:

"emperor."

Seeing that the time was right, Mu Yuan threw out all the questions in one go:

"My Mu family is based in the Southwest. Lan Que was turned into a human pig by Prince Ning in the Southwest. Even if Lan Shi knows the truth, firstly, he has no evidence, and secondly, the person behind Prince Ning is the Emperor. At this time, how do you think the Emperor will handle this matter?"

Qin Hongxiu repeated Mu Yuan's question in a low voice, and after a long while, her eyes lit up:

"The Emperor will not blame Prince Ning, because Prince Ning works for him. Therefore, the Emperor will use the incident in Lan Que in the southwest to directly punish the Mu family. Once the charges are proven, the Mu family will inevitably be affected, and Prince Ning can take the opportunity to seize military power in the Western Prefecture."

Mu Yuan smiled mysteriously: "You're only half right."

"And who is the other half...?"

"The purpose of punishing the Mu family is to seize control of the Western Army, and the other half is... to force the Crown Prince's faction to rebel!" Mu Yuan said solemnly.

Upon hearing this, Qin Hongxiu's eyes widened in shock, her face filled with disbelief: "The Crown Prince has a strong and well-equipped army. Isn't Your Majesty afraid that the Crown Prince will seize the throne by doing this?"

Throughout history, very few princes have been chosen to succeed to the throne.

In most cases, the crown prince would take advantage of the emperor's old age and declining health to launch a sudden coup and seize the throne with his confidants.

But the current emperor is doing the opposite.

When news of Prince Ning turning Lan Que into a human pig reached the capital, Lan Shi would surely be furious, and the Crown Prince would naturally learn of it as well.

With the Crown Prince's power, all he needs to do is send someone to investigate.

Not only will they be able to trace it back to Prince Ning, but they will also learn that the Emperor is supporting Prince Ning.

Today, I'm turning Lan Que into a human pig.

Who knows, the executioner's blade might fall on someone else's head in the future.

The crown prince can remain calm.

The same could be true for the people under his command.

Under intense suspicion and pressure, the prince's subordinates would not sit idly by and would secretly urge him to launch a coup.

Once the crown prince does that...

The emperor could then summon generals from all over the country who held military power to rush to the capital to defend the emperor!

After all, the conditions for a coup are "change" and "suddenness." If the emperor is prepared in advance, the chances of a successful coup are extremely slim.

Mu Yuan squinted his eyes:

"The Emperor not only intends to punish the Mu family, but also to force the Crown Prince to rebel. This is a brilliant two-birds-with-one-stone strategy!"

The Prince of Ning's actions must have been authorized by the Emperor. On the surface, it was the Prince of Ning who turned Lan Que into a human pig, but the real person behind the scenes was the current Emperor.

Prince Ning was merely a pawn, while the Emperor was the one holding the pieces!

After hearing Mu Yuan's reasoning, Qin Hongxiu turned pale with fright and swallowed several times to calm her nerves.

Just as Mu Yuan deduced.

In the following days.

When news of Lan Que being turned into a human pig reached the capital, the court and the public were shocked. When Duke Lan Shi of Liang learned of his son's ordeal, he was furious, but since he had no evidence, he could only remain silent.

The emperor immediately issued an imperial edict to punish the Mu family.

Prince Ning, Zhu Zheng, accompanied by the imperial eunuch Liu happy, once again visited the Prince Xiping's residence.

They planned to use the imperial edict as a pretext to forcibly seize military power from Mu Yuan in the Western Prefecture.

Mu Yuan received the news early and, with Qin Hongxiu, rushed back to the Xiping Prince's Mansion from the Xifu Army's garrison, ahead of Prince Ning, Zhu Zheng.

Inside the Prince's Mansion.

Mu Yuan's entire family gathered in the hall.

"Oh, everyone's here."

Prince Ning, Zhu Zheng, scanned the room before finally fixing his gaze on Mu Yuan: "Your information network is quite impressive; you arrived even before me!"

"Your Highness flatters me," Mu Yuan said expressionlessly.

"Now that everyone is here, kneel down and listen to the decree!" Liu happy said in a shrill voice.

However, Mu Yuan and his group showed no intention of kneeling.

Seeing this, Liu happy angrily said, "Do you intend to defy the imperial decree?"

"Eunuch Liu, this is not appropriate! Only when the imperial edict is proclaimed do people need to kneel. However, the edict states that those who have made outstanding military achievements are not required to kneel. My Mu family has guarded the southwest for generations, and our military achievements are sufficient to exempt us from kneeling." Mu Yuan countered by citing the laws of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Liu happy was speechless for a moment, then turned to look at Prince Ning, Zhu Zheng, as if he wanted him to make the decision.

Prince Ning, Zhu Zheng, said with a gloomy face:

"Eunuch Liu, announce the imperial decree!"

Following instructions from Prince Ning, Zhu Zheng, Liu happy no longer adhered to the custom of kneeling to receive the imperial edict. He unfolded the edict in his hand and slowly began to read: