Princess, she is the one who facilitated the extradition.

The Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion.

The butler rushed to the study door and knocked urgently.

The Duke of Zhenguo was resting with his eyes closed on the couch when he heard the sound. He immediately opened his eyes and said, "Come in."

He fell quite hard, and his head was very dizzy. The doctor advised him to get some sleep and rest.

But the palace hasn't reached a decision yet, so he needs to stay clear-headed and deal with it.

"My lord, something terrible has happened!"

The steward slammed the door shut and hurried to the bedside. "The account books have been taken to the palace, and Lady Yang has been brought there as well. What if they…?"

They confessed to being the Duke who had gone abroad.

The Duke of Zhenguo slightly lifted his eyelids. "Notify the fifth, seventh, and eighth princes to return to the capital."

He knew that the assassins had failed to seize the account books when they did not return in time, and that the perpetrators would not be able to escape once the account books were in His Majesty's hands.

He slowly uttered a few words, "To see their father... off on his final journey."

The butler felt a chill run down his spine.

The fifth, seventh, and eighth sons mentioned by the Duke are all his adopted sons. Why would he bring them back to see him off in his final days? Could it be…?

The steward's suspicions were voiced by the Duke of Zhenguo: "Their biological fathers are the Duke of Yue, the Marquis of Wu'an, and the Minister of War, respectively."

These three are the main culprits in the armor case.

When they came to him, he found them intelligent and talented women who had other homes besides his own.

He then selected the best children from among the sons of their mistresses and nurtured them. These children were outstanding in both literature and martial arts, and were even more excellent than the legitimate sons of their families.

Following him is nothing more than getting promoted, making money, becoming a superior person, and bringing prosperity to the family, but naturally one must also bear the corresponding risks.

These children are the lineage he left for them, and also the pawns he used to manipulate them.

The steward understood and immediately replied, "This old servant will go and inform them right away."

The three officials have all committed capital crimes punishable by the confiscation of their property and the extermination of their entire families; their descendants will not survive.

Therefore, in order to ensure that their lineage continues, they will not worship the Duke of the State.

Suddenly, it dawned on him that no wonder the Duke would have a dozen or so adopted sons spend time with each of the officials every year; it was to help the father and sons develop their relationship.

The more you care, the easier it is to control.

The butler couldn't help but feel admiration, and the worry on his face gradually faded.

but.

"The Duke of Yue was foolishly filial, and he told Yang many things. Yang seemed to be a coward who was afraid of death..."

She doesn't care about the Duke of Yue's lineage or whether he'll talk nonsense.

The Duke of Zhenguo smiled dismissively.

Seeing this, the steward knew that the Duke also had arrangements, so there was no need to worry about it.

But a short while later, he received another message: "Lord Duke, Shen Ze has reported the Duke of Yue. The Shen family may escape this calamity."

If the legitimate son and grandson were alive and well, the Duke of Yue might not need his concubine to continue the family line.

What if he says something inappropriate to the emperor in order to save his life?

Upon hearing this, the Duke of Zhenguo lowered his gaze.

At the same time, the Minister of War's brows were also heavily furrowed. He lay prostrate on the ground, glancing at the side hall from time to time.

After the Duke of Yue proposed the deal, the emperor took him to a side hall for a private questioning.

He was a step too slow; otherwise, he could have used those messages to exchange for a favor with the emperor.

But now it's all too late; his name is clearly written in the ledger.

Thirteen years ago, he was only a fourth-rank official, and his family had no noble title, so it would be extremely difficult for him to be promoted again.

When the Duke of Zhenguo used the position of Minister of War to lure him into joining, he knew that once the matter was exposed, his entire family would be doomed.

But official positions, wealth, and women are all too tempting. He also harbored a侥幸心理 (a gambler's mentality), but he didn't expect that the matter would still be exposed. Fortunately, he still had descendants outside.

For the sake of this incense offering, he could only admit to the sins he should have confessed to, and he couldn't mention a single word about the people he shouldn't have mentioned.

Even the Duke of Yue and the other two cannot be mentioned, otherwise, if something happens to that person, who will protect his descendants who are still underage? Who will give him a future?

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but glance at the side hall again, wondering how much the Duke of Yue had spoken to the emperor.

Only the Emperor and the Duke of Yue were in the side hall. The Emperor's secret guards guarded the inner line, while the Yilong Guards guarded the outer line.

Not even a fly can get in.

The Duke of Yue knelt on the ground. "The Ghost Market was opened by the Luo family. Those who escaped from the Luo family hid in the Ghost Market, and most of them have now gone to Nanyao."

"How could the Luo family, who were exiled, possibly operate ghost markets throughout the Great Sheng Dynasty?"

The emperor lowered his gaze to the person on the ground. "Who in the capital is helping him?"

"It is Luo Xuanshu."

The Duke of Yue swallowed hard. "Before he was convicted, he harbored ambitions and secretly manipulated the Ghost Market."

Luo Xuanshu.

The one who said that Baozhu possessed the Xuanji bone, surpassing even the Crown Prince, and should become the Empress's former Imperial Astronomical Observatory.

"Since you know that he opened the Ghost Market before he died, you must have had a close relationship with him, and you must have heard him talk about the Xuanji Bone."

The emperor's eyes held a dark depth.

Luo Xuanshu gave Baozhu a prophecy not because he truly valued Baozhu, but because he wanted to use Baozhu to establish his own power. That's why he ordered Baozhu's death.

But if he opened the ghost market so early, showing such ambition, "Is Luo Xuanxu really dead?"

"I had no dealings with him. His death was examined in public, so it is unlikely to be a mistake."

The Duke of Yue hurriedly replied, "I only learned about the relationship between the Ghost Market and the Luo family by chance through the affairs of the Gu family and Princess Chengle."

"How did you find out?"

The emperor slowly walked to the Duke of Yue. Luo Xuanshu had indeed died back then, but Zhuzhu had been able to come back to life. Could he also be?

Thinking of this, the emperor clenched his fingers into a fist and put them behind his back.

The Duke of Yue's voice was somewhat hoarse, "I found out myself..."

"You want to live, yet you dare to try and deceive me?"

The emperor lifted his foot and placed it on his back. The force was not great, but it felt as if the Duke of Yue was carrying a mountain on his back.

"Zhang Bingsong is keeping your mistress, so you dare not acknowledge him. You learned about the secrets of the Luo family and the Ghost Market from him."

After learning of his daughter's murder, he began investigating the deposed empress and the Zhang family. He was surprised to discover that the Zhang family's ambitions were far greater than he had imagined.

The Duke of Yue suddenly froze.

Zhang Bingsong is the name of the Duke of Zhenguo, and His Majesty even knows that.

His concealment is pointless; he should confess the truth and strive for leniency.

Although he was also reluctant to part with his clever and intelligent concubine, His Majesty promised him that as long as he told the truth, he would be spared.

As long as he is alive, there is hope.

After a moment's struggle, the Duke of Yue made his choice: "Your Majesty, I deserve to die. I was forced into this..."

"etc."

Gui Yao's voice suddenly rang out, and she appeared at the door. Yi Long and the guards were both on guard.

When the emperor saw her arrive, he knew it must be something important, and he signaled to his guards to let her in.

Gui Yao entered the room and said, "Father, don't let him speak. Just ask him, and he only needs to nod or shake his head."

She had just received a message from Mao Dan that the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was very calm, without a trace of panic.

This is somewhat unusual.

The fact that Shen Ze and the account books entered the palace was not a secret; the Duke of Zhenguo must have known about it. Yet, he was not afraid of being reported, which shows that he had the means to control the Duke of Yue and others.

Thinking back to the last time she tried to probe the Empress with her spiritual power but failed, he suspected that the Duke of Zhenguo had also used evil magic on the Duke of Yue and others.

The emperor understood her meaning and asked the Duke of Yue, "Is the Five-Colored Army in Zhang Bingsong's hands?"

He knew this was what his daughter cared about most.

The Duke of Yue shook his head in shock, "He's not here."

His Majesty knows far more about the Duke of Zhenguo than he imagined.

What did Gui Yao mean by what he just said? Does it mean he will die if he says something he shouldn't?

Furthermore, Gui Yao's familiarity with His Majesty doesn't seem like that of a newly recognized godfather.

The Duke of Yue's mind raced as he heard the Emperor ask again, "Was it the Luo family who conspired with Zhang Bingsong to kill Princess Baozhu, or the black-robed man who stole the hearts of the people, or were they all involved?"

The Duke of Yue felt a chill run down his spine and nodded weakly, "I only know that there are two forces involved, but I do not know the specific details."

The Duke of Zhenguo has brought them along to plot for the throne, but he will not reveal his true intentions to them.

The reason he knew some of this was because of the Yang family.

Thinking of the Yang family, Gui Yao asked, "Is the Yang family helping the fake princess or the mind thief?" The former shook his head, the latter nodded.

The Duke of Yue shook his head.

They're helping a fake princess.

Gui Yao twirled the tassel with her fingers. She had previously deduced that the fake princess was from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, which was why the Empress planned to marry her off to the Crown Prince.

Just now, the Duke of Yue said that the Ghost Market was run by the Luo family, and since the fake princess went to Nanyao, the Ghost Market also went to Nanyao.

"Is the fake princess related to the Luo family?"

The Duke of Yue nodded weakly once more, having given up all hope.

His Majesty and the others know too much; the Duke may not make it to the end.